Timed Ticketing on Re-Opening?

Dianne Crosby:

Kaelynn Bedsworth:

Dianne Crosby:

Libby Clark:


I wish I had asked this in the web forms webinar I took weeks ago, but if we sell daily admission tickets online, is there always an option for the calendar view? I saw that on some of the examples others provided, but I haven't been able to figure that out. When we sold timed tickets for a program in December, we had individual links for each day and time, which was a lot. I think having a calendar where a visitor can choose a day and then a drop down to choose the time would be much more efficient-- I am just unclear if Altru has that capacity or if it is an overlaying website design/code. Thank you! 

If you go to Web/Manage Event Registration Forms you will see a "Parent" for each program with all the dates underneath.  Click the double green arrows to the left of the "Parent" program and it will show you the URL for all the dates. 


When you go to this URL you will have the option to select "Other dates..." or "Other times:"

I am having an issue using that parent link in that instead of defaulting to the next available day (eg, tomorrow right now), it shows the original date of the event and people HAVE to click the Other dates link to get to the calendar. Is there a secret I'm missing to get that link to auto-default to the next available date for tickets? 

 

Hi Kaelynn,


I'm confused because the parent link doesn't have a date associated with it.  Here are screenshots of what I see:






Is that what you are seeing?

 

I am setting up my test for timed ticketing and I have a couple of questions: 


First, I have a question that relates to Kaelynn's screenshots and other times and events showing up on webforms. I am setting up my test as a preregistered program like Kaelynn.

If I just use the URL from the parent event, other times and dates do not show up until I mark them as approved for website. Is everyone going into each occurrence and doing this? 

In the video (https://arts.blackbaud.com/altrusupport/pt-2-timed-ticket-webforms), when he goes into the forms they are already all marked. Is that because he is using program forms and not preregistered program forms?

From the video:


 

My second question is about timing. The model that I have been asked to work with involves limiting ticket sales to 10 per 1/2 hour (limiting to 1 to 2 families) with start times at 10 am, 10:30 am, 11 am, etc...   Visitors will be allowed to stay for 1 1/2 hours.  Altru won't let me do that though. I can only make them a 1/2 hour long.  Has anyone figured out a work-around for this?  How can I make the webform look like they can stay for 1 1/2 hours? 


Thanks,

Tamara

 

Kaelynn Bedsworth:

Dianne Crosby:

Kaelynn Bedsworth:

Dianne Crosby:

Libby Clark:


I wish I had asked this in the web forms webinar I took weeks ago, but if we sell daily admission tickets online, is there always an option for the calendar view? I saw that on some of the examples others provided, but I haven't been able to figure that out. When we sold timed tickets for a program in December, we had individual links for each day and time, which was a lot. I think having a calendar where a visitor can choose a day and then a drop down to choose the time would be much more efficient-- I am just unclear if Altru has that capacity or if it is an overlaying website design/code. Thank you! 

If you go to Web/Manage Event Registration Forms you will see a "Parent" for each program with all the dates underneath.  Click the double green arrows to the left of the "Parent" program and it will show you the URL for all the dates. 


When you go to this URL you will have the option to select "Other dates..." or "Other times:"

I am having an issue using that parent link in that instead of defaulting to the next available day (eg, tomorrow right now), it shows the original date of the event and people HAVE to click the Other dates link to get to the calendar. Is there a secret I'm missing to get that link to auto-default to the next available date for tickets? 

 

Hi Kaelynn,


I'm confused because the parent link doesn't have a date associated with it.  Here are screenshots of what I see:






Is that what you are seeing?

 

You are right, Dianne! I thought I had copied that link but when I went back to check...apparently I had not. User error! To be fair I was given approximately 48 hours' notice to get everything set up and under the pressure it's not surprising I made a mistake! Thank you for your kind response and help!

 

J Kiku Langford McDonald:

Hi Tamara,


Yes, for pre-registered web forms you will have to approve each event for the web.


 

Hmmmm... if I had to guess I'd say it's because of the different prices. Most of our program events within one program are NOT the same thing every time so we haven't really made use of the parent program URL much before. In fact, the only program where we do use it, we want to show all the different date options and not have the calendar icons to click through so we intentionally change the names of the program events so they do what your parent URL is doing now. Have you reached out to chat support to find out if they know what's going on?


I haven't set up our timed ticketing yet so it' really helpful to hear what all of you are doing and all the little nuances and glitches in how the system does/doesn't cooperate!

The options button on my Parent event is greyed out as well. 


I asked one of my IT team (who I believe has master permissions) about it, and he said it is greyed out for him too.

