From Tragedy to Triumph: A Literacy Event in Honor of Alex Johnson

“The tickets were beautiful and added class to the event.”

~Denise Johnson, Event Coordinator, Mother of Honoree

On September 17, The Alex Johnson Memorial Concert was held to benefit the Mississippi County Literary Council.  The fundraiser included an artists’ reception, silent art auction, and a concert. It was held in memory of Alex Johnson, a student and a tutor at Northeast Arkansas College, where he volunteered for the literacy council. In 2009, Alex died in a car crash while traveling home from his college choir practice. He was 22.

Along with honoring the memory of her son, “the event was an effort to raise money for adult literacy in our county,” Denise told me.

In order to advertise the event “we used Facebook, posters, newspaper articles and ads.” The Facebook page for the event was frequently updated with information about the event. The page was a hub of information. Announcements were made when new art was donated for the auction. Information about the performers, The Reba Russell Band, Jo Jo Jefferies, and Lincoln Lane, were included. There were also links to interviews and articles that had been written in advance of the event.

Denise participated in interviews and a number of articles were posted online advertising the event.

For Denise the value of word of mouth advertising could not be overestimated. You can sell more tickets “one on one” than by advertising for patrons to go elsewhere and buy them.

For the ticket, the organizers chose the “Natural Riffs” design. This ticket features a warm color palette. An acoustic guitar and stage lights provide the backdrop for the event’s information. With sequential numbering and detachable stubs, these tickets help organizers keep track of sales and attendees.

The fundraiser was a success, ” Everything went very well.  [The] highlight of the event was song sung by a former Miss. Co. resident and sister of the honoree.” Denise said.

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A Successful Athletic Booster Club Fundraiser!

You are awesome. Your product was perfect… plus you were cheaper anyway, even with the added 2 day delivery charge! Thanks so much! I also really like the reminder, so I don’t forget next year!

~ Leslie Pirl-Roth

I recently had the chance to catch up with Leslie Pirl-Roth to discuss her organization, The CW Athletic Booster Club’s, fall and spring fundraisers held in Robesonia, PA. “The CW Athletic Boosters club supports and helps fund ‘the extras’ for all school sanctioned sports here in the Conrad Weiser Area School District High School. The biggest event we fund is the Senior Banquet, where our students get a meal and a plaque! The event is one of two fundraisers (one in Fall, one in Spring) in which we sell BBQ Chicken, made by Kaufman’s, which is a huge deal in our little corner of the world. This is my second year being the ‘CHICKEN LADY’ … but I am also the secretary of our great organization!”

How did Leslie and her team get the word out about their fundraiser?  They used several strategies from sharing news of the event through word of mouth to hanging posters, taking out print ads in the school paper, advertising on the school website and just selling the tickets themselves. “We depend on our student athletes to sell them, but we also buy extra chickens because when folks around here see ‘Kaufman’s chickens for sale,’ they will stop and buy some!” The biannual booster event is a real success. Leslie told me, “We make decent money to support our kids.”

For Leslie and the other boosters, the best part of the fundraiser is “seeing how many kids are willing to help us out when they don’t have to.”

Even when things didn’t go according to plan, there was a positive outcome. For instance, “One time we ordered extra chickens but ended up with about one hundred extra. Lots of chicken corn noodle soup was made for the concessions stand.”

“This year, I completely FORGOT TO ORDER THE TICKETS!” Leslie told me. “I was in panic mode, went on line, saw your site, saw your prices and figured out that it was cheaper to use your product anyway, even with a two day delivery charge! I especially like the reminder that I will get from you to order the tickets for our spring event. At any rate, we were ON TIME getting the tickets out to our kids to sell!”

What kind of advice would Leslie share with others planning a similar event?  “Get kids to help, they’re young enough to do all the running around!”

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Giddy Up to a Great Event!

Ticketprinting.com “gave us a quality ticket with our logo on the back making it look really official. People buying the tickets really seemed to like that.”

