9 Secrets to Choosing the Best Event Ticketing Platform

Most ticket sales happen online, and this trend is only going to boom for the foreseeable future.

The worldwide online event ticketing industry was worth $55.40 billion in 2022, and it’s projected to grow with a 6.0% annual growth rate from 2023 to 2030.

So, choosing the best ticketing platform for your event business is the most important step in the right direction.

Before people show up to your event, most of them will have an interaction with the registration platform.

Any hiccups while they’re buying tickets can be a huge downer, leaving them annoyed or, even worse, driving them away altogether.

A smooth user experience is a must to increase ticket sales and give everyone a great first impression.

So, you need the right event ticketing platform to make it all go off without any issues.

Whether you’re selling tickets for a conference, a concert, or a carnival, this article is the perfect playbook to make picking your platform super easy.

Read on to learn industry secrets to make sure you don’t get stung when selecting your online event ticketing platform.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Event Ticketing Platform

Picking the right ticketing platform can be hard, especially with all the jargon, hidden fees, and sneaky traps many platforms use.

You need to consider what features and functions you need the most to make your life as an event organizer much more manageable and smoother.

Find a platform that’ll fit your event’s needs and help you with anything you need to set up and run your events seamlessly, right when you need it, all while being easy on the wallet for your event business.

Does that mean you have to skimp on features? No way! That’d totally miss the point of using an online ticketing platform in the first place.

Here are a few factors you need to consider when finding the right ticketing platform for your event business that will help you make your next event a success:

1. Pricing

When you’re on the hunt for the top online ticket sales platform, the first thing you’ll check out is the costs of the service — keeping a positive bottom line is your top priority since it’s what keeps your business afloat.

And the fee structure of your online ticketing platform can make a whole lot of difference to your bottom line.

The platform fee on event tickets covers the cost of the tech that handles ticket sales, secure payments, and customer support. It keeps the platform running smoothly, covers credit card fees, and pays for its maintenance.

Right now, the only platform delivering a free event ticketing solution is TicketsCandy, whereas others can charge you anywhere from 10% to well over 30% of your ticket sales.

That’s way more than a lion’s share and could put a huge dent in your take-home cash. Even if you decide to pass this much cost to your customers, they might just refuse to buy the ticket.

60% of online shoppers consider price to be the number one factor in their buying decision. This shoots up by 15–20% when the economic conditions are tough (which, right now, it definitely is).

Usually, the costs come with this fee structure:

• Flat fee per ticket: This structure works great if your tickets are on the pricier side. The platform charges a set amount per ticket, no matter the price. So, regardless of the price of your ticket, the fee will stay the same.
• Percentage per ticket: You pay a percentage of the ticket price as the fee. If your ticket price is on the cheaper side, find a platform with this pricing structure. That way, you’ll only pay a small amount per ticket to the platform. But on the flip side, if you’re charging your attendees a high price per ticket, don’t use a platform with this fee structure, as their fee would add up to a lot. For example, if you’re charging $20/ticket, and the platform fee is 30%/ticket sale, you’ll have to pay $6. But if your ticket price is $100, you’ll have to pay $30/ticket in platform fees.
• Flat fee plus percentage: As the name suggests, this structure is a mix of flat fee per ticket and percentage per ticket pricing models. An example of this hybrid pricing model is Eventbrite’s US 3.7% + $1.79. Unfortunately, it usually benefits the ticketing platform more than the event organizers.

2. Customization Options

The ticketing platform you choose should offer custom branding options for event pages, registration forms, and tickets so you can make each digital event property your own.

Unlike Eventbrite and Ticketmaster, which can feel a bit generic, TicketsCandy gives you the freedom to make it your own.

As an event organizer, you need to connect with your potential ticket buyers by telling them your story and helping them build an emotional bond with your event.

Relatability is how to share your brand values with people who get who, as an event business, you are and where you’re coming from. And you can’t really do that without customization options.

Consistency in your branding throughout the buyer’s journey makes it more memorable, which is a win-win, as consistent branding can lead to a 10 to 20% revenue increase.

Small events have a charm and individuality that are often missing from the big ones. They need a unique ticketing approach to match their uniqueness:

• Personal Touch: Small events thrive on a more personalized ticketing experience, creating a direct connection with attendees.
• Flexibility: Customisation allows small events to pivot quickly to changing needs or preferences.
• Brand Identity: Tailoring the ticketing process reinforces the event’s unique brand and message.

With the right customization, you can make your event pop. You want to design a ticketing event page that looks inviting and gets customers excited about the experience you’re putting on.

TicketsCandy gives you that flexibility and helps you create an event that’s yours, unlike some of the more cookie-cutter options.

3. Event Marketing

Struggling to get more people in the seats for your event? You need to be leveraging online event marketing (if you aren’t already).

