Event Planner

Minimize Lines at the Gate with Event Ticketing Software

  • Riley Manning
    by Riley Manning • May 24, 2022

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.

event ticketing software

Event ticketing software helps you get more people to the gate with digital ticket pre-sales. But once attendees purchase tickets, you still must find effective ways to manage crowds the day of your event.

The right event ticketing software helps you streamline and optimize gate entry, minimizing lines and easing the burden on your staff.

Different venues and events will have attendees flowing through different entry points from different parking lots at different times, and it’s essential to be prepared for any entry management scenario.

Managing gate entry with event software has many benefits, including:

  •       Keep attendees happy with a positive, smoother entry experience.
  •       Enable staff to scan pre-sale tickets and do their jobs more efficiently.
  •       Protect the health of staff and attendees with no-contact QR code entry.
  •       Facilitate fast and easy Square-enabled day-of ticket sales.
  •       With digital pre-sales, know who’s coming and help staff prepare better.
  •       Use timed entry to decide who arrives when and reduce crowds at the gate.

Entry to an event is usually the first point of contact attendees have with you and your staff. Minimizing lines by streamlining ticket scanning and day-of sales makes for a good impression. Happy attendees are more likely to buy tickets from you for future events, and giving staff the right tools helps them do their job more effectively.

Event ticketing software helps you achieve these goals and minimize lines at the gate. Here’s how.

Table of Contents:

  1.     Prepare Better with Digital Ticket Pre-Sales
  2.     Timed Ticket Entry Reduces Lines
  3.     Use Mobile Ticket Scanning to Avoid Entry Bottlenecks
  4.     Square Partnership for Fast, Easy Day-Of Sales

Prepare Better with Digital Ticket Pre-Sales

event ticketing software

In today’s digital economy, customers expect to be able to pre-buy their tickets using remote, mobile purchasing channels.

Digital ticket pre-sales offers your attendees more control over their purchasing experience and lets them buy their tickets from anywhere at any time, with the options they want.

For instance, with SimpleTix you can offer highly customized ticket packages and upsell add-ons like concessions and merchandise, all from a simple-to-use, single checkout page.

If they need to make changes to their ticket details, using a ticketing app lets them do it themselves instantly.

Whatever purchasing choices your attendees make, ticketing software’s sales data gives you critical insights that help your staff plan better when it comes to entry and general event management strategies.

For instance, if you know you have a certain number of ticket presales for those who will arrive at specific dates and times, you can plan your entry points, where to assign certain staff members, security considerations, and any additional resources you may need for day-of ticket sales and customer service.

Instant payouts with SimpleTix mean you have access to up-to-the-minute details about pre-sales revenue.

Timed Ticket Entry Reduces Lines

When you have hundreds or even thousands of eventgoers arriving at the same time, it can create long lines, increase wait times, and place more of a burden on your staff.

Even with the most rigorous planning, you may find yourself facing a restless crowd that you can’t get through the gate fast enough.

SimpleTix’s timed ticket entry option lets you better manage the flow of attendees through the gate by having them arrive in smaller groups at pre-determined time slots.

Here’s how it works:

  • Build a ticketing portal with customized time slots, group sizes, and caps on the capacity for each time slot, whether you’re managing a zoo, museum, or one-off events.
  • Set a buffer between time slots to allow your staff to better prepare to handle crowds and manage your venue and event.
  • Streamlined digital guest communication lets you send vital information and updates before and after an event.
  • Ensuring health and safety guidelines for guests and staff is easy with SimpleTix; if someone gets sick and you need to implement contact tracing for COVID-19, you can easily export your list of attendees to identify and notify the right people.

Use Mobile Ticket Scanning to Avoid Entry Bottlenecks

Scanning tickets by hand can be time-consuming and lead to longer waits. To avoid entry bottlenecks, your staff needs to scan in guests as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Mobile ticket scanning lets your staff easily scan pre-purchased tickets using a QR code on a mobile device or a printed ticket.

SimpleTix provides digital kiosks so guests can simply point their printed ticket or smart device at your device’s camera to enter quickly and keep the lines moving.

If a ticket scanning is invalid, the devices will alert your staff so they can step in to help when needed. This level of automation keeps the lines moving quickly while also letting staff focus on helping in situations where they’re most needed.

Digital check-ins also provide you a record of how many attended the event, providing data-driven insights on whether you met your performance goals and how to improve outcomes for future events.

Square Partnership for Fast, Easy Day-Of Sales

Though many eventgoers prefer pre-purchasing their tickets digitally, you may still need to offer fast and convenient day-of ticket sales for your event.

Selling tickets on-site should be fast and easy for customers and staff, to keep your entry management strategy running smoothly. Handling large volumes of cash and counting out exact change for every customer slows your sales staff down significantly, versus using a cashless digital sales system like Square.

SimpleTix’s partnership with Square offers you the versatility to offer both mobile and on-site contactless payments and chip card payments, as well as Apple Pay and Android Pay, using a Square-enabled device like a smartphone or tablet.

Square integration also gives you the flexibility of instant payouts and analytics and reporting tools to build better business outcomes.

SimpleTix integrates with many other popular event management tools including Stripe, Zapier, SalesForce, MailChimp, Zoom, and Boca printers.

The ideal event maximizes your ticket sales without leaving your attendees standing in long lines when they get there. SimpleTix gives you the tools to manage entry at your event to get as many people as possible through the gate as quickly and smoothly as possible.

