Understanding Fan Ticket Behavior: Online vs. On-Site Sales
Some school administrators wonder, “How would digital ticketing work for us?” Today, we’re going to share how digital ticketing provides flexible options that help your fans to get tickets when and where they want with the help of stats from a recent survey conducted by Navigate, a leader in understanding and marketing sporting events. Tickets via Smartphone Did you know that 87% of Americans own a smartphone? That’s one of the reasons that Hometown created our Fan App, which is available for both Android and iOS devices. The Fan App makes it fast and easy to buy tickets and store them directly on a smartphone. And for those people who do not own a smartphone, Hometown’s digital ticketing solution, Box Office, also allows fans to buy tickets on a computer and print them, or purchase tickets at the gate with cash or credit cards. These flexible options ensure that all of your fans have access to tickets in a way that is convenient for them. Buying Tickets Early and Making Plans to Attend While your fans may be used to buying tickets at your box office on the day of the event, a recent study found that 78% of ticket consumers want to purchase tickets in advance, rather than at the event. Digital ticketing is the simplest way to offer easy access to presale tickets and allow fans to get their tickets ahead of time. By selling tickets online, you also help them save time and avoid lines at your box office. And with flexible in-person options, you can be sure to meet all your fans’ needs. Tickets On Your Website We found that 97% of people attending high school events felt at least “slightly comfortable” purchasing tickets online. And when it comes to transitioning your school to digital tickets, Hometown is here to support you every step of the way. We connect you with a dedicated client success manager to help you along the way and offer an in-house support team to answer you and your fans’ questions! Meeting All Your Fans Needs But what about those fans who want to purchase tickets in person or use cash? While the number of fans in this category is significantly smaller than those who prefer digital purchases, it’s important for many organizations to meet their needs. Hometown’s Box Office solution has a built-in point-of-sale system that allows you to accept cash or credit cards at your box office. We recently expanded our in-person ticket options to include a kiosk solution, which provides an easy-to-use, self-checkout solution for fans to use their credit card and access tickets on-site. Want to learn more about digital ticketing trends and how Hometown can provide you with the solutions to meet your fans needs? Reach out to our team to start the conversation and get answers to your questions.
State of Digital Ticketing Talks with the IHSAA
How can schools, districts, and state associations use technology to save time, stay organized, and simplify processes? When it comes to ticketing, technology has advanced well beyond the need for tearing paper tickets and counting cash. HomeTown is proud to provide a comprehensive digital ticketing solution that simplifies events while offering the flexible options desired to meet the needs of every fan. Related post: All Types of Tickets: HomeTown Has the Options People Want So how has digital ticketing advanced athletic events for our schools and state association partners? HomeTown’s Connor Thinnes, Vice President of Marketing, sat down with Tom Keating, the Executive Director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) to discuss how digital ticketing positively impacts the everyday operations of the association and how this user-friendly technology provides the solutions they need. You can check out their conversation and hear firsthand why digital ticketing is here to stay. HomeTown thanks Tom Keating for taking the time to share his experience with our platform and insights on high school athletic events. We appreciate your thoughts on the impact of digital ticketing on schools and associations and how to bring the best possible experience to the fans. We are proud to be a part of the IHSAA’s continued success and to support the association’s administrators and student-athletes. About HomeTown Ticketing HomeTown Ticketing is the leading digital ticketing provider in both K–12 and collegiate spaces, serving schools, districts, conferences, and associations. A professional-level and fully automated ticketing solution, HomeTown’s in-house developed, proprietary ticketing platform is tailored specifically to the needs of schools and governing bodies. Benefits of the HomeTown system include unmatched value through easy-to-use purchasing and redemption options, custom box-offices, event and fan specific reporting tools, and secure financial management features to streamline operations and increase transparency. Intuitive and easy-to-use for both event organizers and ticket buyers, HomeTown never touches the event organizer’s funds. Learn more about HomeTown at www.hometownticketing.com | @hometowntix Want to learn more about how digital ticketing can play a role in your 2022–2023 athletic events? Schedule a call with our team today!
