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Top Ticket Selling Platforms for Event Success
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Imagine your event filled to capacity, the excitement palpable in the air. Before getting to this point, there's a critical decision to make: which ticket selling platform will pave the way to your event's success? Understanding the availability, fees, user interface and customer support can greatly impact your choice. SimpleTix emerges as a beacon for comprehensive event management; Eventbrite flexes its muscles for large-scale festivities; Ticketleap brings customization to the forefront; Brown Paper Tickets champions the cause of arts and nonprofits. In the following article, we'll delve into the DNA of each platform, equipping you with the knowledge to pick your perfect ticketing partner. Factors to Consider when Choosing a Ticket Selling Platform When selecting a ticket selling platform, several factors must be taken into account to ensure a smooth and successful ticketing process. Here are the key considerations: Budget Alignment: Confirm that the platform offers essential services within your financial plan. User Experience: Opt for online ticketing platforms that provide an intuitive and hassle-free experience to enhance sales and audience satisfaction. Features Offering: Critical features to look for include varied pricing options, group registrations, discount codes, and social media integration to reach diverse attendees. Streamlined Registrations: The ability to simplify event registrations, market your event, and manage data effectively in one location is invaluable. Trustworthiness: Dependability in the platform is paramount for fostering user trust and ensuring seamless transactions. Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface is a must to accommodate all potential customers. Customer Support & Security: Reliable customer service that helps with setup, troubleshoots issues promptly, and protects data security is a necessity. Additionally, branding controls and promotional tools are important in customizing and advertising your event to optimize online ticket sales. A comprehensive ticketing platform should blend these elements to facilitate a superior ticketing experience. SimpleTix: A...
Event Ticketing Websites to Help Boost Sales and Attendance
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Event planning is a tactical challenge – similar to conducting an orchestra where every note matters – and event ticketing websites have changed how organizers manage attendees and track sales. Let's explore how these platforms not only simplify ticket distribution but also amplify your event's reach, ensuring no seat is left unfilled. How Event Ticketing Websites Benefit Organizers Event ticketing websites provide a centralized platform for organizers to manage their events effectively, offering a suite of ticketing features that enhance the attendee experience while simplifying administrative tasks. These platforms support customizable event pages that align with the organizer's branding, ensuring a consistent and professional look for potential attendees. Furthermore, organizers can set up various ticket types, from general admission to VIP packages, with the flexibility of pricing tiers to accommodate different customer segments. Additionally, promotional tools such as discount codes can be seamlessly integrated to incentivize early purchases or reward loyal attendees. One of the most valuable aspects of event ticketing websites is the ability to process payments securely. Attendees can purchase tickets using their credit card directly through the event ticketing platform, streamlining the transaction process. Once a sale is made, organizers benefit from real-time sales analytics, allowing them to monitor the success of their event against established KPIs. Event ticketing websites often charge a ticketing fee, but they offer a cost-effective pricing structure that can adapt to the scope and budget of the event. Moreover, mobile apps and social media integration further extend the capabilities of these platforms, facilitating online ticket sales and enhancing event registrations. In essence, by utilizing an online ticketing platform, organizers gain access to a powerful toolset that simplifies event management and enhances attendee engagement, all while keeping a close eye on sales performance. Frequently Used Event Ticketing Websites Event ticketing websites have become...
How Museums Can Easily Convert Visitors to Memberships on SimpleTix
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EverWonder Children’s Museum in Newtown, CT uses hands-on exhibits and programming to cultivate a lifelong love of learning in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. By easily converting visitors into memberships using the feature-rich ticketing platform, SimpleTix, they can cultivate and grow their community of learners. At EverWonder, children are encouraged to think, inquire, and wonder about the world around them. It was founded in January 2011 by a group of mothers who wanted to create a rich children’s museum experience for their own community. For the first years of its life, EverWonder existed as a mobile entity without a physical location. Two years later, they opened a physical location called The EverWonder Experience, and in April 2015, EverWonder Children’s Museum opened in a larger location with dedicated space for birthday parties and field trips. Like many museums, memberships help sustain the EverWonder’s mission and provide members with exclusive benefits throughout the year, like early bird access and discounted pricing for special events. Annual memberships are good for up to two adults and four children. Grandparents often buy a membership so they can bring their grandchildren during visits. EverWonder wanted to make it easier for visitors to purchase an annual membership. As Niki Giordano, the museum’s office manager, pointed out, “Members bring other people, and they are your best advertisers.” SimpleTix made the conversion to memberships easy Visitors to EverWonder can convert their general admission ticket to an annual membership and have their full price ticket deducted from their membership payment. To deduct that ticket purchase previously, staff had to transfer the amount to a gift card and then apply the gift card against the membership. “It worked, but it was clunky,” Niki admitted. However, new members can also save $20 on their membership if they were referred by another...
