Pumpkin patches, hayrides, and hot cocoa around the campfire are the ingredients for fall family memories. As we move past the precepts that the pandemic placed upon us, more and more consumers are attending live events again at numbers not seen since 2019. Reestablishing personal connections has become key. This societal trend is reflected in event statistics, as 2022 is forecasted to realize event ticketing sales of $8.2 billion. Leveraging robust but user-friendly event management software now will create opportunities for your event venue. As we move into more seasonal autumn events, now is a good time to evaluate your ticketing platform and assess if you are maximizing your solution’s capabilities for all of your event needs.

Maximizing Your Event Ticketing Software

Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard, one of the largest farm attractions in the United States, uses SimpleTix as their event management software. In fact, by deploying this robust system, they were able to move past a simple event ticketing option and have transformed into super-users of the platform. A super-user is an operation that uses a wide array of features supported by the software. Based on SimpleTix’s ability to add more functionality, such as season passes, peak/off-peak ticketing, and upsells, Valas chose SimpleTix as their primary ticketing partner.

Situated outside of Omaha, Nebraska, the 400-acre farm has been in operation for 38 years. A farm-event powerhouse, Valas sells over 80,000 event tickets each season. Valas hosts a myriad of ticketed special events, from apple picking, horse rides, and gem mining to the crowd favorite, the Pigtucky Derby Pig Races. Valas allows visitors to purchase season passes, a transaction that the SimpleTix platform can execute flawlessly. Valas also hosts/caters for large group events, so options for food service and concessions are necessary. For these customers, Vala’s offers tiered packages that come with upsells specific to each tier. SimpleTix functionality addresses this need for flexibility.

SimpleTix not only issues attendee tickets, but the platform helps Vala’s Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard drive revenue while at the same time improving the customer experience. It is a user-friendly software package and offers a myriad of growth opportunities at no additional cost—the venue pays no extra fees for ticket options and upsells.

Online Ticket Purchasing

With the number of visitors that Valas hosts each autumn, they need a simple-to-use event ticketing platform that makes it easy for attendees to purchase tickets. But customers also want options when they purchase event tickets, so Valas uses their event management software solution to give the customer the ticketing choices they want and make the purchasing process as smooth as possible. In addition to one-off events, Valas also promotes other possibilities for visitors to the farm:

• General Admissions can be purchased as peak tickets (which can be used any day of the week), off-peak tickets(which can only be used Monday through Thursday), Friday-only tickets, Summer Season Tickets (which can only be used on Summer Festival weekends), and Halloween tickets.
• Season Passes can be used during the entirety of the fall season

Season passes are a fantastic option, as attendees are required to upload a selfie to accompany their season pass, removing the opportunity for purchasers to loan their pass out to someone else. Both General Admissions and Season Tickets are available online and can be delivered as a text message at checkout, making the purchasing experience as easy as possible. No more digging through your spam folder to find the tickets you purchased!

Season Pass and General Admission Upsells

Other ticketing platforms might just stop there, but Valas needs more functionality in their online sales process and doesn’t want the hassle of jumping between several different software providers for ticketing, merch sales, concessions, and the like. Reporting for attendee counts, merchandise inventory and sales, catering orders, etc., need to be accurate, easy to access, and actionable for the back-end user. Using all of the elements packaged within the SimpleTix event management software, Valas moves beyond ticket sales and promotes upsell offers to their customers—all within the app.

Upsells are an important component of event management, and there’s no better time to engage your customer than while they are in the app, purchasing season tickets. Some ticket purchasers may not even realize that these are options! At Valas, after the season ticket is purchased, attendees have a chance to select:

• Adventure tickets – 10 apple shots, a paintball coupon for 30 shots, and $5.00 off a pumpkin coupon
• Orchard Experience Coupon – this memorable upsell includes a 1/2 peck of apples, 1/2 gallon of sweet cider
• Taste of Vala’s Food Coupon: Caramel Apple, Large Kettle Corn Dozen Apple Cider Doughnuts
• Vala’s Souvenir Mug – All mugs purchased online are at the single mug purchase price of $14.99. Mugs purchased at the farm come with a discount on multiple mug purchases in the same purchase. Refills cost $1.99 for fountain drinks and $2.99 for specialty drinks (hot cocoa, coffee, cider slushie, cold cider, hot cider)

Campfire and Party Barn Experience Tickets and Upsells

Fall is a time for smores around the campfire, steaming cups of hot chocolate, and a basket of sweet treats to pass around to friends and family. Campfire and Party Barn events are popular attractions at Valas, and the SimpleTix event management software creates a user-friendly interface for the customer and a flawless workflow on the back end for organizers. Attendees can select a specific date and timeslot and then see a map of the available campsites and the different price points for each specific campfire. Once the campsite is selected, the purchaser is prompted with several upsells, such as smores kits, beverages, other catering selections, and merchandise. Square upsells are added to the initial reservation invoice, and once the customer checks out, everything is included in one transaction. There is no need to pay for anything on the day of the event! Wouldn’t your customers appreciate this ease in functionality?

Reporting the aforementioned transactions is a prime feature of the event management software. Super-users can direct service orders for the catering staff, so they know how many food items to prepare for the day and what specific time they need to be ready. Resource efficiency is achieved because the team knows exactly how much food to purchase and prepare, and there is no waste from this workflow. In fact, by becoming a super-user, an event venue can simplify its internal processes.

Valas Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard are just one example of a SimpleTix super-user. By leveraging all of the capabilities of the SimpleTix event management software, Valas has moved beyond simple one-off event ticketing and implemented a multi-layered approach to the event ticketing process. By providing more attendee options at that initial point of contact, Valas is increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty, and they’re organically growing sales while avoiding added costs and fees. And behind the scenes, a flawless and easy-to-understand workflow emerges from the process. Have you taken the time to see how SimpleTix could be the solution to all of your event management needs? Let us know how we can assist you.

SimpleTix has offered an affordable, premium event ticketing platform that outperforms Eventbrite and similar apps for over 12 years. Compared to the competition, SimpleTix offers better options at a better price point. To learn more, call us at +1 (855) 550-3670 or email us here.