Valas Pumpkin Patch: How a Farm Attraction Became a SimpleTix Super-User
-
by
Riley Manning has worked as a travel and entertainment writer for more than 10 years. Today, he writes about unique events and the technology that helps make them happen.
Situated outside of Omaha, Nebraska, Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard is a 400-acre farm that has been in operation for 38 years. A agro-tourism powerhouse, Valas sells over 80,000 event tickets each season and 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 also hosts and caters large group events like corporate retreats and family reunions, providing a robust menu of concessions and food packages.
Their ticketing needs are complex, but Vala’s used a host of SimpleTix features to drive revenue and deliver fantastic guest experiences.
Online Ticket Purchasing & Ticket Types
Vala’s needed to offer several types of tickets, as well as season passes. SimpleTix helped enable this variety to ensure Vala’s achieve the most value from each customer.
- 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.
Season Pass and General Admission Upsells
Valas didn’t want the hassle of jumping between several different software providers for ticketing, merch sales, and concessions. SimpleTix rolled all of these functions into one streamlined platform that all flows into one account. This makes it easy to report attendee count, ticket sales, catering orders, and more. With SimpleTix data, Vala’s targeted ticket purchasers with small upsells at just the right time in the purchase process.
- 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
Group events are a huge revenue driver for Vala’s. SimpleTix worked with the farm to create an interactive map of the farm that shows the available camp sites and barns, along with their reservation prices. 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 — the guest could enjoy all of Vala’s offering without ever reaching for their wallet, all because they could purchase everything in advance.
Vala’s operates so many attractions and serves so many guests that it would be impractical to go into each day with no idea of how many visitors to expect. With SimpleTix, Vala’s could predict the crowd in advance, allowing them to allocate their staff, concessions, and other resources efficiently and save money while delivering a stellar experience. Plus, SimpleTix charges zero extra fees for concessions and merch transactions.
Any organization can become a SimpleTix super-user and leverage its ticketing processes to increase sales, streamline operations, simplify reconciliation, and more. In fact, the vast majority of our features come from real user feedback. See how easy it is by setting up a free SimpleTix event page for your event or attraction. You won’t pay a penny until you sell a ticket.
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 at support@simpletix.com.
Latest News
Related Articles
Tap to Pay on iPhone with Square: Accept Ticket Payments Without a...
-
by
Tap to Pay on iPhone with Square: Accept Ticket Payments Without a Card Reader If you sell tickets at the door, Tap to Pay on iPhone can make that process simpler. You can accept contactless payments directly in the SimpleTix Organizer app using Square, with no extra card reader needed. That means your staff can take payments on an iPhone Xs or later using physical debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets. Why Tap to Pay on iPhone matters for event organizers Many events still need a way to take payments on site. Farms, festivals, popups, attractions, and community events may want a simple option for in-person sales. Previously, that usually meant a separate reader. However, Tap to Pay on iPhone removes that extra device. If your team already has an iPhone, they can take contactless payments right from the phone. This can be useful when your sales setup is mobile or temporary. For example, maybe you sell from a gate, a folding table, a merch tent, or while walking the grounds. It can also help keep sales inside the same Organizer app you already use for box office and check-in. What Tap to Pay on iPhone does inside SimpleTix SimpleTix supports Tap to Pay on iPhone in the Organizer app, powered by Square. That means organizers can accept contactless in-person payments without a separate reader. Here is what it supports right now: Physical contactless debit cards Physical contactless credit cards Apple Pay Other digital wallets There are a few important details to know: It works on iPhone Xs or later The phone should be running the latest iOS It works inside the SimpleTix Organizer app It is powered by Square Stripe support is coming soon for Tap to Pay on iPhone That last point matters. Stripe...
Eventbrite’s New Owner Just Cut Staff: What It Means for Event Organizers...
-
by
Eventbrite's New Owner Just Cut Staff: What It Means for Event Organizers in 2026 If you run events and use Eventbrite, the last 30 days have been noisy. In March 2026, Italian software holding company Bending Spoons completed its $500 million acquisition of Eventbrite, taking the platform private. In April, new leadership announced staff cuts and a shift to operating with what they called "a leaner team." Here's what actually changed, what it could mean for your events, and why a lot of organizers are quietly evaluating their options. The quick version of what happened December 2025: Bending Spoons announced the acquisition March 2026: Deal closed at roughly $500 million. Eventbrite is now a private company, no longer publicly traded April 13, 2026: New Eventbrite leader Andrea Parodi announced staff cuts and a new product roadmap Headcount trend: Eventbrite went from 866 employees at the end of 2023 to 636 at the end of 2025 — and the latest cuts bring it lower Bending Spoons isn't new to this playbook. They've acquired Vimeo, WeTransfer, Evernote, and AOL in recent years. Each acquisition has followed a similar pattern: buy the product, cut a significant portion of the workforce, consolidate operations. That's the backdrop. Now the organizer question: what does it mean for you? What organizers should actually be watching 1. Support quality Fewer people usually means slower replies. If you've ever been 48 hours out from doors opening and needed a fast answer from support, you know how much that matters. Watch your response times on tickets opened after April 2026 and compare them to what you got in 2024-2025. If things slow down, that's not a one-off — it's the new steady state. 2. Product direction New ownership always means a new roadmap. Parodi's announcement talked about faster event creation,...
How to Connect Square to SimpleTix and Start Selling Tickets
-
by
How to Connect Square to SimpleTix and Start Selling Tickets If you need square ticketing that works for online sales and the box office, you do not need a messy setup. You need a way to connect Square to SimpleTix and manage online and onsite ticket sales in one workflow. Square can make sense for organizers who already use Square hardware or want to accept gift cards and catalog upsells. Meanwhile, SimpleTix gives you the ticketing layer: timed entry, season passes, reserved seating, check-in tools, and simple pricing at $0.79 + 2% per ticket, with no contracts or subscriptions. Why use square ticketing with SimpleTix The main reason is simple. You get Square for payments and POS tools, plus SimpleTix for event ticketing. That matters if you sell more than basic admission. For example, you might need season tickets, timed entry, Flex Passes, or onsite scanning. You may also want online checkout and in-person sales to work together instead of feeling patched together. Common use cases include: Farms and agritourism spots selling timed admissions and add-ons Attractions that need re-entry or multi-use passes Venues that sell online, at the door, and through staff devices Festivals handling rushes at gates and box office windows Organizations already using Square hardware for in-person sales If that sounds familiar, this is the kind of square ticketing workflow worth setting up. What you can do after you connect Square Once connected, you can use Square with SimpleTix for POS, gift cards, and catalog upsells. On the SimpleTix side, you also get tools built for ticketing, including: General admission with timed entry and capacity management Reserved seating with interactive seat maps Season tickets for GA and reserved events Flex Pass with attendee photo verification Promo codes, BOGO offers, and quantity discounts Waitlists and abandoned cart recovery...