Pricing, Ease-of-Use and Square Integration Drew Fourth Generation Farmers to SimpleTix
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In 2021, fourth-generation farmers moved from their large family farm in Maryland to a smaller one in west Texas, pumpkin cannon in tow. Brandon and Taylor Huffman’s goals were threefold: Simplify, downsize, and create a community-oriented experience. Twenty-two years of running a popular pumpkin patch came in handy. They created the springtime Sunflower Festival and fall-time Pumpkin Festival. As Western Belle Farm took shape, they talked about how to streamline sales operations to maximize profits and make their busy lives easier. “This is a true passion for us, and there is nothing we love more than brainstorming new activities for children to play on, growing specialty crops for guests to enjoy, and overall creating a truly ‘fun’ place for our community to come spend a day.” - Taylor Huffman Western Belle Farm found the ideal ticketing platform in SimpleTix At the top of their ticketing platform wishlist was Square integration for seamless online and in-person sales. They also wanted reasonable processing fees and an easy-to-use platform that makes ticketing simple. Like many farms, they didn’t want to be locked into a two-year contract with a ticketing platform whose feature-set is four years behind. In other words, they wanted a Ticketspice alternative. “When we first heard about SimpleTix, we were really excited about their pricing,” Taylor Huffman said. “We were also impressed by their customer service and the small company feel of having the owner directly involved. After the demo, I felt the system was so easy that even a new admin could learn it and build out tickets.” SimpleTix helps farms maximize profits Lower processing fees per ticket has a ripple effect. It translates to lower ticket prices, even with sales tax included, and still allows Western Belle Farm to make a reasonable profit per ticket. Having the ability to...
Upgrade Your Email Marketing With Our New MailChimp Integration
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In a sea of advertising bombardments, email remains king of the marketing realm. Many Eventbrite alternatives will tout the messaging functionality of their event ticketing software. But how flexible are these functions, and will they fit the needs of your events, and—more importantly—your loyal customers? Harnessing the power of email marketing can lead to unprecedented profitability. With SimpleTix's new MailChimp integration, it couldn't be easier. The power of two platforms in your event ticketing software Communication with your attendees is vital in this business. It doesn’t matter if your event operation is a concert hall, a haunted house, or a drive-in theater, you need to reach out to customers in a thoughtful, effective, and integrated manner. Gone are the days when people would scan the local newspaper to see what events or gatherings were happening this weekend. You need to have a direct line of communication with your customers, and Mailchimp gives you that opportunity. Connecting SimpleTix with Mailchimp can save you steps, and it lays the groundwork for marketing your events better. If you aren’t using email as an integral component of your marketing plan, you're leaving money on the table. While the task of mastering this method of communication may seem daunting, there are plenty of free resources available to help you understand the ins and outs of email. Look into online videos, blog posts, and other media to see what suggestions the experts are touting. Your website CMS may have courses that will cover the basics and get you running an effective email marketing campaign. Compelling subject lines, exciting images, and clear content within your emails will help your message stand out in your customer's inbox and increase open rates. Over time, you'll track which of your emails do better than others, so you can see what's working and improve...
Making Memberships Easy with This Eventbrite Alternative
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Members are your most valuable, engaged, and loyal customers. They excitedly click on your bulk email campaign messages, they wear their lanyard or membership badge with pride at your events, and they invite all their friends to come to your future happenings. Studies suggest that members are four times as valuable as your other attendees. You can’t leave this market segment just sitting there. And by adopting a state-of-the-art Eventbrite alternative as your ticketing platform, it really couldn’t be any easier to create the connection that membership programs build. That dedication, that loyalty to your brand, and the attractions you bring to your customers are all within reach. Remember your members. Selling memberships is a great opportunity to build buzz and improve your bottom line. While some loyalty programs are free to customers (think airline mileage points and restaurant clubs), it’s good to associate value with that relationship. Let your members know that this isn’t just some swipe card that comes in the mail and collects points—no, let them know that it is exclusive and full of value. They will pay to be among your most honored guests, and they will feel more special in the process. Do you already have a membership program for your attendees to join? If not, we’ll show you the easy steps you can take to get it going today! But if you already offer a membership program to your attendees, fantastic! The following details will still help you see how SimpleTix is the best Eventbrite alternative to help boost your new or existing membership program. How to tell which customers have membership potential? If your Eventbrite alternative event ticketing software works well with Square and Mailchimp, you will have no problem segmenting your sales and email campaign data into useable and effective target groups....