~ Michael Cooper, FBCYRA

On August 6^th, the Fort Bend County Youth Rodeo Association (FBCYRA) held its Summer Series Raffle. Cash prizes were handed out to participants. First Prize was three hundred dollars. Second Prize was two hundred dollars and Third prize was one hundred dollars.

The organization chose the All Purpose Raffle Ticket design. The ticket is printed on high quality stock in black and white. It features the essential raffle information and number on the front side, and the FBCYRA logo on its reverse. The ticket has a corresponding detachable stub for participants to write down their contact information.

“We are a youth rodeo organization,” Michael shared with me. The organization’s website further describes FBCRYA’s purpose, as “a Junior Rodeo Association for kids up to 19 years of age. We provide a safe place for Fort Bend County’s Youth to have fun and experience the great sport of Rodeo.” The FBCYRA is dedicated to helping young people. As well as providing a rodeo experience for youths and young adults, the organization is committed to supporting scholarship by providing awards for those young people who compete in the Junior Rodeo.

“We have a raffle each year in conjunction with our summer rodeo series and end of the summer rodeo to help pay for the over $30,000 in prizes we give away.” Michael explained to me. The Summer Series Raffle is a fundraiser for the organization.

How does FBCYRA promote its raffle and sell its tickets? The young people who participate in the Summer Series and wish to participate in the autumn rodeo are required to sell raffle tickets. “Each contestant is required to sale $75.  We target local businesses, family members and other within the community.” If FBCYRA members don’t sell the required amount of raffle tickets, they must secure an equal amount of outside sponsoring in order to be eligible for rodeo competition prizes.

Raffle sales are not only required but also competitive, which brings a spirit of fun to the process. The member who sells the most tickets wins a belt buckle at the end of the sales cycle.

Information about the raffle and the summer series was also available on the organization’s site and its Facebook page.

For Michael, the highlight of the Summer Series Raffle goes far beyond that one event. “The best part is just seeing how the kids grow through the summer and how their riding skills improve. It is neat to watch them compete however great to see the sportsmanship they show in helping one another out and cheer each other on.”

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A Hole In One! Annual Summer Swing Charity Event

“Healing through Sports Foundation (HTSF) is a non-profit, public-benefit organization having the purpose of funding cancer research, patient services, and education programs focusing on prevention. By communicating the benefits of regular participation in physical activity and sporting events, we believe we can make a difference.”

~ James Johnson, HTSF

This July the Healing through Sports Foundation held its 9^th Annual Summer Swing Charity Event at the Tijeras Creek Golf Club in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. The event featured rounds of golf, a charity raffle, silent auction, cocktails, and a dinner buffet. Attendees could participate in a number of ways, from sending in a donation of a certain amount, buying raffle tickets, attending one or all of the events, to becoming one of the event sponsors.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was chosen as the charity benefactor. The mission of LLS is to “cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.” The goal of the Summer Swing Charity Event was to raise at least $15,000 for the cause of curing blood cancers.

Along with the golf tournament, the charity fundraising event featured a Helicopter Ball Drop Raffle. In this type of raffle, numbered tickets are sold to participants. Then numbered golf balls are dropped from a helicopter above a specific spot on the golf course. The winner is determined by how close to the target, usually a tee or hole, the numbered golf ball lands. Proceeds from the raffle go to the designated charity.

For this event, the organizers chose the Golf Tournament Raffle Ticket. The ticket features a bright blue sky, a well tended green and a golf ball waiting on a tee to be put into play.  The ticket has room for information about the event and the raffle. An individually numbered, detachable stub allows organizers to keep track of tickets and prizes.

I asked James how the TicketPrinting.com raffle ticket benefited his particular event. He said, “It clearly communicated what our event was and what we were offering. Also, the quality of the product was outstanding!”

