General Admission Tickets

Set up general admission ticket types without assigned seating for events where attendees don't need specific seat assignments. Create multiple ticket categories with different prices sharing a common capacity, configure per-date availability, set multi-person tickets, and manage privacy controls.

Overview

General admission tickets let you sell unreserved entry to your event. Unlike seated tickets where customers choose specific seats, general admission tickets give customers access without assigned seating. This works well for standing-room events, festivals, workshops, and any venue where first-come-first-served seating is acceptable.

At its simplest, general admission answers one question: How many people can attend, and at what price?

Who uses this: Event administrators with event editing permission.

Key capabilities:

Create ticket categories with different prices (Adult, Child, Concession, VIP)
Share capacity across multiple ticket types in a group
Control which event dates each ticket group is available for
Configure multi-person tickets (family tickets counting as 4 people)
Set maximum and minimum quantities per order
Make tickets private (admin-only) or public
Hide pricing from general price ranges (useful for free parking tickets)

General Tickets overview showing the empty state with Add General Ticket toolbar button

How It Works

At a glance: General admission follows a simple journey from enabling the feature to selling tickets.

1. Enable general admission in Ticket setup

Before you can create general tickets, you need to enable the feature. Go to Ticket setup in the Event Editor and toggle on "Use general admission". This makes the General tickets section visible in your event editor menu.

2. Create ticket groups with shared capacity

Each ticket group has a capacity (quantity) that all ticket categories within it share. If you create a group with 100 tickets containing Adult and Child categories, selling 1 Adult ticket and 1 Child ticket leaves 98 available. This prevents overselling whilst offering flexible pricing.

3. Configure ticket categories within groups

Within each group, you add ticket categories with different names and prices. Each category can have its own visibility (public or private), quantity limits, and additional information. The expand button reveals advanced options like multi-person settings and minimum order requirements.

4. Select available dates

Choose which event dates each ticket group applies to. You can select individual dates or use "Toggle all" to quickly select or deselect all dates. Different ticket groups can apply to different dates, letting you vary pricing or capacity across performances.

5. Customers purchase tickets

When customers book, they see available ticket categories and select quantities. The system enforces any limits you have set and tracks capacity automatically. When a group sells out, those tickets become unavailable whilst other groups remain bookable.

Think of it this way:

Ticket groups define how many people can attend (capacity pool)

Ticket categories define who can attend and at what price (Adult, Child, VIP)

Available dates define when tickets are bookable (specific performances)

Creating General Tickets

Your First General Ticket

Validation Requirements:

Ticket name is required

Price must be a valid number (can be 0 for free tickets)

Quantity must be a positive whole number

If setting a limit per order, it must be a positive whole number

If setting a minimum per order, it must not exceed the limit per order

Navigate to Ticket setup and enable "Use general admission"
Click General tickets in the left-hand menu
Click Add General Ticket to create a new ticket group
Enter the quantity (total capacity for this group)
Click the Available dates dropdown and select which dates apply
Enter a ticket name (e.g., "Adult") and price
Click Save in the top-right corner

Why set quantity on the group? The quantity represents total capacity shared across all ticket categories in that group. Setting it once at the group level prevents overselling regardless of which category customers choose.

General ticket form showing Ticket Quantity and Dates header, Available dates dropdown, Quantity field, Create ticket group button, and category row with name, price, public/private toggle, colour picker, and delete button

Adding Multiple Categories to a Group

When you need different pricing tiers sharing the same capacity:

Create your first ticket as above
Click Create ticket group on the existing ticket
A new category appears in the same group
Enter a different name (e.g., "Child") and price
Click Add ticket to group for additional categories
Use the up/down arrows to reorder how categories display

Common setup: Adult, Child, and Concession categories sharing a 100-capacity pool means any combination of these tickets can sell until 100 total are gone.

Creating Separate Capacity Pools

For events needing independent capacity limits:

Click Add General Ticket to create a second group
Set a different quantity (this group has its own capacity)
Configure categories within this new group

Example: A venue with 50 standing tickets and 20 VIP tickets would use two separate groups, each with its own capacity.

Advanced Configuration

Click the expand button (plus icon) on any ticket category to access advanced options.

Expanded ticket category showing People field, Limit per order, Minimum per order, Hide pricing toggle, and Additional Information textarea

Multi-Person Tickets

The "How many people does this ticket represent?" setting tells Seaty how many attendees each ticket counts for.

Ticket Type	People Value	Effect on Capacity
Standard	1 (default)	Each ticket reduces capacity by 1
Couple	2	Each ticket reduces capacity by 2
Family of 4	4	Each ticket reduces capacity by 4

Example: With 100 capacity, selling 1 family ticket (4 people) leaves 96 remaining capacity, not 99.

Why this matters: Capacity tracks people, not tickets. A family ticket for 4 should reduce available space by 4, ensuring you do not exceed venue limits.

Order Limits

Maximum per order ("What is the maximum quantity of this ticket that can be in a single order?")

Leave blank or 0 for no limit
Set to 1 to prevent bulk purchases
Set to 4-6 to discourage scalping whilst allowing reasonable purchases

Minimum per order ("What is the minimum quantity of this ticket required in an order?")