Why spend $150 on a broadcast ad to reach 2,000 potential ticket buyers when you can do the same for just 50 bucks with a search campaign?

With digital marketing, you reach thousands of potential ticket buyers without burning a hole in your pocket, creating a buzz and effortlessly attracting your target crowd.

Use powerful tools like SEO, content marketing, PPC, email marketing, social media marketing, and social ads to spread the word.

Instead of making it hard, the platform you work with should make it easy for you to use these marketing tools and help you sell your tickets.

At the very least, a decent ticketing platform should let you handle your marketing by embedding a ticketing widget on your website, in emails, and on your social media posts.

Unfortunately, most of the top ticketing services out there are pretty careless when it comes to helping you with marketing. Usually, all you get is a listing on their site, and that’s about it.

The best ticketing solution, though, will go the way, like sharing your event on their social media and sending out newsletters to a hyper-targeted audience that’s interested in what you’re offering.

Take TicketsCandy, for example. They’ll give your event a good plug on their channels and help with other marketing strategies tailored to your event.

Plus, they’ll help you with email marketing.

75% of marketers say email is their top promoting strategy. And up to 45% of event ticket

sales come straight from those emails.

If you know, you know — a great email list is a gold mine for the right marketers. TicketsCandy will help you target the right audience using such a list.

4. Customer Support

You’ll need a ticketing platform that doesn’t just get the job done but has your back with great customer support — you don’t want to be left high and dry when something goes wrong.

After one bad experience, about 80% of your customers would rather give their business to your competitor.

That’s a big chunk of potential ticket sales lost.

Having a ticketing platform with excellent customer support ensures your ticket buyers are well taken care of, and you’re not left dealing with their frustrations.

Also, consider the potential hiccups — from broken ticket links to last-minute changes in event details. Without solid support, you could be stuck trying to sort these out yourself, and that’s not what you want to be doing.

Some platforms do claim to be the best, but their support falls short when you need it most.

TicketsCandy offers round-the-clock support, fast resolutions, and a FAQ page for easy self-service.

Unlike Eventbrite, which only gives live support to paid users, and Ticket Tailor’s decent service, TicketsCandy delivers great assistance for everyone, every time.

Events using a ticketing platform with excellent customer support see up to an increase in customer satisfaction.

So, when choosing a ticketing platform, don’t just look at the features. Consider its customer support. With TicketsCandy, you’re not just getting a service; you’re getting peace of mind, and that’s invaluable.

5. Ease of Use

Organizing an event is already a huge job with venues, vendors, and a lot of details to manage. The last thing you need is a complicated ticketing platform.

A user-friendly platform means you can set up an event page, start selling tickets, and track sales without any issues.

Now, here are some stats to consider. A great and easy-to-use online event ticketing platform can increase your visit-to-buy conversion rate by up to 200% more than a clunky one.

Sites with great user experience could see visit-to-lead conversion rates increase by more than 400%.

Why? Attendees can buy tickets quickly and easily. They’re happy, you’re happy — it’s a win-win.

Some platforms out there are clunky and hard to navigate. You know, the ones — complicated dashboards and endless forms.

But TicketsCandy is simple and efficient. You get an easy setup, real-time analytics, and great customer support.

Although getting customer support is super important, it’s way better if you don’t have to spend a lot of time talking to agents and trying to learn using a ticketing platform with a steep learning curve.

Also, think about the money. An easy-to-use platform means less time troubleshooting and more time promoting your event. That translates to more ticket sales and more money in your pocket.

So, an easy-to-use ticketing platform is not just convenient; it’s essential.

6. Technology Integration Options

Up to 44% of marketers say missing integrations are their biggest headache when it comes to generating insights from data.

But when your ticketing platform integrates seamlessly with other tools you’re using — like website integration widgets, marketing tools, payment processors, POS, etc. — it makes everything easier. No more jumping between different apps or manually updating spreadsheets.

So, it’s totally worth the effort.

Everything’s connected; you can manage your event from one central hub.

Integrated platforms can automate marketing efforts, simplify communication with attendees, and provide real-time data analytics. That means you can make informed decisions on the fly and adjust your strategies to maximize sales.

Some platforms don’t really play well with others and leave you doing double the work. But with TicketsCandy, you get seamless integration with all the latest tools and platforms.

It has a great event page builder, a widget for deploying to your own website, marketing tools, a payment processor, a POS system, and a mobile app — all in one awesome app.

That way, you’d have way more time to focus on what you do best — creating an amazing event experience.

Tech integration also increases attendee satisfaction. Attendees get automated reminders, personalized updates, and seamless check-in processes.

It’s a smoother experience for them, which reflects well on you.

Also, with integrated tech, you get real-time data and analytics that show you what’s working and what needs tweaking.

