Box office ticketing software systems can broadly be categorized in the following groups.
Stand alone software - not online
Software programs installed on the venue operator's computer. The venue operator purchases the software and associated operating licence outright, then installs and operates the system exclusively for their own organisation. With this base option, no web based connectivity is provided. Customers order tickets by phone or mail or maybe a form on their website. Ticket reservations and sales are entered into the system by the box office personnel who accept the payment then print and issue tickets to their patrons.
A hybrid system may sometimes be offered where online ticketing capabilities are "bolted" on to the system. With this option, you need to ensure that the addition is tightly integrated into the existing software and database and will not require any additional or duplicate entries to operate the online system.
Stand alone software with online ticket selling functionality.
Software programs installed on the venue operator's computer and linked to the venue's Web site allowing customers to purchase tickets online. As well as online sales, box office ticket personnel are able to process phone or mail order bookings using the same software and live, real time interface.
Sometimes the ticket sales software supplier may restrict the use of the software to a single computer or ticket outlet. In other cases it may be possible to use the system with multiple terminals, although there may be additional fees charged for each additional terminal or outlet that is added. For online customers, the software system may either offer the ability for selecting and purchasing specific seats from an interactive seating chart or may only offer the ability for selecting seats on a "best available" basis
Web based third party hosted system
Internet-based ticketing system where the main database and ticket sever is operated and managed by the company offering the box office ticketing service. In this situation, the venue normally pays a fee per ticket on every ticket sold which may be either a dollar amount per ticket, a percentage of the ticket price or a percentage of the ticket price plus transaction fee. Although the database is managed by the ticketing company, the venue operator has full access to all administration functions and the customer database. A third party hosted system will normally allow box-office sales via multiple outlets, Web-based sales, and sales via any number of distributors or resellers in any location with an Internet connection.
Online ticketing functionality is normally accomplished by inserting a few lines of code into a template type of webpage either on the venue operator's website or on a dedicated webpage created by the ticketing system company. In either case, the web page should keep the look and feel of the venue operator's website with all required navigation links.
Web based venue operator hosted system
This is basically a similar situation to the web-based third party hosted system except that the main customer database and possibly the ticket server is hosted by the venue operator rather than the company providing the box office ticketing system.
Online fully hosted ticket selling services
If a venue is only holding a few events per year or perhaps one main event such as a fund raising function, a fully hosted ticket selling service can often be the best option. In this case, the details of a particular event or series of events are set up on a webpage provided by the hosting company, who then in most circumstances creates a link to their own website. Typically in this scenario, the ticket sales and payments are processed by the hosting company who charges a fee for credit card processing and perhaps an additional transaction fee or service charge. The revenue from ticket sales is transferred to the venue operator, either shortly after the event has been held or on some agreed schedule.
Ticket selling services
Before the more ready availability of easy to use and fully featured ticketing software, the most common way of selling tickets online was to use the services of a specialist ticket booking and issuing organisation who handles the ticketing operation for multiple organisations. All current events are typically posted on a single page on the organisation's website, generally sorted in some way such as event type, location etc.
Generally speaking, in this situation, the venue operator does not have access to the customer database and will only receive reports on ticket sales at agreed intervals. Service charges levied by the ticket service company can sometimes be quite high as the operator may not only charge the venue for using their system, but also apply a credit card processing fee and a ticket dispatch fee. Service or transaction charges may also be paid by the ticket purchaser and generally the venue operator will have no control over these added charges.
Naturally, within the above categories, there are many different variations, and many different options or features which are unique to any particular box office ticketing system. Since it is generally difficult to determine what features each system includes just by reading the software vendor's web site, you should always try to obtain a demonstration version of the software (without too many of the features disabled) so you can make better informed decision on the best system that will meet your specific needs.
Malcolm Kay is the CEO of HandyTix which supplies box office ticketing systems for venues worldwide. For more advice about selecting a box office ticketing system, a free report can be downloaded from http://www.handytix.com .