Managing Ticket Requests and Approvals

Manage ticket requests on Seaty: review pending submissions, accept or refuse with reasons, gate members-only access, and issue tickets only when approved.

Requests page showing ticket requests

Overview

Ticket requesting gives you control over who receives tickets before they are issued. Instead of customers purchasing directly, they submit a request that you review and decide whether to accept or refuse.

At its simplest, ticket requests answer one question: Should this person receive these tickets?

Who uses this: Event administrators with Event Requests permission.

Key capabilities:

Review pending requests before issuing any tickets
Accept requests to create orders and send tickets automatically
Refuse requests with an explanation sent to the customer
See requests the attendee has withdrawn themselves
Optionally require a password to submit requests
Restrict requests to organisation members only

How It Works

At a glance: Customers submit requests, you review them, then accept or refuse each one.

1. Customer submits a request

A customer selects their desired seats or ticket quantities and submits a request. If password protection is enabled, they must enter the correct password (unless they are an organisation member). The request is stored with all their selections and any answers to custom questions.

2. You review the request

You see all pending requests in your event dashboard. Each request shows who submitted it, what tickets they want, and any notes or question answers they provided. You can review this information to decide whether to approve.

3. You accept or refuse

When you accept a request, the system creates an order and sends tickets to the customer by email. When you refuse, the customer receives an email with your reason. Either way, the request moves from "Pending" to "Actioned" in your records.

Attendees can also withdraw their own pending requests before you action them. If they do, the request moves to the Actioned list with a "Cancelled" status and any held seats are released automatically — no action needed from you.

Think of it this way:

Direct purchasing is like a vending machine - anyone can buy what's available

Ticket requests are like a guest list - you decide who gets in

Password protection is like having a code to even ask to be on the list

When to Use Ticket Requests

Common scenarios where requesting is useful:

Members-only events: Control access to ensure only organisation members attend
Capacity-controlled events: Review demand before committing seats
Application-based events: Screen attendees before issuing tickets
Private events: Maintain control over the guest list
Payment flexibility: Allow attendees to pay later or through alternative methods

Enabling Requests

To enable ticket requests for your event:

Navigate to Edit event then Ticket setup
Under the "Ticket requests" section, toggle "Yes, let users request tickets"
Optionally enable password protection to restrict who can submit requests
If password protected, set a requesting password that customers must enter

Note: If your organisation has "Member only requests" enabled, only organisation members can submit requests regardless of the password setting.

Password Protection

When password protection is enabled:

Customers must enter the correct password to submit a request
Organisation members can always submit requests without a password
This prevents random users from flooding you with requests

Why offer password protection? It lets you share the password with specific groups (such as your mailing list or social media followers) without opening requests to everyone.

Viewing Requests

Access the Requests section from your event dashboard:

Go to your event's admin page
Click Requests in the Operations menu
View two lists:
- Pending Requests: Awaiting your decision
- Actioned Requests: Previously accepted, refused, or cancelled by the attendee

Request Information

Each request in the list displays:

Status: Pending, Accepted, Refused, or Cancelled
Request: The request number and the date it was submitted
Requested by: Customer name and email address
Tickets: Number of tickets and event date/time

Click on any request to view full details including:

Request number for reference
Specific seats or ticket types requested
Ticket prices and any applicable discounts
Answers to custom questions (if configured)
Attendee notes on the request as a whole (if provided)
Attendee notes on individual tickets within the request (if provided)

About attendee notes: Any notes you see on a request were written by the attendee themselves. If you accept the request, those notes carry through to the resulting order and tickets — the attendee will expect to see them there. Treat attendee notes as information to act on, not as internal admin comments.

Note: Cancelled requests are ones the attendee withdrew themselves before you had chance to action them. They appear alongside accepted and refused requests in the Actioned Requests list and require no further action from you.

Accepting Requests

To accept a ticket request:

Click on a pending request to open the details
Review the requested tickets, customer information, and any notes
Click Accept request
The system creates an order and issues tickets to the customer
An automatic email is sent to the customer with their tickets

What Happens After Acceptance

When you accept a request:

Order created: A new order is generated with the requested tickets
Tickets issued: Tickets are sent to the customer's email address
Balance created: The ticket cost becomes an outstanding balance
Email notification: Customer receives an email confirming their tickets
Request marked accepted: The request moves to "Actioned Requests"

Payment After Acceptance

Accepting a request issues tickets but does not collect payment. The customer owes a balance that can be paid:

By card online: Customer visits their "My Tickets" page and pays their balance
By admin: You can mark payment received from the Balances section if paid outside Seaty
Alternative methods: Cash, bank transfer, or other arrangements you make with the customer

Note: Ensure you trust the person making the request, as accepting creates a ticket obligation without immediate payment.

Refusing Requests

To refuse a ticket request:

Click on a pending request to open the details
Click Refuse request button
A refusal reason box appears - enter your reason for refusal (required)
Click Refuse request again to confirm
The customer receives an automatic email notification with your reason

What Happens After Refusal

When you refuse a request:

Reason required: You must provide a reason explaining why the request was refused
Email sent: Customer receives an email with your refusal reason
Seats released: Any temporarily held seats become available again
Discount codes released: Single-use discount codes are freed for reuse
Request archived: The refused request moves to "Actioned Requests" for your records

Why require a reason? The customer will see this in their email, so a clear explanation helps them understand the decision and whether they might resubmit.