Getting More out of General Admission Ticketing
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Different event types and venues call for different event ticketing needs. The right online event ticketing solution helps you provide the choices that are best for you and your patrons. General admission is one of the most common ticket types offered for events. A general admission ticket gives event-goers the ability to enjoy your event at an affordable price point without having to pay for reserved seating. With event ticketing software, general admission also gives you a starting point to upsell additional perks and privileges for customizable higher-tier packages for online pre-sales. Online ticketing software allows you to pre-sell tickets digitally—that way, you don’t risk losing out on sales from those who don’t have the time to stop by and would rather buy remotely and plan ahead. Digital sales also let you sell tickets 24/7 instead of being restricted to the hours your venue is open during the day. Here's a closer look at how event ticketing software helps you optimize general admissions sales and more: Pre-sale tickets Bulk purchasing Season passes Pre-Sale tickets: why they matter Pre-sale tickets can help theater-goers ensure they have a ticket to the performances they want to see and that fit their schedule and preferences. Ticketing software helps you maximize the benefits of pre-sales, including: Better planning and resource management. When you pre-sell tickets online, you have real-time reporting of the revenue coming in and can better manage your budget and resources accordingly. You can also get an idea of what ticket packages or add-ons are selling and adjust your approach to marketing and sales as needed. Convenience for purchasers. Event-goers like to plan. They may also want to buy tickets to certain performances or events at a place and time outside of your physical location and hours of operation. The more convenient you...
How the Right Ticketing Solution Can Create a Better Gameday Experience
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The right ticketing solution can make the difference between your fans' gameday experiences being memorable or worth forgetting. In this article, we’ll show you how our Eventbrite alternative can make your gameday operations easier and more efficient while increasing your fans’ satisfaction with their minor league game day experience. Learn how you can use SimpleTix to: Offer season passes Pre-sell individual game tickets Upsell concessions and merch Effectively deploying your event ticketing software can lead to increased attendance at minor-league games. Moreover, cohesive communication between ticket sales and service staff can also keep customer satisfaction at an all-league high. By deploying the right Eventbrite alternative, your ballpark leverage growth and customer loyalty, too. Season Passes With the right Eventbrite alternative ticketing software, you can offer your fans a myriad of ticketing options that fit their schedule and lifestyle best. Full-season tickets are the obvious option, and a fruitful segment to market to. Full-season ticket holders tend to spend more money at the arena buying food, snacks and drinks, team merch, and other upsells. But not all fans are looking to attend every single home game, some want options to attend multiple games throughout the season without the hassle of buying multiple individual tickets. Try offering your fans varied ticket packages that allow you to provide different bundles of tickets and other up-sells to your guests. Establishing a consistent revenue stream can also be achieved with half-season and event quarter-season ticketing packages. Presenting these options to your ticket purchasers is an easy option with SimpleTix’s event ticketing segmentation, which allows your game attendees to still be engaged with the team on that “super fan” level. A robust event ticketing platform moves past these rigid structures and offers various options: Multi-game ticket packages that assign fans the same seat for all 10 games....
Built to Help Farms Succeed
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This year, we sought to make it even simpler for our 300+ farm clients to drive revenue from their events and make the most of their busiest season. Our partnership with Maize allowed us to offer better prices for farms and release a ton of new features that helped our farm clients sell over a million tickets in October. Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard in Gretna, Nebraska used SimpleTix to sell tens of thousands of tickets this year. Here’s how they took full advantage of the SimpleTix platform. Multiple ticket typesVala’s sold general admission tickets, season passes, and reservations for campfires and party barns. Vala’s created even more ticket options according to the size of campfire or party barn. With SimpleTix’s peak/off-peak feature, Vala’s could disallow off-peak tickets on its most valuable days of operation.See how you can customize SimpleTix to your farm >> Pre-sold concessions and cateringVala’s tied its concessions sales into the ticketing process. Customers could pre-order everything from cider to pie to party platters when they bought their ticket, then use their digital ticket to redeem their concessions once they arrived on the farm. This helped Vala’s anticipate how much to prepare and keep the lines moving because staff didn’t have to handle as much cash.See how SimpleTix makes it simpler to run your farm >> Specialized upsellsVala’s created a specific set of higher-value upsells for parties who reserved the highest tier of bonfire or party barn. When a customer added a high-tier ticket to their cart, they were served this premium upsell list within the SimpleTix purchase process. Once they checked in at Vala’s, the staff could see their pre-ordered upsells and deliver them promptly.See how SimpleTix upsells can boost your bottom line >> Keeping the lines movingWhen tickets are bought in a group, SimpleTix...