You can track ticket sales, monitor marketing campaigns, and get a clear picture of your event’s performance.

So, when choosing an event ticketing platform, always look for one that has great technology integration options.

7. Time-Slot Ticketing

TicketsCandy offers a great feature that’s often overlooked by most paid online ticketing systems — it’s the time slot management tool. So, why should you include it in your event management toolkit?

With time slot ticketing, you can stagger entry times and keep your venue from getting packed.

No one likes to be shoulder-to-shoulder, and by spreading out the crowd, you’ll keep everyone comfy and happy. That’s great for events like museums, exhibitions, and theme parks.

Time slot ticketing is a bottler for increasing sales — when people see that a certain time slot is filling up, it creates a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out). They’ll be more likely to buy tickets in advance rather than waiting until the last minute.

Running an event is tricky and dangerous if you’re not careful. Time slot ticketing gives you a clear idea of how many people to expect and when. That means you can roster your staff more efficiently, stock up on supplies just right, and avoid any nasty surprises.

Here are a few more reasons why you should leverage a platform that has this feature:

• Social Distancing: It maintains social distance by limiting how many people can enter the venue at once. At Evo 2024, people feared getting COVID-19 because it was jam-packed. Even famous streamers like AvoidingThePuddle (Aris), who hosts/commentates on games like Tekken, didn’t attend the event because of this fear.
• Improved Attendee Experience: Your attendees get shorter wait times and a more enjoyable event — no long lines or frustrating delays.
• Enhanced Planning: Time slot ticketing gives you the exact number of attendees for each interval. You can plan your logistics and event management more effectively.
• Flexibility: Your attendees can pick entry times that suit their schedules, which makes their event experience more convenient and satisfying.

Unlike some other platforms, TicketsCandy offers time slot ticketing without any hefty fees (it’s totally free).

So, if you want your event to run smoother than a well-oiled machine, keep the crowds manageable, and increase your ticket sales, look for a platform that offers the time-slot ticketing feature.

8. Scalability

You might be a small-scale event organizer now, but soon, you could be organizing three events a week, and before you know it, that number could grow to over 20 in just two months.

So, choose an online ticketing platform that has the potential and flexibility to tackle fluctuating demand — you need a platform that can grow with you.

Scalability means you can handle more ticket sales, more attendees, and more data without any issues. No one wants their system crashing because it can’t handle the load.

Every business hits a do-or-die point: expand or call it quits. When your event-organizing gig is booming, you need the right, scalable, free online ticketing platform in your corner.

Take TicketsCandy, for instance. Managing your resources is a TicketsCandy because it has a scaleable system. You can adjust staffing, supplies, and logistics as needed.

Plus, you won’t be paying through the nose as you grow. Some other platforms might charge like a lot when you try to scale up, but not TicketsCandy.

Also, a scalable platform should have better data management. That way, you’ll have all the information you need to track your event’s growth and make informed decisions, which is gold for planning future events and smashing your targets.

9. Premium Ticket Levels

Premium Ticket Levels give your punters more choice. Not everyone wants a standard ticket — some people are willing to splash out for extra perks like VIP seating, exclusive merch, or a meet-and-greet.

Some people are happy with a general admission ticket, but others want the corporate box experience.

Your online ticketing service should recognize that. Opt for a platform that lets you create Early Bird tickets with distinct pricing from the regular ones.

If you want to sell exclusive VIP tickets with extra perks, like a meet-and-greet with the band or dinner included, you should be able to do so.

Don’t forget about press or guest tickets either — they deserve special identifiers and ticketing levels.

Providing premium ticket levels also improves customer experience because of all the extra perks they receive with their VIP tickets, leaving your attendees satisfied and more likely to return for your next event.

A happy customer is a repeat customer, and word-of-mouth in the events scene can be powerful.

Your audience is diverse, and so should your ticketing options. Find a Ticketing partner (TicketsCandy, for example) that effortlessly caters to the unique ticket desires of your attendees.

Wrapping Up

Eventually, you’ll come across many platforms that are great in the event ticketing industry. But, of course, not all of them come with the same features.

Take TicketsCandy, for instance. They offer their services for free (no matter the size of your event).

Not every platform has this kind of feature.

Know exactly what you’re after. Once you’ve sorted out your requirements, finding a platform that ticks all the boxes becomes easy.

The right ticketing platform doesn’t just make email marketing and event promotion super easy; it also lets you monitor ticket sales and attendee information without any issues.

Your event ticketing system is the heart of your operations. It keeps everything in line and ensures that everything runs like a well-oiled machine for a great experience.

In terms of affordability and ticking all the boxes, TicketsCandy is a real standout.

With nothing to lose (regarding platform fees), why not give TicketsCandy a try? Sign up for free today and see the difference for yourself.