In today’s age, digital technology is changing the way we do things, and events are no exception. The days of paper tickets and long queues are quickly becoming a thing of the past, as more and more organizers are turning to digital ticketing solutions with event tickets conveniently stored in attendees’ smart devices.
Digital tickets are becoming increasingly popular because they offer a host of benefits that traditional paper tickets simply cannot match. From convenience to security, digital tickets are transforming the way we attend events, and it’s time we took notice.
In this blog post, we will explore the many advantages of digital tickets and why they are the future of event ticketing.
What are Digital Tickets?
A digital ticket, also known as an e-ticket, is an electronic version of a traditional paper ticket that is stored on an electronic device such as a mobile device, tablet, or computer. It contains all the information that is found on a paper ticket, including the name, the date and time of the event, the seat number or reservation information, and other relevant details.
Digital tickets are often delivered to the user via email or a mobile application and can be scanned or verified electronically to gain entry to an event or to access a service. They are increasingly used in many industries, including transportation, entertainment, and sports, as they offer convenience, flexibility, and cost savings compared to traditional paper tickets.
Digital tickets can be used for almost any event. Here are some examples:
Types of Events that Can Use Digital Tickets
- Concerts
- Sporting events (e.g. football, basketball, soccer)
- Music festivals
- Theater performances
- Comedy shows
- Film festivals
- Art exhibitions
- Trade shows and conferences
- Workshops and seminars
- Theme parks and attractions
- Museums and galleries
- Tours and sightseeing
- Fundraisers and charity events
- Airline and train tickets
- Cruise ship tickets
Benefits of Using Digital Tickets for Events
Digital tickets have notable benefits for both the event organizer and the attendee. While it may be an adjustment from what was traditionally used before, the pros outweigh the cons.
1. Convenience – Imagine not having to bring a printed ticket or worry about misplacing it. With a digital ticket, you can easily store it in your mobile phone and carry it to your event.
2. Instant delivery – Once you purchase your digital ticket, attendees can immediately have it on their phones or emails. No need to wait in line or travel to pick it up. Airlines have been implementing this setup for a while too. You can easily check-in for your flight online and have your boarding pass readily available in an instant.
3. Eco-friendly – With a digital ticket, you eliminate paper waste because you don’t need to print hundreds or even thousands of physical tickets. Efficiency is also maximized with a digital ticket because aside from eliminating printing, the need for packaging or customizing the physical ticket is also eliminated.
4. Less Expensive – For both the attendee and the event organizer, this is an actual benefit they can enjoy. There is less cost in the production of the ticket and the delivery making it a more affordable option for everyone. With Event Smart, for example, event organizers can enjoy an all-in feature where they can generate and scan QR Code tickets to validate tickets or track attendance.
5. Security – Digital tickets can be considered more secure as they can generate a unique QR or bar code that can’t easily be tampered with compared to a traditional physical ticket. It can also be scanned electronically to validate ticket authenticity and avoid fraud.
6. Quick tracking – For the event organizer, generating tickets digitally is more convenient because registration can be tracked automatically. Event organizers can enjoy the ease of collecting event registration details automatically once an attendee registers online.
There is also a faster event check-in through digital ticketing as well as more efficient event attendance tracking.
Are Digital Tickets Safe for Events?
Digital tickets are generally safe to use for events but it is always best to take proper precautions to avoid ticket fraud. Here are the things to consider when using digital tickets for your next event:
- Choose a trusted and secure ticket registration or ticketing platform. Consider the reviews and their previous track record. Your ticketing platform is in charge of collecting classified attendee information (as in the case of registration and payments) so you need to ensure that the event management software is reliable and reputable.
- Check the legitimacy of your ticket. This is a reminder for customers to only trust information and emails from the official ticket provider or event organizer. Continue to remind them to avoid inputting personal information on unsecured sites and be vigilant on any signs of fraud like unusually low ticket prices, etc.
