Ticketbud Launches Ticketbud Payments, a More Affordable and Streamlined Payment Processor

Austin, TX – Ticketbud, a leading event ticketing platform, introduced Ticketbud Payments, a white-label payment processor, powered by a strategic partnership with Finix. This integration allows event organizers to seamlessly manage ticket sales, gain faster access to revenue, and benefit from a more cost-effective, secure payment system.

With daily payouts and the option to access revenue before their events, Ticketbud’ Payments gives event organizers quick access to their cash flow. Partnering with Finix in developing the white-label solution underscores Ticketbud’s commitment to empowering event organizers with the tools they need to run successful events. 

“Event organizers need technology solutions that make it easier to manage their events,” said Ticketbud CEO Kayhan Ahmadi. “Integrating payment processing directly into Ticketbud makes it easy and fast for event organizers to get direct access to critical cash from ticket sale revenues.”

Ticketbud Payments Offers Competitive Processing Rates

Offering a highly competitive rate of 2.8% plus $0.30— below the industry standard of 3% plus $0.30 — Ticketbud’s white-label solution delivers significant savings for event organizers and attendees alike. By integrating payment processing directly with ticketing, Ticketbud ensures event organizers have a direct point of contact for all ticketing and payment needs, unlike third-party processors.

“With rising costs across the board—from insurance to vendor fees—it’s a big relief to finally see one of our core expenses go down,” said Clint Campbell, Austin Trail of Lights Representative. “Ticketbud Payments has been a game changer for us. Not only does it offer savings on transaction fees, but the seamless integration and fast access to funds have helped us manage our cash flow more effectively during our busiest season.”

A Payment Processor Powered by Finix

Ticketbud’s partnership with Finix brings together a reliable, full-stack payment processor with the power to streamline event payment processes. Finix’s platform is built on scalable, secure technology designed for efficiency, offering the following key benefits:

Event organizers using Ticketbud have the flexibility to either stick with their current payment processor or switch to Ticketbud’s white-label solution. Ticketbud will offer hands-on support to guide customers through the transition. Additionally, the platform is preparing to introduce mobile point-of-sale features, which will work seamlessly with the Ticketbud iOS and Android apps, enhancing the on-site payment experience for events.

Planning the Austin Chicken Wing Festival: Q&A with Event Organizer Jesse Island

Jesse Island, organizer of the Austin Chicken Wing Festival

In May, people flocked to south Austin to eat endless wings and cast their vote for the best wings in the city at the Austin Chicken Wing Festival. So, we caught up with the organizer of the event, Jesse Island, to learn about his experience planning a festival with Ticketbud.

The following Q&A with Jesse highlights an event manager’s experience coordinating a food festival. In it, he shares, from an organizer’s perspective, what it’s like to manage ticket sales and promotions for large festivals and events.

What inspired the creation of the Austin Chicken Wing Festival, and what are the primary goals of the event?

The Austin Chicken Wing Festival was inspired by Wing Fest, which took place in Austin in 2017 and 2018. However, the event dissolved since organizers didn’t have the team they needed for promotion and implementation. So, I met with one of the organizers to see what it would take to make a wing tasting festival of my own. He told me everything they did right and everything they did wrong. So, for everything they did wrong, I hired someone in that area.

How do you select and manage the vendors and partners participating in the festival?

To recruit vendors, I asked everyone on my team to share their top 10 favorite wing places and also added spots published on lists and articles online. Then, we took to guerilla marketing. We showed up to 150 different places in matching gold t-shirts to try the wings and share more about the festival. From there, some restaurants really latched on.

austin chicken wing festival planning team in matching gold t-shirts
Photo courtesy of Austin Chicken Wing Festival.

One thing I learned from my initial meeting with the Wing Fest organizer was that it was important to put these vendors first. If there are no wings, there is no festival. So, I put vendor management high up on my list and treated them like gold.

Is this your first time planning a festival? How does it compare to other events you’ve planned?

This is the first event I’ve organized at this scale. However, I have hosted events that required blocking off downtown streets before. I am pretty good with permits, and I know how to coordinate and negotiate with the city.  Some people don’t realize the time and cost of acquiring permits for large-scale events.

Having the event outside of the city limits made it easier, but it still required a 6 month lead time. We had to get mass gathering permits, food permits and also needed a fire marshal on site. 

“Having the event outside of the city limits made it easier, but it still required a 6 month lead time.”

Jesse Island, Festival Organizer

I should add that the timing of the event was not random either. I had a member of my team research in the Farmer’s Almanac for the driest spring weekend on record. We’d rather have heat than rain.

