Tech That Takes the Stage: Digital Tools to Simplify Your Next Production

As a passionate theatremaker, it’s clear you pour hours upon hours of work into your showcases. With all that bandwidth spent on creative pursuits, you may be allowing your ticketing experience and tech expertise to fall by the wayside. For performing arts groups, community theatres, and educational programs alike, your ticketing platform should be operating at max capacity, as it’s the crux of your business model. From easy check-outs to seat selections, seamless ticket scanning, and post-show follow-ups, having the right digital tools via a best-in-class ticketing software keeps your audience engaged, your team organized, and your revenue flowing.

No matter your goals for your season, it’s always a good idea to have a strong handle on the tech side of your theatre’s operations. On The Stage presents a helpful list of must-have tech features that will simplify your productions for years to come.

Must-Have Digital Tools for Your Theatre

1. Seating Maps

Talk about a strong first impression! If you’re looking to wow your patrons from the very first step, a real-time, interactive seating map lets your audience choose exactly where they want to sit, all while showing live availability and giving them a preview of your theatre’s layout. (Yay accessibility!)

Having a live seating map also helps avoid double bookings, patron confusion, and pesky phone calls asking which seats are still available. Instead, you offer patrons accurate seating data that updates the moment tickets go on sale or are purchased. This frees up important bandwidth, allowing you to focus on what matters: creating great art.

2. Tiered Ticketing Types

Tiered ticketing and a comprehensive range of ticketing types allow you to offer options to your patrons, from general admission to reserved seating. After all, every event you put on is unique, and your ticketing options should reflect that.

The name of the game is flexibility — which means theatres like yours should be offering a variety of ticketing options while balancing logistics for musicals, plays, fundraisers, and gala events.

3. Digital and Printed Tickets

Much like the theatre itself, your patron base is quite diverse. Some of your audience members prefer mobile ticketing that allows a quick scan at the door, while others prefer the ‘old school’ method of a printed stub they can treasure as a keepsake. Your ticketing software should allow for that flexibility to help every patron get what they want.

Whether your patrons choose a print-at-home option, mobile presentation, or a will-call pickup, your ticketing platform should be able to handle it all. And the best part? The right system doesn’t require expensive hardware, add-ons, or complicated fulfillment processes; it’s just an easy, all-in-one solution.

4. Online and At-the-Door Sales

If you can’t tell, we’re really aaaall about flexibility in ticketing, which means your system should allow you to sell pre-show online as well as walk-up purchases at your venue. After all, life is unpredictable, and some people may make a last-minute decision to see your show. Make sure they aren’t left in the dust by ensuring your ticketing platform can handle last-minute sales.

Additionally, find a ticketing platform that syncs digital sales with front-of-house operations in real time; this allows your team to stay in the know on what seats are still available.

5. Flexible Subscriptions & Season Packages

If you’re looking for ways to boost loyalty and incentivize repeat attendance, having flexible subscription/season ticket packages is the way to go. That said, finding a platform that lets you build subscription packages the way you want — from season passes to flex packs and customizable ticket bundles — is paramount.

When it comes to subscription packages, your software should also allow you to offer discounts for multi-show purchases, let patrons choose their preferred seats and dates, and create exclusive, VIP experiences for additional revenue. Remember: the easier it is to subscribe, the stronger your loyal patron base becomes.

6. Marketing Integration Tools

As a theatremaker, you’re already juggling a lot: auditions, casting, rehearsals, and fundraising— on top of trying to market your shows. Your marketing efforts shouldn’t feel like an additional burden or a second full-time job, but they can when you’re clicking between various platforms and spreadsheets to get the job done. That’s why getting a platform with built-in, integrated marketing tools is so important.

Picture this: You’re sending newsletter updates, promoting your shows on various social media platforms, and tracking your campaign results, all from a single dashboard. Combine that dream with audience segmentation tools and live sales data, and you’re able to tweak and refine your marketing strategy in real time. Integrated marketing tools are the answer to achieving this dream, allowing for centralized efforts that drive conversions and keep you focused on your show.

7. 24/7 Tech Support

As a creative, it’s OK to admit that sometimes, tech is just too complicated. We are artists, after all! A great ticketing system, then, should be intuitive, easy-to-use, and simple enough that you don’t need an IT degree to troubleshoot.

When problems do arise, however, it’s integral to your theatre’s success to have 24/7 customer support to help you get things done faster, with fewer mistakes. Make sure your platform can do it all.

8. Flexible Pricing

Your audience members come from various backgrounds, and their financial situations are different. That’s why your ticketing software should support everything from dynamic pricing to early bird discounts, pay-what-you-can options, and VIP packages to meet every budget.

Beyond ticketing, your system should support easy-to-enact add-ons like merchandise, pre-show concession sales, or even donation options at checkout, helping you increase your Average Order Value.

9. Immediate Payouts

Your ticketing platform should never hold your earnings hostage, which means choosing a system that offers secure, instant payouts is key. Aside from sheer convenience, the ability to access your revenue right away will also help in managing cash flow, planning future productions, and covering emergency expenses without delay.

How On The Stage Can Help

The digital tools outlined here will certainly help you sell tickets — that’s for sure. But on a broader stage, you’re also helping to create a Broadway-level experience for your audiences. With the right theatre ticketing software, your operations can be streamlined, simplifying your team’s workload and creating a dynamic, stress-free experience for everyone.

Luckily, all the digital tools we’ve discussed are offered by On The Stage, which presents an all-in-one ticketing, marketing, and management platform designed specifically for performing arts organizations. On The Stage helps you keep everything under one roof, so you can focus on bettering your programming and impressing audiences for years to come. If you’re ready to streamline your operations and elevate your theatre, book a personalized demo with On The Stage today.