To sell event tickets, James and his team relied on several proven methods: “email, online, and in person.”  Reaching out through an email list or listserve to individuals who have had contact with the organization can be very rewarding when it is time to sell tickets. It also pays to maintain an up-to-date online source to disseminate information about the event and sell tickets. Whether an event organizer chooses to maintain a website dedicated to the event or a Facebook Event page, information should be relevant and drive attendees to the event. Leveraging personal contacts can also be very important when planning a similar event. The power of word of mouth sales cannot be underestimated.

What advice did James have for other event organizers? “Have plan and stick to it. A clear roadmap is the key to any successful event.” Real planning and dedication make big events like this possible and successful.

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Beautiful Event, Beautiful Benefit

When Stacey Scott of Harper Monroe, a mobile spa service based in New York, wanted to host an Elegant Affair for Wellness and Beauty benefit to raise awareness of her business and funds for the Humane Society of New York, she chose the Red Rose design from TicketPrinting.com for her flyers and tickets.

The design features a close up of a red rose in full bloom with room for custom text and information. It provides the perfect backdrop for a beautiful event.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Stacey Scott to learn more about the event she hosted and some of the strategies she used to get her team engaged and sell tickets.

“We deliver spa services directly to the doorstep of our clients and host spa party events.” Stacey explained to me. “The purpose of this event was to help raise money for the Humane Society of New York and to bring more awareness about our business.” The event was held at the Royalton Hotel in Manhattan on Saturday July 23^rd. Participants were treated to two spa services and a wellness consultation. Appetizers, desserts, and cocktails were provided, and take home gifts were given to attendees as well.

When a business hosts an event, a strategy for selling tickets is essential. Stacey’s team had to analyze what they would need for the event to be successful. “First, we set a profit goal and worked up a break even analysis and decided how many tickets we needed to sell.” Making sure team members are motivated to get the word out and sell tickets is also important. “Then the tickets were split equally between team members who were given “gift” incentives to reach their goal.”

How did Stacey’s team market the event? They used several methods, from reaching out to current clients to turning to social media. “We dug into our current client base (which is relatively small…we are a start-up) and reached out to them by cold calling. We sent messages on Twitter and Facebook and used our Constant Contact account to try and reach a larger audience.

“We were able to pull off a very lovely event and our guests seemed very happy. Highlights were the luxurious services provided by my staff…mani/pedis, facials, and conditioning hair treatments and cuts. The venue was top notch and the food and wine was awesome. ”

What advice would Stacey share with those planning a similar event? “I’d say that unless you already have experience throwing profit making events, you should plan several months ahead…work out a detailed financial analysis and set a contingency plan for what to do if ticket sales are less than what is expected.”

How did TicketPrinting.com help to enhance Stacey’s event? She was pleased that a variety of payment options were available and the professional air the tickets lent the event. “It gave a different option than buying through PayPal. It provided a very professional looking alternative than just receiving tickets in the mail.”

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Country At The Cabin: Vacaville’s First Country Music Festival

“Our ticketprinting.com experience was very good. I was impressed by the quality, speed, and ease of ordering… We got several compliments from the venue, other bands, and guests by the quality and professional look of the printed materials. It definitely made us look legit and like we knew what we were doing even though we didn’t.”

~Austin Jansen

On Saturday, July 16, Vacaville’s First Country Music Festival was held at The Elmira Cabin in Elmira California. Acts included  48 Straight, the Jesse Woodside Band, the Taryn Cross, and the Amber Snider Band. Free mechanical bull rides , dancing lessons, catered barbecue and drink specials were a part of the night’s festivities.

To promote Country at the Cabin, the organizers chose collateral from the Natural Riffs collection on Ticketprinting.com. The design features an acoustic guitar against a sepia background with stage lights, invoking the feeling of a country music venue. Natural Riffs collateral has space for logos and photos of performers and the text is customizable.

I recently caught up with Austin Jansen, promoter for the event and drummer for the Jesse Woodside Band.