What marketing strategies did you use to promote the festival?

Our marketing strategy used a little bit of everything. We used paid stuff on Instagram and Facebook and worked with magazines and influencers. We did radio segments where we’d have people call in for giveaways. Our team pass out flyers and put on the gold t-shirts to visit bars and wing restaurants to talk to people about wings. We did pretty much did everything we could think of. 

Why did you choose Ticketbud as your festival ticketing platform? 

It was important for us to source locally, so I was glad to use Ticketbud. I looked into other options – Eventbrite is super cumbersome and Posh doesn’t offer check-in services. Plus, Ticketbud has less intrusive service charges than other event ticketing platforms.

“Ticketbud has less intrusive service charges than other event ticketing platforms”.

Jesse Island, Festival Organizer

Are there any features or integrations that Ticketbud provided that catered to your event’s needs?

Custom ticket layouts, hidden ticket options, discount codes – I utilized it all. From a user standpoint, it was not difficult to use. And, I was able to easily track and base budgets off of growing ticket sales. 

Did using Ticketbud compliment or enhance your marketing and promotional efforts?

I used the referral tracking links to incentivize my team to help with ticket sales. Each person got a unique code to share and earn commission. It was easy to track and helped with promotion. 

How has your experience been with Ticketbud’s customer service?

Ticketbud is not difficult to use. But if something ever was, I could just send an email and would usually get a response within an hour. I probably asked about 10,000 questions about how to make the most of the platform for our event and got help implementing every option, including staff support at the event itself. Our entire team enjoyed working with Ticketbud, and I expect a great working relationship for years to come. 

Attendees enjoying the eats and austin chicken wing festival
Photo courtesy of Austin Chicken Wing Festival.

How did Ticketbud enhance the attendee experience?

Everything was seamless. No one had issues with wrong orders or missing tickets. We utilized Ticketbud’s scanners on event day and it made it so easy for people to get in. There weren’t any long lines. There wasn’t any friction. It was quick, and it was easy. 

Did you utilize any of Ticketbud’s reporting and analytics tools? If so, what metrics did you find most valuable?

“It’s true what they say – 50% of your ticket sales will happen in the last 48 hours”. 

Jesse Island, Festival Organizer

It’s true what they say – 50% of your ticket sales will happen in the last 48 hours. So,budgeting for event can be super difficult. Ticketbud’s reporting tools really helped me plan around this.

With ticket reports, I was able to keep track of the money that was coming in throughout the sales cycle. And as we got closer to the event, ticket breakdowns helped us prepare for who was going to what and how we would need to stock things like the bar.

What advice would you give to others planning a festival?

Hire people that you can trust to do things that you cannot do. There is so much that goes into planning an event. You’re not going to be able to do it all. You’re going to need help.

Is there anything you’d like to add about planning a festival or your ticketing experience?

The event exceeded my expectations. It was fantastic to see the smiles on everyone’s faces. Every single person was having a good time. And I can’t wait to do it again. 

The Austin chicken Wing Festival
Photo courtesy of Austin Chicken Wing Festival.

Event Ticket Refunds: A Guide for Event Organizers and Attendees

Handling event ticket refunds with transparency, empathy, and professionalism, strengthens relationships between event organizers and attendees, and enhances the overall event experience. But, deciphering when it’s appropriate to give or receive a refund can be tricky.

By giving event organizers direct access to their funds, Ticketbud trusts event organizers to utilize their best judgment when issuing refunds. Below we share our expectations for Ticketbud site users, along with key considerations event organizers should make when evaluating their refund policies. 

Who is responsible for issuing refunds for events hosted on Ticketbud?

Refund requests from ticket buyers are directly overseen by the event organizer, not Ticketbud. Each hosting organization or person will have their own terms and conditions for refunds. 

Ticketbud does not have authorization to issue any event ticket refunds. We don’t control the proceeds from ticket sales. These are processed through a payment provider and go directly to the event organizer’s account. 

However, if you are an attendee and would like to discuss an issue with an event hosted on Ticketbud, please reach out to cs@ticketbud.com and our team will look into the issue.

How should attendees request refunds to events hosted on Ticketbud?

If attendees purchased ticket coverage through Refund Protect, they can follow these steps to request a refund for qualifying situations.  

Otherwise, attendees should contact the event organizer regarding refunds to their scheduled event. Event organizers have sole access to revenue from tickets processed via Ticketbud. They may issue refunds if requests comply with their organization’s refund policies. If the refund policy is not clear, contact the event organizer for more information before purchasing your ticket. 

You can search for your event here. On the event page, click on the gray “Contact Organizer” button to reach out to your event organizer directly.  

Contact organizer button as it appears on event page

If an event organizer is unresponsive to refund requests, ticket buyers are within their rights to dispute the charges with their banks or credit card company. If doing so, buyers should also alert the Ticketbud customer service team. Our team will conduct an internal investigation and may prevent the organization from hosting future events on the site.

Understanding credit card chargeback policies

The policy for credit card chargebacks can depend on several factors:

  1. Card Issuer’s Policies: Different card issuers have specific policies regarding the timeframe for initiating a chargeback. The standard policy is usually 60-120 days since the transaction. However check the terms of your credit card regarding disputes for services not rendered. 
  2. Reason for Cancellation: The reason for the event’s cancellation can influence the likelihood of a successful chargeback. If the event organizers declared bankruptcy or there was another uncontrollable factor like severe weather, the process might be different compared to a cancellation without a justifiable reason.
  3. Date of Discovery: For events purchased months in advance, some credit card issuers may extend the chargeback deadline to start from the date you were supposed to receive the service (the event date) rather than the transaction date. This means the timeline for requesting a chargeback might start from the date the event was scheduled.
  4. Documentation: Keeping all documentation related to the purchase and cancellation is crucial. This includes emails about the event’s cancellation, your attempts to contact the organizers for a refund, and any responses received.
  5. Communication with the Event Organizer: Before initiating a chargeback, attempt to resolve the issue directly with the event organizer. If this fails, documenting these attempts can strengthen your case when you approach your card issuer.

Contacting your credit card issuer as soon as you learn about the event’s cancellation is advisable to clarify eligibility and initiate a chargeback. If the event is postponed but has not been rescheduled within the chargeback period, you need to decide your comfort level on trusting the organizer. Decide if you’re prepared to risk access to a refund via chargeback by not taking action before the window closes.  

event billboard with cancellation notice

When should event organizers consider issuing event ticket refunds?

Our number one recommendation to event organizers is POLICY CLARITY.  Manage expectations and minimize disputes by establishing clear refund policies at the time of ticket purchase.

Navigating the waters of event ticket refunds requires a delicate balance between meeting customer expectations and protecting your event’s financial health. Ultimately, a blend of empathy, integrity, and business pragmatism should guide the decision to refund tickets. 

Some key considerations include:

Planning a Last-minute New Year’s Party

As the countdown to the New Year begins, the pressure to plan a memorable celebration can be daunting, especially if you’re doing it last minute. But with some quick thinking, resourcefulness, and creativity, hosting a knock-out New Year’s party on short notice is absolutely possible.

The good news is, event planners have noted a rising trend of last-minute ticket buying, meaning many people will likely wait until after Christmas to lock-in their New Year’s Eve plans. But to ensure your event is on their radar, now is the time to make quick decisions on venues and vendors and start spreading the word about your event. 

Create an event registration page in less than 10 minutes

Visit ticketbud.com and click “Create an Event” then follow the prompts to sign-in or create a free account.

Complete the event details form and click “Continue to edit event page” at the bottom of the screen.

The information from the form will be transferred to the event page editor. You’ll still need to add a banner image, event description and ensure all time and location details are correct. 

Click here to access banner design templates on Canva. 

Before you can activate your New Year’s party, you’ll need to create ticket types and configure a payment method if you plan on selling tickets. You can complete both of these steps using the event dashboard on the left. Select “Tickets” to customize and manage ticket types. Select “Event Settings” to link a payment processor. If your event is free, you don’t need to configure a payment method.

Once you’ve completed all these steps, your New Year’s event is ready to go live. If it’s your first time using Ticketbud, you can also click on your Account Dashboard (the Ticketbud logo or your own logo/Initials are shortcuts to this). Consider updating your Account Profile Page with website and social media information.

When everything looks good, it’s time to start spreading the news. 

Get the word out about your New Year’s party quickly

Time is of the essence, so utilize digital invites via social media, email, or messaging apps. You can use the “Promotion” option in the event dashboard to send invitations. Or, you can cast a wider net by sharing the link to the event page directly on your website, social media pages or other communications channels. 

Be sure your event messaging and branding aligns across all channels. This will make people more likely to see and recognize your event. Which in turn, may secure their registration. 

Don’t forget to have a little fun with your promotional campaigns. The New Year is a great time to look towards new goals as well as to look back at the year’s highlights. So, engage your audience with posts or giveaways inspired by their future plans or favorite memories. 

Focus on the Experience

People want to bring in the New Year with friends and family. So exert your energy into designing an inviting atmosphere that people want to invite their loved ones to, fostering an environment for enjoyable conversations and shared memories. 

Need some fun ideas for your New Year’s party? Try:

Cheers to seizing the moment and creating unforgettable memories!

How to Sell Tickets for an Online Event

Though much of the world has returned to in-person get togethers, online events remain a relevant and practical way to connect with audiences and communities around the world. But, selling online event tickets and getting people to commit can be tricky. 

Online event planners may face an uphill battle in reaching and recruiting event attendees, as well as dispelling preconceived notions that online events lack both entertainment and engagement. To help organizers work through these challenges, we offer the following advice:

Set up online registration for your virtual event

To sell tickets to any event, you need an eye-catching event website and a ticketing platform with trusted payment processing capabilities. Even if the event is free, a ticketing platform can help ease registration and manage attendee communications.

Fortunately, Ticketbud makes it easy and affordable to create both. That way your audience can learn about and register for your event all in one place, eliminating any barriers to completing registration. 

And, setting up an event with Ticketbud does not require any knowledge of html or design. Use the intuitive page editor to plug in relevant event information. Then browse through the site’s all-inclusive toolkit to create unique ticket types, set timelines for registration, and link to your preferred payment processor (if paid event). 

An example of a virtual event registration page, hosted on Ticketbud.

Once the event is live, use your Ticketbud URL to promote your event across your marketing channels. If you’re hosting a series or multiple events, consider creating an organization landing page through Ticketbud that directs others to your entire event calendar. 

Promote your virtual event across communications channels

It’s not enough to have an event website. You also have to market and promote it in order for the world to see. 

These days, the average person uses more than six social media platforms. So, being present on social media and keeping your messaging and marketing consistent across your channels will make it more likely that your audience will recognize and respond to your branding. 

As you work to promote on social media, it’s important to tap into the network and followers held by any of your event partners, speakers, or sponsors. Use these connections and their channels to help elevate and expand your marketing efforts. You can do this by tagging them in relevant posts or by providing them with visual and written content to post organically. 

Remember, the purpose of social media is to engage. So, be creative in ways that you can get people to interact with your content. The more people who interact with it, the wider your potential reach.

To tap into audiences who already know and trust you, it’s also important to build robust newsletter and email campaigns. These folks may be helpful in referring others to your event. 

Offer incentives to sell more tickets to your online event

One of the most influential tactics to promoting sales is creating the idea of scarcity, or the idea that time or quantity is limited. According to Cornell psychology expert Michael Lynn, this tactic increases desirability in the product by making it feel more exclusive and valuable to the consumer. 

Consider ways you can easily induce a sense of scarcity within your ticket sales or registration:

Ticketbud offers a suite of promotional tools within a users event page set up, including the option to create discount codes.

You can manage both tactics with Ticketbud’s ticket editor, which allows you to create multiple ticket types, set and automate sales and registration timelines, and create discount codes and timed promotions for running exclusive sales. 

Additionally, the tool also enables you to track the success of your sales tactics and marketing promotions through referral codes. These codes generate special links to your website so you can monitor what posts or campaigns are generating the most traffic to your site. 

Research and select a ticketing software that makes sense for you

When choosing an event ticketing system, look for one that makes selling tickets as easy and secure as possible. A reliable event ticketing platform should provide useful tools such as: 

Minimize Lines and Maximize Ticket Sales with Timed-Access Event Ticketing

As we look toward a season of haunted houses, corn mazes, and fall pop-ups, event organizers must consider how to manage crowd flow in ways that avoid bottlenecks and maximize ticket sales. Enter timed-access event ticketing, a Ticketbud feature that allows entry to a specific number of ticket holders during allocated time slots.

Incorporating timed-access tickets prevents everyone from showing up at once. A mass influx of people can cause issues with capacity restrictions, create long delays, and lead to turning people away. Also, timed-access event ticketing ensures the entire event runs smoothly, creating a safe and enjoyable experience for all.

Benefits of timed-access tickets for attendees:

Benefits of timed-access tickets for event organizers:

What event organizes are saying about timed-access event ticketing

“The Ticketbud team was a great support helping us create timed access ticket programming with scheduled drive-thru times. By limiting the number of vehicles able to enter each hour, attendees could secure their time and plan their evening without everyone turning up at once. This new programming helps us distribute and maximize tickets over our five-week event.”  

Teri Smart, VP of Marketing at Forefront Networks, which produces the Austin Trail of Lights.

Examples of timed-access tickets

Below you can see an example event pages offering multiple time slots for events. Check out this video for a more detailed view on how organizers can set up their profiles and events with timed-access event ticketing.

