Managing prom ticket sales, entry operations, and financial reconciliation is one of the most time-intensive events a school administrator handles all year — and there's very little room for error. Digital ticketing for prom has become the standard for schools looking to simplify the process, protect revenue, and give students a seamless experience on one of the biggest nights of the year.
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) walk through exactly how GoFan handles prom logistics — from communication and staff training to security, finances, and point-of-sale options.
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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.
Already using GoFan for athletics? Adding prom ticketing takes minutes in the same account. → Set up prom ticketing in GoFan
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. To set up digital ticketing for prom, schools should notify students and parents at least 3–4 weeks in advance using email blasts and social media, and can automate this outreach directly from PlayOn HQ.
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.
The biggest friction point when moving to digital ticketing for the first time is community readiness — not the technology itself. Greg and Scott's advice is to overcommunicate early: send reminders through the school's existing channels, post instructions on the school website, and use PlayOn HQ to push alerts directly to families who have already used GoFan for athletics.
Schools that communicate the change two to three weeks in advance report smoother rollouts and fewer questions at the door. A short FAQ sent to parents — covering how to purchase, how to redeem, and what to do if there's an issue eliminates the majority of day-of support requests.
Want to see how PlayOn HQ handles community communications for events? → See PlayOn HQ features
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.
Greg and Scott recommend running a brief walkthrough with all staff who will be working entry at least one week before prom. Cover how to open the app, how to scan or look up a ticket, and what to do if a ticket doesn't pull up immediately. Knowing the process in advance means staff handle exceptions calmly instead of creating a line at the door. One practice run is usually all it takes.
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.
Two of the most common prom-night problems are overcrowding and cash discrepancies — both of which digital ticketing directly addresses. GoFan's built-in settings allow schools to cap ticket sales at a set attendance limit, restrict purchases by grade level, and require administrator approval for guests from other schools before a ticket sale is processed. Overflow becomes a planning variable, not a crisis.
On the financial side, GoFan generates audit-ready reports automatically. Bookkeepers get a complete digital record of every transaction — no manual counting, no reconciliation discrepancies, no end-of-night cash box concerns. Greg and Scott specifically highlight this as one of the most appreciated changes for school business offices: the business office gets cleaner records with less work, and the activity director maintains more control over event security.
See how GoFan's financial reporting and security controls work for prom. → Book a 20-minute walkthrough
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.
Not every student or parent will be comfortable purchasing tickets online in advance — and GoFan accounts for that. 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. No cash required, but walk-up purchases are still possible.
Greg and Scott frame this as a bridge for community members who are hesitant about the new process. Offering a POS option reduces friction for first-time users and ensures no one is turned away at the door because they didn't buy in advance. Over time, as families become familiar with the app, walk-up purchases typically decrease and advance sales increase.
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:
Schools already using GoFan for athletics can add prom ticketing in the same account — no new contract, no new training, no new platform to manage. Ready to get started? Click below: