8 Benefits of Digital Ticketing for Homecoming and Prom

Homecoming and prom are special high school experiences that require significant planning and attention to detail. With a digital platform, school staff can save time and focus more on creating a safe and memorable event for students.

In particular, managing ticket sales for prom can be challenging, especially when school staff members have other important commitments. Schools that adopt digital ticketing for prom and other dances can easily manage sales and payments while improving safety and security. 

With digital ticketing, schools can elevate the event experience in these key areas:  

1. Sell tickets easily with reduced staffing.

The traditional ticketing approach for prom can be tedious for your staff and students. With paper tickets, you typically must staff ticket tables, recruit volunteers, collect payments, write receipts by hand, and spend time counting cash and depositing checks. This process can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Not only that, but your students must bring cash or checks with them to school when they would likely prefer to pay digitally in their free time.

With digital ticketing and payments for prom, you no longer have to worry about staffing or securing volunteers to sell tickets or reconcile accounts. Students can easily purchase tickets online with a direct link and pay with a card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay using their preferred devices. This simplifies the process for everyone involved and makes the ticketing experience much faster and more convenient.

2. Provide contactless ticket redemption and manage capacity.

The physical exchange of paper tickets and cash requires unnecessary contact that can easily be avoided with digital ticketing and payments. With digital ticketing, students can complete a contactless checkout process. Their phone becomes their ticket, which they can redeem at the door with the tap of a button.

Digital ticketing can also help schools manage capacity for prom and other events. You can specify the maximum number of tickets available, track ticket sales, and communicate with students as needed. If capacity restrictions change, you can easily make updates in a user-friendly event management platform.

3. Gather attendee contact information.

You may need to communicate with your students and guests in the weeks leading up to prom. Whether it’s sending reminders, providing updates on safety protocols, or delivering other information, having your attendees’ contact information is essential.

With digital ticketing, each student completes a simple form during the checkout process and provides an email address. As your attendees purchase tickets, you’ll steadily compile a contact list automatically. You can easily send important updates to your contacts to streamline communication and organize a successful event.

4. Restrict who can purchase tickets.

Just because tickets are available online doesn’t mean that they’re accessible to everyone. Ensuring the security of your event is of the utmost importance. With digital ticketing, you can easily restrict who can purchase tickets to prom with secure, private links. Typically, only students can buy tickets to dances, but they may be able to invite non-students.

When someone tries to purchase a ticket through the digital platform, they will be prompted to enter a valid student ID number that can only be used once. Any student who wishes to bring a non-student as a date must complete a guest approval form that will be reviewed by your school administration before a ticket can be purchased. This step adds another layer of security to ensure that only authorized people can buy tickets to your event.
 

5. View ticket sales on demand.

When planning an event, knowing the number of tickets sold at any given time is crucial information. With paper tickets and cash payments, reporting can be delayed and inaccurate.

Digital tickets and payments can automate reporting and enable you to view your ticket sales on demand. Having real-time access to this information can help you assess the projected turnout at your event and plan accordingly. By checking your sales early and often, you can also make adjustments as needed to drive attendance.

6. Collect funds early to cover expenses.

Rather than selling tickets at designated intervals, like during lunchtime on school days, you can make them available for purchase 24/7 from the moment your event goes live on the digital ticketing platform. You can also begin selling tickets earlier than usual, as the setup for digital ticketing is minimal compared to the logistics of ordering and selling paper tickets.

Collecting ticket payments earlier and more frequently can ensure a steady cash flow to cover event expenses, including decorations, music, photography, refreshments, and more. This can help schools pay vendors promptly and minimize common challenges that can arise with event planning.

7. Manage reserved seating charts.

Many schools have seating charts for dining tables that can be difficult to organize with paper tickets. Students also want to be sure that they can sit with their friends when they attend prom.

With digital ticketing, schools can allow students to select their seats during the checkout process with interactive, customized maps. Students can have confidence in their seating choices, and schools can easily manage seating charts and plan accordingly.

8. Simplify refunds with easy cancellation.

Event coordinators understand that plans can change quickly due to unforeseen circumstances. If you need to issue individual refunds or even cancel your dance, you can easily reimburse your students with digital ticketing.

Whereas paper tickets require manual transactions that can become overwhelming to organize, digital tickets automate refunds by simply reversing the charge with the original payment method. This makes the process much easier for both staff and students.

Next Steps

By using digital ticketing for prom, schools can easily manage sales, communicate with students, improve security, and streamline payments. This way, your event coordinators can focus more on what they’re passionate about – creating a meaningful experience for your students.

To learn more about how digital ticketing can help your school, contact us for further information.