Laura,


That is frustrating to hear!  When you go to Web/Manage Program Forms - on the top left a link appears to edit the Online Settings for Tickets.  I cannot understand why that same option isn't available when you go to Web/Manage Event Registration Forms.



Dear Altru Employees,


Please understand that COVID-19 is requiring all of us to reinvent how we have to work.  We need you to also reinvent how you work.  Please re-evaluate what your priority list is right now and focus on the things we need in order to adapt!

I created an idea for this to vote on.

https://altru.ideas.aha.io/ideas/ALTRU-I-2103


But this something that needs to be addressed ASAP.  Voting takes years...


 

Hi all!


I have another question about how everyone is dealing with setting up timed ticketing. We've been using web forms for a long time, but have never set up eTickets or timed ticketing before. I just took another look at the eTicket templates and realized there is no "END TIME" merge field there OR on the acknowledgement emails (only the start time). Normally, this is not a problem but if we are setting up timeslots to manage when people can enter the museum, how are the visitors supposed to know when the END of their timeslot is?


We were planning on 1-hour timeslots on weekends but letting people come in anytime 10-5pm on weekdays. I saw others in this thread talking about 30-minute timeslots for timed tickets. How are you all communicating to the visitors about those arrival timeslots and how long they have AFTER the start time to actually get in? I want to somehow differentiate between a weekday ticket that can be used anytime between 10 and 5 and a weekend ticket where you can only enter from 10 to 11... but both tickets will just say "10:00."


Is anyone actually open and actively selling timed tickets? Has there been any confusion about what times each ticket is good for?


Thanks!!

Kiku

Hi Kiku,

Our plan is to have time slots every 1/2 hour and then the guests can stay for 1 1/2 hours. Since we are starting very low capacity when we open, our current plan is to give the guests stickers so they will know when their time is over. 

I still have to figure out how to handle all the different price types for webforms without having to edit each occurrence.  We don't currently use discount codes. Does anyone use these and does it help with webforms?

Thanks,

Tamara

We did switch from reserving a day and time to just a day.  We do reschedule for some.  When we had timed tickets it seemed our members were confused about the 'arrival' time - in what I would say a classic what if situation, they would end up reserving multiple times on one day.  We did reopen 07/02.  Thursday through Sunday are our operating hours.  I think I explained earlier that our ticket reservations are simple, in that you reserve one kind of ticket for one day.  No special other programs or shows.  I wish more members would register - we are using the sign in portal.  And for me I feel that works very well.  I do have to help a few along the way - especially if they've moved, etc.

Can you see this? 

Let me know if that is what you're looking for or not.

Regina- - Oh, and our covid information is an entire link::  if you visit our website www.marylandsciencecenter.org

it should pop up....we don't repeat this information on every email usually - there are signs everywhere, too.

I don't have anything to do with the pricing on tickets or the wording or the policy but I love the all sales final!  We also had some flack.  But mostly like I probably said below the annoyance was members hopping all over the times and...squatting on one day.  It was a little comical.

Now, if someone does approach the ticket desk w/o a reservation we do sell them a ticket.  I'm not the policy person on all that either, but did notice some daily sales transactions - even memberships - joins and renewal..I'm ok with that.  Our plexiglass ticket desk and masked staff hopefully reassure a safe visit.

We reopened on July 8 with timed entry tickets available on our website. We went with a capacity set for each 30 minutes and split it between online and onsite sales to account for the many manual discounts that would be difficult to manage in online reservations and some members who would never be able to reserve online (10% of our membership don't even have an email address on file).


We were careful in crafting the language on our ticketing web form and website to avoid any confusion should anyone who reserved see someone else get walk in tickets explaining reserving would ensure being able to visit at the time of their choosing. We worded the language about ticket times to explain they should arrive within this period but can stay as long as they want. The times haven't seemed to have been an issue (as yet).


We've had to help some members with registration but, overall, not a significant number. We've had two "reschedules" so far which were easy to manage. The issue we've seen most is those who reserve tickets but never "view/print" them, which means they don't have tickets  to scan when they arrive. We have to ask them to look for the second email while they are standing there. I'm going to try sending a reminder email first thing each morning to remind them to do so before arriving. If they have opened the tickets but didn't print or have them readily available, I have a query set up to allow easy access to the ticket numbers for manual entry.


I'm working on a "ticketing and registration FAQ" page for our website now to put up answers to the questions we've been getting. We'll add new information as we find it necessary.


I also only set up ticket availability through the end of August so we can review and adjust as necessary for the Fall. Or drop timed ticketing altogether, I hope.

Does anyone know of a method for preventing the timed entry/ticketing process in daily sales from advancing to the next day when the last tickets are sold for today?