Staying COVID-Ready: Four Tips for Your Holiday Event
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With 85% of Americans stating they were planning on celebrating the holidays, even during the 2021 Winter COVID wave, it is easy to see how the spread of the pandemic would impact holiday event operations. In 2021, holiday retail sales alone were nearly 850 billion dollars, so celebrating the season is big business for your event operation. As a holiday event venue, your number one priority is to keep your attendees safe when they are at your ice rink, holiday play, or other amusement. While concerns like fire exits, clear paths of egress, and maximum room capacities have always been paramount in your safety plan, stopping the spread of COVID-19 at your holiday event needs to be prioritized as well. If there is one thing COVID-19 has shown, it is that large indoor gatherings of people are the first to be impacted by the waves of variants of the coronavirus. Venues and event managers are well-rehearsed in this reality. Spikes in positive cases tend to coincide with holiday event programming. Are you prepared if COVID cases spike again and you have to change how you run your ice-skating rink or other holiday attraction? By following these four simple tips, you can leverage your event ticketing software to help you meet these challenges head-on. Tip 1: Stay Informed to Be Prepared Sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have solid, science-based guidelines for large gatherings and live events. Your state or county’s health departments may have specific regulations or recommendations for your venue to establish based on local variants or conditions. As we have learned over the past two and a half years, the landscape of the pandemic can change at a moment’s notice. Keeping abreast of conditions and developments within your community will enable you to be flexible and adaptable...
Three Major Problems That Keep Your Ice Skating Rink From Running Efficiently
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Ah, ice skating, the perfect winter pastime. Put on a warm, fuzzy hat, a fleece coat, mittens, and a scarf, and get some hot cocoa on a frosty January day! Perfect weather to head out onto the ice with family—perhaps for a romantic date or to learn to skate for the first time. It sounds like a wonderful time, but this lovely outing could be thwarted by a few problems. Crowded ice rinks, equipment shortages, and limited staff can ruin your guests’ winter fun. There’s a big difference between the silly fun of falling on the ice in the company of your friends and family and falling and creating a huge skater pileup on a jam-packed rink stuffed with frustrated people whose good times have been marred by simply trying to get a date for this outing! This year, avoid these issues! Partner with SimpleTix, the event ticket system that will save you time and money and ensure your guests will be able to make the most of their time on the ice at your rink! With SimpleTix, event ticketing is simple, straightforward, and hassle-free! Read on to see how SimpleTix can help solve your ice skating rink woes! 1. The Ice Is Too Crowded In 2015, approximately 50,000 people sustained injuries from ice skating. With that many people getting injured per year, it’s important to keep safety in mind when planning a trip. While serious injuries can occur, the most common types of injuries are bruises or contusions on areas of the body that take the hardest landing during a fall. As a rink owner, you want to prevent as many of these incidents from occurring as possible. Many families come from a distance to your ice rink, only to find that when they get there, the ice is...
4 use cases for timed entry ticketing that have nothing to do...
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The event ticketing industry has undergone fundamental changes since March 2020. The way people interacted with each other during the pandemic brought to light new ways of thinking about how we gather together, and as a society, we have shifted some of these interactions. Some of these changes—remote work is an obvious example—‚are here to stay. Many of these modifications were for health and safety concerns, but two and a half years later, a few of these adaptations have morphed how we gather for our leisure or lifestyle pursuits. Timed entry event ticketing is one of these examples. As we move into the “new normal” of running events after COVID, expect some of these changes to our industry to stick around. Your attendees became used to timed entry as the “business as usual” way of attending gatherings during COVID, and many of them now still enjoy the benefits that these ticket types bring to their lifestyle. Timed entry ticketing makes your event workflow easier and your attendees happier. Some cultural institutions and other event venues are ending their timed entry ticketing options, but other operations are leaning into this option to make improvements in their workflow and customer experience. Timed entry ticketing seems like an obvious solution for drive-in theaters, museum exhibitions, and farm and agritourism events. Event managers that operate seasonal events like haunted houses or holiday light exhibitions will benefit from this ticketing category as well. Think about this solution the next time you see the line stretching down the block from your ticket gate right before your event starts. Timed entry removes friction points from almost every type of event. Timed entry is not as restricting as you might think. While you have ultimate control over the flexibility of your event ticketing software, your customers don’t have...