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How to Use Access Codes to Sell Tickets Privately: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/861592
Sometimes, you may want to restrict certain tickets to just some of your patrons, or to offer an exclusive pre-sale for your VIPs. Access Codes to the rescue!
Access Codes are a special link you'll create and share with your VIP patrons to give them private access to specific Allocations on your Event Instances. In this article, we'll walk you through:
- Why use Access Codes?
- The three part process of building an Access Code
- How to end an Access Code sale
- Creating an add on pre-sale using an Access Code
- Using Passcodes to give your VIP patrons access to exclusive seats during a presale
- Troubleshooting your Access Codes
Building an Access Code will take about ten minutes. Let's do it!
Not sure of the difference between Ticketable Events, Event Instances and Allocations? Brush up on your event building terms here.
Why use Access Codes?
If a patron has an Access Code, they can access unique options not available to the general public. These options could be a special discount on a certain area of seating, access to seats not available to most patrons, or a pre-sale before tickets are on sale to the general public. You can also use Access Codes to "unlock" a special discount for an add on event when a patron purchases tickets to another show.
How do I build an Access Code?
There are three primary steps to starting a pre-sale with Access Codes. Let's jump in:
1.1. Click on the App Launcher
1.2. Search "access codes" and click on the Access Codes link
1.3. Click the "New Access Code" button
Need to edit a previously built Access Code? Just click the name of that Access Code.
1.4. Create a name and write a description for this code. When you're done, click "Save"
The name of your Access Code is purely internal and your patrons will not see it.
1.5. Copy the newly created Access Code name - you'll need it in just a second
The Access Code you've created can be used to access Allocations across different Event instances.
Access Codes can be associated with up to 1,000 Ticket Allocations. If an Access Code needs to apply to more than 1,000 Allocations, you'll need to either limit the Allocations associated with the Access Code or create more than one Access Code.
2.1. Navigate to the Event Instance you're selling with this Access Code
In this case, we're creating a special pre-sale for The Tempest's April 21 performance.
2.2. Click the "Edit All" button
2.3. Paste the copied Access Code into the box for the Allocations you're applying this to
2.4. Set the Allocation(s) with the Access Code to "Private", then set any Price Levels under that Allocation to "Public"; click "Save"
2.5. Make sure your Event Instance and Ticketable Event are active and the Event Instance Sale Start Date is in the past
If these settings are off, your Access Code won't work.
3.1. Click on the name of the Access Code
3.2. Click on the right link for you
- If you're applying your Access Code to Allocations across multiple Ticketable Events, use the All Events Shortcut.
- If your Access Code applies to Allocations across multiple Event Instances on a single Ticketable Event, use the Ticketable Event Shortcut.
- If your Access Code only grants special access to a single Event Instance, use the Event Instance Shortcut.
3.3. Once you've ended up on your Public Ticketing Site via the shortcut, copy the URL from your browser window
3.4. Distribute this special link to your VIPs!
Anyone can use the link, so encourage/discourage your VIPs to share it as appropriate.
How do I discontinue an Access Code?
When the private sale / pre-sale is over, you'll want to sell any remaining tickets to the general public. Just set the "Sale Status" of the Allocation(s) to public. Now all online buyers can access those tickets.
How do I create a ticket add on promotion using an Access Code?
The situation: you want to offer pre-sale tickets to people who purchase tickets to other selected productions. The solution: you can combine our Access Code and Custom Cart Text features to set up a ticket add on promotion online.
In this example, we will offer exclusive advance access to Titus Andronicus when online ticket buyers purchase tickets to Hamlet. Let's get started!
1. Set up your Access Codes
2. Get the URL for the add on Ticketable Event or Event Instance from the Access Code page
Which one you choose depends on if you're intending for this code to unlock tickets to all performances of this Ticketable Event, or only select Event Instances.
3. Head to your Event Instance that will unlock this promotion and click the "Edit" button
4. Add promotional text and your Access Code URL to the Custom Cart Text field and click "Save"
This text will appear during checkout when a patron has tickets to this Event Instance in their cart.
Need a bit more help with your custom cart text? We've got just the article for you.
5. You've built your special promotion! Great work
How do I use Access Codes and Passcodes together to create exclusive group seating?
While Access Codes are typically shared via a special URL, you can also link them directly to Member/Passcode Access so your Portal members or Passcode users can automatically purchase these exclusive seats during your presale.
Check out our article How to Set up Member/Passcode Access to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We've got four things to check first:
- Make sure the Ticketable Event and Event Instances are active.
- Make sure the Allocation sale status is private and the Price Level visibility is public.
- Set the Event Instance Sale Start Date to blank or current/past dates. They cannot be in the future.
- Check all the Access Code shortcut options available to you on your Access Code page
- Make sure walk-up is not the only applicable delivery method on the Ticketable Event
If you're still struggling after checking these things, submit a support request through our Client Community.
After you set up the Access Code, your browser may remember it the next time you look at your Public Ticketing Site (PTS). This means that, if you're testing what a patron without the Access Code will see, you may see this private Ticketable Event or Allocation on your PTS. To fix this, clear your browser's cache.
If you should have some tickets available to the public without using your Access Code and those tickets aren't showing up on your Public Ticketing Site (PTS), then you'll want to check a few settings:
- Is the Sale Status for the Ticket Allocation(s) that should be publicly available set to Public?
- Is there no Access Code linked to the Ticket Allocation(s) that should be publicly available?
- Are the Price Levels in the Ticket Allocation(s) that should be publicly available Active and set to a Visibility of Public?
- Is the Sale Start Date for the Event Instance now or in the past? Tickets won't be available online until the Sale Start Date.
- Do you have at least one Supported Delivery Method set on the Ticketable Event that is not Walk-up?