The big day is here. It’s time to admit people in to your festival. Are you prepared?
We have had the privilege of working with hundreds of festivals throughout the years and have learned a lot about what goes into admissions. We’ve rounded up some essential tips for you to cover when planning and executing the admissions process to your festival.Â
1. Estimate your needs based on historical sales data. Has this event taken place before? When planning for staffing and equipment, use attendance information from past events to help determine what you need (at each entrance).
2. Prepare your wireless Internet connection. To support your ticketing technology, you will need reliable wireless Internet. Purchase or lease hotspots to test your setup as soon as you can, troubleshoot any flaws, and be prepared on the day of the event.
3. Plan early for equipment rentals. Don’t give yourself a week to gather your hardware and equipment. Lease ticket scanners and thermal printers from ShowClix as soon as you’re ready. In addition to each gate’s basic needs (e.g., bottled water, tents, tables, etc.), you’ll want to make sure you have enough to cover each entrance to your event.
4. Prevent fraud with smarter ticket scanning. Set up your scanners to only validate certain ticket types within Axess for iOS. This means you won’t have to rely on your staff to correctly verify the price level on every ticket.
5. Prepare staff for admitting and walk-up sales. Train your crew on scanners and Crowd’s box office platform as soon as you have the equipment. Be prepared with a plan for walk-up sales, complete with a manager to oversee any issues and make decisions on the fly.
6. Manage lines with visible signage at entrances. Relieve customer confusion with large, easily legible signs to designate individual lines for special ticket types (such as VIP). If signs are not available to you, ask a dedicated volunteer to direct attendees to the correct lines based on their ticket types.
7. When communicating rules about security, be specific. For example, if you want to prohibit guests from bringing large purses or backpacks, clearly state the specific maximum measurements (e.g. 8.5″ x 11″) in advance of the event.
8. Change your wristbands for each event. Prevent unpaid entry from past events’ attendees. Substitute a new style of wristband and inspect all guests upon entry (or re-entry).
Want to learn more of our event expert recommendations about renting hardware or having staff at your event? Download our FREE Professional Guide to Festival Admissions today!