Ticketbud’s event page calendar makes multi-day timed-entry ticketing much easier for ticket buyers to navigate to find the convenient date and time they need.

To learn more about working with Ticketbud visit the How It Works page.

Ticketing for Events

Embracing technologies can help streamline ticketing for events, expand your marketing reach, and boost ticket sales.

To help you find a ticketing solution that works best for your upcoming event, we’ve compiled answers to some of the most common questions on event ticketing below: 

What is an event ticketing platform?

An event ticketing platform is a cloud-based system that takes the labor out of selling tickets and registering people for events and activities. From ticket creation and payment processing to ticket delivery and check-in, a ticketing system should handle the entire sale process with limited technical knowledge required from the event planner or attendee.

For example, Ticketbud is a free, online event registration tool that allows event organizers to create free event websites and sell tickets to events. While the platform is free to organizers, a small fee is passed along to the attendee during payment processing – with discounts available for non-profits. 

The online ticketing platform enables organizers to create custom tickets, allowing them to build a multi-tiered ticketing strategy or offer exclusive event discounts to important stakeholders. Ticketbud also helps event managers get paid fast to help cover early event costs. It provides organizers with real–time sales performance data and communication tools to reach their audiences.

The 3 ticketing classifications for event types 

Event ticketing can be described in different ways for various event types. Ticket sales define events geared at generating revenue, while bookings or registrations may describe sign-ups for free or sometimes paid events. 

The requirements for event types and their respective ticketing can vary. Events requiring registration, such as professional conferences or charity races, may need a comprehensive event registration form to gather important participant information or request donations. 

Other multifaceted events may require bookings so attendees can schedule specific sessions or time slots over the course of multiple days, events or locations. Whatever specifications your event entails, all can be managed with a reliable ticketing provider, such as Ticketbud.

How do event ticketing systems work?

Online event ticketing systems will vary, but ideally your event registration platform should enable you to: 

  1. Create an event page with your ticket types
  2. Promote and sell event tickets
  3. Check-in attendees on event day by validating tickets
  4. Report on all your event and attendee data
  5. Access funds generated from ticket sales whenever needed

What are the benefits of event ticketing?

Event planning is consistently ranked as one of the most stressful jobs in America, but utilizing tried and tested ticketing technology, such as Ticketbud, offers peace of mind and efficiency. 

A reliable online ticketing system will help you sell tickets around the clock. Attendees are easily able to securely purchase their own tickets online 24/7. And, many event registration platforms allow attendees to opt into event insurance to protect their payment if the event is canceled. 

Ticketing systems, such as Ticketbud, also offer organizers a central management and communication center for their event. These platforms can also assist with event marketing support through email and social media tools, such as Ticketbud’s Ad Engine. 

Ticketing systems also provide day-of support, to smooth check-in and event registration on site. Encouraging online registration or selling tickets for an event ahead of time eliminates the need to process sales at the door. Instead, attendees come with a scannable ticket for easy and efficient check-in. 

Plus, if it’s your first time using an online ticketing system, you can set your mind at ease. Ticketing platforms like Ticketbd come equipped with responsive customer and technical support. 

What is the process of event ticketing?

Partnering with an online event ticket seller streamlines the registration for the event planner, especially those who are managing large volumes of transactions and revenue. An online registration tool, such as Ticketbud, automatically tracks ticket sales to help organizers manage, market and grow events. 

Making sure you have reliable secure transactions as part of the ticketing process is key when selling tickets to an event. Ticketbud’s ticketing platform integrates with well-known and secure payment providers to ensure ticket revenue is managed appropriately and efficiently.

Ticketbud doesn’t hold on to the organizer’s money either. Instead, event managers are able to easily track ticket sales and cash in on existing sales ahead of the event. Organizers can also access trackable reporting to see exactly how and when that revenue was generated.  

Which software is best for ticket booking and registrations? 

The best software for your event will depend on your event requirements. However it generally comes down to three key elements: reliability, features and cost.  

To assess reliability you can look at reviews and customer testimonials. You can also request a customized walkthrough to experience how the platform would work for your specific event. When evaluating features, you want to ensure the ticketing software you’re considering can accommodate your needs – whether that’s reserved seating, accepting donations, merchandise sales, event promotion, event discounts or others.     

While many online ticketing platforms can provide many features not all are included in the base price. Many providers will quote low costs that don’t include the features you need. Be careful that your needs don’t require add-on fees.

Here are 11 things to look for when choosing an online ticketing platform. 

