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The Best Event Ticketing Software Features for Your Farm Events
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With so many operational farms leveraging their acreage into functional event space, you need to have a flexible, user-friendly event ticketing platform that supports your events, concessions, merchandising, and other add-ons. The seasonal offerings you host may be varied and distinct, but at the core of it all is centralized event ticketing software. The best event ticketing platform will help you: Pre-sell concessions, merchandise, and other upsells Offer flexible ticketing options to your guests, like bulk ticket purchases and timed entry Sell season passes to frequent attendees Update your ticketing page for each new event Use your Event Ticketing Sofware to Manage Unique Ticketing and Upsell Opportunities By themselves, farms offer unique event experiences for members of your local community and tourists to the area, but there are time-of-the-year considerations for farm events, too. As an operations or event manager at a productive farm, you understand the changing of the seasons and the different expectations your event attendees will have throughout the year. No one picks berries in October, and pumpkins aren’t picked over in May. You need event ticketing software that is adaptable and customizable to all the different event types you may host throughout the year. With SimpleTix, event venues can offer varied ticket types and unique upsells that correlate to different experiences and special events. You can create as many different types of event tickets or upsells as you want. If timed entry or peak/ off-peak ticket pricing will work best with your event operations, the platform can accommodate that. Another example might be an add-on highlighting different campfire locations around the farm that offers food upsells like smores to your attendees. Maybe you want to rent blankets for your summer concert series, provide a make-your-own-lemonade basket, or offer priority seating in the field to view the...
7 Ways to Sell More Merch at Your Haunted House
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Across the nation, haunted houses are major fall destinations, and there’s a reason that nearly every haunted house attraction has a gift shop or a merchandising stand. While event ticketing to your haunted house is certainly an important revenue stream, on-site purchases like merch and concessions really fill out your haunted house's bottom line. Thanks to SimpleTix's deep integration with Square, haunted house operators can manage all of these revenue streams through one convenient, streamlined platform. We help haunted houses deliver exceptional experiences every year, and we've picked up a few logistical tips that can help you score even more sales this Halloween season. 1. Make sure your attendees exit through the gift shop. While your initial impulse might be to situate your gift shop at or near the entrance of your haunted house, don’t do it. It may be high-visibility to customers starting your attraction, but when they exit your haunted house, they’re unlikely to trek back to the beginning to pick up some merch. Their focus is on the parking lot. Show them the creepy, must-have souvenirs on their way to the car, while the shivers are still running down their spines. 2. Design your gift shop as a walk-thru affair. Instead of creating another labyrinth, lay out the flow of the guests in such a way that they have every opportunity possible to interact with your merchandise. The more your attendees can look at, touch, pick up, or try on, the more likely they’ll be to make an impulsive purchase. A wall of merch along an exit path or a table of goods is a close second, but your sales will surely increase with more points of contact. 3. Offer plenty of merch options for customers to choose from. A wall of t-shirts has a certain curb...
Your CRM as an Event Planning Tool: 4 Insights
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Dedicated event management software will likely be one of the first tools your nonprofit considers as it will equip you with the features you need to host your event. Ultimately, your nonprofit CRM software will work alongside other tools, like your ticketing software, to create a more holistic event management strategy. To help you understand your CRM’s role in nonprofit event planning, this article will explore four specific aspects of event management that it can help with, including: Event Marketing and Communication Registration Pages and Guest List Creation Volunteer Management Follow-Up Planning As the central hub of your nonprofit’s tech stack, your CRM will likely also be integrated with a number of other tools that will help with your event planning—maybe even including your event hosting software. Make sure all of your event management tools are integrated so data from one solution will easily flow into your CRM, making it the one-stop location for all of your event planning. 1. Event Marketing and Communication Even the most well-planned event will only be successful if supporters know about it and buy tickets. Your CRM’s communication tools are essential for your event marketing campaign, allowing you to reach out to all of your supporters at once to promote your event. Additionally, your CRM’s donor data will enable your team to identify and target a specific audience for your event, leading to more effective marketing appeals. For instance, using your CRM, you can: Create personalized messages. When you’re trying to attract a crowd of guests, it can be easy to think of your potential attendees as a crowd. However, personalizing each message to address them by name and reference their personal interactions with your nonprofit can go a long way toward convincing them that your event is something that uniquely fits their interests....
