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What to Look for in Online Festival and Event Management Software
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Every time you manage an event or festival is a unique experience. As you go through the different stages of planning, marketing, and managing an evolving set of logistics, your event may begin to feel like a living, breathing thing. After all, you’re juggling many moving parts that are specific to your event, such as venues, catering, equipment, staffing, third-party vendor contracts, marketing, planning and administration, and—perhaps most importantly—getting tickets into the hands of event goers. That’s why you need online festival and event management software that will bring your patrons a streamlined, efficient, customizable ticketing experience that drives attendance and maximizes revenue. The right digital ticketing software can provide tools to get the most out of ticketing and promotion for any event, from a small local food and drinks festival to a multi-day rock concert. Having access to intuitive, adaptable event software can help manage everything from ticket pre-sales to post-event tasks like reconciliation. With the ever-rising popularity of contactless purchasing options, online festival and event management software can also provide your patrons with the ticketing experience they prefer. That said, what should you look for when investing in event software? You may be tempted to go all-in for a digital ticketing app with a familiar name like Eventbrite. But alternatives may offer more premium functionality at a lower price point. Name recognition doesn’t always equal a better user experience. Before making this important decision, learn more about the software features that help create a superior event ticketing and management experience. Table of Contents: Pre-Event Features to Get the Most out of Ticket Sales Marketing and promotion play a critical role in your budget Instant payouts make a world of difference Day-Of Features You Need in Online Festival and Event Management...
5 Ways an Eventbrite Alternative Achieves Australia’s Phase 5 Covid Checklist Compliance
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Organizing an event is already a huge task, but organizing around Covid-19 presents extra considerations to work with. While it may seem daunting to sell tickets for a large event and maintain public safety, ticketing software can help you achieve compliance with any state or local mandates. An Eventbrite alternative not only helps you sell tickets, it helps you create the best possible experience for patrons — one that will keep them coming back time after time. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues around the globe, governments have adopted new restrictions to host large events in their cities, states, and countries safely. In Australia, capacity limits, physical distancing, and mask mandates vary from state to state. Brisbane’s home state of Queensland, for example, now allows 100% capacity for seated and ticketed events, while New South Wales, home to Sydney, has been in a near-total lockdown since June 2021. Somewhere in-between total freedom and lockdown, Western Australia now allows for public and private events with up to 2500 attendees, but organizers must adhere to the government’s phase 5 Covid checklist. The checklist lists eight rules to follow during organization and execution of the event. It must be submitted with any additional application documents in order to receive approval to host the event. The checklist is as follows: Manage shared space to ensure physical distancing. Provide trained COVID Safety Marshals. Ensure staff are trained in Covid safety measures. Maintain cleaning and hygiene standards. Maintain mandatory contact registers. Request that unwell people not attend. Provide adequate hand sanitizer and soap. Register event with the Department of Health at health.wa.gov.au/eventsregistration. Ticketing software can help your event staff meet these goals for the health and safety of your attendees. Eventbrite is often the first thought when considering ticketing software, but other options are cheaper and more...
4 Reasons to Accept Square Gift Cards on Your Ticket Page
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As an event manager, you know firsthand the toll the pandemic took on the entertainment industry. You work hard to bring a wonderful experience to life for your customers while still meeting business objectives. The world is working its way toward a new normal, and businesses are adapting as quickly as possible. One positive step event managers can take is to make sure their ticketing platform is compatible with Square. SimpleTix makes the solution so simple. Discover the top 4 reasons why accepting Square gift cards on your ticket page will keep you and your customers happy and bring them back again and again. 1. Keep Cash Flow Positive According to Forbes Magazine, “in 2020, the entire global theatrical and home/mobile entertainment market totaled $80.8 billion, the lowest figure since 2016 and a decline of 18% from 2019.” Forbes also reports that theatrical profits fell from $42.3 billion in 2019 to $12 billion in 2020. Dramatic decreases as a result of the pandemic make it difficult for people in the entertainment market to plan, launch, and report on the events they manage. No matter the size of your event, ticket revenue comprises most of the revenue you bring in. This is even more true for small venues forced to operate within the tight constraints of a limited budget. Issuing refunds adds more financial pressure because the money made on the ticket sale has already been spent on paying bills. Accepting Square gift cards helps keep your cash flow positive. Instead of having to issue a refund, a gift card offers a tangible sign of good faith that gives the purchaser confidence that they’re going to get something in return for the money they’ve spent on an entertainment event. Like most people in the event management business, you’ve probably used a...
