Online ticketing platforms have changed the event ticketing process by making it faster and more convenient for both buyers and sellers to complete ticket transactions digitally rather than using paper tickets. However, the proliferation of new online ticketing companies has left event organizers with many options to choose from. While the growth is due to attractive financial incentives and advancing technology, it can overwhelm organizers with choices. Key factors for organizers to consider include costs, fees charged, and available features like data reporting and check-in tools. The future of ticketing is pointed toward further digitization and away from paper tickets as new generations of organizers demand more sophisticated online options.

1. The Blessing and The Curse
of Online Ticketing Solutions
An EventTechBrief.com article by Autumn Thatcher

2. Changing the Game
Online platforms have changed the game of event
ticketing.While droves of platform developers are
welcoming the opportunity to deliver the convenience
and instant gratification of online ticketing to customers,
the proliferation of new entrants into the market has left
event organizers feeling overwhelmed.Although selling
tickets has never been easier, the choices for event
producers are becoming ever more complex.

3. Why Organizers use Online Ticketing
– Consummating a transaction in the cloud is faster and
easier for both buyers and sellers than managing paper
tickets.
– Selling via the Internet has vastly reduced the costs and
the amount of time it takes to deliver tickets according to
Jayesh Parmar, CEO of Vancouver-based Picatic. Plus, he
says,…

4. “Online ticketing allows
almost immediate access to
funds.”
(Jayesh Parmar, CEO of Picatic)

5. The Time is Right for
Online Ticketing

6. The Time is Right for Online
Ticketing Platforms
Why are there so many event-ticketing platforms? The
consensus is simple: the market is huge, financial
incentives are attractive, and the technology is available
for developers to build better platforms more quickly.

7. There are so many different types of events in general:
sporting, concerts, big events, and small events. It seems
like there are platforms for every type of event,” said Ben
Hawes, marketing intern for San Francisco-based
ticketing company Eventbee.
The Time is Right for Online
Ticketing Platforms

8. The Time is Right for Online
Ticketing Platforms
According to Sean Hurley, inbound growth manager of
Uniiverse in San Francisco, the monetary benefits of
event ticketing (most charge a commission on ticket
sales) are appealing to would-be entrepreneurs. “There
is a lot of money in the industry, especially if you’re
selling really expensive tickets.”

9. The Time is Right for Online
Ticketing Platforms
Cloud technology and the popularity of mobile devices
are helping ticketing companies to push the envelope.
“It’s not a simple thing to build a ticketing platform, but
cloud computing is a big part of it, and storage has
become a lot less expensive,” says Hurley.

10. “It’s possible to use a tablet [to
sell tickets] at the front door.
People can buy and sell tickets
on their phones while they’re
walking around.”
Hawes points to advances in mobile technology:

11. What To Look For In
An Online Ticketing
Platform

12. What To Look For In An Online
Ticketing Platform
Too many event-ticketing options can overwhelm event
organizers. Nevertheless, developers say, there are ways
to differentiate among vendors.The cost of the software,
amount of fees charged on ticket transactions, and
whether or not the company is a third-party service
provider or offers software for the event website are only
a few of the considerations for buyers.

13. What To Look For In An Online
Ticketing Platform
Positive user experiences, data reports, and check-in
tools have become the baseline features of a solid online
ticketing platform provider, Picatic’s Parmar says.

14. What To Look For In An Online
Ticketing Platform
Taku Harada, the founder and CEO of global ticketing
company Peatix, believes that client empowerment plays
a big role in differentiation. “Instead of having to contact
a sales rep at a ticketing company, a lot of
services these days are completely
self-service.Within two minutes you
can start selling tickets to your event,”
he says.

15. What To Look For In An Online
Ticketing Platform
Harada also asserts that status reports are another must-
have feature of any platform. “With a traditional paper
company, you only get stats once a week. But with a
cloud-based system you can login 24-7 and understand
what is going on with your ticket sales and where the
traffic is coming from.”

16. What To Look For In An Online
Ticketing Platform
“There have to be listings and search functions for users
and organizers need to be able to process payments in a
quick, easy, and most importantly, secure way,” says Sean
Hurley of Uniiverse.

17. The Ticketing Process
is About to Change
Dramatically

18. The Ticketing Process Is About To
Change Dramatically
What’s becoming abundantly clear from all of the
interest and activity in the online ticketing ecoverse is
that paper ticketing is likely on its way out.According to
Hurley, event organizers are less inclined to work with
paper tickets these days.

19. The Ticketing Process Is About To
Change Dramatically
“There is a new generation of event organizers who are
more sophisticated.The decision makers for events are
the technical teams, the web developers—at least in
terms of platforms and tools,” Jayesh Parmar explains.

20. The Ticketing Process Is About To
Change Dramatically
“[The ticketing process] has been stagnant for the
longest time.You set up an event, take money, and give
a ticket,” says Parmar. Not so today.To remain
competitive now, he adds, ticketing companies have to
offer more software tools to their clients, preferably of
the type that help them sell more tickets. Event
organizers stand to benefit significantly from the
innovation, if they take the time to do their homework.

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