Encourage online purchases. Start to manage your day of show operations well in advance by encouraging patrons to purchase their tickets online, rather than waiting at the box office. One way to make online sales even more appealing is to set your box office tickets $2 more than your online price.

Use devices. Use the Box Office Portal to process all cash and credit card transactions so that your process is the same for every sale and all information is synced accurately to the Live Check In List.

Get help. Make sure you have at least two box office representatives set up to process ticket orders.

Collect less info. Although we always encourage you to collect email addresses for future marketing purposes, if your box office line is backed up you can skip this step and just collect the patron’s name and phone number.

Separate lines. Create different lines for Box Office and Check In. Patrons who have already purchased their tickets can skip ahead to Check In, which will keep your Box Office line shorter and more streamlined.

Post clear signage. Create signage that will help direct your patrons to the appropriate line and keep traffic flowing.
Recommend signs include:

Use a smartphone. You can use any device to check guests in, but we recommend accessing the Live Check In List from a smartphone. This way, ushering staff can walk around with the phone while checking patrons in. Ask patrons to have their QR codes ready!

Separate lines. Create different lines for Box Office and Check In. Patrons who have already purchased their tickets won’t have to wait while those who have not complete their transactions.

Don’t miss anyone. Be sure to check-in all patrons. This helps your house management staff know how many patrons they have yet to arrive, which allows them to make informed decisions about holding the house before starting the show.

Collect minimum information. Patrons can check in by showing their order confirmation (printed out or as an email/text on their phone), giving their confirmation code, or simply providing the name of the ticket buyer.

Sort your list. Rather than scrolling through the whole long list of patrons, sort the list alphabetically or search by the patron’s name or confirmation code.

Allow partial check in. If some members of a party have arrived but others are still on their way, don’t clog your lobby making people wait. It’s easy to check in partial parties, then go back to check in the remaining patrons once they arrive.

Don’t forget seat numbers. If yours is a Reserved Seating venue, be sure to let patrons know where they are sitting on the way in so that you don’t have people returning to the door to inquire while you are checking in new guests.