3 Key Features Eventbrite Doesn’t Offer
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For event organizers, it may seem like investing in a digital ticketing app that’s cheaper than Eventbrite will net you a shoddier service with fewer features. Sure, the idea that “you get what you pay for” does hold a certain logic when you’re on a streamlined budget and can’t afford anything going wrong with your ticketing or marketing efforts. You just need to go with a name that’s well known in the event industry and assume they’ll deliver value, so you can move on to other aspects of planning your event, right? But what about when that familiar name doesn’t deliver the full value you expect and deserve? What if you could give your patrons a superior ticketing experience at a lower price point—freeing more funding for other immediate needs like venue rentals, food and drinks, and staffing costs? Now you can, with apps that are cheaper than Eventbrite. Despite the heavyweight brand recognition Eventbrite boasts, alternative ticketing apps like SimpleTix offer more functionality for lower per-ticket fees. Eventbrite’s software has some surprising drawbacks when compared with apps like SimpleTix, and Eventbrite tends to clutter your event promotion pages with marketing for their own brand. You need an easy-to-use ticketing experience that puts your event first. You need an app that gets tickets to your patrons and money in your hands as quickly as possible. If you’re looking for a smoother, simpler approach to digital ticketing, with premium functionality at entry-level pricing, look no further than SimpleTix. SimpleTix is cheaper than Eventbrite without sacrificing the quality of your ticketing experience. You may be surprised by these 3 key features Eventbrite doesn’t offer—but SimpleTix does. Table of Contents: Eventbrite Doesn’t Give You Instant Payouts Need Square Integration? Eventbrite Doesn’t Offer It Ticket Holders Can’t Change Ticket Details with Eventbrite Eventbrite Doesn’t...
How to Throw a Small One Day Music Festival
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Music festivals claim ancient roots but have evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry catering to nearly all subsets of culture. And while festival software is a relatively recent technological advancement to assist with their execution, the focus remains the same – to get people to come together for good music and revelry. There are more than 2000 different music festivals in the US alone each year spanning different cities, genres, and causes. Why not add your own unique festival to the mix? Not all festivals are on the scale of Coachella or Lollapalooza, and it’s easier to start your own festival than you think. Below we have listed the basics on how to throw a small one-day music festival. This is only a starting point – you’ll learn so much more as you develop your own unique festival and learn the ropes. You never know – your festival could become as iconic as Woodstock. Table of Contents: 1. Develop Your Festival’s Vision 2. Secure Your Date and Location 3. Create the Atmosphere with your Venue and Vendors 4. Hype Up Your Festival 5. Enjoy Your Hard Work 6. Bask in the Afterglow of Your Success Develop Your Festival’s Vision You’ve got the idea for your festival; now you want to let your imagination run wild brainstorming specifics. Questions to consider include: What is your festival’s unique premise? What type of atmosphere do you want your festival to create? What kind of crowd do you want to attract? And most importantly – why are you throwing this festival? You’ll want to be able to confidently answer these questions to potential festival goers so that you really know the purpose of your festival and its place in the scene. The more specific you can be as you develop the aura of your festival,...
Festival Software That Can Help You Run a Great Event
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Orchestrating any event can be a major undertaking. Pulling off a great festival presents unique challenges, especially since some festivals take place over multiple days. Whether your festival is something as laid back as an outdoor harvest festival, as intense as a big-stage rock concert, or you happen to be hosting one of the world’s biggest food fights, the backend logistics can be overwhelming to say the least. One thing that shouldn’t be overwhelming is selling your tickets. A seamless ticketing experience is crucial to your event’s success. The right festival software gives you all the tools you need to sell your tickets digitally, drive revenue, and make sure your festival will be an awesome experience for everyone. The fact is that festivals are a crucial part of the culture in many cities across the country, and venues have once again begun to fill with festival goers. Event ticketing software helps you meet their expectations with easy, contactless ticket sales for multiple days’ events, the ability to offer unlimited ticket types, upselling with addons like concessions and special parking, event reminders and personalized email campaigns, and many other features to optimize the festival experience. Here’s everything you need to know about how SimpleTix’s festival software can help you run a great event. Table of Contents: 1. Festival Software That Streamlines Ticketing 2. Promoting Your Festival with Mailchimp 3. Post-Event Reconciliation with Quickbooks Festival Software That Streamlines Ticketing There are many software platforms on the market for digital event ticket sales, but few offer the user-friendly customizability festival coordinators and their attendees need. SimpleTix is an event ticketing app built for you to maximize festival ticket pre-sales and customize your entire ticketing process easily. Several key features of SimpleTix make this possible. Festival Mode Most apps treat festivals as an afterthought,...
Pay with Square Gift Card… is now here!
