In this article, we are going to look at how to create a private or exclusive show by setting up an exclusive access discount. We'll walk through how to hide the show from your Ticketsolve online listings so it can only be viewed by select customers, and alternatively how to list a show online to the public but restrict ticket purchasing to only select customers. Whether you want to offer your patron scheme members priority booking ahead of the general sale, reward your most loyal customers with exclusive experiences, or are simply hosting a private event, setting up exclusive access for online ticket booking is easy with Ticketsolve.
Important
Exclusive access discounts only work with a promotion code or as part of a Benefit Product (friends/patron) scheme. So, if you want to create an exclusive or private event, you will need to use a promotion code that is distributed to customers. If you're setting it up as part of a Benefit Product then this the promo code part is covered behind the scenes. Once you've added the exclusive access rule to the Benefit Product Discount, the customer just needs to log into their online account as normal to get their exclusive access.
Exclusive Access to a private/hidden Show
This type of exclusive access discount set-up is used by organisations that want to hide a Show from their Ticketsolve online listings page, for example, if the event is private or only certain customers are invited to attend.
For this to work, the organisation needs to:
- Set-up an exclusive access to 'Show with Tag' Discount using promotion code.
- Send customers the URL for the show page directly (e.g. myvenue.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1234567891) along with the promotion code.
- To buy tickets, the customers go directly to the above show URL and then enter the promotion code in the Promotion Code box on the Show page in order to add tickets to the Cart.
Set-up the exclusive access to Show with Tag Discount
Before you start, add a Tag to your Show. For this to work, it's essential that the Show in question has been tagged with something unique as we will be pointing to this tag during the setup.
Head to Manage > Discounts and create a new Discount. If you need a hand with the first steps, take a look at our introduction to discounts.
(If you're creating this for an existing Benefit Product, instead of creating a new Discount, find the existing Discount that is linked to the Benefit Product, as you just need to add a new Rule to the existing Discount using the steps below).
Once you've saved your new Discount, head to the Rules tab.
In the 'When Customer...' section click +Add New and complete the following:
1. Select Use promotion code from the dropdown.
In the 'Customer gets...' section click on the +Add New button and complete the following:
2. In Access Type select Exclusive access to.
3. Then select shows with tag .
4. Find and select the correct tag that you added to your show.
5. In Define Pricing select at any price.
6. In Define Discount Amount select with amount off 0.
7. In Define Discount Limit select any number of times.
Important
Purchase and Discount limits only work with unique promotion codes.
If you are giving out a unique promotion code to each customer or setting up a Benefit Product discount and want to put a limit on the number of tickets each customer can buy, instead of putting 'any number of times' you can add a Purchase Limit.
A Purchase Limit of 2, for example, means each unique promotion code (or Benefit Product holder) will be able to purchase a maximum of two tickets for each Show with Tag.
Next, we need to add our promo code (if you are setting this up for a Benefit Product, skip this step, as the customer's email / online login acts as the promo code automatically when they purchase the Benefit Product).
Go to the Promotion codes tab and click + Add new promo code. In the pop-up box, add your promotion code and click Save.
Enable the promotion code box
You now need to make sure that the Promotion Code box displays on the Show page online so customers can add their promo code to purchase tickets.
1. Navigate to Manage > Shows.
2. Find your Show from the list and click on it.
3. Go to the Settings tab.
4. Find the setting called "discounts available" and click into it.
5. Make sure that the setting is ticked and displaying as true.
The Promotion Code box will now display on the Show page online:
Get the direct show URL
Now your discount is created, you just need to get the Show page URL.
To get the Show URL:
1. Navigate to Manage > Shows.
2. Find your Show from the list and click on it.
3. On the Show details tab select Copy event URL or Open event URL to go to the Show page and get the URL from the browser.
If you use multiple subdomains you will need to amend the URL from here to the correct subdomain e.g. myvenue.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1234567891 to mysecondvenue.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1234567891.
How customers access and purchase for the Show
You need to send the Show URL along with the promotion code to all customers you want to be able to purchase for the show.
- The customer clicks on the link to go to the Show page e.g. myvenue.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1234567891
- The customer then has to enter the promotion code into the Promotion Code box on the Show page in order to be able to add tickets to their Cart.
- Customers without the Show URL will not be able to see the Show on your listings page myvenue.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/.
- If a customer does not enter the correct promotion code, they will get an error message like the below:
If you are setting this up as part of a Benefit Holder discount, all the customer needs to do is log into their online account associated with their Active Benefit Product and they will see the Show listed as normal and be able to purchase tickets.
Exclusive Access to tickets for a visible (listed) Show
This type of exclusive access discount set-up is used by organisations that want to restrict ticket purchases on a Show or Event to only customers with the correct promotion code. The Show will display on the online listings page as normal, but when a customer clicks on it and tries to add a ticket to the Cart, if they have not put in the correct promotion code they will get an error message to the effect of 'a code is required to access the show'.
For this to work, the organisation needs to:
- Set up exclusive access to 'Show or Event' Discount using a promotion code.
- The Show will be listed online as normal.
- Customers must enter the correct code in the Promotion Code box on the show page in order to purchase.
Set-up the exclusive access to Show Discount
Head to Manage > Discounts and create a new Discount. If you need a hand with the first steps, take a look at our guide on discounts.
Once you've saved your new Discount, head to the Rules tab.
In the 'When Customer...' section click +Add New and complete the following:
1. Select Use promotion code from the dropdown.
In the 'Customer gets...' section click on the +Add New button and complete the following:
2. In Access Type select Exclusive access to.
3. Then select show or event.
4. Find and select the Show or Event (if you Select Event, you then need to subsequently the Run and Event Date/Time from the fields provided).
5. In Define Pricing select at any price.
6. In Define Discount Amount select with amount off 0.
7. In Define Discount Limit select any number of times.
Important
Purchase and Discount limits only work with unique promotion codes.
If you are giving out a unique promotion code to each customer or setting up a Benefit Product discount and want to put a limit on the number of tickets each customer can buy, instead of putting 'any number of times' you can add a Purchase Limit.
A Purchase Limit of 2, for example, means each unique promotion code (or Benefit Product holder) will be able to purchase a maximum of two tickets for each Show with Tag.
Next, we need to add our promo code (unless you are setting this up for a Benefit Product).
Go to the Promotion codes tab and click + Add new promo code. In the pop-up box, add your promotion code and click Save.
Enable the promotion code box
You now need to make sure that the Promotion Code box displays on the Show page online so customers can add their promo code to purchase tickets.
1. Navigate to Manage > Shows.
2. Find your Show from the list and click on it.
3. Go to the Settings tab.
4. Find the setting called "discounts available" and click into it.
5. Make sure that the setting is ticked and displaying as true.
The Promotion Code box will now display on the Show page online.
How customers access and purchase for the Show
Because this setup does not hide the Show from the online listings page, it will be displayed as normal.
- The customer clicks into the Show online as normal.
- The customer then has to enter the promotion code into the Promotion Code box on the Show page in order to be able to add tickets to their Cart.
If you are setting this up as part of a Benefit Holder discount, all the customer needs to do is log into their online account associated with their Active Benefit Product and they will be able to purchase tickets.
Here's an example of what someone without the code will see when trying to add a ticket to the cart.
Changing the 'code required to purchase' error message
You can customise the error message customers receive if they try to add a ticket to the Cart without putting in the correct promotion code.
Navigate to Settings > Public Website Snippets and find the snippet called "Restricted event message html". In the box, you can overwrite the default message to what you would like it to display.
This Snippet can also be changed at Subdomain level if required.
Want to Know More?
How to generate, use and report on Promo Codes
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