You're planning a conference. How can you make sure your event ticketing software is the best? Whether you're hosting a virtual or hybrid event, you need a reliable and user-friendly platform to sell and manage your tickets. Here are some tips to help you choose and use the right event ticketing software for your conference.
Before you start looking for event ticketing software, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your ticket sales. How many tickets do you want to sell? What are your pricing and discount strategies? How do you want to collect and use attendee data? How do you want to communicate with your ticket buyers? Having specific and measurable goals will help you narrow down your options and compare different features and benefits.
Event goals are broad, long-term or short-term outcomes that you are expecting to accomplish. Compared to the purpose of the event, an event goal is more specific and should support your purpose. Event objectives on the other hand are measurable and specific actions to take in service of your long term goal.
When I will achieve the targeted goals through the even ticketing software, then I will think that my event ticketing software is best. For achieving my targeted goals I have to decide in previous that what I want to achieve through the event ticketing software.
When choosing an event ticketing software, you need to consider various factors, such as fees and commissions, customization and design, payment and security, data and analytics, and integration and automation. For instance, you should find out how much the software will charge you and your attendees for each ticket sold, as well as if there are any hidden or extra costs. Additionally, you should think about how much control you have over the look and feel of your ticketing page and confirmation emails, whether payment methods and currencies are supported, how to access and analyze your ticket sales data, and how well the software integrates with other tools you use. Finally, you should determine what metrics and reports are available and how you can use the data to improve your marketing and event planning.
Before comparing softwares make sure you know what you need. I've demoed many a sophisticated software that was missing one or some of the basic requirements I had for my specific event. If you are overwhelmed with potential options this will also help in narrowing it down to the one(s) that do what you most need it to the best.
Once you've chosen your event ticketing software, you need to test and optimize your ticketing process to ensure a smooth and positive experience for your attendees. To do this, create a clear and compelling ticketing page that highlights the value and benefits of your conference, provide different ticket types and options for different segments of your audience, set up discount codes and incentives to encourage early and bulk purchases, simplify the checkout process, send personalized and timely confirmation emails, and track and measure your ticket sales performance. All of these steps will help you improve your conversion and retention rates.
Selling tickets is only the beginning of your relationship with your attendees. You need to engage and nurture them before, during, and after your conference to build trust, excitement, and loyalty. To do this, you can create and share valuable content that educates, entertains, and inspires your attendees. Additionally, you can segment and personalize email marketing campaigns based on your attendees' interests, behaviors, and needs. Furthermore, you can create an online community for connecting and networking. You should also provide and request feedback from your attendees to improve your event and showcase social proof. Finally, offer additional value such as replays, recordings, resources, or follow-up events.
After your conference is over, you need to evaluate and improve your ticketing software to ensure that it meets your expectations and needs. This can be done by reviewing and analyzing ticket sales data and metrics, surveying and interviewing attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff, identifying successes and achievements as well as challenges and issues, seeking new features or alternatives to enhance the ticketing software and process, and planning and implementing changes for the next conference. By following these tips, you can make sure that your event ticketing software is the best for your conference. This will enable you to sell more tickets, create a better attendee experience, and grow your event brand and reputation.