What is e-ticketing?

An e-ticket or electronic ticket is a paperless proof of purchase used for ticketing at events. E-ticketing is more commonly known for providing a better attendee experience as it allows attendees to purchase e-tickets anywhere from any device. With a few taps on their screen, their ticket is instantly created and ready to be scanned when they enter the venue. However, there are many sales and marketing benefits to the event and event organiser you may not have been aware of.

1. Seamless registration experience

Firstly it's important not to underestimate the impact the registration experience has on return attendance. Registration iis the first impression an attendee has on your event. It's an insight into how well run the event is going to be and what they can expect from the event. A negative registration and ticketing experience will put your attendee in a negative mindset before they've even walked through your doors. This makes it harder to win them over during the event! They'll be more likely to return and share their positive experiences with peers, word of mouth is still the best advertising to increase event participation. To ensure a smooth online experience keep the process as straightforward as possible. Don't overcomplicate it, simplicity, minimal clicks and a clear call to action are key to a positive purchasing experience. Attendees will expect clear and concise communication and an instant email verifying their order with instructions and what to do next. Start the process right and choose an event management platform that provides a seamless and positive purchasing experience for attendees.

2. Marketing potential

Selling tickets and collecting registrations online is essentially a lead generation form. As soon as an attendee purchases tickets or registers for an event online they are automatically added to your database. Depending on your terms and conditions and whether people unsubscribe or not you can email them about your other upcoming events. If they've had a great time at your event they'll be happy to hear from you and are more likely to respond to your invitations.

3. Analytics and insights

Depending on what ticket management system you're using the analytical and tracking tools can be extremely powerful. Understanding your attendee behaviour and interests will allow you to target your database more effectively. Ticketing systems can provide valuable insights into your audience's demographics, interests and buying behaviours. Some platforms can even provide data on what attendees are interested in and what they're not. Many event planners focus on data during and post-event, but why wait until then to find out what your guests are interested in? It's much easier to give them what they want to see and hear by understanding what they're looking for beforehand.

3. Increase Sales

E-ticketing or digital tickets allow you to sell right up until the event and capture last-minute sales. Selling online also allows you to upsell, advertise VIP and exclusive tickets and sell merchandise. Many event organisers use this as an opportunity to hike up the price of late entries. This method is used to encourage attendees to enter earlier but if people do leave it last minute and want to join you receive a higher fee.

4. Further sponsorship opportunities

If you're not already, then you should be offering some sort of brand exposure on e-tickets or ticket confirmation emails in your sponsorship proposals. Most ticketing systems have personalisation capabilities so you can customize your e-ticket. Brand exposure is highly valuable to sponsors and sponsors will pay more for the space.

5. Customers can pay for multiple events in one transaction

This point is two-fold, a good event management platform will provide you with a branded website which allows you to promote and advertise other events. If attendees are on your website to purchase tickets for a specific event they will be exposed to other events they may not know you hosted. You can have more events we think you might like? Following on from this attendees can purchase tickets for more than one event in one transaction.

Done right your event management software provider and online registration platform can be utilised as a powerful advertising tool which increases revenues. A good event management platform and user-friendly ticketing process are essential in creating smooth event delivery from start to finish. Look for a provider that can provide you with a bespoke branded website, and complete event management software. A tech company that provides all is more likely to provide a seamless attendee experience from start to finish whilst protecting your brand. With this comes a lot of functionality so be sure to utilize all the tools available to you. A supplier who empowers you to maximise all software will have a good onboarding and training process. Make sure the team that will be using the software gets the most out of the training offered by tech companies so that they can navigate their way around the platform confidently.

Claire Singleton

Marketing Manager

Evessio

Claire is the Marketing Manager at Evessio, an industry-leading event management platform for awards, conferences and exhibitions. Claire has years of experience and specialises in marketing event software, marketing events and sponsorship. Claire has a proven track record of re-branding events and implementing strategies that doubled event participation.