- Set up necessary authentications. Of course, we never forget the basics like enabling two-factor authentication, never sharing your password or tickets, and saving a backup copy of your ticket or e-receipt.
How to Set Up a Digital Ticketing System
If you have an event happening soon, this step-by-step guide on how to set up your digital ticketing system.
First, you have to choose your digital ticketing platform where you will input all the information for your upcoming event.
Next would be setting up your payment options for your potential customers. Decide whether you are accepting installment options, cheques, credit cards, and other payment providers.
Depending on the feature of your ticketing platform, you can customize your event page.
Finally, once all that is set up, you can promote your event on social media and start managing your ticket sales.
Creating your digital ticketing system is tried and tested with Event Smart.
Event Smart is a powerful, all-in-one, and easy-to-use platform for setting up a digital ticketing system for your events.
To get started, sign up for an account on the Event Smart website and choose a pricing plan that suits your needs.
Event Smart has a 7-day free trial you can use to get familiar with all the features.
Once you have signed up, you can follow the video tutorials on setting up the details of your events.
Event Smart allows you to create different ticket types and pricing options, and you can also set up discount codes and promotional offers. Reserved seating types, e-tickets, and VIP tickets are just some examples of ticket types.
With Event Smart, you can fully customize your tickets like creating ticket bundles, early bird digital tickets, graduated ticket pricing, and more.
For payment methods, customers can conveniently choose payments through PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay or another secure payment gateway of their choice.
Event Smart also provides a range of tools for managing your ticket sales, including tracking sales data and sending email reminders to attendees.
Issuing a Digital Ticket Receipt
With Event Smart, there is a feature to customize your email confirmation that can act as an e-receipt for people who have paid for their tickets.
You can choose from the different default confirmation messages like registration approved, pending payment, invoice, payment received, refund issued, receipt, or the actual ticket itself, depending on the context once the payment has been made.
How to Sell Digital Tickets for Your Event
As with any event, promoting and selling your tickets are critical to the success of your event. Selling out your tickets is possible with these tips and best practices:
- Make your event page SEO friendly – Creating your event website enables you not only to customize your themes, fonts, and colors but also optimize your page to rank on top of search. Make your landing page attractive and professional-looking to build credibility and entice your target audience to register.
- Offer promos and discounts – One popular strategy is to offer an early bird discount, different ticket types, or ticket bundles for groups. As mentioned above, these are all available features with Event Smart.
- Use social media – Promote your event on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Tiktok. Paid ads can enable you to target specific locations and demographics to reach your audience.
- Use influencers to hype your event – Look for personalities, groups, or organizations you can partner with to promote your event. Evaluate which influencers or groups would find the most value from your event. Maybe you can partner with them on a giveaway for their community in exchange for promoting your event. With a digital ticketing system in place, purchasing or giving tickets away won’t be an issue.
- Provide excellent customer service – Establish trust and credibility with your customers by being proactive and helpful throughout the event-buying process. Make sure your ticketing platform can also provide you with technical support to avoid problems.
Process of Purchasing Digital Tickets for Events
Purchasing your digital ticket is straightforward.
Event Smart supports a handful of popular payment gateways. To accept payments, you must have an account with one of these payment gateways and an active subscription to the individual payment gateway feature is also needed to use a payment gateway on your Event Smart site.
Here are some of the payment gateway integrations available once you sell your tickets:
- Stripe (recommended)
- PayPal Express
- PayPal Express Smart Buttons
- PayPal Pro
- Payflow Pro
- Authorize.net AIM
- Authorize.net SIM
- Braintree
- iDeal/Mollie
- Sage Pay
There are also several offline payment methods available if you don’t accept payments online:
- Bank Draft
- Check
- Invoice (included for free)
Create Convenient Digital Tickets for Your Next Event with Event Smart
Set up your next event conveniently and easily manage tickets with all the available features of Event Smart. Creating a digital ticketing system is included once you subscribe to a monthly plan. Enjoy $0 commission fees on an UNLIMITED number of tickets sold.
Try our free 7-day free trial now.
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