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

event ticketing software
Event ticketing

Season Ticket Software for Fall 2026: Subscriptions, Reserved Seating & Renewals

  • Vikram Bodas
    by Vikram Bodas • July 23, 2026

Fall subscription sales are the single biggest revenue moment for most performing arts organizations. Season packages, member renewals, and early access windows all open between July and September. So the season ticket software you pick this summer decides how the fall series actually sells. This guide covers what season ticket software needs to do in 2026, how to configure it for a theater, symphony, or concert series, and what SimpleTix costs for season-driven event programs. What season ticket software actually needs to do Selling season tickets is nothing like selling single-event tickets. First, one subscriber buys 4 to 20 events in a single package. Second, seats need to lock across the entire season. Third, renewals from prior subscribers happen weeks before the general public gets access. And fourth, add-ons like parking, pre-show dinner, and backstage passes attach to the subscription, not the event. So the operational checklist for season ticket software looks like this: Season pass or subscription products that group multiple events into one purchase Reserved seating with locked seats across the whole season, so the subscriber sits in the same seat every night Priority access windows for existing subscribers before general on-sale Payment plans or full-payment options so patrons can split large subscription costs Renewal workflows that let last year's subscribers re-up with one click Comp ticket management for donors, sponsors, and press seats Membership tiers with different pricing, benefits, and priority access Reporting by subscriber, not just by event If your current tool cannot handle these, you are probably running Excel spreadsheets on the side and losing renewals every year. What is season ticket software? Season ticket software is a ticketing platform designed to sell multi-event packages (season subscriptions) alongside individual tickets, with reserved seat continuity, subscriber priority access, and renewal workflows built in. The core difference...

event ticketing software
Editors pick

Holiday Event Ticketing Software: Timed Entry, Reserved Seating & Capacity Control for...

  • Vikram Bodas
    by Vikram Bodas • July 23, 2026

If you run a holiday event, you are booking dates now. So the ticketing platform you pick this month determines how November and December actually go. This guide covers what holiday event ticketing software needs to do in 2026, how to configure it for the season crunch, and what SimpleTix costs for holiday events of any size. What holiday event ticketing software needs to do Holiday events compress a whole year of sales into six weeks. First, most tickets sell in a 4 to 8 week window between mid-November and January 1. Second, weather cancels outdoor events without warning. Third, family groups buy 4 to 8 tickets in one order, not 1. And fourth, capacity is measured per time slot, not per venue. So the ticketing checklist for holiday operators looks like this: Timed entry with per-slot capacity for drive-throughs, walk-throughs, and Santa visits Reserved seating for holiday theater, Nutcracker, and holiday concerts Group and family bundles so a family of six is one checkout, not six Fast scanning at the gate, including offline mode for cold outdoor venues Waitlists for when peak-hour slots sell out Add-ons for hot chocolate, photo packages, VIP tiers, and holiday merch Automated email reminders so guests do not forget their timed slot Same-day payouts to fund the season's operational costs If your current tool cannot do all of that, October is too late to switch. Move now. How do timed entry tickets work for holiday events? Timed entry lets you release a fixed number of tickets per time slot (typically every 15 or 30 minutes) so guests arrive in waves instead of one 6pm surge. For a Christmas light drive-through with a 45-minute route, that usually means 30 to 60 vehicles per 15-minute window. Over a 5-hour evening, you can process 600 to 1,200...

event ticketing software
Editors pick

Eventbrite Pricing 2026: Fees, Refunds & What’s Actually Changed

  • Vikram Bodas
    by Vikram Bodas • July 8, 2026

Eventbrite pricing 2026 is a lot for event organizers to sort through. There are longstanding policies that quietly cost paid-event operators real money, and there is genuine news under new ownership. This guide covers what the fees actually cost you today, what actually changed under the Bending Spoons acquisition, and how the alternatives compare on real numbers. Below is the honest breakdown, sourced to Eventbrite's own pricing page and SEC filings. Eventbrite pricing 2026: current fee structure As of 2026, Eventbrite charges 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket for the service fee, plus 2.9% for payment processing. In-person sales carry a $1 + 2.9% fee. There is no per-ticket fee cap. For a quick benchmark of total organizer-side fees: On a $25 ticket, fees total about $3.44 (13.8%) On a $50 ticket, fees total about $5.09 (10.2%) On a $100 ticket, fees total about $8.39 (8.4%) On a $500 ticket, fees total about $34.79 (7.0%) On a $1,000 ticket, fees total about $67.79 (6.8%) The fees scale with ticket price with no ceiling. That is the story for anyone selling premium tickets, season passes, VIP tiers, or corporate packages. Eventbrite pricing 2026: no per-ticket fee cap Eventbrite does not cap total ticket fees. This has been true since 2018, when Eventbrite removed the previous cap during its IPO. For most organizers selling everyday tickets ($20 to $50), the absence of a cap rarely comes up in the math. But for organizers selling premium tickets, the uncapped structure translates into real per-event cost. Take a conference selling three ticket tiers on Eventbrite: $150 general admission: fee about $12.34 (8.2%) $400 VIP ticket: fee about $27.09 (6.8%) $800 sponsor ticket: fee about $50.90 (6.4%) For a 200-person conference with a mix of GA and VIP tickets, that translates into hundreds of dollars...

Sell More Tickets—More Easily

Attractions, seasonal events, performing arts centers and festivals love SimpleTix because it makes selling tickets… Simple!

GET STARTED FOR FREE