State of Digital Ticketing Talks with the PIAA
How do state associations go about planning their seasons, tournaments, and championship events? What impact does digital ticketing have on these events and the ways that state associations operate? When it comes to digital ticketing, HomeTown is proud to provide a comprehensive platform to individual schools, and also state associations. Our list of partner state associations includes the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). Related post: All Types of Tickets: HomeTown Has the Options People Want To better understand the PIAA and how they approach digital ticketing across their districts, regionals, sectionals, and championship events, HomeTown’s Connor Thinnes, Vice President of Marketing, sat down with Mark Byers, the Chief Operating Officer of the PIAA. You can check out their conversation about how digital ticketing streamlines and simplifies events at every level. https://vimeo.com/718499007 We’d like to thank Mark Byers for taking the time to share his experiences and perspective on using the HomeTown platform. We appreciate his insights into presale ticket reporting impacting event planning to ensure that fans have the best possible experience. We are proud to be a part of the PIAA’s continued success and to support their association and student athletes for many years to come. About HomeTown Ticketing HomeTown Ticketing is the leading digital ticketing provider in both K–12 and collegiate spaces, serving schools, districts, conferences, and associations. A professional-level and fully automated ticketing solution, HomeTown’s in-house developed, proprietary ticketing platform is tailored specifically to the needs of schools and governing bodies. Benefits of the HomeTown system include unmatched value through easy-to-use purchasing and redemption options, custom box-offices, event and fan specific reporting tools, and secure financial management features to streamline operations and increase transparency. Intuitive and easy-to-use for both event organizers and ticket buyers, HomeTown never touches the event organizer’s funds. Learn more about HomeTown at www.hometownticketing.com | @hometowntix Want to learn more about how digital ticketing can play a role in your 2022–2023 athletic events? Schedule a call with our team today!
Organize Your Summer Camps with HomeTown
For students across the country, summer is one of the most exciting times of the year with events to look forward to all season long, including summer camps. Whether you’re planning to host sports skills camps, STEM camps, or even performing arts camps, the HomeTown platform has the tools to help you simplify registration and stay organized. Simple and Secure Online Registration With the HomeTown platform, it’s easy to register and pay for summer camps at the same time. By going directly to your website, attendees can select the camp, answer a few registration questions, and pay registration fees without ever leaving your page. By having registration on your own website, there is an added level of confidence in your camp and the registration process for parents or participants who may be trying your program for the first time. Related post: Scanning, Security, and a Professional-Level Ticketing Experience The platform also has the built-in ability to accept passcodes or promo codes. Passcodes can be used to access special camp rates, like scholarships registrations or invite-only programs. Promo codes can be used to offer discounted registration rates, like family discounts or early registration rates. Stay Organized with Reports The HomeTown platform allows you to add custom questions to the checkout page to gather important information from your campers, like their T-shirt size, emergency contact person, food allergies, and more. You can view the answers to these questions, easily track registration numbers, and see incoming revenue with HomeTown’s reporting tools. These reporting tools keep all your information in one place and export files as needed. Reports can also help you budget for materials, account for any paychecks that are paid from camp fees, and plan for the snacks, prizes, and T-shirts for you campers. Easy Communication Tools When attendees or their parents complete the registration, they’ll receive a confirmation email. This email can include PDF attachments, like medical forms or waivers that need to be printed and brought day one of camp, as well as any key information like pick-up times or parking instructions. Related post: Communication, Capacity, and Cancellations: How HomeTown Can Help HomeTown’s platform also allows you to pull a list of email addresses to send programing updates, important changes, and get campers excited to attend. These email lists can also help you after the camp to promote next year’s camps, recruit campers to your college, or share information about upcoming events on your campus.
State of Digital Ticketing Talks with the OHSAA
The move to digital ticketing can be incredibly impactful for schools, districts, and even state associations. HomeTown is proud to support state athletic associations across the country as they operate and manage tournaments and championship events. One of our partner associations is the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). Related post: Going Digital: The Benefits of Digital Ticketing Platforms To get a better understanding of what the OHSAA does, how they plan for these tournament events, and how using HomeTown’s platform has transformed their ticketing and reporting, Connor Thinnes, HomeTown’s Vice President of Marketing sat down with Dr. Kim Kiehl, the Chief Operating Officer of the OHSAA. You can check out their conversation below. https://vimeo.com/716453498 Thank you to Dr. Kim Kiehl for taking the time to share her insights and experiences using the HomeTown platform. We loved hearing how digital ticketing has played such a key role in recent operations and how it has helped the OHSAA find new layers of success. We are excited to continue to support the OHSAA and student athletics across the state of Ohio in the coming 2022–2023 school year. About HomeTown Ticketing HomeTown Ticketing is the leading digital ticketing provider in both K–12 and collegiate spaces, serving schools, districts, conferences, and associations. A professional-level and fully automated ticketing solution, HomeTown’s in-house developed, proprietary ticketing platform is tailored specifically to the needs of schools and governing bodies. Benefits of the HomeTown system include unmatched value through easy-to-use purchasing and redemption options, custom box-offices, event and fan specific reporting tools, and secure financial management features to streamline operations and increase financial transparency. Intuitive and easy-to-use for both event organizers and ticket buyers, HomeTown never touches the event organizer’s funds. Learn more about HomeTown at www.hometownticketing.com | @hometowntix Want to learn more about how digital ticketing can play a role in your 2022–2023 athletic events? Schedule a call with our team today!
