Complimentary tickets with a VIP mark
Give tickets without payment to the chief guest, a sponsor or staff on duty, each with a reason and within a limit per event. Every complimentary ticket says VIP on the PDF, the phone and the gate, and nobody can take the mark off.
PLANSScale only
Why it matters
Free passes are where event money leaks. A paid ticket is entered at 0 while the cash is taken outside, or a guest pass is passed off as a bought ticket. In SmartMy Events a ticket sold at 0 is only a registration: it has no QR and the gate refuses it. A free entry has to be a complimentary ticket, issued by an organiser with a reason and within the event's limit. It says VIP on every copy, and only an event manager can go over the limit, with a reason on record.
The problem it solves
- Passes for guests are handed out from a drawer, and nobody knows how many went.
- Tickets are entered as free while cash is taken at the side.
- A guest pass is resold as a bought ticket.
- The figures mix free passes with tickets sold.
How it works
- Open the published event and click Complimentary Tickets.
- Choose the Session, the Ticket Type and how many Tickets. For numbered seats, pick the seats or leave them for the best available.
- Type the Reason, such as chief guest, and pick a contact, or type the name with a mobile number or email.
- Click Issue the Tickets. They are sent to the person like any others, each marked VIP.
- Over the event's limit, an event manager fills in Why over the Limit; an organiser raises the limit or asks a manager.
Everything it does
Issuing
- By the event's organisers and the event managers
- Any ticket type of the event, a paid one too, at no price
- The capacity and the seats are checked; the sale window, the limits per order and per buyer are not
- Attendee names are asked when the ticket type needs them
- On a published event, or one whose sales are closed
The limit
- Complimentary Tickets, at most: 10 per event to start with, on the Sales Rules tab
- Issued so far counts the valid and used ones of every session
- Participant passes and stall passes do not count
- Over the limit: event managers only, with Why over the Limit kept on the order
The VIP mark
- On the ticket PDF, on the buyer's phone and on the gate screen, before the ticket type
- Set by the system; nobody can take it off
- Participant and stall passes are not marked VIP
- A ticket type sold at 0 is a registration with no QR; a complimentary ticket keeps its QR
Money and figures
- No payment, no accounting entry and no SmartMy fee
- Counted apart from tickets sold on the Figures tab and in the reports
- Tickets list filter Complimentary; each order keeps the reason and who issued it
Who uses it
Event organiserIssues complimentary tickets for their events, within the limit.
Event managerIssues them for any event and may go over the limit with a reason.
Gate staffSees VIP before the ticket type when scanning.
GuestGets the tickets by link and shows the QR at the gate.
Where you use it
- Web: Complimentary Tickets on the event; the limit on the Sales Rules tab; Events > Tickets filter Complimentary
- The SmartMy Events app: Complimentary tickets under the event (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- The ticket PDF, the tickets page, the app and the gate screen: the VIP mark
- Not on Starter or Growth
What you control
Settings
- Complimentary Tickets, at most: 10 per event
Notifications
- Tickets of a Paid Order: to the guest when the tickets are issued, with the link, by email, WhatsApp or SMS
- Each of these goes out at once. WhatsApp or SMS go where you set them up, from your message credits; app push follows once the apps are in the stores. A person can switch off email, WhatsApp or SMS for themselves, never the event; in-app notices always arrive
Questions
Why not just make a free ticket type?
A ticket type at 0 is a registration: it has no QR and the gate does not let anyone in with it. A free entry is a complimentary ticket.Can the VIP mark be removed?
No. Every complimentary ticket says VIP on the PDF, the phone and the gate, and nobody can take it off.Do complimentary tickets cost us SmartMy's fee?
No. They have no payment, no accounting entry and no fee.Can an organiser give unlimited passes?
No. The event has a limit, 10 to start with. Only an event manager can go over it, with a reason kept on the order.Can I give a complimentary seat in the front row?
Yes. For numbered seats, choose the seats when issuing, or leave them for the best available.Related features
SELLINGEvents with ticket types, prices and sale datesSet up an event once, with its sessions and its ticket types: Student, Parent, Guest or VIP. Each type has a price, tax, a limit and its own sale dates. Publishing checks that nothing is missing, and free ticket types work as registrations.SELLINGSponsor packagesOffer packages such as Title sponsor, Gold or Stage partner, each with what it includes, a price and how many can be sold. Record each sponsor, confirm, invoice, and issue the complimentary tickets the package includes.WITH OTHER SMARTMY PRODUCTSParticipant passes for the students taking partOn Scale with SmartMy Campus, give a free pass to every student who performs or volunteers, picked by class, section, name or activity. Each pass carries the student's name, is sent to the family, and lets the student in at the gate.AT THE GATEQR tickets checked in at the gateEvery paid or complimentary ticket carries a QR code. Gate staff scan it with a phone; the screen turns green with the name and seat, or red with the reason. Each ticket lets one person in, once.FANS AND SEATINGSeat maps where buyers choose their seatsBuild the seat map of your hall once, with sections, rows, aisles and special seats. On each event, decide how each section is sold, and buyers pick their own seats on the map or take the best available.REPORTSSales, money and attendance reportsSee what sold, what was collected and who came, by event, session and ticket type. Each event also has a Figures tab with what is left, and organisers see only their own events.
See your next event on it.
Tell us what you are running, how many people come and how you sell today. We will set up the event with you on SmartMy Events.