What are the features of a ticketing system?

Beyond registration and ticketing, your event registration platform should simplify planning around other aspects of your event. When considering platforms, assess features that support event marketing and communications, event check-in, event management, reporting and analytics. 

Ticketbud for example offers a wide range of ticketing features that can:

Event Registration Software

People are more comfortable than ever buying tickets and registering for events online ahead of time. So, it’s more important than ever for event planners to familiarize themselves with online event registration software and tools that can help simplify and enhance the event experience.

How do you handle event registration?

Websites, such as Ticketbud, provide easy-to-use event registration software for planners to manage and promote their events. The online tool allows event managers to create event pages and host registration and ticket sales for free. If hosting a paid event, there is a small fee passed along to ticket buyers.

The ticketing tool also allows for customization at every step of their event registration process. Event organizers can create different ticket types (GA vs. VIP), automate sales timelines, and design the look and layout of each ticket. They can also create custom questions for ticket buyers to help capture important information about their audience. This feature can be used in place of a traditional registration form. 

What is registration software?

Event registration software provides an online platform to plan, create and manage paid or unpaid sign-ups for events. Useful event registration platforms, like Ticketbud, consist of an online back-office for event planners to organize and promote registration, as well as a user interface for attendees to learn more about the event and purchase tickets. 

How to choose the right event registration software

When considering which online event ticketing software to use, take stock of key features that can help ease processes before, during. and after the event. 

With Ticketbud, event planners can create custom event webpages to share across online platforms. The platform’s ticket editor allows users to create and customize costs and sales timelines for multiple ticket types. And its promotional tools can help planners create and track special sales, referrals, or marketing campaigns.

Ticketbud also helps streamline event-day activities, such as arrival or check-in. For example, when attendees register through Ticketbud, they’re emailed a unique QR code that can be easily scanned on-site through a mobile app for secure check-in. It also provides communication tools that allow planners to email attendees ahead of the event with details they may need to know before they arrive, as well as follow-up with any post-event messaging. 

But perhaps the most important feature to consider is cost. While many event registration softwares offer all the capabilities for successful event registration, it’s not all-inclusive in their base-level user’s cost. With Ticketbud, these features are free for all users. 

What is a registration management system?

Ticketbud is a registration management system that streamlines event organization and makes it easy for participants to sign-up. The online tool allows event managers to create a custom event pages and register or sell tickets to participants through an easy online process. 

Registration management systems can vary in cost and features. However, Ticketbud’s entire suit of ticketing features is available to every event host on the site. For example, the ticket editor allows users to create multiple price points for different ticket types or merchandise sales. Use it to automate specially timed sales promotions. 

The online registration system also provides planners with communication and marketing tools. Event managers can send invites and email up-to-date information to participants directly through the site.

How do I create an online registration form for an event? 

Event organizers can easily create an online registration form using Ticketbud’s “Custom Questions” feature. 

When drafting your questions, you can choose from different types of response formats, including text, dropdown, radio or multiple choice. You may also choose whether the response is required or if it’s specific to a particular ticket type.

As participants purchase their tickets, their responses will be recorded with their order. This way, when you run a report of the ticket sales, you can view individual responses to each prompt. 

Custom questions are also a great way to gather other information from participants, such as suggestions for content, questions for speakers, or info on how they heard about your event.

Create Eye-Catching Event Marketing with Free Design Help from Canva

Getting people to attend an event requires eye-catching event marketing, but not all event planners have the time or resources to produce attractive promotional materials across their platforms. 

Enter Canva, a free and widely used online graphic design service that provides users with a suite of tools to design engaging graphics and video for social media, email, posters, and more. Trusted by many, the online platform generates more than 3,000 designs a minute. And it’s easy to get started. 

You can create free event marketing with Canva.

Sign up at canva.com

All you need is an email address, or other online account, and a password. 

Then, verify your account through email. Once logged in, every tool and resource for both individuals and teams is easily accessible through the homepage, including design templates, educational resources, and saved projects. 

Once logged in, use Canva to create a banner for your Ticketbud event page that sets the tone for your entire event marketing strategy. 

To start creating eye-catching event marketing, start with your event page banner. Select custom size from Canva's homepage and input the proper dimensions.

Click “Custom size” in the top right corner of the page below the “Create a design” button, and input the dimensions for the banner (1024 width x 512 px height). 

Select “Create new design.”

Or, access our free event page banner templates here.

Once in your design, you can use the design dashboard to search thousands of free and customizable templates, source free-use graphics and media, upload photos, and add text. When placed in the design, each element can be easily transformed and edited to reflect your event and brand. 