Leave blank or 0 for no minimum requirement
Set to 1 or more to enforce a minimum purchase
Customers are blocked from checkout until they meet the requirement
A warning message displays on the ticket during booking
Administrators can bypass this restriction with a warning dialog

Why use minimum per order? Useful for car park tickets (require 1 per order), group packages, or workshop minimums. NULL or 0 means no minimum (backwards compatible).

Visibility Controls

Toggle between Public and Private:

Public: Visible to all customers on the event page
Private: Only bookable by organisation administrators

Why make tickets private?

Staff or complimentary tickets
Pre-sale access before public release
Emergency capacity held back for special circumstances

Private tickets count towards capacity but do not appear on the public event page.

Hiding Pricing

"Would you like to hide the pricing for this ticket on event info?"

When enabled:

Price is excluded from general price ranges (e.g., "From GBP10-GBP25")
Date selection buttons do not include this ticket in displayed ranges
Customers still see the full price on the event page and during checkout

When to use: Free parking tickets, complimentary tickets, or optional add-ons that should not affect the advertised price range.

Additional Information

"Any additional info for this ticket?"

Enter text that appears on the ticket during booking:

Age restrictions (e.g., "Ages 3-15")
What is included (e.g., "Includes programme")
Special conditions (e.g., "Must be accompanied by adult")

Colour Coding

Click the paintbrush icon to assign a colour to any ticket category. Colours help distinguish ticket types at a glance in the editor and match your event branding.

Best Practices

Choosing General vs Seated Tickets

Use general admission when:

Events do not require assigned seating (concerts, festivals, workshops)
Venue has standing room or flexible seating
First-come-first-served seating is acceptable
You want simplified ticket management

Use seated tickets when:

Customers expect to choose specific seats
Venue has numbered seats or reserved sections
Premium seating requires differentiation
You need detailed seat tracking

You can enable both for the same event. Use seated tickets for reserved areas and general tickets for standing sections.

Capacity Planning

Use venue fire safety capacity as the absolute maximum
Consider comfortable capacity (typically 80% of maximum)
Account for staff, performers, and complimentary tickets
For multi-person tickets, remember capacity tracks people not tickets

Pricing Strategy

Competitive pricing:

Research similar events in your area
Set child tickets at 40-60% of adult price
Offer concessions at 70-80% of full price
Create family packages with 10-20% discount

Early bird pricing:

Create separate ticket groups for the same dates:

Early Bird group: 50 quantity at GBP10
Standard group: 100 quantity at GBP15

Early bird sells out first, then standard pricing applies. Both maintain their own capacity limits.

Common Questions

General vs Seated

What is the difference between general tickets and seated tickets?

General tickets provide unreserved admission without specific seat assignments. Customers purchase a quantity and find their own spot on arrival.

Seated tickets require a seating plan where customers choose specific seats during booking. Best for venues with numbered seating.

You configure which type to use in the Ticket setup section.

Can I have both general and seated tickets for the same event?

Yes. Enable both options in Ticket setup. Use seated tickets for reserved seating areas and general tickets for standing areas or flexible seating.

Capacity and Groups

How do ticket groups work?

A ticket group shares a single capacity pool across multiple ticket categories. With 100 capacity and Adult/Child/Concession categories, any combination can sell until 100 total tickets are gone.

Can I have different capacities for different dates?

Not within a single ticket group. To achieve different capacities per date, create separate ticket groups for each date range with different quantities.

What happens when tickets sell out?

The ticket group becomes unavailable for booking. The event page shows "Sold out" for that ticket type. Other ticket groups remain available. Administrators can still create orders using private tickets.

Order Controls

Can I limit how many tickets one person can buy?

Yes. Expand the ticket category and set "Limit per order" to your desired maximum. Customers cannot exceed this quantity in a single transaction.

Can I require customers to purchase a minimum quantity?

Yes. Expand the ticket category and set "Minimum per order" to your required minimum. Customers are blocked from checkout until they meet the requirement. Administrators can override with a warning.

Visibility and Privacy

Why would I make a ticket private?

Private tickets are only bookable by organisation administrators. Use them for staff tickets, complimentary tickets, pre-sales, or emergency capacity. They count towards capacity but do not appear publicly.

What does hiding pricing do?

Hiding pricing excludes the ticket from price range displays on event cards and date buttons. Customers still see the price on the event page and during checkout. Use for free parking tickets or complimentary tickets.

Multi-Person Tickets

What is the "People" field used for?

It tells Seaty how many attendees each ticket represents. A family ticket set to 4 people reduces capacity by 4 when sold, ensuring venue limits are respected.

Editing and Deleting

Can I delete a ticket category after it has been created?

Without orders: Yes, click the delete icon.

With existing orders: No. Once customers have purchased, the ticket cannot be deleted. You can make it private to hide from public booking or set quantity to 0 to prevent new sales.

Can I change capacity after publishing?

Yes. Navigate to General tickets, find the group, update the quantity field, and save. Consider existing sales before increasing beyond venue limits.

Display Order

How do I change the ticket display order?

Use the up/down arrow buttons on each ticket category. Click up to move higher in the list, down to move lower. Customers see tickets in this order when booking.

Next Steps

After setting up general tickets:

Merch & extras - Sell programmes, refreshments, or merchandise
Discounts - Create promotional discount codes
Custom Questions - Collect information from attendees

Need Help?

If you are having trouble with general tickets:

Email: support@seaty.co.uk
FAQ: Check our Organiser FAQ