Scanning Tickets vs. Self-Redemption: Understanding the Differences
Whether it’s opening night of the school musical, the homecoming game under the lights, or even your commencement ceremony, you want your guests to have a fast and flawless experience. One of the key differences in digital ticketing platforms is whether you scan tickets or ask guests to use self-redemption. Let’s explore what these two methods are and why one offers more benefits. Scanning Means Security When guests purchase tickets through HomeTown, whether online, in the HomeTown Fan App (available for both iOS and Android devices), or at the gate, their ticket features a QR code. This code can be scanned in just a fraction of a second using the HomeTown Gate App (also on both iOS and Android). Scanning tickets in this manner is the standard at all professional events, from athletic events to concerts. Why is scanning tickets so important? Related post: Scanning, Security, and a Professional-Level Ticketing Experience Scanning tickets adds security to your events. When a ticket is scanned, the platform shows whether the ticket is valid, invalid, or a duplicate ticket. This ensures that each person entering has a valid ticket and allows the system to accurately track event attendance. Tracking attendance not only gives you an idea of your event’s success, but also ensures you maintain your venue’s capacity, that each guest has a seat, and provides a list of guests should it ever be required in the event of an emergency. That’s why all professional sporting and performance venues scan tickets and why you should too. Self-Redemption Struggles With systems that rely on self-redemption, there is no method to verify that tickets are valid when guests enter. This means that you may have inaccurate records of attendance, are unable to verify that venue capacity is followed, and may lose revenue to invalid tickets. Simply put, self-redemption leaves a school open to fraud and has much more room for error. Guests may even redeem tickets days before the event takes place or never verify their tickets. This means that your event records will have major inconsistencies and makes it harder to plan for future events. Related post: All Types of Tickets: HomeTown Has the Options People Want An Expert Opinion In a recent edition of AD Insider, AJ Maestas from Navigate, a leader in studying sports and entertainment organizations, shared how he views scanning as the best and only viable option for event admittance. Check out this clip to hear what he has to say about the importance of scanning tickets: https://www.hometownticketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Navigate_Security-of-Data.mp4 Want to better understand how HomeTown’s built-in scanning features can be used at your school? Reach out to our team; we’re here to help!
Going Digital: The Benefits of Digital Ticketing Platforms
Just think of all the ways that we use our devices, from the computers that we work or learn on to the phones that give us directions and let us connect with friends and family around the world. That same power of the internet is behind digital ticketing, which saves time for schools and their fans when it comes to attending events, like a football game, the school play, or even graduations! Related post: Set Up Your School Dance Tickets Online Getting Tickets is Easier than Ever Convenience is the name of the game when it comes to ticketing. Gone are the days when your fans needed to make a run to the ATM or dig out their checkbook to buy their tickets. When schools go digital, their fans are able to use their credit card to purchase tickets directly from the school website or on their phones, no matter where they are or what time of day it is. Point of sale features also make it easy for fans to purchase tickets at the gate, using either cash or card. These flexible options ensure that all your fans are able to get tickets, no matter their access to technology or preference for payment. You even have the option to make your events fully cashless, if you want to avoid counting money and making bank deposits. Related post: All Types of Tickets: HomeTown Has the Options People Want Scanning and Event Security Once fans have their tickets, they’re just one fast scan away from getting into your event. Scanning the QR codes on tickets is the easiest and best way to ensure that your events are secure, the capacity is managed, and that each guest has a valid ticket for your event. Scanning tickets takes a fraction of a second per guest, so you avoid long entry lines and have an exact count of your event attendance for your records. Reporting at Your Fingertips When it comes to accounting and reviewing your events, the digital ticketing’s reporting tools have your back. Reporting tools clearly display your ticket revenue from each event and break down that revenue into pre-sale tickets (those purchased online or through the ticketing app) and point of sale tickets (those purchased at the gate). This helps you to understand your fans’ purchasing behavior as well as providing easy reconciliation for the accounting department. Reporting tools also allow you to see event attendance numbers and how many of each ticket level was purchased in real-time. For example, if you have different tickets for students, general admission, and seniors, you can see at a glance how many of each were sold and make decisions accordingly. With the most flexible ticketing options in the industry, secure event admission, and clear reports, digital ticketing with HomeTown is the solution you need for your school’s events. Want to learn more about how HomeTown can help your school start using digital ticketing or expand your digital ticketing to additional events? Reach out to our team! We’re here for you every step of the way.