I asked Austin about the role his organization played in organizing Country at the Cabin. “My organization is an event promotion company. We organize/plan music, fundraising, and special events based around music. The particular event we ordered products from you was a first (hopefully) annual country music festival held locally to our organization.”

How did Austin and the other organizers promote the event?  They relied on more than one method to get the word  out. ” We distributed our tickets between the bands, the venue, our Facebook page, a radio ad, an online tickets sales site, and several local businesses. We pre-sold most of our tickets through our bands and the majority of our tickets were sold at the door the night of the event.” Austin explained. ” We started selling our tickets 2 weeks before the event and started our radio ad 1 week prior due to budget limitations.”

What might he do differently next time, and what advice would he offer to others hosting similar events? ” If I could do it again I would start the radio ad 1 month prior as well as selling tickets earlier. Next year we hope to have a larger headliner and charge more for the event.”

What was the highlight of Country at the Cabin? ” The highlight of our event was how busy it got. We were concerned with low pre-sale figures that event attendance might be low,  but we packed the house!

“My band had the largest crowd, and they were completely involved and loved us! My band also played the best we have ever played. Everything actually went pretty smooth.”

Country at the Cabin sounds like it turned out to be a great event! We definitely look forward to hearing about it when it comes around again next year!

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You are an event organizer with a vision! From the centerpieces to the party favors, you’re holding thousands of ideas in your imagination, and when you need everything to look just so, you’ve got it planned down to the smallest details, like the exact look of your event tickets.

Even with hundreds of ticket templates to choose from, you’ve got your heart set on that special image or unique layout. Printing your own tickets online can help you make your dream a reality. You’re not limited by the whims of a printer or by someone else’s designs: just create the perfect event ticket with a do-it-yourself online ticket maker: a DYO tool.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• All the event details
• Your background image
• Logos or thumbnails
• A vision
• A DYO tool like the one at TicketPrinting.com

Have all the elements in order? You’re ready to go. The website can provide all the information you need to create and print the event tickets you want, with digital help available whenever you find yourself stuck.

DYO Event Ticket Printing allows you to choose the perfect colors and the perfect layout. Further, it lets you add special details that can make your life easier, like multiple perforations or numbering in several places on the ticket. Whatever’s in your mind, that’s what you’ll see printed on your ticket.

When you lay out your ticket, determine which details you’ll need to include. This will help you figure out how many lines of text you’ll need to add. Common bits of information would be:

• The event name
• The hosting organization’s name
• The sponsor’s name
• The location of the event
• The time of the event
• The cost of the event ticket

Additional details that may be of use:

• Activities, speakers, or music
• The name of the group that will benefit from any fundraising
• Seat number (if there is to be reserved seating)
• Dress code
• Dinner menu
• Open or cash bar
• URL of a website where more details are available
• Contact person’s phone number

Basically, if it’s information that might be useful or of interest to your guests, and you can fit it on the event ticket while maintaining your vision for the ticket’s overall look, consider adding it. Be sure to duplicate important information, such as reserved seating and ticket number, on the stub as well as the body of the ticket.

Now, put it all together. Upload your visual background, use the DYO tool to add the boxes where you will upload your logo, and the lines where you will enter your text. Position the perforation and the ticket numbers. When you’ve got it all together, preview your proof.

The proof preview is a really important part of printing event tickets. If you don’t proofread, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself! Plus, the proof will alert you if your text isn’t fitting correctly into the available space.

On the plus side, digital proofs really speed the process along. Once you approve your proof and submit billing and shipping details, your event tickets will start printing almost immediately! Within twenty-four hours, they should be created in all their full-color glory and shipped off via UPS straight to your home or office.

Simple enough, right?

Well, if this all seems overwhelming, fear not! There’s another option. You can still get the exact tickets your heart desires without mucking about with all these layout options. For just a little more money, you can order custom tickets. Yes, this is still an online service, and the rates are still quite reasonable. The only difference is that you can tell a design professional what you want and let them worry about how to make it happen.

