Prices, insights, websites, event app, live stream and more to consider when selling tickets.
The following post comes from Crowdcore, an all-in-one marketing and ticketing platform and a proud partner of Digital Music News.
Tickets are the bridge between artist and musician. They provide a means for fans to get access to a concert or show, so as promoters and venues, you need to have a reliable partner to provide you with secure and profitable ticketing solutions. Especially beyond 2020, where we learned how the event industry can be shut down instantaneously.
In the modern era of event planning and venue management, there are countless online ticketing providers, offering different features at different price points. With so many options available, this is the time to examine your own ticketing platform and evaluate the pros and cons of your current provider.
The landscape of ticketing has changed beyond 2020, so here is what you need to consider when trying to make the most out of your ticketing platform.
Pricing 
Fans are all too familiar with the additional fees they are forced to pay when they want to see their favourite artist. When your ticketing partner is charging you enormous fees for their services, you’re forced to pass that along to fans, and they notice.
In 2020, new technologies have greatly reduced costs to develop software, making lower cost and free ticketing solutions possible. So, why continue with platforms that charge these fees?
With fans happier, your events can sell out more often, opening up more opportunities for your promotion (sponsorships, expansion, etc).
Fans are becoming more aware of the outrageous fees some ticketing providers charge, and can create an unpleasant ticketing buying experience. Continuing to charge these fees won’t help you sell more tickets, so find a partner who won’t charge you these outrageous fees.
Reporting and Audience Insights
How well do you know your audience?
Sure, you know their email address and name, but how does this help your event grow?
Insights and analytics are becoming a vital tool to businesses. Learning more about your audience can help you develop new products, selectively market existing products, and find underperforming aspects of your existing products.
This is where an Event CRM comes into play. With an Event CRM, planners have the ability to get vital information on the fans that buy tickets to their shows.
One way to do this is with customer tagging. An Event CRM creates customer profiles for those who purchase from your organization, and place tags based on the event they purchased (i.e the artist, the genre, or venue). With this system, you have a directory of customers you can break down by category, and market new or existing events accordingly.
An Event CRM can also extract information from different accounts a customer may hold. When a customer begins listening to a new artist on Spotify you’ll be able to know, and market accordingly.
Data is so vital to growth, and having a platform that can track customer data, on top of selling tickets will be invaluable to any promoter or venue.
Refunds and Credit
There may be circumstances where customers may request a refund. As a responsible and savvy promoter, you will happily offer refunds to those whose plans may have changed.
Offering refunds is a standard feature for most ticketing software, but look out for software that offers credit. Credit keeps the buyer in your ecosystem, so even though a customer can’t attend one event, they’ll be able to attend future events easily.
A smooth refund system can make all the difference for your attendees. It’s a part of good customer service, and one rough experience with a refund could mean a lost customer.
Event Website
Your event’s website is like the front door to your event. This is where your attendees will first see your event and learn about what it has to offer.
Integrating your ticketing system with your website is crucial, as a lag in loading could create a rocky buying experience for your customer.
Also, what other feature can your website builder add? Website behaviour tracking can be another vital tool in your ticketing partner, as it allows you to identify weak areas or hot spots on your website, to maximize your conversions.
Having the point of purchase align with your branding, and not the branding of someone else also shows professionalism. Anyone can make a Facebook event, so having an actual website where guests can purchase tickets creates a sense of security and surety.
Event app
Creating the ultimate immersive experience is your goal as an event promoter, and you want your fans to feel close to the artists and each other.
Event apps are a useful tool for this. Having a one-stop shop for information about your event creates an excellent experience for the fans, in a situation like a club or outdoor venue, where customer service is difficult to find.
Not only is it useful, it can also be fun. Games and immersive features can be included in the app that can allow your guests to interact with one another. Fans can meet fellow fans, and create a community around your artist.
Learn how to integrate event apps into your next concert here.
Live stream
As we learned in 2020, live streaming can be valuable.
Even beyond 2020, live streaming has its place in the events industry, as an accessible option to those who cannot make it to the show. Major music festivals have been implementing live streams for years, and it’s shown to be an effective marketing tool.
How does your ticketing partner come into all of this?
Live streaming can be used as a lower-cost option to those who cannot make it to a show, and your ticketing partner should be able to integrate with the platform.
But, if you do not want to charge for the live stream, your ticketing platform can also be a means to support an artist, by creating a donation option or purchasing additional access to the artist like getting on a call or getting a shoutout on screen.
Crowdcore is an all-in-one marketing and ticketing platform. Click here to learn how to sell tickets for FREE and gain more insights into your audience.