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Geofencing for Virtual Events: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1438486
If you need to gate access to your virtual content based on the viewer's location, good news! As of August 2021, you can configure geofencing rules for Virtual Events hosted on the PatronManager player. This feature is available for Video On Demand and for RTMP Livestreams.
In this article, we'll go over:
- How geofencing works
- Configuring geofencing rules
- Whitelisting specific tickets if needed
- and we'll answer some FAQs
Ready? Let's dive in!
Heads up! Geofencing only affects a patron's ability to view your content based on their location. There is nothing in PatronManager to block ticket purchases based on location.
Check out this FAQ for communication recommendations during the purchase process.
What is geofencing?
Geofencing (also known as geoblocking) uses geolocation data to identify a potential viewer's location based on their IP address, then blocks access if their location is outside the defined area. This data is extremely accurate at the country level, and highly accurate at the region level.
Why use geofencing?
In many cases, you won't need to - it's usually great to have viewers from outside your normal audience area!
Sometimes, however, you may be required to limit access to content based on licensing requirements. For example:
- You're premiering a new film, which is rolling out to film festivals around the world over a period of time. The production company needs to ensure that fans in Europe can't view the content before it's released in their area.
- You're presenting a stop on a virtual music tour, and the band is playing the next night via a venue one state over. To avoid stepping on sales, the tour promoter requires you to limit your reach to only your region/audience.
How do I configure geofencing rules?
First, make sure you know what kind of rules you need. You can select any combination of countries and regions (e.g. states/provinces) to either allow or deny. Once you know what you need, the configuration happens in the Control Panel, which you'll access from the Event Instance. Click below to expand the full instructions!
From the Event Instance, click the Control Panel button
Scroll down to the Geofencing panel and click "Configure Geofencing Rules"
Decide whether to "Allow" or a "Deny" the areas you'll select later
- If you choose "Allow only the following locations", all areas you don't specify will be automatically blocked.
- If you choose "Deny only the following locations", all areas you don't specify will be automatically allowed.
In most cases, you'll be choosing the areas you want to allow.
Click "Add" to add Country and/or Region rules
You can choose to allow or deny entire countries, or specific regions within countries, like states and provinces. You can also select a combination, for example to allow only viewers from Canada and specific US States that border Canada.
Don't add both a country and region(s) within that country; that's redundant and can cause problems.
For example, don't add "United States" as a country and then also add "California" as a region; since California is part of the United States, you've already covered it with your country selection.
1. Click "Add" in the "Country" row
2. Scroll or type to find and select a country
3. Add as many countries as you need to
Use the X next to the country name to clear out a selected country. Click outside the dropdown when you're done making selections.
4. When you're finished, click "Add Rule"
5. All set! Use the X's to clear out selections, or click "Add" to add more.
1. Click "Add" in the "Region" row
2. Start by selecting a country
This is necessary to show the correct list of relevant regions.
3. Scroll or type to find and select a region or regions within that country
4. Add as many regions within that country as you need to, then click "Add Rule"
Use the X next to the country name to clear out a selected country.
Click outside the dropdown menu when you're done making selections, but be careful not to change the country as that will clear your selections!
5. Repeat steps 1-4 as needed to add more regions in different countries
6. All set! Use the X's to clear out selections, or click "Add" to add more.
What about whitelisting access codes?
Maybe you have a potential funder outside the allowed area, and want to give them access to your VOD. Or maybe you're running a post-show discussion after your livestream with the director, who's out of town, and want to make sure they can see the performance they're about to discuss. No problem! You'll need to find their ticket's access code, and whitelist it on the geofencing widget for this Event Instance.
1. Find the tickets you want to whitelist
In PatronManager, the virtual ticket access code is the Barcode field on the Ticket Order Item. You can find it most easily via a report - check out step 2 in this article for specific instructions to build the report for a specific Event Instance!
You can add further columns and filters (for example, first/last name) to help you find the specific Barcodes you need.
2. Copy the ticket Barcode(s) you want to whitelist
If you're just doing one or two, copying and pasting one at a time from the report will be fine (just keep it open in a separate tab).
If you're doing a larger number, you may wish to export the report as a csv file to make things easier.
In this example, we'll whitelist the first two Barcodes in our report.
3. In the Control Panel on your virtual Event Instance, click "Add" in the Whitelist Access Codes section
4. Paste the Access Code(s) you want to whitelist into the box, then click "Add Rule"
If you're whitelisting more than one, separate each with a comma as shown.
5. All set! These tickets will now bypass the geofence.
These patrons will be able to view your content regardless of their location!
If you need to remove any whitelisted tickets, just click the X by that Barcode/Access Code. To add more, just click "Add"!
Frequently Asked Questions
It's not possible to block ticket purchases by location in PatronManager. Instead, we recommend placing clear, prominent warnings through the purchase process. For example:
Include a bold note in the Event Instance Detail
Let patrons know that this content can only be viewed in [these specific places], or is unavailable in [these specific places]. You have a little space here to explain why and provide alternatives if you'd like, e.g. "Heads up! Due to licensing restrictions, you can only view this virtual event in the state of California. If you're out of state, find a performance in your area here <link to artist's website>, and join us for [this similar show] instead <link to another event on your PTS>."
Include a note in the Custom Cart Text on the Event Instance
This will be visible on this specific ticket in the patron's cart during checkout, and is a good place to put a nice big warning/reminder. Consider something short and to the point, e.g. "Warning! This virtual content is only available in the US and Canada. Do not purchase if you're outside this region."
Consider a required agreement checkbox on your PTS as a whole
If you have a lot of georestricted content for sale, or if you expect a lot of potential buyers from out of the allowed area, consider placing a custom checkbox on your PTS to require patrons to acknowledge the terms.
Note that this will appear on the checkout page for all purchases, so be sure that the wording won't confuse patrons who might be purchasing regular in person tickets.
For example, you could have an all-inclusive note that says something like "Terms: Some of our virtual content has geographic restrictions. Please be sure to only purchase content that is available to view in your area. [other language about terms for non-virtual events, e.g. Covid restrictions]" followed by a checkbox that says "I acknowledge the terms."
For more information on this option, check out this article on adding custom fields to the Public Ticketing Site!
Perhaps you have a board member or potential funder and you want them to see your virtual event, but they're outside the geofencing area. No problem! You can whitelist their ticket, so that they'll be allowed to view regardless of their location.
Yes; the geofencing service is not immune to this. If a patron uses a VPN service to fake their location such that they appear to be in the allowed area, they will be able to access the content.
This is because the PatronManager geofencing feature uses data from the patron's IP address to determine their location, and using a VPN this way means the patron is essentially borrowing a real IP address in a different location.
Yes, rule changes and whitelisting/removing Access Codes is immediately effective, but there can be a delay for a user who has already attempted to access the virtual event. The system may remember their ticket, browser, or IP address for up to five minutes, during which time they won't see the effect of your change.
For example: perhaps a VIP patron attempts to view your content outside the allowed viewing area, and they receive the message that the content is unavailable. They contact your box office and you're lightning-fast at whitelisting their ticket to allow them to view the virtual event: it will still take up to five minutes before their freshly-whitelisted ticket will be allowed past the virtual geofence.
This delay is more likely to affect your staff during internal testing/experimentation than it is to affect your patrons.