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5 Ways Hosting an Event Can Benefit Your Organization
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As a nonprofit professional, one of your main tasks is to generate ideas for unique and creative ways to engage your audience more effectively. You may feel as if you’ve tried everything to engage your audience, from social media campaigns to videos and direct mail flyers, but your engagement rates are still waning. If you’re wondering what you should do next to boost engagement, why not try hosting an event? From fundraising to improving audience engagement, there are plenty of benefits that events can offer your organization. Hosting an event gives your organization the opportunity to: Raise brand and mission awareness. Engage volunteers. Gather audience data through ticketing. Raise funds. Thank supporters. As you’re planning your next nonprofit event, keep in mind how you can optimize everything from the ticketing process to your marketing campaign in order to take better advantage of the various benefits and opportunities your event will provide. Let’s dive in to learn more! 1. Raise brand and mission awareness. An event can engage a larger audience and help spread awareness of your mission and brand. This is because people want to buy an experience, and offering them a high-quality experience will leave a positive impression of your brand. There are plenty of considerations involved with raising brand and mission awareness for maximum exposure. Incorporate these tasks into your event planning process: Create a powerful, memorable event brand. Define your brand and determine your color scheme, font style, persona, and tone of voice. Your event brand should convey information about your organization’s history, mission, and vision while also speaking to your event’s purpose. Optimize your event marketing. Make sure your event marketing accurately reflects your event’s brand and purpose while encouraging supporters to attend. You might choose to create an event hashtag or share a countdown clock...
Using Event Management Software to Run Your Spring Event
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Winter events keep guests huddled inside. By contrast, spring events bring people out, and your spring event can host huge numbers with the right event ticketing and event management software. No matter if it finds you thirsty for hosting a drinks-themed party like the Georgia Food and Wine Festival or if it's another spring event, as you prepare, event management software can save time and energy better devoted to hosting your event. Spring often finds volunteers wanting to get out and be engaged, and your spring event can find you with a wealth of help. Managing volunteers and staff can turn into a full-time job in itself. As the organizer, your time is valuable. You have a host of duties, one of which is delegating tasks to your staff and volunteers. By using event management software, you can take many of the manual, administrative tasks off of your plate, and consolidate the promotion of your event, ticketing, and the ultimate execution of your big day into one streamlined app. Promoting your event For many organizations, spring is an exceptionally busy time. You may be hosting a flower show like the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s annual Philadelphia Flower Show and an annual fundraiser for your organization in the span of a couple of short months. Do yourself a favor, and ditch the Excel document and the cash box. The less you have to manage personally, the better. A better way of organizing multiple events is through the use of event management software. With event management software, you can sell tickets through your custom website at any time of day, without the face-to-face sale. Your potential festival-goer can learn about your beer festival while purchasing tickets to your flower show. The best part is, you don’t have to be there to take their...
4 Things to Look For in an Event Registration Tool
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Your festival will be the most talked about event this spring. Don’t let a clunky event registration tool, high costs, and unnecessarily challenging event ticketing slow down your guests’ path toward enjoyment. Events like Charlotte Beer Collective’s The Beer Event are coming up on the calendar. How will you plan your event? Once planned, how will you get your coveted tickets out to your intended crowd? And how much will it cost you? If you choose the right event registration tool, you can streamline your organizational process and save money along the way, while putting an amazing event on the calendar. As you organize your event, be on the lookout for the 4 things below in an event registration tool: Low price, instant payouts A straightforward event page to sell tickets A smooth user experience Human support 1. Low price, instant payouts. You’ve invested your time and energy into planning an awesome event, now how will you bring a crowd to your event? Keeping the price of your festival tickets in your intended range is essential to bringing out your targeted audience to enjoy the event. Make sure that your event registration tool doesn’t force your ticket price to go up, making the event cost-prohibitive for some of your potential attendees. Your event registration tool should offer a low price per ticket, while offering all of the features you need in order to pull off a successful event. Instant Payouts Pre-sales of tickets are crucial for building the revenue needed to cover your initial expenses. Many event registration tool apps hang onto your proceeds for a period of time after the sale. This can hold you back as you attempt to schedule and pay for entertainment and vendors. Digital payments happen in an instant, why don’t you receive the money...
