This post has answers to frequently asked questions about ticketing software for K-12 school events and theater.
A: Ticketing software functions as a centralized “place” to organize the people (educators, students and parents) involved with a school event. It is this distributed teamwork that gets more of the ticketing related tasks completed in less time.
A school theater production may have one person, most likely the class instructor, who is responsible for the performance. In addition to the primary person responsible, there will be several others helping the production, including students.
The best online ticketing software allows for multiple people to have their own usernames and passwords, with one or two people acting as the primary account administrators. The same organizational structure used to manage a school theater performance can be mirrored within the ticketing software. Initial event creation (dates, times, description, etc.) can be performed inside the ticketing software by the class instructor. When complete, others can sign into the same account and perform basic tasks. Best of all, since online ticketing software is “always on” and “in the cloud”, the staff and students need not be at the school to access the ticketing software.
If a school event currently uses paper tickets, especially professionally printed paper tickets, the expense can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated entirely, by ticketing software feature known as “Print-At-Home” tickets. By having the parents and guests print their tickets at home, using their paper and toner, the school is saving the money on paper printing. Those funds can be put to use elsewhere, such as the current school event or for one in the future.
A: For the same reason commercial events sell tickets in advance - to accurately gauge demand and collect funds. Knowing demand will make facility and equipment planning easier. Collecting funds in advance can pay for those facility and equipment needs.
There is a common practice at many K-12 schools to have fund raiser (pledge drives, bake sales, etc.) to pay for events. Unfortunately, the amount of time and effort put forth to manage the fund raiser can often be as great as the school event itself. A modern alternative to the old fashioned bake sale is to see school event tickets online well in advance of the event date. The students can act as “event promoters” bringing the ticket sale to the attention of their parents. As tickets are sold, the school staff responsible for the event can gauge the number of people expected and make plans for equipment (chairs) and facilities (parking) accordingly.
Ticketing software for K-12 school events gathers funds just like a bake sale, but with a tiny fraction of the time and effort. The “event that helps fund the event” can be eliminated. The amount of money raised is most likely higher than traditional one-time fund raising event because selling tickets in advance is available 24 hours a day.
It is important to note that even if the school event is going to be free to attend, the “stampede of parents” problem can be solved with advanced ticket “sales” (effectively an R.S.V.P.)
A: When busy parents are not allowed to by school event tickets in advance, they end up gathering at the venue entrance. Once the door open, a “stampede” occurs in a rush to get the best seats to see their children perform.
Selling tickets in advance assures parents they will have a place to sit, and more importantly, they won’t need to wait outside the venue hours before the event start time. Busy parents will gladly pay a nominal amount of money if they were assured that they could arrive on-time, and have their seats reserved.
Using ticketing software enables parents to reserve their seats early and then go about the busy day. The best online ticketing software lets schools present a visual seating chart during the purchase or reservation process. Parents can reserve entire rows for their family and friends, keeping them all together for the more meaningful experience. Should the event be free, the ticketing software can prompt for voluntary donations to pay for the current event or begin to fund the next one.
A new school year has already started but it's not too late to choose a ticketing software that helps educators spend less time managing events. And tight school budgets need to stretch further than ever before, which is all the more reason to make use of ticketing software for your K-12 school events.
You can learn more about how ThunderTix serves the ticketing needs of schools, or if you are in a hurry to sell tickets, you can sign up for a free trial today!
We know that making the jump to selling tickets online can be a big step. Our customer support is there to help you make the transition to online ticket sales, improved box office management and higher profits. But don’t take our word for it, ask our beloved customers who are hard working business owners just like you!