Either way, your perfect event deserves a perfect event ticket. Whether you do it yourself or hire a dedicated artist to do it for you, online event ticket printing has never been easier!

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Whether I’m printing event tickets or shopping for shoes, I usually know exactly what I want, which means that I’m searching for a merchant who’s prepared to sell me my vision, rather than push their own ideas at me. In the past, I believed that, when it came to print products, and event tickets in particular, the only way to get exactly what I’d pictured in my mind was to find a local printer and work with them one on one to bring my dreams to life, in full color and full bleed.

In the present, I’ve learned that the best ticket printing is done online. Online ticket printing is:

• Convenient: set it up any time, day or night, from the comfort of your own desk
• Fast: easy-to-use ticket templates, online checkout, and multiple delivery options speed the process along
• Affordable: a streamlined process means a pared down pricetag

Besides that, I can still get exactly what I want, whether I’m just searching for general admission event tickets, or need an entire event kit, complete with all my event collateral, like posters, raffle tickets, and VIP passes. Most people don’t realize all the options available when they print their own tickets online:

• Free ticket templates—hundreds to choose from mean you’re more likely to find the perfect design for your event
• Personalization—customize each template with all your event details; some templates even let you upload one or more custom images
• Custom Tickets—using a DYO tool or spending a little extra for a professional designer, you can create unique tickets to suit your needs

Of course, I still get all the necessary features like individual, security numbering and perforated, detachable ticket stubs. I can even choose extras like booklet stapling, reserved seating, or thermal security paper, for just a small additional fee.

Undoubtedly, my favorite feature is the custom image upload. I can take any image file from my computer and add to a ticket template. If my organization wants to brand the event with their own logo, it’s a cinch. Or, if we’d rather provide our sponsors with some extra publicity, we can ask them for a high-quality, high-resolution copy of that image. Or, I might choose to add another photograph, such as a head shot of a popular speaker whose presence will help boost ticket sales. Whatever image I choose to add, image upload is a great way to turn a free ticket template into a unique event ticket.

After image upload, my next favorite feature is the matching event kits I can purchase along with my event tickets, in particular, the matching raffle tickets. An allied prize draw is simply the best way to turn an event into a successful fundraiser. Printing raffle tickets and having them shipped well in advance let me start making money even before I start selling event tickets.

Finally, I know some people worry about the loss of human contact. They don’t trust computers and they worry that they won’t be able to talk to a human being if there’s a problem. Not with my ticket printing company! In addition to extensive FAQs, answering practically any question I’ve ever had, they also offer toll-free customer support, so I know that I can talk to a qualified service representative if I need to.

That’s why I’ve decided that, whenever I need to print up some event tickets for my organization, I’ll save time, money, and frustration by choosing an online event ticket printer!

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How do you sell event tickets? Most theaters have their own box office, with set hours when patrons can come and purchase seats to upcoming performances. But what if you’re not a theater? What if you only hold one or two events a year? Sometimes, companies will let your organization sell its own tickets out of their box office, even if you’re not affiliated with the theater or selling tickets for a show. Or, you might have a team of dedicated sales professionals, or dedicated sales volunteers, or an office manager who can deal with the numbers. But there are other options.

Increasingly, we live in a twenty-four hour society, and increasingly, our patrons find that they’d rather deal with a computer on their own terms than have to go out and wait in line, or even on the telephone, to speak to a real human being. If I can spend two minutes on the Internet and save twenty minutes of my life, I’ll chose ecommerce every time.

There are a few options for those who want to help their guests and supporters purchase tickets on their own schedules, at their own convenience, online.

