What is the best dance recital ticketing platform? This is one of the most common questions dance studio owners ask.
The usual two answers they get (and you may have gotten) are:
A. “Definitely [put a dance recital ticketing platform name here], we use it and we love it”
– You may appreciate the enthusiasm of this answer, but actually it’s not telling you ANYTHING useful. It seems pretty obvious that if you are still using something it means you like it, right? But as a dance studio owner you need details, information and more insights about the best dance recital ticketing platforms.
B. “We used [put a dance recital ticketing platform name here] but we switched to [put a second dance recital ticketing platform name here] because we didn’t like the first one“
– Again, it seems obvious that if you DON’T like something, you just change it, right? But why did you do it?
If you want to know what is the best dance recital ticketing platform you’re in the right place. Let’s make a detailed analysis of the features of the most common websites offering the service you’re looking for.
This is not a ranking so the order is just casual. We will consider 4 factors: Features, Appearance, Pricing, Ticketing.
1. Tututix
Tututix is part of the Etix company, a larger company specialized in event ticketing. They provide event ticketing for various categories, such as dance studios, air shows, casinos, fairs, arenas, attractions, museums and more.
Features:
In order to start creating your event you have to register for free. Once you have created and confirmed your profile you will have to setup your organization’s payout method. After that, you will be able to submit your event details, such as event name, venue, seating chart, details, event images, type of seats (unassigned / assigned) and other information. The team will use these details to set up your event.
Table of the main features:
Appearance
The website is quite easy to use. There are two sections, one for Studios and Teachers and the other for ticket buyers. As a ticket buyer you will be redirected to their main site www.etix.com while as a studio owner you will need to login to access your dashboard. The dashboard includes your events, a calendar, your billing reports, your venues, your codes and donations.
Pricing
5% on the ticket price + 1$ fixed fee.
If you need a souvenir ticket by mail as a buyer you will need to pay 4.50$ as an extra.
Ticketing and Support
Attendees can get a print-at-home ticket or a souvenir ticket (physical paper ticket) shipped via mail.
Tickets can be scanned through the barcode scanner app provided by Tututix at the venue. The app can tell you if the ticket is valid or not.
Tututix offers a support via call, chat box or email (see above for days/time).
Pros:
– established company, they’re active since 2010
– dedicated mobile App
– attendees can get both print-at-home tickets or souvenir tickets mailed to them (4.50$ each)
– if you sell more than 100 tickets you can receive their box with physical tickets and extra material
– print-at-home ticket design is customizable (to some extent) and mailed tickets are printed in high quality resolution
– you can add merchandising, donations or extras to your ticket sales
– Event directory displaying all the shows
Cons:
– it may take up to 3 days to have your event set up
– customer support is not available 24/7
– if attendees forget their tickets it may take a while to check them in
– the website and the event interface look a bit outdated and minimal
– customers have to visit their main website (etix.com) to purchase tickets for your show
– Tututix is part of a bigger company who does not just manage Dance Events but all kind of events
– on their website there are no details about creating and selling tickets for virtual shows
2. Dance Recital Ticketing
Dance Recital Ticketing is newer than Tututix (2012) but it is worth a try. You may find them online under the name of Dance Recital Ticketing but they have more than one domain, such as Encore Ticketing (encoreticketing.com), Recital Ticketing (recitalticketing.com) and Dance Ticketing (danceticketing.com). Don’t get confused though, it’s the same company. While the design of Tututix was informative but quite minimal, DRT tries to go deeper, with more details about your events, how they manage them, etc. They also offer a Live Demo site and you can have a preview of the themes you can use for customizing your tickets.
Features:
Their Sign Up process is different from Tututix. You can directly start with submitting all the information about your event from there (such as your Company info, your show info, your ticket policy info, etc). The form is very long but it can be useful to have all the information they need from you to set up your event. You can also call them if you prefer and go through the same process via phone chat (20 minutes phone interview).
They also offer more extra features like golden tickets, flowers (paid extra), virtual events ticketing…
Table of the main features:
Appearance
DRT has an easy interface and there’s not a page for ticket buyers like Tututix. Instead, your buyers will have to click on your event link which will be assigned to you upon registration in order to purchase tickets for your event. You can place a link or a banner on your website and redirect your attendees to the ticket booking page. The whole process takes place on DRT servers.