Once finished, click “Share” in the top right corner of your screen. You can generate a share link for your team to access and edit, or download the file and upload your design as a photo onto your Ticketbud event page. 

As you work, Canva automatically saves your progress. You can access previous and in-progress projects anytime through the “Projects” tab on your Canva homepage. 

Modify your banner design for consistent eye-catching event marketing across your channels. 

On average, your audience will need to receive your message 5-7 times before making their purchase decision. Therefore, publishing graphics with a similar look and feel across email, social media, and other platforms will help build interest and recognition of your event.

Upgrading to Canva Pro, Teams, Education and Non-profit plans enables you to easily “copy & resize” designs. But with Canva’s free account, you can create new sizes for your design by simply starting a new design project from your homescreen..

Access saved projects to repurpose and reformat eye-catching marketing designs for other channels.

Canva has thousands of pre-formatted designs for Facebook posts and covers; Instagram posts, stories and reels; printed invitations and posters; and more. Simply select your desired template from its menu of options to begin creating your next piece of content.  

Once in your design, you can easily transfer all of the elements from your banner design to the new layout by navigating to the “Projects” folder in the design toolbar. Select the design. Then, modify to fit. Or, you can utilize the design tools to create a new design, borrowing similar fronts, colors, and elements from the banner design to create a consistent look.

With Canva, you can directly post your event marketing designs to social media and messaging apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and more. 

By upgrading to a premium plan, event organizers can streamline their workflow by scheduling and auto-posting to social media with Canva’s Content Planner. 

For more on how to use Canva to create eye-catching event marketing, check out Canva’s 20 tips on spreading the word on social media. 

Canva is always free for every individual and team. 

To unlock premium features, individuals can upgrade to Canva Pro to easily create professional designs and content for free for 30 days. More info here.

Why Live Shows are Choosing Ticketbud

  1. Data ownership – complete access to event data and attendee contact information 
  2. Early payouts – access to funds before the event to cover upfront costs
  3. Transparent all-inclusive low rates – including all features and ongoing customer support
  4. Mobile optimization – convert more sales on mobile, where people are searching for live shows 

Recently on the Joe Rogan Experience, popular comedian Andrew Schulz expressed frustration over ticketing companies with unnecessarily high fees, who are also holding on to valuable event data and attendee contact information. 

The value of owning the data and audience contact information from your events cannot be overstated. Your data insights and direct access to your audience is key to being able to grow your following as an artist. You need to know who your audience is to be able to connect with them. Don’t pay extra for your own data.

With more comedians and live shows making the move to Ticketbud, we recently invited NYC comedian and producer Joe Hill onto our Ticketbud Tidbits podcast. A key factor in Joe’s switch to Ticketbud was the early access to funds before the event. Early payouts are a game changer, due to the upfront costs of organizing and promoting shows. With Ticketbud you don’t pay more for this. 

Ticketbud’s all-inclusive flat rate pricing means that there’s one rate for everyone. As soon as you sign up for Ticketbud you instantly gain access to all features and ongoing customer support, with no additional charges. There are no monthly or yearly subscription fees, if you don’t make money, we don’t make money. It’s in our interest to give you the best platform, with the features, tools and support to sell more tickets. 

Ticketbud is also mobile optimized, which is important for converting ticket sales on mobile devices. Most consumers are researching shows and events on mobile, a smooth ticketing experience from event page through to purchase helps maximize sales. 

Ticketbud offers price transparency: 

2% ticketing fee +0.99c service charge per ticket sold

+2.9% payment processor fee

With discounts available for non-profits, educational institutions and students.

Be aware of ticketing providers who use fee structures that leave you paying much more than expected for the basic services you need. Enticed by entry level packages, you will soon find there are additional fees for customer service, being able to offer more than one ticket type (a must for effective ticket programming), the ability to sell tickets on your own website, customizable forms, access to detailed analytics and early payouts before your event.

Why pay more for this when it all comes as standard with Ticketbud?

It’s free to sign up and get started on Ticketbud. You don’t pay anything until you start selling tickets, and even then you have the option to build ticketing fees into your ticket prices.

 

Ticketbud Empowers Live Shows to Maximize Revenue through Direct Ticketing

The event ticketing landscape is coming under increased scrutiny. Last week there was a call for a federal investigation of the online ticketing industry, citing the Ticketmaster-Live Nation stronghold. “Americans…have grown sick and tired of the sky-high fees.” A Government Accountability Office report found that on average, fees are more than 25 percent of ticket prices and are often not visible until late in the buying process. This is bad for ticket buyers, event producers and artists, everyone except the ticketing company. 