Plan Your Haunted House With This Square-Integrated Ticketing System
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With over 4,000 paid Haunted House events in the nation, it is easy to see that these attractions draw serious crowds—and revenue. Haunted houses can be complex attractions. Operators should strive to engineer every part to add to the spooky ambiance and raise the tension. But friction in the ticketing process, lines at the gate, and bad logistics can kill the vibe for visitors. With the right ticketing platform, you can solve several problems with one convenient tool. Reducing friction with this Eventbrite alternative Make ticketing simple The ability to buy tickets online is a game-changer for any attraction. It's not uncommon for haunted house proprietors using SimpleTix to wake up to several hundreds of dollars in overnight sales. But it's great for customers too. They can buy at their convenience when they're in the mood to buy, and if they need to change their day or timeslot, they can do it right within the app. Streamline the line While anticipation is a vital element of a spooky experience, long lines can stall the excitement. Mobile tickets can be scanned in a blink, whether they're on a phone, a print-out, or even a smartwatch. If tickets were bought in a group, your gate staff can scan part or all of the group in with just one scan. Hype up your haunted house With SimpleTix, you can dig into the analytics of your ticket purchasers and send them waivers, promo codes, and survey questions from inside your ticketing platform. You can also keep them informed about things like parking, weather updates, and other information. Early Bird Tickets and Instant Payouts Haunted Houses tend to see a large volume of early bird tickets. SimpleTix, unlike other Eventbrite alternatives, will pay those purchases out instantly. With this instant remuneration feature, event organizers have...
Employing Waiver Best Practices With Apps Like Eventbrite
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Things like insurance, liability, and risk management comprise the less fun aspects of throwing an event. They’re not only essential to the safety of your guests at your event, but they also protect your organization from legal entanglements. Waivers are a major component of this aspect of event planning. Many event organizers require their guests to sign waivers before they can enter the premises due to any inherent risks involved in the event. Requiring a waiver has become more prevalent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as events became possible transmission hotspots. Asking your guests to sign a waiver may seem like a hassle, but collecting digital signatures on e-waivers can ease the burden of requiring this documentation. Often apps like Eventbrite allow you to easily wrangle digital waivers for your event. There are many factors to consider when adding a waiver to your event. Using an Eventbrite alternative like SimpleTix to distribute your electronic waivers facilitates a smooth process for both you and your guests. Table of Contents: What is a waiver? Why should I incorporate waivers into my event? How can apps like Eventbrite facilitate the waiver process? What is a waiver? A waiver, also known as a release form, is a legally binding agreement between two parties. In the context of an event, this document outlines the possibility of risks at the event and explains that by signing the document, the event attendee understands these possibilities and agrees not to sue should any damages occur. For example, an event organizer may ask guests to sign a waiver at a haunted hayride on a farm. The event organizers there will be lots of children running and jumping around hay bales. If a child is injured while playing, the waiver protects the event organizer from any litigation surrounding the child’s injury....
See How a SimpleTix User Created a Bloomerang Integration Using Zapier
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Whether you’re hosting a film festival, concert series, or launch party, event ticketing is an important part of the big day. Successfully selling tickets to your event ensures you have an excited and lively crowd to enjoy the results of all of the hard work you did to plan and pull off your event. But event ticketing software can help streamline your work behind the scenes, too. SimpleTix offers dozens of native integrations that make it easier to manage your operation, event, or attraction. By saving even the smallest step, you can repurpose hours of manual administrative tasks toward things that matter — like making your event unforgettable and allowing your staff to elevate the guest experience. Our integration with Zapier puts the power in your hands. With Zapier, you can create custom integrations between SimpleTix and almost anything else — from Zoom to Zoho, from Quickbooks to Constant Contact, and beyond. The best part: Zapier users can use integrations created by other SimpleTix users, so our network of integrations is constantly growing. Recently, a unique client used Zapier to create an integration between SimpleTix and donor management platform Bloomerang, with fantastic results. KANEKO’s Journey to Automation KANEKO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded with the mission to explore creativity through the multidisciplinary scope of art, science, education, urban planning, entrepreneurship, and philosophy. KANEKO regularly hosts artists, performances, and exhibitions at their institute located in Omaha, Nebraska. They use the event ticketing software SimpleTix to sell tickets to their various exhibits, installations, and performances. KANEKO will present the Oscar-winning virtual reality experience Carne y Arena by acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu throughout June 2022. Since the prestigious presentation will most likely attract new potential members for the nonprofit, KANEKO decided they wanted the ability to communicate further with guests after their experience....
