Are you still riding the high of your most recent ren faire success? Perhaps you can still hear the folk music and taste the turkey legs. While you might be tempted to curl into a turkey coma and relegate event planning to a later time, the best time to start planning is now. The reason is simple: advanced ticket sales.
As a ren faire promoter, selling tickets in advance is a fantastic way to generate buzz, decrease no-shows, and increase upfront cash.
If you’re wondering whether your event could benefit from advanced ticket sales, consider these five advantages below.
Advantage 1 - Increased Attendance
When the collective excitement builds long before the event, it also builds momentum for ticket sales. Attendees have time to share the excitement and spread the word. If you take it a step further and incentivize advanced ticket sales—through a discount or a free add-on, for example—attendees will be stoked to tell their friends!
As a general rule, the earlier you start selling tickets, the more tickets you’ll sell, and the more attendees will show up.
Advantage 2 - Better Budget Planning
By tallying numbers and ticket sales ahead of time, you get a better pulse of where your budget stands. You can estimate your supply quantity needs more accurately and make adjustments in the final weeks and days before the event.
For example, if you underestimated the tickets with drinks included, you have time to up your inventory of mead and wine. On the other hand, if you overestimated the VIP ticket sales, you have time to adjust to the lower numbers.
Advantage 3 - Decreased Day-Of Wait Times
Advanced ticket sales can significantly cut down ticket line wait time—especially for large events—which in turn boosts attendee experience. The more tickets you sell in advance, the less your attendees have to battle long lines on faire day; they can make a beeline for battle-axe throwing instead.
Pro-tip: Provide a text-to-purchase number onsite. That way patrons who forget to plan ahead can purchase online while standing at the gate.
Advantage 4 - A Sense of Urgency and Exclusivity
Whether there’s a price cut for the first month or a VIP discount for the first 100 ticket orders, the limitations that come with advanced ticket sales create a sense of urgency. The time pressure will encourage people to act quickly.
Nobody likes to miss out on a chance to score a deal or an exclusive opportunity.
Protip: Use demand-based pricing to adjust prices based on date, time, or quantity.
Advantage 5 - Increased Revenue
When you offer advanced ticket sales, it not only leads to more revenue, but, even better, more upfront revenue. This can help you handle some of the early event costs and make profitability a more likely outcome.
Alas, at this point, you might be chomping at the bit—much like the horses in the joust competition—to get your tickets on sale already! Considering the massive revenue-boosting and experiential benefits, we don’t blame you.
If you have questions as you get started, we’re here to help host your most successful events ever.