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The #1 Request we've had in 2021 - When will you support Square Gift Cards? Square Gift Cards give venues so much flexibility. Want to buy your best friend tickets to the zoo? You’re just not sure what date and time would be best for them.Get ’em a Gift Card! They can later use it online to buy the tickets and pick the best time slot of their schedule. Next time you need to refund an order, make it an opportunity! Imagine the next time you need to refund an order, you can instead ask the patron if they would be interested in supporting your organization and take their refund as a gift card. Thus they can use it for a future event. After enabling Square Gift Cards as a checkout option, the next time you do a refund you’ll have the option to create a Square Gift Card for the order’s amount. This helps keep your cash flow positive. Canceling an event is devastating. Turn it into an opportunity! This August 2021, the COVID-19 Delta variant is starting to spread and jurisdictions are requiring event organizers to postpone or cancel their events. If you have to cancel an event with over 25 orders SimpleTix can offer a special type of bulk refund option for you. Want to simply give all of the attendees a full refund – we can still do that. However, we can offer you a better option now. We can send an email to all ticket buyers and offer them a quick link where they can click and get a full refund. Below this, we’ll include a message, written by you where you explain the reason for the event’s cancellation and how taking a Square Gift Card instead of a refund help your organization stay afloat. The ticket buyer can then click a button to create their Square Gift Card. They can use this...
5 Ways Zoo Software Can Simplify Ticketing
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Purchasing a ticket will most likely be a visitor’s first interaction with your zoo, and a smooth and simple ticket purchasing experience will have you off to a good start. Zoo software facilitates a more positive overall experience for both visitors and staff during your ticketing process. Why is it important to create a good customer experience? Because good experiences make your customers more valuable. They are more likely to spend more in the gift shop, return for another visit, and spread the word about how stellar your zoo is. Every good experience makes the case for your zoo’s cause, and when visitors see the value of your cause and believe in it, they are more likely to become members. Most people believe memberships are superior to a donation in supporting a nonprofit’s mission. Members are more likely to donate more on top of their membership fees, and they may even champion your cause in their corporate and personal lives. This is a broad view, but it’s true. Your most loyal members start out as satisfied visitors. And every visit begins with a ticket. Table of Contents 1. Purchasing Tickets Online Enhances the Process for your Visitors 2. Zoo Software Integrated with Square Boosts On-Site Ticketing 3. Your Staff and Visitors Save Time with Zoo Software 4. Zoo Software Offers Flexible Ticketing 5. Streamline Entry with Zoo Software Purchasing Tickets Online Enhances the Process for your Visitors With zoo software, your guests’ zoo visits start at home. They can conveniently purchase their tickets at home any time of the day, any day of the week. When visitors arrive for their much-anticipated zoo day with their tickets already purchased, they can skip the line at the ticket booth and head straight to the entrance, tickets in hand. These advance tickets will...
SimpleTix: The Simpler, Cheaper Alternative to Eventbrite
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SimpleTix: An Alternative to Eventbrite If you’re looking for an alternative to Eventbrite, SimpleTix offers a straightforward option: $0.79 + 2% per ticket, same-day payouts, solid payment integrations, and no contracts or subscriptions. In addition, SimpleTix charges no fees on free events. Get started — $0.79 + 2% per ticket Why organizers look for an alternative to Eventbrite Eventbrite is well known. But depending on the kind of events you run, you may need more control over how you sell, scan, and manage tickets. If you run recurring events, timed entry, reserved seating, memberships, or box office sales, SimpleTix supports those workflows without adding contracts or subscription fees. You can sell online, sell in person, scan tickets offline, use Square or Stripe, offer PayPal and Venmo checkout, and get same-day payouts. You can also explore our full Eventbrite alternatives guide or read the deeper SimpleTix vs Eventbrite comparison. Alternative to Eventbrite pricing Pricing is where many organizers start. SimpleTix charges $0.79 + 2% per ticket. There are no contracts, no subscriptions, and no fees on free events. You can also choose to pass fees to attendees or absorb them yourself. See full pricing here: SimpleTix pricing Alternative to Eventbrite feature comparison Pricing matters, but features matter too. Feature SimpleTix Eventbrite Per-ticket pricing $0.79 + 2% 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket + 2.9% processing per order Contracts No No Subscription required No No (optional Pro plan from $15/mo) Fees on free events No No Same-day payouts Yes No — payouts sent 3 days after event, then up to 5 business days to arrive Stripe integration Yes No — Eventbrite Payment Processing only Square integration Yes No PayPal and Venmo checkout Yes No Reserved seating Yes Yes Timed entry / capacity management Yes Limited Season tickets Yes No Memberships Yes No Offline...