While big named artists often have their ticketing tied up with a venue, coordinated by Ticketmaster and Live Nation. Artists that are free to choose ticketing have the opportunity to maximize their revenue, data and contact lists. 

This has lead more performing artists and event producers to ticket their events directly, with Ticketbud emerging as a popular choice for live shows.

“With our commitment to transparent pricing, low all-inclusive fees and early access to funds, Ticketbud empowers performing artists to maximize revenue through direct ticketing. Our user-friendly platform makes it easy to sell tickets online”.

Ticketbud CEO Kayhan Ahmadi

4 Reasons Live Shows are Choosing Ticketbud 

  1. Data ownership – complete access to event data and attendee contact information 
  2. Early payouts – access to funds before the event to cover upfront costs
  3. Transparent all-inclusive low rates – including all features and ongoing customer support
  4. Mobile optimization – convert more sales on mobile, where people are searching for live shows 

Recently on the Joe Rogan Experience, popular comedian Andrew Schulz expressed frustration over ticketing companies with unnecessarily high fees, who are also holding on to valuable event data and attendee contact information. 

The value of owning the data and audience contact information from your events cannot be overstated. Your data insights and direct access to your audience is key to being able to grow your following as an artist. You need to know who your audience is to be able to connect with them. Don’t pay extra for your own data.

With more comedians and live shows making the move to Ticketbud, we recently invited NYC comedian and producer Joe Hill onto our Ticketbud Tidbits podcast. A key factor in Joe’s switch to Ticketbud was the early access to funds before the event. Early payouts are a game changer, due to the upfront costs of organizing and promoting shows. With Ticketbud you don’t pay more for this. 

Ticketbud’s all-inclusive flat rate pricing means that there’s one rate for everyone. As soon as you sign up for Ticketbud you instantly gain access to all features and ongoing customer support, with no additional charges. There are no monthly or yearly subscription fees, if you don’t make money, we don’t make money. It’s in our interest to give you the best platform, with the features, tools and support to sell more tickets. 

Ticketbud is also mobile optimized, which is important for converting ticket sales on mobile devices. Most consumers are researching shows and events on mobile, a smooth ticketing experience from event page through to purchase helps maximize sales. 

Ticketbud offers price transparency: 

2% ticketing fee +0.99c service charge per ticket sold

+2.9% payment processor fee

With discounts available for non-profits, educational institutions and students.

Be aware of ticketing providers who use fee structures that leave you paying much more than expected for the basic services you need. Enticed by entry level packages, you will soon find there are additional fees for customer service, being able to offer more than one ticket type (a must for effective ticket programming), the ability to sell tickets on your own website, customizable forms, access to detailed analytics and early payouts before your event.

Why pay more for this when it all comes as standard with Ticketbud?

It’s free to sign up and get started on Ticketbud. You don’t pay anything until you start selling tickets, and even then you have the option to build ticketing fees into your ticket prices.

 

Event Ticketing Just Got Easier

Ticketbud Launches an Intuitive New Interface for Event Organizers

“It’s a great time to use Ticketbud for event ticketing. This thing sings”.

Kayhan Ahmadi, CEO of Ticketbud

In the first half of 2019 Ticketbud announced a series of platform advancements to improve the ticket buyer experience.  

Ticketbud is now excited to announce the launch of our redesigned interface for event organizers. This update takes the user experience to the next level, making the event setup and management process more intuitive and user-friendly with enhanced design and functionality. 

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The Redesign Includes:

2019 Platform Updates:

These advancements are a result of close consultation with customers and Ticketbud’s continued commitment to improving the customer experience.

Modern New Event Pages

Ticketbud Mobile Images

Mobile Optimized Checkout 

Reduce friction at checkout and sell more tickets with a purchase process designed for mobile.

Organization Pages

Showcase all your events in one place. Ideal for organizations with multiple events or multi-day events. 

“This newly updated and mobile optimized ticketing platform has been our largest and most important project under my tenure as CEO. We’ve taken the Ticketbud ticketing platform to the next level with an intuitive and enhanced user experience for event organizers. It’s dynamic, flexible, and  will support all the powerful integrations we are going to be launching. Combined with previous updates focused on the ticket purchase experience, such as our mobile optimized event pages and checkout experience, it’s a great time to use Ticketbud for event ticketing. This thing sings”. 

Kayhan Ahmadi, CEO of Ticketbud.

It’s free to sign up and get started on Ticketbud today. You can also request a personal walkthrough demo with a Ticketbud Team Member.