Question

Topic: Other

Hosting An Effective B2c Event: Do You Charge For Tickets Or Not?

Posted by erin on 8/10/2010 at 5:56 PM ET 250 Points
To give an overview, we are going to be hosting a local concert featuring 3 local bands. This is for a client of ours and are debating whether to charge $ for this event or to offer it as a Free event. Our goal is to raise awareness rather then to generate money, but we want to fill seats and have a commitment from ticket-holders. So to simplify... Do we sell tickets to this event ($5-$10) with all proceeds going to a local charity or do we make this a Free event? There are Pros/Cons to both... what do you think is the right way to go? Also, does anyone know what night of the week is best for a local concert event such as this? We are targeting A18-39. This event will most likely be at an indoor theater and 3-4 hours in length. Thank you!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 8/10/2010 at 6:47 PM Accepted
    In my part of the world Friday night would work best. Depending on the location and typical local working hours you might make it an early (say 6:00 PM) start so people would move off to the venue straight from work.

    A lot of people head off for a few drinks after work on a Friday so you'd just be trying to make your event the venue of choice for that one Friday evening.

    Which means it would be worth targeting nearby workplaces to pick up attendees...
  • Posted by Ryan Rutan on 8/11/2010 at 9:28 AM Accepted
    I have recently tested both these methods on a single event (ours was a Webinar, but the case should still provide some insight).

    I used three separate email campaigns (1000 recipients each) to offer the following:

    1. Free tickets;

    2. $100.00 admission, but free if a friend also registers;

    3. $100.00 admission.

    The outcomes were as follows:

    Option 1 generated the most registrations (31%), but had the lowest attendance (11% of registrants).

    Option 2 generated 22% registrations, and 68% attendance

    Option 3 generated the lowest 2% registrations, but the highest 94% attendance

    This is not entirely analogous to your situation, given that it was a web based event, and not entertainment driven, but I think it does help to illustrate a point of human nature worth considering...things with value, even if implied, tend to precipitate action.

    I hope this helps!

    Kind regards,

    Ryan
    Branding Brainiac
    [Skype address deleted by staff]
  • Posted by mgoodman on 8/11/2010 at 4:13 PM Accepted
    My gut reaction is that charging $10 or less is probably going to result in greatest attendance overall. Donating it to charity will help, of course. And adding some prize (e.g., a raffle) or inexpensive give-away will help too. (Examples: T-shirt, water bottle, etc.)
  • Posted by erin on 8/11/2010 at 5:43 PM Author
    Thank you so much for you responses. They are very helpful and I appreciate it greatly.

    Ryan - your webinar example is great and I am glad that you shared that with me.

    Likewise, I am appreciative for all of you sharing your thoughts and opinions on this.

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/11/2010 at 7:45 PM Member
    As an aside - if you're trying to raise awareness, consider videoing the concert for later replay by those who couldn't attend. It'll make your single event have more "legs".
  • Posted by shrinivas.ayyar on 8/13/2010 at 10:03 AM Accepted
    I would suggest that you call this an "only by invitation" concert and then start fanning the idea. Create a smart invitation and start distributing it efficiently.

    You can still price the ticket too to give it a sense of value. Thus, it could be a $50 Invitation card and given to the client's Target Audience.

    It is also a good idea to distribute more invitations - about 20% more as it will act as a filler for those who drop out. We have done many events in this manner and have found the response to be pretty encouraging. The trick lies in defining the "pockets" to distribute it to.
  • Posted by shrinivas.ayyar on 8/13/2010 at 10:03 AM Member
    I would suggest that you call this an "only by invitation" concert and then start fanning the idea. Create a smart invitation and start distributing it efficiently.

    You can still price the ticket too to give it a sense of value. Thus, it could be a $50 Invitation card and given to the client's Target Audience.

    It is also a good idea to distribute more invitations - about 20% more as it will act as a filler for those who drop out. We have done many events in this manner and have found the response to be pretty encouraging. The trick lies in defining the "pockets" to distribute it to.
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