TicketAssistant 4

Standard Features

TicketAssistant is a Windows program specifically designed to assist in the processing of ticket sales of small and medium sized events - theatrical productions, fund-raising events, etc. 

TicketAssistant is designed so that you can get up-and-running as quickly and easily as possible. The basic system operates at a stand-alone desktop Windows program. You use this to define your seating plan using the built-in Seating editor. You then define each of your Events with some basic information, and define the Performances each will have. You are then ready to start entering orders.

A built-in Ticket editor can be used to simply define the layout of printed tickets.  You include lines, text and graphics images on the ticket "template" as well as defining where various pieces of customer and system information go (from a list of over 3 dozen "fields" such as the seat number, show times, etc.). You can even have different images drawn on the ticket depending on which show it is - great for allowing sponsored tickets for selected shows!

TicketAssistant allows you to manage ticket requests (orders), assign seats to individual orders, and print tickets for them. It is particularly well suited to events that repeat multiple times (such as a theatre or concert run) where assigned seating is desired. 

Sell tickets online with the new TicketAssistant Web tools (WTA).  These allow your customers to select seats online and pay for them - all automatically!  You set up a credit card processing account at PayPal or Authorize.net and easily link it to your ticketing ordering database. No additional fees other than to your chosen credit card processor. You can continue to be able to process manual ticket orders from your desktop computer while internet customers buy their tickets online - fully integrated.

Have several shows during the year each with multiple performances? No problem. With TicketAssistant you can define one or more Events (shows) each with multiple Performances. You can even define subscription tickets.

TicketAssistant allows a flexible arrangement of seating – either in rows (as in conventional theatre arrangements) or around numbered tables. An easy to use Floor Layout Editor for floor seating design is embedded within TicketAssistant. Changes to seating arrangements can be made on-the-fly for last minute adjustments.

You can create multiple ticket categories (eg "Adult", "Seniors", "Child") and assign separate prices for each. You can indicate which ticket categories are available for each show in a multi-show setup. Categories can be color-coded to allow the printed tickets to be quickly distinguished. Subscription ticket categories can be defined and easily managed. Categories can specify a minimum order size to allow special pricing for bulk purchases.

TicketAssistant also provides tools to assist in printing tickets. A graphical Ticket Layout Editor allows one to add lines, boxes, text, and graphical images to a ticket template. Data merge capability allows selected information from individual ticket orders to be added to the ticket as it is printed. Text and graphics can be color-coded to the Event performance dates to aid in easy identification of tickets (Monday is red, Tuesday is blue, etc.). TicketAssistant also provides a pre-printed ticket facility that allows batches of tickets to be printed in advance.

Order confirmation emails can be sent back to the customer whenever seating assignments are made or modified.

Summary reports may be generated and viewed or printed at any time. These provide snapshots of ticket sales, percentages, and revenues, as well as detailed lists of orders.

Online Ticket Features

Once you've got a basic ticket system built you may wish to add online ticket sales for your shows. This is done using the WTA (Web TicketAssistant) set of tools and feature that are included with TicketAssistant.  These tools are uploaded to your web server and configured to use a server-resident database to store all ticketing information. Online customers as well as normal desktop TicketAssistant users access and update this common database

The online purchase process takes the customer through a series of web pages that allow them to select the Event, Performance date, and seating Section they wish to attend.  They then select seats. You can configure the system to automatically offer "best available" seats, or allow the customer to select their own seats online.

Online payment is handled through a trusted online credit card processor such as PayPal or Authorize.net who handle the actual payment transaction with the customer. You must set up your own account with one of these companies.

The WTA system includes many customization settings that you can use to get the system working best for you -

  • Custom error and information messages that you can change.
  • Timeouts ("you have 10 minutes to complete this purchase.")
  • Flexible cutoff criteria to indicate when a performance is sold out or nearly sold out.
  • Criteria for determining the "best available" seating.
  • All html pages can be customized to match your own website.
  • Currency options

Optional Hosting and Setup Available

The online ticket sales system does require a certain proficiency with web servers and online SQL databases. It will also require integration and testing both with the desktop TicketAssistant system and with the credit card processing company.   If you feel that this is beyond the "comfort zone" of your organization, we offer the TicketAssistant Hosting Option.

With the TicketAssistant Hosting Option we create the order database and all necessary web pages on our web server. You simply link to it from your current website. Your customer sees this as a seamless extension of your existing website. The database and all web pages are on our site - with your organization's name and custom features. You can even send us your own fully customized html pages to replace the standard ones we provide.

We'll work with you to get your online ticket ordering up and working.

You must still create your own account with the payment company you wish to use (PayPal or Authorize.net) so you have complete control over the actual money. You just provide us with the necessary link information to allow payments to be made to your account.

The TicketAssistant Hosting Option is priced at $100 per year. Your only additional cost will be the fees that your payment company (Paypal or Authorize.net) charge you for their services.

Download an evaluation copy of TicketAssistant 4.

Purchase TicketAssistant 4 or the TicketAssistant Hosting Option.

 

 

Example 1 - showing some of the features of TicketAssistant.

 
In the above example the event seating layout is rows. The Seating Editor allows the addition of simple graphics to identify the orchestra, stage, and lighting booth. Seats are represented as fixed coloured squares. The colour-coding distinguishes empty seats (Cyan) from assigned seats. Green is used to identify seats that have been assigned to a customer and paid for - dark green seats have been ticketed. The Red seats are also assigned, but are currently unpaid.

The Order Form at the side of the screen gives details of a current active ticket order. Seats AA24 and AA215 are highlighted with a darker border to indicate the active order's seats. The order information is entered as the orders are received and updated as required. Once the number of tickets requested is filled in, seats can be assigned or removed from the order by pointing to the seat and clicking on it. Status information is available to indicate the amount due (automatically calculated) and amount paid. When tickets have been printed and issued, the ‘Tickets Issued’ box gets checked. A Lock feature can be used to prevent accidental modification once the customer has received the tickets.

The navigation bar near the top of the screen allows selection of order from a list, stepping through the orders one-at-a-time (the green arrows), and selection of the Event/Show Date.		  

 

Example 2 - Theatre Seating.

 
This is an example of layout out Theatre-style seating. Rows are curved and seat numbering is even numbers on the right, odd numbers on the left.