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Selling Tickets for Events, Exhibitions, and Performances by Seat Number

This article will help you to set up a Container to sell Tickets for events such as a Christmas Concert, etc.

Step 1 

  1. Log in to SchoolsBuddy and click your Activities & Clubs Tab (this may be labeled differently for your school)
  2. Click Tickets. If this option is not available for your school, please contact help@schoolsbuddy.com and we will be able to add this option if you require it. If not, the Instant Book & Pay button will have the same functionality.
  3. Click the Add button on the top right of the screen.

Step 2

  1. Fill out the title of the Container – we recommend calling this ‘Tickets for Summer Concert 2025’ or something applicable to the event you are hosting. This is what the parents will see when signing up.
  2. Add in a description

Step 3

  1. Allow booking cancellation: Check this box if you wish for parents to be able to cancel their booking and choose how soon before the event parents can cancel. If Auto adjust payments is checked, then parents will automatically be credited any amounts they have already paid. If the event is free, then this box can be left unchecked
  2. Block clashes: Checking this box prevents parents from booking multiple events at the same day/time (exact or overlapping). As this sort of event is not likely to be at the same time as other events, then it is up to you whether to check this box
  3. Maximum bookable events per group: This will be the maximum number of tickets a parent can purchase, e.g. 2, 3
  4. Set the activity start date to a date in the future, e.g. the date of the Concert
  5. Set the activity end date to the same date
  6. Set the Activity default start time to the time of the start of the concert
  7. Set the Activity default end time to the time of the end of the concert
  8. Set the Responsibility for confirmation to whoever you would like to make the bookings
  9. Set the Sign Up Opens date to a date when you want the sign up to open
  10. Set the Sign Up Close date to maybe a day before the date of the concert
  11. Untick Use organisational block dates?
  12. These events cannot be paid for with vouchers.
  13. Send New Booking Alerts: If this box is checked, staff members who have this role will be notified when a new trip booking is made by a parent or student
  14. Add in any terms and conditions you would like
  15. Click the green Save button on the bottom right

 

Step 4

You will be on the Container information screen and will now need to create your Group. To do so click the + Add button.

 

Step 5

  1. Name the Group Tickets for Summer Concert 2025 for example
  2. Enter a description
  3. Make Available to whoever you would like to be able to purchase the tickets, e.g. Whole School, certain Years/Grades
  4. Set the Gender and Lead Staff Member as you wish
  5. Set the Activity as Other, or if you would like a specific activity type for tickets or concerts, please contact help@schoolsbuddy.com and we will be able to add this for you
  6. Leave the Add to Sports Portal option as No
  7. Set the Default Location as desired, which could be Main Hall, Sports Hall etc.
  8. The Group code and Billing code are usually used for financial reporting and so can probably be left blank
  9. Click the green Save button

Step 6

Now we need to add events, or in this case the seat numbers. Basically, all individual seats will be an event.

  1. Click on Create Events
  2. Click on the + Add New button

  3. Name the event Seat 1A for example.
  4. Add in Vital Information if required
  5. Add in Additional Information if required 
  6. Set the Booking Options to Individual.
  7. Set Number of places to 1
  8. Check the box for the group you have just created 
  9. For the Location, if you had set the location for the group, you can select Use group default location or you can Specify a location or choose an Unspecified location
  10. If you are charging for the tickets, change the Event Type to Assembly, although this is not essential.
  11. For the Cost type, if you are not charging for tickets, leave this as free and continue to step 12. If you are charging for the tickets, change this to Chargeable. Four more fields will appear:
    1. Price per session: Enter the price you wish to charge per ticket
    2. Percentage to pay at time of booking/Deposit (%): This can be between 0% (parents don't pay anything at the time of booking and can pay later) and 100% (parents have to pay in full when booking a ticket) However, if you do not have the SchoolsBuddy Fees Module, you would have to set this value to 0%
    3. Includes Tax: Check this box if the price includes tax
    4. Payment method: If you have the SchoolsBuddy Fees Module, use the option Default - Create fees. If you do not have the SchoolsBuddy Fees Module, choose the For display purposes only option
  12. Set the frequency to Single Day
  13. The Event Date will default to the date set at the container level
  14. The Start and End Times will default to the times set at the container level 
  15. You do not need to a set anything here
  16. Click Create Rule

 

Step 7

Now we need to do the same for each seat. However, there is a short cut to save time.

Click the blue Copy button on the right-hand side.

 

A lot of the information will already be entered.

All you will need to change is the Title (to Seat 1B, Seat 1C, etc.) and check the Single Day option for the Frequency. You may also want to change the price if different seats have different prices.

A pop-up box similar to the one below will appear. Click on the green Yes, create rule anyway button.


Repeat this process for the other seats, e.g. Seat 1C, Seat 1D, Seat 2A, Seat 2B, etc.

 

Step 8

Once all the seats (events) have been created, you are ready to Publish the events to make them visible to the parents.

  1. Click on the Publish Events button.
  2. You can either select all events to be published or select individual events by checking the boxes. As this is for tickets, you will probably want to click the Select All button
  3. Check the I confirm box
  4. Click the green Publish button.

 

Click the Publish button in the pop-up box that appears.

The events will take a few minutes to be generated but once they are, they will be visible to parents who will be able to select the event and purchase / book the ticket.

A parent view will look similar to this and they will be able to select and book tickets, up to a maximum of the value you set in Step 3.3

 

 

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