Hometown Announces Sponsorship Of The National Organization Of Minority Athletic Directors (NOMAD)
COLUMBUS, OH – May 9, 2022For Immediate Release Hometown is excited to announce our sponsorship of the National Organization of Minority Athletic Directors (NOMAD). By supporting at the Diamond Corporate Sponsor level, Hometown is committed to providing NOMAD members with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive in their roles as athletic directors. With the Hometown platform, athletic directors nationwide are finding it easier than ever to manage events and balance the many tasks that come with their roles. Along with the technical aspects of the platform, Hometown’s in-house Support Team and Client Success Managers provide top quality support to ensure each school has the resources and answers they need to implement the technology with ease. “Hometown partners with NOMAD as a Diamond Sponsors, and we could not be more excited about having a well-respected, national brand such as Hometown supporting our mission and purpose. With sponsorships, NOMAD’s goal is to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and we strongly believe that our membership will greatly benefit from the services that Hometown has to offer. Simply put, we believe in the product, and the product believes in us.”– Antony M. Fisher, CMAA | NOMAD Co-Founding Member, NIAAA Board of Directors, and District Director of Athletics for Minneapolis Public Schools “We are excited to sponsor NOMAD and their members in their professional development and through our digital ticketing platform. Through this sponsorship, we are supporting the growth and success of athletic programs across the nation and in your local communities. We look forward to connecting with NOMAD’s network of highly-skilled and passionate athletic professionals and helping them to find further success in their roles.”– Ryan Hart, Chairman & CEO | Hometown ABOUT HOMETOWNHometown is the leading digital ticketing provider in both K–12 and collegiate spaces, serving schools, districts, conferences, and associations at no cost. A professional-level and fully automated ticketing solution, Hometown’s in-house developed, proprietary ticketing platform is tailored specifically to the needs of schools and governing bodies. Benefits of the Hometown system include unmatched value through easy-to-use purchasing and redemption options, custom box-offices, event and fan specific reporting tools, and secure financial management features to streamline operations and increase financial transparency. Intuitive and easy-to-use for both event organizers and ticket buyers, Hometown never touches the event organizer’s funds. Learn more about Hometown at www.hometown.com | @hometowntix ABOUT THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF MINORITY ATHLETIC DIRECTORS (NOMAD) The National Organization of Minority Athletic Directors (NOMAD) seeks to provide a professional organization that supports and develops minority and underrepresented athletic directors in secondary schools. NOMAD seeks to provide resources, such as mentoring, the sharing of ideas, networking, and leadership development in order to increase membership, participation, and opportunities for minority and underrepresented athletic directors. In doing so, NOMAD will empower their members and create an environment of professionalism, mutual respect and understanding, while supporting the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Celebrate Good Times: Graduations and Commencements
For students and their loved ones, graduations and commencement ceremonies commemorate one of the proudest accomplishments of their lives. HomeTown Ticketing is here to help manage and organize commencement ceremonies to make these celebrations effortless. HomeTown supports your school’s commencement ticketing needs by providing quick and easy ways to share tickets and make your events easily accessible for you and attendees alike. Our flexible options let you customize your event so it’s user-friendly for staff, students, and families. Here are three features you’ll find in the HomeTown platform that are key to ticketing your commencement ceremonies: Related post: 5 Ways to Promote Your Events Passcodes When it comes to large events like commencements, there are only so many seats in the venue. Many schools have to limit the number of tickets available per graduate. Our team can work with you to set up events that track tickets and to ensure you stay within the capacity of your venue. In addition to setting and tracking ticket limits, our platform also has the capability to provide students with additional tickets on a per-request basis. Passcodes can be used at the same time as your general sale. If needed, passcodes can also allow you to have hidden ticket levels, such as a reduced student ticket price or a complimentary ticket offer for press or administration. ‘ data-next-icon=’‘ data-makeresponsive=”true” data-startingposition=”50%”> Seat