Stop Paying Exorbitant Fees with Apps Like Eventbrite
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Your events keep getting bigger and better. The crowds are growing, and customers are buying merchandise as quickly as you can make it. But why does it feel like your profits aren’t growing along with your sales? The problem could be your event management software app. Apps like Eventbrite take a huge bite out of your profit potential while offering festival organizers far fewer benefits. It’s time to find an Eventbrite alternative and stop paying exorbitant fees with apps like Eventbrite. A lower per-ticket price You’ve done the work. You’ve booked great music and created an amazing event. Don’t let Eventbrite’s Professional package charge you nearly double the amount of an Eventbrite alternative. Apps like Eventbrite gobble up profits and drive up the per-ticket price for events while leaving out a host of benefits that an Eventbrite alternative offers. Eventbrite alternative apps offer lower fees and these better features: Square payments Square card reader support Stripe payments Instant payout Custom service fees Why pay additional fees for less benefit? You want crowds to attend your events, and you shouldn’t have to pass along higher fees to attendees in exchange for less flexibility. If you’ve found that your crowd will pay $100 for the weekend festival, you shouldn’t have to charge more in order to make your profit. Apps like Eventbrite charge service fees of $1.59 plus 3.5% of the total ticket price. Out of that $100 sale, you lose $5.09 or over 5% of the total sale to service fees. With an Eventbrite alternative, you could pay far less for each ticket sale. For example, with SimpleTix you get all of the benefits of apps like Eventbrite, and more, while only paying $.79 plus 2% of the total ticket price. This Eventbrite alternative offers a flat-rate fee for each...
Pull Off the Perfect Event with This Alternative to Eventbrite
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A great event requires lots of planning and hard work. From coordinating vendors and locking down a venue to creating the perfect atmosphere, there are many pieces to fit together and prepare before the big day. Arguably, one of the most important aspects of planning an event is figuring out how to sell tickets. Ticketing platform giant Eventbrite usually comes to mind first, but just because they’re everywhere doesn’t mean they’re the best ticketing platform to use for your event. Using an Eventbrite alternative instead allows you to sell tickets faster, easier, and at a fraction of the cost. An alternative to Eventbrite like SimpleTix helps you to pull off the perfect event on your own terms. With more control over your ticketing platform and cash flow, you’ll create the best impression for your event’s guests. Sell tickets 24/7 Providing the most accessible method to sell tickets to your potential guests will lead to higher ticket sales. Buying a ticket is also their first introduction to your event, so you want it to be an inviting and easy-to-use method. If buying tickets proves to be an unpleasant experience, guests could walk into the event with a negative bias or be deterred from buying tickets at all. Event goers overwhelmingly prefer online ticket sales to buying tickets in person. Buying tickets from the comfort of your own home is convenient and quick. The traditional box office breeds long lines and, if tickets sell out, frustration. With online ticket sales, guests can secure their spot and peace of mind with just a few clicks. Eventbrite’s user experience is catered more towards their interests than yours. It’s a clunky interface that makes it difficult to navigate related events by the same host. Eventbrite also advertises events unrelated to yours, including those hosted by...
6 Things to Look For in Online Festival and Event Management Software
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As in-person festivals resume, many have realized that they need a better way to organize and manage their events. Figuring out how to manage your festival can be overwhelming. Whether you’re wondering how to start a new festival, are already in the stages of planning it, or are just looking for a better way to bring back the fun of your annual event, online festival and event management software can help you bring your plans to life. Festival Software can help you easily plan and execute a fun and successful festival. Below we break down 6 things to Look For in Online Festival and Event Management Software. The Big 6: Instant Payouts Mobile Ticketing Flexibility Square Integration A Clean Event Website Email and Text Capabilities 1. Instant Payouts Your Sales Your Money You’ve booked your date and time and have developed your vision for the big event, but how will you pay for the show while having cash on hand for incidentals? Instantly having the money from your tickets sold is essential to being able to execute your big plans. Your festival software should offer instant payouts. Traditional online festival and event management software like Eventbrite can hold the money from your ticket sales, forcing you to pay out of pocket for your event. 2. Mobile Ticketing Stay Mobile You’ve made an amazing event, and everyone is anxious to get inside. No one likes waiting in line. Don’t make your patrons wait any longer than necessary. Your festival software should offer quick entry at the gate with the ability to scan tickets. Software should offer QR codes for quick and contactless mobile entry, the ability to host timed-entry ticketing, and attendance tracking. Transfers Sometimes the unavoidable circumstance comes up. Your online festival and event management software should allow the quick...
