Find the best Ticketing Software

What is ticketing software?

Ticketing software, also known as event ticketing software, helps event organizers manage the entire ticketing process, from creating and selling tickets to tracking sales and analyzing data. Organizers can generate different ticket types (e.g., general admission, VIP, early bird) with varying price points within the software. They can also collect attendees’ details, including names, email addresses, and phone numbers, to execute targeted marketing campaigns and monitor attendance.

Most ticketing software solutions comprise reporting and analytics capabilities to help event professionals gain insights into their audience and measure the success of their events. Users can track the number of tickets sold, attendee demographics, website visits, social media interactions, and total revenue. These insights provide event planners with data for future planning and optimization.

What are the core features of ticketing software?

• Point of sale (POS): Sell tickets online and offline (via kiosks or sales counters). This feature simplifies the process of accepting payments and printing tickets in real time.

• Ticket reservations: Let customers reserve, book, and purchase tickets for various events, such as concerts, sports games, and theater shows. Buyers can select specific seats and confirm bookings with online payments.

• Reporting/analytics: Access detailed reports on event ticket sales, revenue generated, and attendee demographics. This feature helps measure event performance against set goals or benchmarks, understand audience demographics, and analyze the effectiveness of promotional campaigns.

What are the benefits of ticketing software?

• Increases audience reach: Event ticketing software supports multiple sales channels, such as websites and social media integration, making it easier for your audience to discover and purchase tickets from anywhere. You can also share discount codes via these platforms to encourage more purchases. These promotional efforts can help you reach a wider audience and increase sales.

• Provides secure payment processing: Ticketing platforms employ robust encryption and integrated secure payment gateways to safeguard financial transactions and sensitive information. These security functions instill confidence in the ticketing process, reduce the risk of fraudulent activities, and help establish a trustworthy reputation.

• Enhances customer experience: These software solutions allow a ticket buyer to browse event details, select preferred seats, and purchase tickets from a dedicated booking page. Similarly, features such as electronic ticket delivery, mobile ticketing, and QR codes simplify the entry process, reducing wait times and contributing to a positive and efficient experience for attendees.

What are the potential issues with ticketing software?

• Inaccurate ticket availability: This issue can arise due to technical glitches, system errors, or delays in ticket inventory updating. If prospects receive incorrect information about event ticket availability, it can lead to dissatisfaction and confusion. Ensure the software is regularly updated and syncs data in real time to provide accurate inventory information to potential buyers.

• Limited scalability: Some ticketing software tools may face challenges related to scalability, particularly if they’re not designed to handle high volumes of transactions or a rapidly growing user base. Events that experience a sudden surge in demand may encounter system slowdowns, crashes, or other performance issues. To address these, choose ticketing platforms that can scale according to the size and requirements of your events, ensuring a smooth and reliable ticketing experience even during peak periods.

• Lack of customer support: If you encounter technical issues or require assistance with the software, a lack of responsive customer support can lead to delays in problem resolution and negatively impact the overall event planning process. Choosing a ticketing software provider that offers reliable and accessible customer support is crucial to address any issues promptly and ensure a smooth experience for you and your event attendees.

How much does ticketing software cost?

Most online ticketing software solutions on the market are priced on a “per user, per month” basis, and their entry-level pricing plans range from $1.05 to $248+.* An enterprise-level event ticketing platform that’s priced higher may include additional features such as advanced analytics, service management, event marketing, custom branding options, dedicated account support, and priority customer service.

*The pricing included is for the entry-level/lowest-priced offerings found on vendor websites as of Feb. 1, 2024.

What is ticketing software used for?

Online ticketing software helps boost revenue and simplify event management. However, it can have multiple use cases based on the data you feed into the system and the available software features. 

• Attendee information management: You can use an event ticketing platform to capture attendee details such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers during the ticket purchasing process. This information is stored in a database within the software to support personalized marketing efforts. The software also lets you segment attendees based on ticket types, access levels, or other criteria for targeted communication.

• Marketing and promotions: Some platforms offer email marketing templates, social media sharing buttons, and landing page creation to promote your event. You can create targeted discounts or offers based on attendee demographics or purchase history to incentivize specific groups. The software also lets you integrate your customer relationship management (CRM) system to leverage existing audience data for targeted marketing campaigns.

• Event performance management: Ticketing software solutions provide tools and data to analyze various aspects of your event and measure its success. You can generate reports on online ticket sales, revenue generated, and attendee demographics to analyze sales trends, identify ticket types with the highest demand, and understand purchase patterns to guide future planning. Additionally, the software lets you integrate surveys or feedback forms to collect attendee sentiments and improve future events.

Which tools integrate with ticketing software?

An event ticketing system can integrate with various tools to enhance event organization and marketing. We looked at thousands of reviews from users of ticketing software to identify products that users frequently mention integrating with their event ticketing tools:

• Mailchimp is an email marketing platform that integrates with ticketing software to simplify communication and marketing efforts. The integration lets you sync attendee data, create targeted email campaigns, and engage with your audience.

• Stripe is an online payment processing solution that integrates with ticketing software to securely process online payments for ticket sales. The integration ensures a smooth, reliable payment experience for attendees by offering multiple payment options and enhancing transaction security.

• Facebook is a social media platform that integrates with ticketing software to expand event reach and boost attendance. The integration allows you to promote events on Facebook, create event pages, and sell tickets directly through the platform.

• WordPress is a content management system that integrates with ticketing software to help create a dedicated ticket booking page and embed it into event websites. The integration ensures a cohesive user experience, allowing attendees to browse event details and purchase tickets without leaving the WordPress site.

• Zoom Meetings is a video conferencing tool that integrates with ticketing software to facilitate virtual events. The integration enables you to manage registrations, share event details, and provide secure access to virtual attendees through the Zoom platform.

*We identified these integrations mentioned most often in verified reviews of ticketing software published on Software Advice within the past two years (as of Feb. 1, 2024).

Considerations when purchasing ticketing software

• Check the types of tickets the software can generate. You should be able to create general admission, VIP, and early bird tickets, among others. This flexibility helps cater to different audience preferences and pricing structures. Similarly, the event ticketing system should let you customize the colors, fonts, and logos on the tickets and even add images that suit your brand.

• Evaluate software scalability for large events. If you plan to host large events, ensure the software can handle a high volume of transactions, website traffic, and simultaneous users without experiencing performance issues. Scalability is essential to provide a seamless ticketing experience, especially during peak times when demand is at its highest.

• Ensure integration with different payment methods. Check whether the event ticketing software integrates with various payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, mobile wallets, and other popular online payment options. This capability allows ticket buyers to choose their preferred payment method, reducing friction during checkout and lowering the cart abandonment rate.

Source

Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Software Advice’s ticketing software directory. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in Software Advice’s directory that offer them.

Disclaimer: This ticketing management software buyers guide was authored by Software Advice’s content team. We develop our guides using the author’s expertise, insights from 2M+ unique user reviews, and our proprietary data science algorithms to identify trends in user sentiment, preferences, and priorities. Some text was generated with assistance from AI tools.