Maps Seat maps showcase the venue and the layout of your event for those in attendance. HomeTown’s in-house creative team works with you to develop a custom-designed seat map for your commencement event to offer reserved seating or general admission. Seat maps allow you to visualize your event. Your audience can choose their precise seat and feel confident in their choice. Best of all, there is no charge to create your customized seat map or to use our reserved seating tools. Our seat maps are created to the unique design of your venue and can be easily modified as needed–like expanding the stage into the audience or blocking off specific seats for any reason. Quick Scanning Scanning tickets ensures that everyone in attendance has a valid ticket and helps you control capacity. Attendees display their tickets on their mobile phone or present a printed ticket for scanning. This ticket is quickly scanned by staff or volunteers using the HomeTown Gate App, which is available for both iOS and Android devices. Each scan takes a fraction of a second, and clearly shows whether the ticket is valid, invalid, or a duplicate. In this way, scanning streamlines entry into the graduation venue and ensures that everyone in the venue has a valid ticket for your graduation ceremony. Related post: Scanning, Security, and a Professional-Level Ticketing Experience HomeTown Ticketing can save your school time and make your commencement ticketing smooth and seamless! Contact us today to learn more about our platform, its features, and how to get started!
Hometown Ticketing Named Official Ticketing Partner of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
COLUMBUS, OH – May 2, 2022For Immediate Release HomeTown Ticketing, Inc. is pleased to be named the Official Ticketing Partner for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). Through this partnership, the HCAC and HomeTown provide a fast, easy, and convenient ticketing experience for students, staff, and fans of their member schools. With ticket scanning at the gate, HomeTown’s platform increases security at events and allows fans to enter games quickly, making their game day experience focused on cheering on their team. HomeTown looks forward to providing the latest in technology and the best experience for fans in 2022 and beyond and is proud to support the HCAC, its member schools, and all of our collegiate partners across the United States. “I am excited to begin this partnership with HomeTown Ticketing. As a conference, we try to find partnerships that bring value to each of our member schools and to the conference as a whole. HomeTown Ticketing offers a service that can truly ‘raise the game’ for our schools and will immediately give our conference championships a more first-class feel and operation. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work with them.”— Jay Jones, Commissioner | Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference “HomeTown Ticketing welcomes the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference to our network of collegiate conferences. As a trusted leader in digital ticketing for colleges and universities across the country, we are familiar with unique needs of ticketing college-level athletic events and are proud to provide a secure, flexible, easy-to-use platform for the conference and its fans. We look forward to supporting the HCAC for many years to come.”— Ryan Hart, Chairman & CEO | HomeTown Ticketing, Inc. ABOUT HEARTLAND COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCEThe Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference is a 10-member NCAA Division III Conference based in Carmel, Ind. The HCAC was established in 1987 as the Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference (ICAC) and was formed as an “academic” athletic conference, combining outstanding private education with top-notch intercollegiate athletics. The league added members outside of Indiana and was renamed the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1998. The conference currently sponsors championships in 22 sports. ABOUT HOMETOWN TICKETING HomeTown Ticketing is a leader in digital ticketing in both K–12 and collegiate spaces, serving schools, districts, conferences, and associations. A professional-level and fully automated ticketing solution, HomeTown’s in-house developed, proprietary ticketing platform is tailored specifically to the needs of schools and governing bodies. Benefits of the HomeTown system include unmatched value through easy-to-use purchasing and redemption options, custom box-offices, event and fan specific reporting tools, and secure financial management features to streamline operations and increase financial transparency. Intuitive and easy-to-use for both event organizers and ticket buyers, HomeTown never touches the event organizer’s funds, which are available and accessible shortly after a ticket sale. Learn more about HomeTown at hometownticketing.com | @hometowntix
