Paid Ticketing

 

TICKETING PROGRAM 

Selling tickets to your Mini Maker Faire is another great revenue source, but also adds a huge amount of work to your endeavor.  Managing the ticket sales tool, promoting ticket sales, and handling ticket taking/registration all take significant amounts of time, energy and even creativity.  However, ticket sales generate income…and interest in making! Inviting thousands of your neighbors to your Mini Maker Faire may be one of your primary reasons for throwing this giant party.

There are many different ways of organizing your ticket sales effort.  We looked around and decided on what we think is a smart and inexpensive tool and process.

Eventbrite offers many sophisticated marketing tools to manage, promote and sell your tickets.  It’s free to use if you are not charging anything, and $0.99 + 2.5% of ticket price for each ticket sold if you do.  (Registered non-profits pay 2% vs. 2.5%.) Using a credit card to purchase costs another 3%.   If you utilize Eventbrite’s At the Door tools for door purchases on the day of the event (highly recommended), there are no fees except the 3% credit card fee.

 

In exchange for this not insignificant cut, Eventbrite offers the following:

  • Data collection and email addresses for all your ticket buyers.
  • Freedom to create different ticket types (e.g., Student, Senior, family packages).
  • Ticket types with optional escalating pricing deadlines that really help drive sales (e.g., Early Bird pricing, then Regular pricing, then Day-of pricing).
  • Simple entry management tool (use laptops or even iPhones) for digital day-of entry.  Also printed check-in lists for backup.
  • Easy credit card, PayPal or Google Checkout transactions.
  • Ability to process refunds.
  • Limitless number of custom discount codes (we gave one to each maker and encouraged them to share with their fanbase and friends).
  • Easy method (using a discount code with 100% off) for generating maker and volunteer passes.
  • Ability to mass email your ticket buyers—good for last-minute reminders (Bring clothes for the swap!  Ride your bike!  Dress for rain!).
  • Option to create custom survey questions (e.g., “How do you plan to get to Mini Maker Faire?  Bike? Car? Bus?”).
  • Post-event analytics showing who came and who didn’t.
  • Wait lists for sold-out events.
  • Easy affiliate marketing program (e.g., schools get a code and if tickets are sold using that code, the school gets a percentage of the sale).
  • A custom event registration page and URL.
  • Very good customer support.  And more customization and tools.

No matter what tool you choose, there are some sure-fire ways to spur ticket sales:

  • Discount Codes or Partner Deals.  Makers, sponsors or other partners can offer 15% off to their fanbase if their community utilizes their maker code.
  • Staggered Pricing. The threat of price increases will spur huge increases in ticket sales.  Give your customers deadlines, promote heavily, and get them to buy early.
  • Sell Out.  You’re in it for the long run, right?  Selling out your first year is never bad.  It can give you leverage to increase ticket prices the following year, and will motivate folks to purchase next year’s tickets early.

And don’t forget:

  • Comp Tickets.  Invest in the future of your event.  Give away tickets to the Mayor, to the venue neighbors, to potential sponsors and generate good-will, positive impressions, and community support.

(See Registration & Entrance below for more on day-of ticketing and registration.)