Administrators rarely have the time or resources to manage the many logistics of proms and dances. From ticket sales and entry operations to payment reconciliation and reporting, there’s a lot required to run a smooth event.
In an episode of the AD 360 podcast, former athletic directors Greg Vandermade (former Mater Dei High School Athletic Director) and Scott Rosenberg (former Kinnelon High School Athletic Director) explore the benefits of using a digital ticketing provider to better manage school dances and prom.
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GoFan for Prom and Dances Overview
GoFan started as a ticketing solution for athletics and has evolved into serving concessions, fundraising, sponsorships, and dances. The easy-to-use technology relied on by thousands of athletic programs can bring the same efficiency to school dances.
Communicate with your Community
If a school is using digital ticketing for prom for the first time, it's important to communicate with the community in advance.
Greg and Scott’s advice: Be proactive and overcommunicate.
This will be easy if a school already uses GoFan for athletics, as many parents will already be familiar with the app. Schools can also mass communicate and update their community through various methods with different alerts in PlayOn HQ.
Train Staff Early
With a new process comes training that needs to happen ahead of time. This will ensure there is no confusion on event day, and the dance runs smoothly.
Greg and Scott’s Advice:
While GoFan is incredibly user-friendly and shouldn’t take your staff much time to learn, it's still important to train them before the doors open for prom. It's easy to redeem tickets with the tap of a button.
Enhanced Security and Improved Finances
Schools need to make sure the event is secure and all finances are accounted for. The last thing anyone wants is an event that gets out of control due to overflow or revenue loss because of cash counting.
Greg and Scott’s Advice: Take care of your business office and bookkeepers. Make their job easier, and they will reciprocate.
GoFan makes bookkeepers’ jobs easier with audit-ready reports, digital payment reconciliation, elimination of manual cash counting, and more transparency. Activity Directors can maintain a secure event through built-in settings that restrict ticket purchases by grade and require approval for guests from other schools.
Point-of-Sale Option
Digital ticketing is meant to eliminate the need for on-site purchases; however, offering a point-of-sale option still gives people the choice if they need it.
Greg and Scott’s Advice: Offer point-of-sale as a bridge for people uncomfortable with the new process.
Schools can sell tickets on the GoFan app or in person using an iOS device and card reader, accepting credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Next Steps
GoFan has spent years improving athletic events for schools, and now that same technology can upgrade prom and school dances. Prom is a special night for students. With GoFan handling the logistics, you can focus on making it a night they’ll never forget.
Want more content like this? Check out other episodes of our podcast:
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