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Cancel/Reschedule an Event: Home: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1231670
Something has happened, and you need to cancel an event. What now?
Between communicating with patrons, tracking refunds and donations, and rescheduling a new event, there's a lot to keep track of. Here's the good news: you can do 95% of the work right inside PatronManager.
That's why we've made this step-by-step guide - stick with us, and you won't miss a beat. All told, we'll:
- Make the event inactive so no one else buys a ticket
- If you're rescheduling the event, create the new event
- Create a Google Form to ask your patrons if they'd like to refund/exchange/donate their tickets
- Make sure you've set up Automated Communications
- Make sure you've set up a "From" email address
- Set up your template and send out the cancellation email
- Handle Google Form responses as they come in
- Get in touch with patrons who have not taken action
- Send a final reminder email a few days before the originally scheduled event
We've got a PDF checklist for you to keep track of all the steps as you work through it - feel free to print it out and keep it next to your desk!
1. Make the event(s) - inactive
First things first, let's make sure no one else buys a ticket. We need to get the Event Instances off your public ticketing site, and make sure any internal staff doesn't accidentally sell tickets over the phone.
To Do: head to your Ticketable Event, click "Edit All" on your Event Instance list, and make the Event Instance(s) you're canceling inactive
2. If you're rescheduling the event, create the new event
If you're not rescheduling, skip down to the next step.
If you're fortunate enough to reschedule, it's time to create a new Event Instance for each show you're rescheduling - we're treating it as a completely new show.
Can I just change the dates for the old Event Instance?
We don't recommend it! Best practice is to create a brand new Event Instance, and for a few reasons:
- Using the Cancellation/Rescheduling template and Automated Communications is much cleaner
- Specifically, merge templates are easier to keep straight
- And reminding patrons with another communication later is easier
- Tracking what happened in PatronManager is much clearer to future-you, your accountant, and all your other colleagues
To Do: clone your canceled Event Instance(s):
- Set each new Instance as Active
- Be sure to set date fields appropriately, including:
- Name & Formatted Name
- Instance Date
- Sale Start Date
- Sale End Date
3. Create a Google Form to ask your patrons if they'd like to refund/exchange/donate their tickets
You need to know if each of the ticket holders to the event want to:
- Donate the cost of their ticket (refund-as-donation)
- Exchange their ticket for another show (or the rescheduled event)
- Get a refund
The best, free way to do this is with a Google Form.
To Do: make a copy of this Google Form and customize it for your branding/organization
4. Make sure you've set up Automated Communications
We'll use the Automated Communications feature to send an email out to your ticket buyers. If you haven't used pre- and post-show emails, you'll need to go through a few configuration steps first.
Classic users: though Automated Communications hasn't been available in Classic, we've made special accommodations for you to use the cancellation emails feature.
To Do: complete the steps in our Automated Communications Setup article (unless you've done this previously)
5. Make sure you've set up a "From" email address
Later, we'll send some emails from right inside PatronManager. When we do, your patrons need to see and recognize who those emails are coming from - they'll be more likely to see and open your message.
To Do: complete these steps in our How to Set a "From" Email Address article; when you get to part B, make sure to complete the steps for Automated Communications (unless you've done this previously)
6. Set up and send your cancellation email
Now it's time to set up the template you'll use to email your patrons. In it, you'll communicate:
- That you need to cancel/reschedule
- The date of the rescheduled event (if applicable)
- The link to the Google Form and a request for them to respond
To Do: complete the steps in our How to Send a Cancellation Email with Automated Communications article, being sure to include the link to the Google Form you created earlier
7. Take action as responses start coming in
You've gotten in touch with most everyone; now you just need to wait for your patrons to respond to the Google Form.
To Do: check responses to your Google Form regularly, and refund/exchange/refund-as-donation Ticket Order Items as per your patrons requests
8. Get in touch with stragglers
Some of your ticket holders may not use email, or only look at it every once in a while, or missed your message. It's time to call them and see if they want to refund/exchange/donate their tickets.
To Do: run a Contacts report of active ticket holders for the canceled Event Instances using a cross filter, then call each of them to find out how they want to handle the canceled event
9. Send out a final reminder email
Once you've taken care of all the refunds/exchanges/donations for everyone who has responded so far, it's good to give any remaining patrons a final heads up, just a few days before your original concert date.
Don't worry! Emails will only go out to patrons with active tickets - patrons who have already exchange/donated their tickets won't get an additional email.
To Do: resend the template you sent back in step 6
Excellent work - everything is taken care of
