Oracle of ONE1

On occasion, I am asked to set up online ticket sales for various clients. This is usually for a client that does not have an online store for other products. Sometimes the client wishes to highlight or feature the event as well.

There are many services available to help you sell your tickets online. All that I have found charge a fee. For many of my clients, holding small events, these fees make the service cost-prohibitive. Instead, they choose to go with a self-hosted and processed solution that relies on their current capabilities. This leaves the possibilities nearly endless for a developer like me.

Here, I review the information needed to start developing online ticket sales for small clients with special events. This information could also be applied to larger clients, though it may be appropriate to develop a more robust online store that includes the ability to sell tickets.

Gather your information

Regardless of the feature set, the flashiness, or the look and feel of the ticket sale; the developer needs certain information from the client. The information I have found most useful in my development includes:

1. Enumerated sales options
2. Event information
3. Delivery options
4. Purchase limitations
5. Required transaction data
6. Seller’s story

Narrow the options

• What other ticket purchase options are there
• How will charges be handled
• If it is for a nonprofit, what is ticket value
• Sales starting and ending dates
• Host requirements
• Language requirements
• Site integration requirements

Event information

• Event Name
• Description
• Dates
• Times
• Locations

Delivery Options

• Electronic ticket
  • email
  • pdf
• Mail delivery
  • shipping charge
  • provider
• Pickup
  • locations
  • hours
  • verification of purchase
• Business days for each delivery option

Purchase limitations

• Ticket prices
• Inventory
• Minimum purchase required
• Maximum purchase required
• Discounts
• Packages
• Additional fees
• Other limitations

Required transaction data

• Purchaser name
• Address
• Telephone
• Email address
• Billing information
• Credit Card number
• Receipt information

Seller’s Story

Information about the ticket sale that will help sell the ticket or that the seller wishes the buyer to know. This is not needed for the transaction but is very helpful for the style, layout, and additional content.

As an example consider this paragraph.

“We are pleased to announce an outstanding donation from Local Music Promoter, the organization responsible for bringing great music acts to the city every year. Local Music Promoter is providing Our Organization with YYY tickets to sell at face value with 100 percent of sales going directly to Our Organization. This one-of-a-kind benefit has resulted from a long-standing and unique relationship between the two organizations.”

Conclusion

This should cover most of the information needed to develop the clients’ special event online ticket sales. If there are special circumstances or requirements that the client may have, they are very likely to inform you of those needs upfront.