Minimize Lines at the Gate with Event Ticketing Software
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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: Prepare Better with Digital Ticket Pre-Sales Timed Ticket Entry Reduces Lines Use Mobile Ticket Scanning to Avoid Entry Bottlenecks Square Partnership for Fast, Easy Day-Of Sales Prepare Better with Digital Ticket Pre-Sales In today’s digital economy,...
Maximizing the Value of Season Passes
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If you run a recurring event or attraction, offering season passes can be a game changer for your business. Not only can you encourage repeat customers, you can target them with higher-tier offers that drive even more revenue for your operation. With the right event ticketing system, offering tickets within the platform should be easy for both you and your customers. What are the benefits of offering a season pass? While season passes allow frequent visitors to save money on multiple visits, selling season passes also adds many benefits to your venue. Season passes: Incentivize repeat visits Encourage attendance. Increase opportunities to strengthen relations with guests. Provide more chances to sell concessions or merchandise. Season passes provide great peace of mind to your venues. Since the price is usually the cost of several single-day tickets, you can count on that revenue immediately. Adding season passes to your ticket offerings also increases revenue for your facility in multiple ways. Pass holders will usually buy concessions, merchandise, or gifts once in the venue. Also, since pass holders are not buying a ticket at the venue, they can feel as if they have gotten in for free, encouraging them to spend more money at your facility. Season pass holders often want to bring friends along who will most likely need to purchase their own ticket. Owning a season pass encourages these guests to visit your facility as frequently as they can, which provides extra opportunities for you to cash in on these opportunities. Unfortunately, sometimes guests try to exploit the freedom of their season pass by sharing with friends and family members, allowing non-pass holders to attend for free. If this allowance is not explicitly outlined in your terms and conditions, offering a season pass can backfire as you lose revenue to visitors...
This Alternative to Eventbrite Can Boost Sales for Your Drive-in Theater
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There is comfort in taking a drive at night, maybe even in your PJs, windows down, letting the night air in, then rolling into a corner of a lot, leaning your seat back, and settling into a movie. The drive-in theater is making a comeback, and for good reason. With the last two years of Covid-19 and social distancing, many Americans have felt starved for getting out of the house while remaining relatively safe. Our cars are an extension of our home. Why not get out of the house and catch a flick? Demand for the drive-in experience is up. There are currently 10 drive-in theaters around the state of Florida with another 21 proposed. Drive-in theaters have traditionally been cash-only for tickets and concessions. But with rising costs of land and changes in the film industry concerning licensing and distribution potentially lowering the overall profits of the rebounding drive-in, there are new requirements for digital ticketing systems. Learn how to bring the drive-in experience to more guests while boosting sales at your drive-in theater by using an Eventbrite alternative, below. A Fistful of Dollars? Drive-in theaters have come a long way since Richard Hollingshead of Camden, N.J., put a projector on the top of his car and hung sheets from trees in the 1930s. Cars became indispensable in the 1950s, and the drive-in boomed. Warm, temperate nights made drive-in theaters a summer staple. Another staple of the drive-in was a manager handling cash as viewers paid by the carload. This previous peak may have passed, but the use of cash at the gate seemingly stuck around—until now. Cash can be a lot to keep up with, and carrying large amounts of it can present a host of problems. Modern society demands the option to pay without cash. No one...