Sell Merchandise Online with SimpleTix
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As you work out event ticketing, you should consider a platform that can handle multiple types of sales seamlessly. Event ticketing software like SimpleTix allows you to streamline merchandise, concessions, and ticketing sales in one centrally located and easy to use platform. While ticket sales will fund most of your event, offering merchandise and concessions helps generate revenue and cover expenses. Regardless of your event’s size, selling branded merchandise presents an incredible opportunity to make some extra money, offer your guests mementos, and advertise for your group’s next venture. Table of Contents: Facilitate Versatile Transactions with Event Ticketing Software Choosing Merchandise for Your Event Learn from Your Attendees Facilitate Versatile Transactions with Event Ticketing Software Since not all event ticketing software facilitates merchandise or concessions sales, event organizers often have to implement several different point-of-sale systems to complete these various transactions. This can be difficult and frustrating to manage, as attendees must visit different areas to complete separate transactions or staff must cycle through various programs with one customer. With a platform that can sell tickets, merchandise, and concessions, both attendees and staff can easily complete multiple types of transactions at once. This provides a better experience for attendees and makes them more likely to spend more money. Staff will only have to learn one system and have more flexibility throughout the event to perform different types of transactions. SimpleTix also offers a partnership with Square, which means event staff and attendees won’t have to contend with the complications of cash transactions. Square also facilitates various payment types, such as ApplePay, AndroidPay, and contactless payments. More flexibility means you can accommodate more customers. With event ticketing software like SimpleTix, you can even sell merchandise online when attendees buy their tickets. This is beneficial as attendees can wear their merchandise at...
How to Organize a 5k with this Eventbrite Alternative
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Using an Eventbrite alternative to host your race can help ensure a positive experience for your racers and hosts and a successful day of racing. Your 5K race can be the event that brings your school, community, or organization together and offer as much excitement at the finish line as a pro-sporting event. When searching for a way to sell tickets to your 5k, Eventbrite might come to mind. However, other options may be a better fit and offer the potential to save you and your organization time and money. An Eventbrite alternative can help you invest more of the ticket sales in the event itself and lower the stress on organizers by using SimpleTix. This simple Eventbrite alternative will help streamline your pre-race planning as well as free more of your focus on event day to engage with supporters! Use the guide below to learn how to organize a 5K race in a few easy steps. Nail down the vision for your race As 5K races have become more popular, the variations on these races have become seemingly endless. There are obstacle courses and family friendly races, races with pets and races in costume. When you picture your race day, what do you see? Come up with your own unique twist, or roll with a tried-and-true format. How to organize a 5K race is limited only by your imagination. For example, the Atlanta Spartan Event uses obstacles to test racers’ endurance. Events like Houston’s Monster Mash Run feature runners dressed as witches and superheroes, all sprinting toward the finish. The Red Dress Run in New Orleans has all contestants sporting red dresses and racing for a good cause. If you are hosting the run for a charity, incorporate the mission of the charity into the theme of the race....
How to Plan a Beer Festival in 5 Steps
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As local craft breweries rise in popularity nationwide, many festivals have cropped up to showcase the wide variety of ales available to beer enthusiasts. If you’re wondering how to start your own beer festival, it can be overwhelming figuring out where to begin. Festival software can help you easily plan and execute a fun and successful beer festival for the brew-loving adults in your area. Below we break down how to plan a beer festival in five easy steps. The 5 Steps: Start with the Basics Select an Event Ticketing Platform Promote Your Event Consider the Logistics Plan Your Next Event with SimpleTix Start with the Basics The Date The festival’s date, length, and time serve as the foundation for your event and dictate its location, budget, and staff. Ensuring your festival is on a non-holiday weekend without any other events scheduled will give you the best chance for the biggest pool of attendees possible. Consider the typical weather forecast when selecting a date as well. Should you choose an outdoor venue, temperature, precipitation, and wind will all affect the festival. Mild weather will attract more attendees and create a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy the beer offerings. The Location Location is everything. Since festival attendees will be milling about and sampling lots of brews, they’ll want an interesting and comfortable location to explore. Choosing a cool venue, either indoors or outdoors, will create the perfect atmosphere to enjoy the festival’s offerings. Vendors and Entertainment While the beer will be the main attraction, your event needs food, music, and activities to create the full festival experience. Start researching and contacting local musicians, restaurants, and artists to gauge their interest in enriching the festival with their talents and wares. The Legalities There are quite a few...
