“It’s a Sell Out…”
So you’ve decided to organise a ticketed event, which relies heavily on bottoms being on seats…. And you don’t know where to start?
There’s a number of variables to think about when taking on such a role and after assisting organisers with many ticketed events over the years, here’s a few of our top tips to help you keep your sanity and ensure the event is a success:
Sell your tickets online
In the age where everything is readily available and so easily accessible online – it’s an absolute no-brainer that this is where you should be selling your tickets. While you might wish to set up your own ticketing page (google it – it’s actually easier than you may think!) there are a number of online tickets sale providers who will basically do all the hard work for your – for a fee – and hand the profits over to you.
*Note: some providers will release funds to you post event, so you may need to run this past the venue/caterers/suppliers you’re using to check if they’re down with post-payment or not.
Otherwise, you may need to pay those bills in advance. Best to check. Also, start selling your tickets months in advance so that you’re not scrounging for sales closer to the event date, or worse, struggling to reach the dollar amount needed to actually hold the event! Cancelling an event is a sure fire way to ensure that it will never go ahead in the future.
Consider offering different price points
Pre-sale tickets, early bird specials and discounts for ‘tables/groups of 10’, etc. will all create a positive buzz around the event as people won’t want to miss out on a discount. Offering a ticket that’s more expensive on the door, will also encourage people to book in advance, which will only help you more in the organising stages.
This also creates a sense of urgency online when people head to your booking page to purchase. If they see pre-sale and early bird tickets listed as ‘SOLD OUT’ they’re going to realise that they need to book as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
Advertise, advertise, advertise
Set up a Facebook page, twitter page, Instagram account and get active! Follow accounts similar to yours and local businesses involved in your event.
Follow any keynote speakers and supplier involved and in turn, have them advertise through their own channels. This will assist with exposure for their businesses and also attract a wider audience that you may not have been able to reach on your own.
Depending on your event, print and radio media may work for you, and there’s nothing wrong with good old flyer printing – just make sure you ask people if you can put your posters up on their notice boards first – never assume!
If you have any event sponsors, don’t hesitate to utilise them and their contacts too!
End of ticket sales
The end date for tickets sales is important to you as the organiser, as you need to time to collate the numbers, any dietary requirements, work on your table configurations/seating plan, collate the number of kids and teenagers attending – and most importantly – to just, you know, breathe.
Check with your venue or caterer as to when they require the final number of attendee’s and any special dietary requirements. Most venue’s will need time to order and prepare the catering and they will likely need to know your table seating allocations well in advance in order to be able to set your space just as you need it.
Also – check with the venue on their maximum capacity for your event layout. There’s no use trying to push sales up to 300 if the venue can only comfortably fit 250. Online ticket sales systems will allow you to set these parameters in place, but it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the numbers as you go. At the end of the day, the key is always organisation and advertising the event as soon as you lock in your big guns: venue, catering, keynote speaker/entertainment, or exhibitors – whatever the main attractions of your event are.
The earlier you get cracking with those ticket sales, the easier your life will be and the less risk you run of causing yourself stress and grey hairs!
Until next time… happy planning! 🙂
Ez x