Use Festival Software to Upsell Like a Pro
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When you’re running a festival or other event, using your festival software to sell tickets is only half the battle. Ticket sales cover critical costs and contribute to the overall profitability of your festival. But the fact is that a significant amount of revenue can come from upselling ticket purchasers with merchandise, concessions, multi-day ticket packages, and more. In eCommerce, effective upselling has been shown to make a significant positive impact on revenue. It’s also easier to upsell to customers already purchasing event tickets than to find brand new customers. In fact, upselling can increase your revenue by 30%. Upselling doesn’t have to mean aggressively trying to sell to customers. Rather, the right approach to upselling is more about offering the right choices at the right time, giving event-goers access to additional purchases they’re likely to be interested in. You need festival software that provides a more dynamic approach to selling. A software platform that combines different types of transactions from a single point-of-sale, offering a streamlined purchasing experience, will lead to satisfied, empowered customers who’re more likely to buy additional goods and services. Event software like SimpleTix offers functionality beyond selling tickets, with the ability to upsell to your customers, giving them what they want and increasing your event revenue at the same time. Here’s what you need to know about using your festival software to upsell like a pro. Table of Contents: Bundling Merch with Ticket Sales Online Streamlining On-Site Merch Sales Simplifying Redemption with Festival Software Bundling Merch with Ticket Sales Online When people attend events, they’re paying for a memorable experience. Mementos like hats, stickers, T-shirts, and posters can commemorate those memories. Pre-purchasing concessions and other upsells lets customers know they’re getting the most out of their time at your venue, and they’re doing it based...
So You Had to Cancel Your Event. What Are Your Options?
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Ticketed outdoor experiences have the potential to create special memories for people of all ages and interests. From music festivals to pumpkin picking to ski jumping, these events often make a meaningful impact on ticket holders. For these outdoor ticketed events to occur, however, a variety of elements need to cooperate. Perhaps the most crucial of these elements is the weather. Bad weather can be an event organizer’s worst nightmare—cancellations mean refunds, and refunds mean lost revenue. For ticket holders, too, cancellations can be a huge disappointment. After all, they’ve arranged the details of their lives to attend these events. But SimpleTix can provide a positive customer service experience for these ticket holders despite event cancellations. Our event ticketing platform provides a variety of tools that allow organizers to retain much of the cost of previously purchased tickets while also ensuring flexibility for ticket holders. As event organizers are well aware, in-person events are back! Outdoor venues large and small are welcoming visitors again after an extended hiatus due to COVID-19. Marquee events like SXSW and Coachella kicked off the concert season, and city orchestras and other arts organizations are bringing patrons back under new COVID-19 mitigation and safety guidelines. Smaller scale, local tourist attractions, too, are open for in-person business. This includes one-off events and ongoing activities such as agritourism and outdoor recreation. SimpleTix offers bulk cancellation features that allow organizers to offer great customer service to those who bought high-dollar tickets to specific events and to people who purchased tickets to attend attractions such as parks and agritourism sites. Organizers of events like these—at every scale—are familiar with the complicated logistics associated with holding outdoor events, from restroom rentals to providing shade, to ensuring access to emergency services. But the weather is perhaps the most unpredictable—and sometimes disastrous—element....
4 Steps to Build an Effective Event Marketing Strategy
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Events are used for all sorts of purposes, whether nonprofits are trying to raise money to fund their missions, associations are creating networking opportunities for their members, or businesses are cultivating social opportunities for their members. The event must be done well for organizations to see these types of benefits, though. This means it must be an engaging concept that your audience wants to get involved with. Furthermore, the hosting organization has to get the word out there effectively to attract enough registrations. In this guide, we’ll be covering the latter of those two necessities. Your organization needs to have an effective marketing strategy to raise awareness about your engaging event offerings and encourage your audience to get involved. We’ll cover the following steps to create an effective event marketing strategy: Set your goals and marketing budget. Choose your marketing channels. Create engaging marketing content. Ask your event speakers to help. In particular, we’ll zero in on how nonprofit organizations can create a powerful marketing strategy. As these nonprofit organizations tend to have the most limited budgets and the greatest need, the strategies featured will apply to them as well as other organizations with fewer restrictions. 1. Set your goals and marketing budget The first step to creating an effective marketing strategy is to define the goals of your marketing campaign in relation to your event. Nonprofit marketing strategies must be built on these goals and objectives, with your organization prioritizing them to determine the most important goals for the organization. For a nonprofit, these goals may include the following: Attract high-value donors to raise money at the event. Nonprofits may choose to reach out to major supporters with personalized invitations to a gala or another high-value fundraising event. Acquire and engage brand new donors. In this case, nonprofits may...