When used appropriately, ticket types can be a useful tool for supporting larger event-wide goals and strategies. With Universe, you can create as many ticket types as you need. Customize your tickets by name, price, intended audience, the timeframe for which they are valid, and more. Consider thinking beyond just the standard “General Admission”–depending upon the nature of your event, some ticket types may be more useful than others.
Donation
Donations allow for attendees to enter an amount and pay what they like. Donation-based ticketing is great for attracting price-sensitive attendees via an open-ended “sliding scale” approach to pricing, while also capturing funds from high-income attendees willing to pay more for goods and services at a suggested price. When used with other ticket types, donations provide an opportunity to give more money on top of the price of a ticket for admission – an especially useful tool for fundraisers and other charitable giving opportunities.
General Admission
The most popular ticket type requiring purchase, General Admission is priced for the majority of an intended audience. With GA, there’s typically no assigned seating and space is on a “first come, first serve” basis.
VIP
A ticket type that provides an elevated experience and warrants a higher sticker price, VIP allows organizers to charge more money and generate more revenue without having to raise the price of all ticket types across the board. VIP tickets are an excellent option for higher value target customers willing to pay a premium for front row seats, pre-show parties, autographed merchandise, or expedited entry into an event.
Early Bird
A ticket type released in advance of sales for the general public, early bird sales encourage attendees to purchase tickets well in advance of the event date. Typically, early bird tickets give attendees an advantage in terms of quality of tickets or in the form of a discount. Early bird tickets are beneficial for an organizer because a successful early bird sale can boost cash flow early on, as well as gauge audience interest in order to make inventory, vendor, advertising, and marketing decisions.
Passes
Passes are tickets that are purchased upfront on a credit basis, and can be redeemed over the course of a set time period or a series of events. With passes, organizers receive money upfront for multiple events, so attendees are not picking and choosing which events they’d like to go to (thereby spending less money). Passes are ideal for hosting multiple events within a larger event such as a film festival, a multi-day or multi-session conference, or a subscription series.
Session Entry
Session entry is entry to an event that has been broken down into designated time slots. This ticket type is excellent for planning for high volume attendance, preventing overcrowding and ensuring adherence to building codes and regulations. Vendor and inventory needs are anticipated and broken up into manageable increments throughout the day, reducing the risk of running out of stock before the event ends.
Ticket Bundles
Great for distributing swag and promotional merchandise that would otherwise be on sale individually or for free, bundling services or tangible merchandise with individual tickets boosts their real or perceived value. Ticket bundles are an effective method of creating a sense of exclusivity (when restricting merchandise or experiences to certain ticket types), and justify a boost in ticket prices. Common bundles include items commemmorating the experience, such as branded t-shirts and tote bags.
Locked (i.e. Members)
Locked tickets can only be retrieved with the use of a special code. This is great for reserving ticket types for specific audiences and attendees, such as members of an organization that receive preferential pricing as a reward for loyalty. Locked tickets can be leveraged in many ways, such as spacing out the type of tickets being purchased or encouraging attendees to join a group in order to earn discounted tickets in the future.
Group discount
Encourage large groups to attend your event by offering a discount on each ticket for purchasing in bulk. Group discounts are excellent for reducing the likelihood of excess stock, as well as encouraging corporate teams, schools, clubs, etc. to consider your event for an outing.
Targeted discount
Targeted discounts are discounted tickets for being within a certain group. Targeted discounts are used to boost numbers and encourage groups with lower attendance or price sensitivity to attend, such as students or senior citizens. High value customers can also be rewarded from time to time with targeted discounts as a token of gratitude for patronage.
Flash sale
Flash sales are discounts or promotions offered for a short period of time. Quantity is highly limited, which often means the discounts are higher or more significant than run-of-the-mill promotions. Flash sales are great for use with discount codes or locked ticket types, creating urgency and exclusivity conducive to impulse buying. Steep sales generate interest in events that may not easily sellout under regular conditions.
Free
Free tickets are absolutely free for both attendees and organizers. Free tickets incur no processing fees, allowing organizers to use the Universe platform and suite of tools without any financial risk. This ticket type is best used for guest lists and tracking attendance, like in the case of a volunteer opportunity.
Tiered pricing by timing proximity to event
Tiered pricing by timing rewards early decision makers and provides additional revenue from increased prices for last-minute ticket buyers. Encouraging early purchases helps organizers better prepare for their event, in addition to providing an early boost in cashflow. Anticipating an uptick in purchases immediately before an event, including day-of (if available), allows for steeper prices.