Pricing
5% on the ticket price + 1$ fixed fee (same as Tututix).
There are no souvenir tickets options available so the only fees are those listed above.
Ticketing and Support
Attendees can get a print-at-home ticket or an e-ticket.
Tickets can be scanned through the barcode scanner app provided by DRT at the venue. The app can tell you if the ticket is valid or not.
Tututix offers a support via call, chatbox or contact form.
Pros:
– established company, they’re active since 2012
– dedicated mobile App
– attendees can get both print-at-home tickets or e-tickets
– there are templates you can choose from for customizing the ticket design
– tiered tickets, discounts and golden tickets
– virtual event ticketing available
– downloadable attendees list (updated in real time)
– you can add merchandising, donations and offer other extras to your ticket sales
– dedicated company specialized in dance recitals
Cons:
– it may take some days to have your event set up
– no events directory (no list of all the incoming shows on the platform)
– no daily payments (just weekly or after the show)
– the website and the event interface are quite minimal, the YT video in their homepage is not uploaded on a dedicated branded account
– multiple website domains (it could be confusing to some customers)
– your event link will have a code assigned to it (something like 12345.dancerecitalticketing.com) so, no studio name
– no full control over your event (you can’t see the preview or change some details in real time)
3. Dancefolio
Dancefolio is the youngest sister among the best dance recital ticketing platforms out there. But just like the younger sister can count on the experience of the older ones, Dancefolio established itself as an innovative and fresh platform for managing your dance events efficiently and effectively. Dancefolio doesn’t lack any of the main services offered by the other two websites but adds a new set of interesting features you may find useful if you are looking for an upgrade at no cost.
Features:
Dancefolio is probably an hybrid. Just like Tututix, in order to get started you have to create a free account and confirm your email. Right after that, you will be ready to create your first event from the website’s dashboard and add all the necessary details in the ready-made form to fill out (just like DRT). It usually takes 10 minutes to fill out the form so you’re going to save time for later. Once you’re done your form will be submitted and reviewed and the team will get in touch via call or email to confirm your information and set up the event.
Table of the main features:
Appearance
Dancefolio has a dedicated directory page for ticket buyers which can give extra visibility to your event (just like Tututix). Like this, people looking for an event in your area will be able to see yours too. Also, you will have your event link you can share with your customers on your website or just place a banner they can click on to visit the ticket page. The whole process takes place on Dancefolio servers, which means users will be redirected to your event page on DF. This page is not just a technical page to go to the ticket selection page but it’s an actual event page with studio name and logo, event location in a live map, event image, event description, social media icons to share it, a live chat for you and your customers and much more.
Pricing
4.5% on the ticket price + 0.99 $ fixed fee
There are no souvenir tickets options available so the only fees are those listed above.
Ticketing and Support
Attendees can get a print-at-home ticket or an e-ticket.
Tickets can be scanned through the barcode scanner app provided by Dancefolio at the venue. The app can tell you if the ticket is valid or not.
Dancefolio offers a support via call, live chat (WhatsApp), email and contact form. Support is available 24/7.
If your event doesn’t require seat assignation you can even create your event and manage it on your own without further steps or assistance (you can still ask the support team if you need your event to be managed by Dancefolio in each case).
Pros:
– modern and innovative company with a dedicated mobile App
– event ready in 24 hours + daily payouts
– attendees can get both print-at-home tickets or e-tickets
– you can customize your ticket with any image/template you want
– tiered tickets, discounts and seat customization
– virtual event ticketing available
– self event creation and launch (for unassigned seats events)
– downloadable attendees list (updated in real time)
– you can add donations
– events directory to get more visibility
– customizable event link (www.dancefolio.org/whateveryouwant)
– fresh and easy-to-use layout
– instant messaging integrated chat with your attendees
– 24/7 Support and 4% fee per ticket (cheaper than competitors)
Cons:
– it’s younger than its competitors
– no souvenir tickets (they can’t be shipped at home)
– no printed door ticket kit (attendees can still purchase tickets online at the venue before the show)
– you can’t sell merchandise or golden tickets on the website
– no supplementary services (flowers, etc)
– if you don’t like changing or trying new things it may not be for you
We hope this guide about the best dance recital ticketing platforms was useful.
And you? What platform are you using? Was your experience with it positive or negative? Feel free to let us know!
Oh, if you have an incoming show, good luck and merde!