The Best Point of Sale Solution For Zoo Management Systems
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For zoo patrons, their first point of contact will be when they buy tickets and enter your facilities. This first impression can make the difference between a family that returns again and again and invests in conservation efforts, versus one who leaves the zoo frustrated and seeks other activities in the future. Having the right zoo management systems in place ensures a positive point-of-sale experience for staff and guests, and it can offer a host of other benefits to improve your zoo’s bottom line. When zoos manage these systems internally, this can create bottlenecks and delays for payments and refunds. Square offers a point-of-sale system that optimizes the ticketing experience and streamlines the payment process. Square’s range of POS and other digital tools for businesses like zoos has made them a popular online purchasing partner. In 2019, statistics show that over 2 million businesses used Square to process transactions. Some important features to note include intuitive POS terminals, a centralized dashboard, analytics and reporting, and tools to manage consumer relations, inventory, payroll, and more. SimpleTix has partnered with Square in order to facilitate an easy-to-use, instant-access digital ticketing and POS zoo management system. SimpleTix and Square offer the best point-of-sale solution for zoo management systems of any size or configuration. Here’s why. Table of Contents: Get Instant Payouts with the Right Zoo Management Systems Zoo Management Systems Optimize On-Site Sales Square Gift Cards Let Zoos Control Refund Revenue Get Instant Payouts with the Right Zoo Management Systems The last thing zoos want is for delayed proceeds from ticket sales to negatively impact other areas of operation that rely on those funds. Zoos in particular face a large amount of overhead in the day-to-day running of their facilities, and the quicker ticket sales hit their...
7 Easiest Social Distancing-Friendly Community Events
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As a community or nonprofit event organizer, you’re aware of all the types of virtual events available to your organization, from livestreamed concerts to remote auctions and more. However, the pandemic conditions in your area might allow for some modified in-person events. Because of this, you may be interested in exploring your options for socially-distanced events that are safe and engaging. Along with enforcing masking and hand-washing guidelines, the CDC recommends that when hosting a gathering of people from different households, organizations should remind attendees to remain six feet apart from those who aren’t in their household. Plus, indoor venues pose a greater risk than outdoor gatherings. This means that you’ll likely want to focus your event planning efforts on creating an event that takes place mostly outdoors. We’ve compiled the top seven ideas for events that adhere to these guidelines, keep staff members, volunteers, and attendees safe, and help raise support for your organization or cause: Festival Concert Walk-a-thon Color run Art class Drive-in movie Craft fair Most of these event ideas require a streamlined way to promote your experience and sell tickets. Investigate your options for a robust ticketing platform to help manage these tasks smoothly. Also, if you’re working with a school, nonprofit, or other fundraising organization, many of these event ideas can easily include fundraising aspects. We’ll intersperse this article with fundraising tips if you’re seeking to raise money for a worthy cause during your socially distanced event. 1. Festivals Do you have a large, open field somewhere in your community? Or maybe a bustling downtown square with plenty of space? If so, you could be in a great position to host a festival! There’s no shortage of ideas to choose from when it comes to picking a festival theme. Depending on your organization’s interests or...
4 Best Fundraising Events That Encourage Generous Donations
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Whether your organization has a well-established presence in your community or is attempting to bring attention to a new initiative, hosting a fundraising event will always be a gamble. After all, there are dozens of obstacles that could keep you from reaching your financial goals, and no one wants to sink precious time and resources into an event that ends up dead on arrival. From struggling to find the best software to run your event to properly marketing the program, picking the proper fundraising initiative for your organization to roll the dice on can be a scary prospect. Luckily, we’re confident that this quick guide will have at least one solution for everyone. Regardless of your program type, budget, or limitations, your team will walk away with strong fundraising event ideas to accommodate your needs and inspire your next big campaign. We will go in order from least expensive to most, with every event having the potential to attract significant support if managed correctly: Shoe Drive Fundraisers A-Thons and Fun Runs Auctions and Raffles Festivals and Carnivals After more than a year of battling fundraising hurdles, it’s time for your organization to turn the tide and launch a fundraising campaign that will bring in the big bucks and leave your community hungry for more. Shoe Drive Fundraisers People are always on the lookout to recycle or repurpose their old clothes. The pandemic has taken spring cleaning to a new level with home-stuck individuals constantly cleaning out their closets and tossing out the unnecessary clutter they’ve accumulated over the years. A shoe drive fundraiser is a perfect solution to address their cleaning needs and convert unwanted items into revenue for your organization. This fundraising initiative is extremely cheap and easy to implement. No matter how small or financially limited, any organization...