The Simplest Alternative to Eventbrite for Running Your Event
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You’ve got your event planned, your venue secured, and your dates locked. Your initial thought may be to sell tickets through the ubiquitous Eventbrite; however, with a high cost burden and lack of control, it will be in your best interest to seek an Eventbrite alternative. The ideal ticketing platform should be easy to use, accessible to all, and puts the event organizers and attendees first. An alternative to Eventbrite will make pulling off your event easier than before, because you get to throw your event your way. With the right ticketing platform, you can save money and pull off the perfect event for your attendees. Table of Contents 1. Organize Your Event with Ease 2. Events Should be Fun for Everyone – Including the Organizers 3. An Alternative to Eventbrite Pays Out Instantly with Lower Fees Organize Your Event with Ease An alternative to Eventbrite should give you more control for different aspects of your events while still being user-friendly. Ticket Customization Custom ticket prices, bundles, and discounts will give your event an edge to potential guests. With infinite options and add-ons, ticket purchasers can find the right fit for their wants and needs. SimpleTix allows for an infinite number of custom ticket discounts, bundles, and other modifications. Your event is unique, and you should be able to structure ticket pricing as you choose. Event Website or Widget SimpleTix offers users a straightforward event website to sell tickets or a widget to embed on their own page. Guests don’t need to download an app or look at branding that is not your own, or events you are not advertising like other platforms will do. You can also update the website yourself should anything change. Purchasing tickets will often be the attendees’ first point of contact with your event, so...
Labor shortage leaving you short-handed? SimpleTix helps you cover the gaps.
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If you’ve driven past a strip of fast food restaurants lately, you’ve probably noticed how many of them have “HIRING NOW” signs in the window. Some may have even reduced their operating hours due to being so short-staffed. The restaurant industry isn’t alone. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the number of job openings in America hit an all-time high of 9.1 million in June. Trucking companies, farms, manufacturers, retail stores —businesses of all types are struggling to attract workers following the COVID-19 pandemic. Colin Davis helps run the Chico Hot Springs Resort, just north of Yellowstone National Park. During the pandemic, he was forced to shut down the resort for three months and lay off 150 of his 180 employees. As the world opens up again, the boom season he looked forward to has become a challenge all its own. “The stats from Yellowstone National Park pointed to probably the best financial year we would have ever had. I was like, ‘Wow, we’re going to come back rolling out of this’ and we’re just going to crush it… Everyone needed a win, then we phased into this labor crisis, Davis told The Daily podcast for its August 3 episode. “It’s honestly more stressful and harder to manage than COVID was.“ Shannen Tune, chef and owner of Craft Burger in Houston, has had to re-think his business model to survive the changing dynamics of his industry. Before the pandemic, Tune paid inexperienced, entry-level staff $12 per hour. Now applicants want $20. “I’m not a big corporate restaurant. I don’t have the funding and backing to where I can offer people $500 for interviewing or taking a job,” he said, in the same podcast. “One thing the pandemic taught a lot of restaurant owners is that your margins are...
Buncombe County Switches to Local Event Tech Provider, Saves Hundreds and Sees...
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Buncombe County switched to SimpleTix, a local tech company, for the county’s annual Lake Julian Festival of Lights celebration. Ultimately, the county saved hundreds of dollars in fees and saw a record turnout for opening weekend attendance. Asheville, North Carolina December 9, 2019 – Buncombe County’s annual Lake Julian Festival of Lights was just a bit more festive this year. The county switched to a local tech company to provide the eTicketing service for the event and ultimately saved hundreds of dollars on fees and saw the highest attendance ever for opening weekend. The annual celebration is always a huge draw for Asheville, NC, residents, as well as those across the state. The drive-through only tour includes thousands of dazzling lights and displays carefully choreographed and installed around Lake Julian Park. Each year, 20% of the proceeds goes to support the Buncombe County Special Olympics, as well. For 2019’s event, county organizers switched from Eventbrite to SimpleTix, a local ticketing technology company based in Asheville. The decision was made for multiple reasons, including saving money on fees, but also to help support a local company and bolster the area economy. The result was a record turnout, with almost 1,300 people visiting on Sunday alone, a new single-day record. Part of the increased attendance was due to lower ticket prices. Because the county saved money on fees, it was able to pass those savings along to eventgoers in the form of lower ticket prices. Chris Bubenik, Buncombe County Recreation Services’ Marketing Generalist, stated, “It couldn’t be easier to run an event with SimpleTix. From setting up our festival to scanning tickets, every step of the process is intuitive. The SimpleTix team also provided personal attention to ensure success. Plus, we were able to receive instant payments instead of waiting weeks for a check.” The partnership was so successful that Buncombe...