Example Refusal Reasons

"Event is now fully booked"
"This event is restricted to current members only"
"Maximum ticket allocation per person reached"
"Request does not meet event criteria"

Cancellations by Attendees

Attendees can withdraw their own pending requests at any time before you have actioned them. This keeps the queue tidy and saves you the admin work of refusing requests that are no longer wanted.

How it Works

From their My Tickets page, an attendee can open the Requests section and cancel any request that is still awaiting your decision. Once cancelled:

The request moves from Pending Requests into Actioned Requests on your side
It is labelled with the Cancelled status
Any seats it was holding are released immediately for other buyers
Any single-use discount codes attached to the request become available to use again
The attendee is not sent an email (they made the change themselves)

Why no admin notification? Attendee cancellations are a routine tidy-up action and don't require your attention. If you want to see them, they're listed in the Actioned Requests section like accepted and refused requests.

When Cancellation is Blocked

An attendee cannot cancel a request that has already been:

Accepted — tickets have been issued. Refund handling is needed instead, through the attendee's My Tickets page or your Balances section.
Refused — the request has already been closed, so there is nothing to cancel.
Previously cancelled — the request has already been withdrawn.

Request Details

Information Captured

Each request includes:

Customer details: Name, email address, and account information
Ticket selection: Specific seats (if seated event) or quantities (general admission)
Ticket categories: Adult, Child, Concession, or custom categories
Pricing: Individual ticket prices and total cost
Discounts: Any discount codes applied to the request
Custom questions: Answers to event-specific questions you've configured
Attendee notes: Optional messages written by the attendee against the request or against individual tickets. These carry through to the order and tickets when the request is accepted, so the attendee will see them again there.
Date/time requested: Timestamp of when the request was submitted
Event date: Which performance or date they're requesting tickets for

Viewing Request History

After actioning a request:

Accepted requests: Show the linked order number you can click to view full order details
Refused requests: Display who refused it, when, and the reason provided
Cancelled requests: Display the date the attendee cancelled
All requests: Remain in your system for record-keeping and audit purposes

Notifications

Customer Emails

Seaty automatically sends emails to customers at key points:

Request Submitted: Confirmation email with:

"You've just requested tickets through Seaty"
Event details and date/time
List of requested tickets with prices
Request number for reference
Total cost and any discounts applied
Customer's notes (if provided)

Request Accepted: Approval email with:

Ticket details and confirmation
QR codes or barcodes (if enabled)
Outstanding balance amount
Link to pay balance online
Event information and terms

Request Refused: Refusal email with:

Notification of refusal
Your reason for refusing
List of tickets that were requested
Event details for reference

Permissions

To view and manage requests, you need the Event Requests permission for the organisation. This permission allows you to:

View all pending and actioned requests
Accept requests and issue tickets
Refuse requests with reasons
View full request details and history

Integration with Other Features

Balances

All accepted requests create entries in your Balances section where you can:

Monitor outstanding payments
Mark balances as paid when received outside Seaty
Send payment reminders to customers
View payment history

Discounts

Discount codes work with requests:

Customers can apply discount codes when submitting requests
Discounts are validated at request time
Single-use codes are held until request is actioned
Refused requests release single-use codes for reuse
Accepted requests apply discounts to the created order

Custom Questions

Integrate custom questions to gather information:

Add questions at event, ticket category, or individual ticket level
Customers answer questions when submitting requests
Review answers before accepting or refusing
Use answers to screen applicants or collect necessary information

Seating Plans

For seated events, requests work seamlessly:

Customers select specific seats from your seating plan
Seats are temporarily held during request review
Accepted requests lock those seats in an order
Refused requests immediately release seats for others

Common Questions

Setup and Configuration

Can I use both requests and direct purchasing? No, you must choose one or the other for each event. When requesting is enabled, all ticket acquisitions go through the request system.

Can I change from requesting to direct purchasing mid-event? Yes, you can toggle this setting at any time from the Ticket setup section. Existing pending requests will remain for you to action.

What happens if I enable "Member only requests" at organisation level? Only people who are members of your organisation can submit requests, regardless of whether password protection is enabled on individual events.

Managing Requests

Can I edit a request before accepting it? No, you can only accept or refuse a request as submitted. If changes are needed, refuse the request and ask the customer to submit a new one.

What if I accept a request by mistake? The order has been created and tickets sent. You would need to cancel the order through normal order management.

Can customers cancel their own requests? Yes. Attendees can cancel any of their own pending requests from the My Tickets page on the web. The request moves to your Actioned Requests list with a Cancelled status, and any held seats are released automatically. Once you have accepted or refused a request, the attendee can no longer cancel it. See the Cancellations by Attendees section above for more detail.

Payment and Balances

Do I have to chase customers for payment? Yes, accepting a request issues tickets without payment. You can track outstanding balances in the Balances section and send reminders.

Can I require payment before accepting a request? Not directly through the request system. You would need to arrange payment outside Seaty before accepting, or use direct purchasing with upfront payment instead.