Originally published: December 4, 2018
Updated: Jun 26, 2023 to reflect new coupon features and our updated box office admin interface
Topics Covered:
[0:28] – The 3 Types of Coupons
[1:14] – Custom Coupons
[3:00] – Redemption Frequency Options
[4:24] – Discount Value Options
[5:31] – Advanced Options
[6:11] – Importing Coupons
[8:28] – Group Discount
Setting Up a Password-Protected Pre-Sale for Your Event Video Transcription:
Today I’m going to show you a ThunderTix feature called password-protected pre-sales. I really love this tool because it lets you reward your most loyal fans, members, or donors with early access to tickets. Whether you’re preparing for a sold-out opening night, launching a new performance series, or promoting a special fundraiser, password-protected pre-sales help create urgency, boost early sales, and build a stronger connection with your audience. I’m excited to walk you through how it works, so let’s get started.
I’m going to begin by showing you how to set up a password-protected pre-sale on a brand-new event, and then I’ll show you how to edit this feature on an existing event and what it looks like on your public-facing site. We’re starting in the Events tab under Event Manager, and from here we’ll click “Create Event.” I’m going to fill out the basics quickly so we can skip to the good part, but keep in mind that this feature works for every event type—general admission, reserved seating, stadium seating, and more. After entering the event name, performance dates and times, ticket types, description, photo—this example is Biggles the Musical, starring my cat—and the event address, we’ll scroll down into the additional settings.
Next, we’re going to open the advanced date display options. This is where the password-protected pre-sale feature lives. The first thing you’ll see is the activation date, which is the date your event goes on sale to the public. By default, it’s set to today’s date, but for a pre-sale, you’ll want to change the activation date to a future date. Once you update that date, you’ll see additional pre-sale options appear. Now that our activation date is set for later, we can create a pre-sale announcement. Many venues take their existing event description and simply add a short message at the top to let visitors know that a pre-sale is happening and when tickets go on sale. You can format or style this however you prefer, and it’s a great way to build interest and make the pre-sale feel exclusive. You can also choose the date when this pre-sale announcement will appear on your public site—just make sure it’s before your activation date.
Once the announcement is in place, the password-protected pre-sale field appears. This is where you enter the password that you’ll give to your selected group of customers. They will use this password to access tickets before the event is available to the general public. You get to choose who receives this—members, donors, VIPs, anyone you want. Below that, you’ll also see the public access setting. If you leave the event set to “Public,” the general public will still see the event on your site, but they won’t be able to purchase tickets without the password. If you choose the “Semi-private” option, the event will not appear publicly at all. Instead, you’ll receive a private event link that you can send to the specific customers you want participating in the pre-sale. This is useful when you want to quietly run an early-access sale without showing the event to everyone else. Once you finish setting this up, go ahead and complete the event.
Now I want to show you how to update or edit these pre-sale settings on an event that has already been created. In Event Manager, I’m going to open Biggles the Musical and go to the Public Display section. If you scroll down to the “Customize Buy Button” area, you’ll see the pre-sale announcement, the password field, and the activation display date. You can make any edits you need here. Many venues also adjust the formatting of the pre-sale message to make it larger or bolder so it stands out to customers. If you change the password, just remember to resend the new one to anyone who needs it. This is also where you can customize the text that appears on your buy button. Before your activation date, the button will say “Enter Pre-sale” instead of “Buy Tickets,” signaling to customers that early access is limited to certain groups.
Before we preview this on the public site, I want to check one more setting. Under Event Information, you’ll see the public vs. semi-private setting again. Earlier we left the event set to semi-private, which means it won’t appear on the public site yet. If you want customers to see it publicly—still locked behind the password, but visible—you’ll need to switch it back to “Public.” Once that’s done, we can go to the public display settings and click “View Public Display.”
On the public site, you’ll see the event, your pre-sale announcement at the top, the event description, and a button that says “Enter Pre-sale.” The regular “Buy Tickets” buttons appear only after the activation date. When we click “Enter Pre-sale,” we’re taken to a screen that requires the password before anyone can move forward. Visitors will see the same pre-sale announcement here, along with the password entry field. Without the correct password, no one can proceed to checkout. When we enter the password, the system takes us directly to the purchase page where customers can complete their early-access ticket order.
There’s one more thing I want to show you because it becomes important if you’re using the semi-private option. If you choose semi-private, remember that you’ll need to switch the event back to public when the activation date arrives, and you’ll also need to remove the password. A great way to remind yourself is by creating a task in ThunderTix. In the top right corner, click Tasks and then the green “Create Task” button. You can create a task titled something like “Turn event back to public,” choose the event, set the due date for the day tickets go on sale, and add a time. You can even choose how you want to be notified. I like email notifications so the reminder comes straight to my inbox. Setting the priority to high ensures you won’t forget this step. Once created, the task appears in your task list and will remind you to update the event.
That’s the full walkthrough of our password-protected pre-sale feature in ThunderTix. If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to our support team. We’re always happy to help. Thanks so much, and have a great day.