Skip to main content

Choosing the Right Event Type in SimpleTix

SimpleTix offers three main event types: Flex Pass, General Admission, and Reserved Seating. This article will help you understand these options and select the best type for your needs.

Overview

Flex Pass

  • Key Benefit: Can allow multiple scans (unlimited or a fixed amount).
  • Common Use: Ideal for farms, festivals, or any event where a pass grants entry multiple times (e.g., “come as many times as you want”).
  • Capacity?: No built-in capacity limits.
  • Season Tickets?: Flex pass offers multiple entry tickets which can give customers a certain number (or unlimited) entries on the same ticket. Think you can come to the farm every day this season - not you have a ticket to each day the farm is open.
  • Scans: Can be configured as single-scan or multi-scan tickets.

General Admission (GA)

  • Key Benefit: Suitable for most events that don’t require assigned seats.
  • Common Use: Conferences, concerts, timed entry for museums, or recurring timeslots.
  • Capacity?: You can set capacity limits for the entire event or per timeslot.
  • Season Tickets? Yes, can be set up for multiple occurrences (e.g., a baseball season pass that includes all home games).
  • Webinar Subset: A Webinar event is essentially a GA event without a physical location (integrated with Zoom or other streaming).

Reserved Seating (RS)

  • Key Benefit: Attendees choose specific seats from a seating chart.
  • Common Use: Theaters, stadiums, or any event requiring seat selection.
  • Capacity?: Determined by the number of seats on your chart.
  • Season Tickets? Yes, can be set up for multi-date or multi-performance passes with assigned seats for each performance.
  • Complexity: More complex to set up and maintain than GA. Generally recommended only if you truly need seat-level control.

Decision Tree

Below is a quick decision tree to guide you in choosing the best event type.
  1. Flex Pass
    • Use this if…
      • You need unlimited (or multiple) re-entry on a single pass.
      • You do NOT need seat selection or capacity limits.
      • You’re running a farm attraction, a pumpkin patch, or a festival with come-and-go access.
    • Not for you if…
      • You want to bundle multiple events (like a series of different dates in a baseball season).
      • You need to manage seat assignments.
  2. General Admission (GA)
    • Use this if…
      • You’re hosting a one-day event, a recurring event, or multiple time slots without seat assignments.
      • You need to enforce capacity or handle recurring sessions (like daily museum entry).
      • You want “Season Tickets” for multiple distinct performances/games.
      • You want to do a “webinar” event (i.e., no fixed location).
    • Not for you if…
      • You need multi-scan / come-and-go unlimited re-entry (that’s Flex Pass).
      • You require seat selection at checkout.
  3. Reserved Seating (RS)
    • Use this if…
      • You need patrons to choose specific seats on a seating chart.
      • You are selling tickets for a venue where exact seat locations matter (theaters, stadiums, arenas).
      • You want Season Tickets that assign the same seat for each performance.
    • Not for you if…
      • You don’t actually need seat-level control. (GA is simpler!)
      • You prefer a simpler or faster setup process.

Additional Considerations

  • Multi-Scan Tickets:
    • Only Flex Pass can handle multi-scan tickets (unlimited or limited re-entry).
    • GA or RS can’t offer unlimited re-entry on a single ticket.
  • Season Tickets for Multiple Dates/Games:
    • Only GA or RS support true “Season Tickets,” allowing each pass holder to access every game/performance in a season (and optionally have assigned seats).
  • Webinars (Online Events):
    • A Webinar is a specialized form of GA event that has no physical venue — designed for virtual attendees.
  • Reserved Seating Complexity:
    • Setting up a reserved seating chart requires extra steps.
    • We generally recommend using GA unless you specifically need attendees to pick seats at checkout.

Example Scenarios

  1. A Farm Running a Corn Maze All Month
    • Recommended: Flex Pass, with multi-scan enabled for unlimited visits throughout October.
  2. A Weekly Cooking Class, 20 People Max per Session
    • Recommended: General Admission, set to recurring weekly sessions with a capacity of 20.
  3. An Annual Theater Season with Ticketed Seating
    • Recommended: Reserved Seating, optionally bundled with a Season Ticket (one seat per performance).
  4. A Webinar Series with No Physical Venue
    • Recommended: General Admission (Webinar subset), integrated with Zoom.

Conclusion

Selecting the right event type ensures smoother setup and a better attendee experience.
  • Use Flex Pass for flexible, unlimited-entry style passes with no capacity requirements.
  • Use General Admission if you need capacity limits, multiple timeslots, or plan to offer Season Tickets without seat assignments. (Also for webinars!)
  • Use Reserved Seating if you truly need seat selection or want to offer Season Tickets with specific seats.
Still not sure or have a unique use case? Reach out to our SimpleTix Support team, and we’ll be happy to guide you!

General Admission Setup

Setup instructions for configuring General Admission events.

Flex Pass Setup

Guidance on configuring Flex Pass events with multiple scan options.

Reserved Seating Setup

Details for setting up reserved seating configurations for your event.