Selecting a Ticketing System for Performing Arts Organizations
If you are a performing arts organization, like a symphony, orchestra, ballet studio, or opera, you know that you have particular requirements when it comes to looking for an event ticketing system. Let’s review those requirements and how they might impact your search for a ticketing system.
Events Are Occasional
Unlike a musical theater organization that has a regular schedule of frequent events, performing arts organizations tend to schedule events less regularly. Performance events may be at the end of a set of classes, for example. Your ticketing system needs to be intuitive to use, since you’re setting up events occasionally. Avoid any ticketing system requiring extensive training.
A Rush for Tickets
In our experience, the date and time that tickets go on sale is a big deal for performing arts organizations. Your clientele is eagerly awaiting your launch of ticket sales and everyone wants to jump on the system the minute tickets go live, so they can get the best seats – sometimes so they can get any seats, if there is a fear of the event being sold out.
Your performing arts ticketing system needs to be able to handle the large and sudden influx of users. Be sure to ask prospective ticketing system vendors how many ticket buyers they can handle at once.
Multiple Venues
A performing arts company may or may not have its own venue for their events. Often they don’t. Their facility consists of space for lessons and practice but does not serve as an auditorium that can accommodate several hundred people for a performance.
Those performing arts organizations will want a ticketing system that can easily accommodate multiple venues. You’d want to be able to very easily set up new venues and seating plans in the ticketing system.
Reserved Seating
A common requirement for performing arts organizations is to enable reserved seating. Ticket buyers don’t want to have to line up, then when the doors open, rush in like overzealous black Friday shoppers to claim the best seats. This is performing arts, not door crasher sales!
When selecting a ticketing system, see how easy it is to handle reserved seating an to set up new seating plans. Or perhaps you’d like the event ticketing system to set up the seating plan for you. These are questions to ask your ticketing vendor.
Ease of Use
Finally, you’ll want the event ticketing system to be easy to use – not only for you and your staff, but also for your ticket buyers. Things like mobile tickets and ease of checking out are important. Ask the ticketing vendor if they provide an integrated payment processing system, or will you have to create your own account on PayPal or something like it.
TicketPeak for Performing Arts
TicketPeak handles all these requirements. We were built from the ground up for organizations like you. Request a demonstration, if you’d like to examine us as a potential ticketing system for your performing arts organization.