• Hire a web designer to build the perfect checkout for your website, allowing customers to purchase tickets to your event right from your homepage. You’ll get exactly what you want, and make it easy for your guests to check out, but this is an expensive option, and may take some time to develop.
• Build a virtual store using a site such as Shopify.com, Flyingcart.com, or Highwire.com. These sites allow you to add events, collect payment, and track sales. However, you will have to spend some time setting them up, and maintaining them can be costly. There may be monthly fees, or a cost for adding new items for purchase.
• Use an online ticket sales site, such as Ticket River, where you can create a page for your event in a minute or two and start selling event tickets immediately. You’ll be able to accept all major credit cards, plus PayPal payments, and it won’t cost you anything!

The online ticket sales site is really your best value. You don’t have to host anything, or pay for anything. You’ll never lose money if sales are down. At Ticket River, the only cost is a 3% service charge added to each transaction, pretty much the lowest surcharge in the industry. Compare that to a markup that could exceed 58% from a company like TicketMaster! Most customers don’t mind paying a tiny fee for the convenience of doing business on their own terms (e.g. at 3 a.m. in pajamas and bunny slippers).

Creating a page for your event helps you sell more tickets, since it’s easy to paste the URL wherever you think people might be interested to know about your event. Customize your event page with a photograph and all the details about your event and your organization and put that page to work for you.

Once you start selling event tickets, a good online ticket sales site, such as Ticket River, will collect names and addresses for your mailing list and even help you track sales by generating charts and graphs! You’ll be able to sell e-tickets, which can be printed out at home, or you can send paper tickets out through the mail, or hold tickets at will call. Whatever makes sense to you: selling tickets through an online ticket sales website is a flexible way to create the sales you want.

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Event Tickets can do more that just admit one.

Sure, it’s easy to rip the stub off a perforated general admission ticket and drop one half into a bin, while your guests jam the other half into the pocket of their jeans, where it is destined to take an all-expenses paid trip through the washing machine. Or, you could start to look at the tickets to your upcoming event in an entirely different way.

Your event’s tickets can take on a life of their own when you breath new purpose into them. Printing tickets can open doors for your organization. Those tickets are pretty versatile!

Print your event tickets with an eye for creativity, and they will serve you well.

• Advertisement

With an eye-catching design and your organization’s logo printed right on the body of the ticket, your tickets can serve you well from the moment they leave the box office or the sales teams’ hands. Handsome, well-designed general admission tickets have a tendency to hang around on corkboards or refrigerators, where they help generate interest in your event and your mission.

• Souvenir

Event Tickets don’t have to be ticket-sized. Think differently. If you find an image you love, one that really represents you, why not make it a little bigger? A larger format VIP Pass, Invitation, or a Poster or a Flyer, can work as a ticket, and such a ticket can live on after the event as a frameable souvenir. You can even create inexpensive frames to pass out to your guests.

• Raffle Ticket

High quality Event Tickets should be printed with sequential numbering on the body and the stub, and what more do you need to hold a prize draw? A Raffle Ticket that comes with the price of admission is a value-added reward for your guests, and helps to boost ticket sales. Just remind your guests to hold on to their ticket stubs. You can drop the body of the ticket into a hat, from which you’ll draw the winning number.

• Game Piece

Print a few different designs, and let each Event Ticket stand as a game piece for some activity at your event. You might use them to divide guests into groups, or to lead them to other parts of the event. The image might be a clue in a game, or a picture of an item in a scavenger hunt. Uploading your own image to a ticket with a space for that purpose really allows you to customize the event. Make it whatever you want.

• Security

Don’t worry about gatecrashers. Using Event Tickets, or even Event Badges, helps you keep the venue secure. You can restrict access to certain areas, or quickly double check if someone has paid for a ticket. Printing different tickets, or adding VIP Passes, lets you scale your security: certain tickets provide certain levels of mobility. No ticket, no access.

You’ve got to have tickets for most events, just to serve as proof of purchase. And if you’re already printing your own Event Tickets online, why not spend a little extra time putting those tickets to work for you?

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