Organising a party: ticket presale, scanning at the door and a budget that adds up

A party is a sum with a dance floor

For many youth movements, sports clubs and student societies in Belgium, the yearly party (a "fuif" in Flanders) is the biggest source of income of the year. The summer camp, new equipment or a renovation of the clubhouse depend on it. At the same time a party comes with a lot of fixed costs (venue, DJ, sound, security, Unisono) and uncertain income: will enough people come, and will the bar do well enough?

A good presale makes that uncertainty smaller. You know in advance how many people are coming, the revenue is already coming into your club's account well before the doors open, and the queue at the door moves faster. Below you'll find how to tackle a party step by step, from budget to door, and how to set up ticket sales in ClearTix.

1. Start with the budget and your break-even

First list all fixed costs: venue hire, DJ or band, lights and sound, security, Unisono, printing and posters, insurance. Add the variable costs, such as drinks and wristbands. Then ask two questions: how many paying visitors do you need to break even, and what share of them do you want in presale?

In ClearTix you can track expenses and a budget per category for each event, next to ticket revenue. You see what's left and how many tickets you need to break even. It's included in every plan, the Free plan too. The help page Expenses, budget and result explains how it works.

2. Sort out the paperwork in time

Which permits you need depends on your municipality and the venue. In a youth centre or party hall a lot is already arranged; in a tent or outdoors usually not. Ask your municipality, in particular about:

• Notification or permission for the party itself, and possibly an exemption from the sound limit.
• Drinks licence: spirits need a separate licence.
• Unisono: copyright (Sabam) and the "fair remuneration" for recorded music are requested through one platform, Unisono. Apply before the party and submit the list of music played afterwards, within the deadlines Unisono gives you. Unisono also offers a cost simulation, which helps with your budget.
• Insurance for the organisation and the volunteers.

3. Put the presale online

In ClearTix you create an event for the party and add a ticket type, for example Presale:

• Price: many parties charge a little less in presale than at the door. That's a simple reason to buy in advance.
• Capacity: the maximum number of visitors the venue allows. Once it's reached, sales stop on their own.
• Max per order: for example 4 or 6. A group of friends can buy together, but nobody buys up a stack of tickets to resell.
• Sales window: close the presale for example the evening before the party, or keep it open until the doors open.

Want to reward the first buyers? Add a second ticket type Early bird with its own sales window. It disappears from the page as soon as that window has ended. A discount for members or volunteers is given with a discount code; discount codes are included in every plan.

Visitors pay with Bancontact, iDEAL or card. The money doesn't pass through us: it goes straight to your club's own Mollie or Stripe account. After payment the buyer receives a QR ticket by e-mail, which can also go into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. On the night itself the ticket is on their phone, not in a forgotten inbox.

4. Don't ask for more data than you need

For a party you really only need a name and an e-mail address, and checkout already asks for those. Don't ask for an address or date of birth "just in case". A date of birth in a form proves nothing at the door, and what you don't ask, you don't have to store or protect. More on that in GDPR-compliant ticketing.

5. Age and alcohol: check at the door

In Belgium you may not serve alcohol to anyone under 16, beer and wine included. Spirits, and drinks containing spirits such as breezers, are only allowed from 18. If a violation is found, the organiser is responsible. Whether under-16s may enter depends on the type of party and on local regulations, so check that before you design the poster.

Many organisers use coloured wristbands at the door: one colour for under 16, one for under 18 and one for 18+. The volunteer at the door asks for an ID card, hands out the right wristband, and the bar serves based on the colour. That works independently of your ticketing system and is more reliable than a tick box at online checkout.

6. At the door: scanning with ordinary smartphones

On the night you don't need expensive devices. The ClearTix scanner runs in the browser of an ordinary smartphone, without an app. For a big crowd, put two or three volunteers at the door, each with their own phone. Every visitor shows their QR code, the volunteer scans and sees immediately whether the ticket is valid. If a ticket that has already been used is shown again, the scanner says "Already Scanned".

Give the volunteers the scanner role: they can check people in, but can't see orders, payouts or settings. Team roles are part of the Studio and Pro plans. On the Free plan, sign in a shared device at the door with your scanner PIN. The scanner needs internet and keeps working if the connection drops for a moment. That's handy in a party hall or tent with a weak signal. More tips in QR tickets without an app.

7. Selling at the door, from the same capacity

There are often people who decide on the night. With the point of sale in the Studio and Pro plans you sell them a ticket at the door, in cash or with a card terminal. The point of sale counts down from the same capacity as the online presale, so online and door sales together don't go over the capacity you set. Want a different price at the door? Create a hidden ticket type Door that is only sold on site. How that works is explained in Selling tickets at the door.

On the Free plan, keep online sales open until the party starts. Anyone standing at the door buys their ticket on their own phone and is scanned right away.

A practical tip: keep the door money and the bar money strictly apart, with a separate till and a separate count. The more you sell in presale, the less cash there is at the door.

8. After the party

Afterwards, Analytics shows how many tickets were sold and how many visitors actually checked in. Put that next to your expenses and you know the result of the night. You'll also know whether to push the presale harder next year, whether you need a bigger venue, or whether the price can stay as it is. Don't forget to submit the list of music played to Unisono.

Short checklist for your party

• Budget with fixed and variable costs, and your break-even in number of tickets
• Notification to the municipality, drinks licence and Unisono application in time
• Ticket type "Presale" with capacity, max per order and sales window
• Optionally an Early bird type and a discount code for members
• No unnecessary data in the order form
• Age check and wristbands at the door
• Two or three volunteers with the scanner role (Studio or Pro), each with their own phone, or a shared device with a scanner PIN
• Point of sale for people buying at the door (Studio or Pro), or online sales open until the start
• Door and bar money kept apart

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules of your municipality and of Unisono before your party.

Why this matters to us

ClearTix was built in Haaltert, by a photo club that couldn't find a ticketing platform that suited a club. A party is a good example: a group of volunteers, a night with a lot of fixed costs and income that has to go back to the club. That's why the ticket money goes straight to your club's own Mollie or Stripe account.

Organising a party this year? Create a free account and set up your presale. Getting started is free: no setup fee and no subscription for your first 3 events per month. The fee per ticket sold is on our pricing page; the payment fee of Mollie or Stripe is paid directly to your payment provider.