• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

I have to get a ticket... For a free event?

Sherlock77

Sherlock77

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
It drives me crazy now how even a free event now often requires booking a ticket in advance

Tonight? A small gallery is hosting a photo show, I've been to it before... Yes it gets fairly busy but you just show up for it... I looked at their website tonight, I was required to pre-book a free ticket to even go into the gallery reception night, according to what I saw

It's close to my house anyway so I may just show up and see what happens at the door

But I struggle with (and dislike) how so many free arts events and receptions require this stupid pre-registration... And we all know that there are lots of people who for all sorts of reasons won't make it to the reception...

Grrrrrr!!! Is this me being Autistic, with this particular reception the thought never even crossed my mind about pre-registering, because I know they haven't done that in the past... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! :rolleyes:
 
Interesting to look up possible motives, regardless of the venue:

"The biggest benefit to you as an event organizer is that you have to work less to attract registrations as a whole.

But that doesn’t mean that simply offering free entry is a guaranteed winner. Your exhibitors will want the right people for their product and service at your event and not just a bunch of random people who are there for a day out and the free swag on offer.

In my experience as an exhibitor at free to enter events, the audience demographic is very diverse which makes it really hard to find the diamonds amongst the coal from a lead perspective.

So it is important that whilst offering free attendance that you work hard to grab the interest of attendees your exhibitors actually want at your event.

If you don’t do this, then you will disappoint your exhibitors and they won’t return next year."

Free vs Paid Entry : What To Expect At Your Event
 
Judge said:
Interesting to look up possible motives, regardless of the venue:

"The biggest benefit to you as an event organizer is that you have to work less to attract registrations as a whole.

But that doesn’t mean that simply offering free entry is a guaranteed winner. Your exhibitors will want the right people for their product and service at your event and not just a bunch of random people who are there for a day out and the free swag on offer.

In my experience as an exhibitor at free to enter events, the audience demographic is very diverse which makes it really hard to find the diamonds amongst the coal from a lead perspective.

So it is important that whilst offering free attendance that you work hard to grab the interest of attendees your exhibitors actually want at your event.

If you don’t do this, then you will disappoint your exhibitors and they won’t return next year."

Free vs Paid Entry : What To Expect At Your Event
Click to expand...

This reception in particular is a photographer collective, so I believe only the members have their work on the wall... But you are right, as to why they would limit potential buyers by possibly capping the free attendance, or maybe it isn't free any more to attend this reception, I still plan to "crash" the party
 
Sherlock77 said:
This reception in particular is a photographer collective, so I believe only the members have their work on the wall... But you are right, as to why they would limit potential buyers by possibly capping the free attendance, or maybe it isn't free any more to attend this reception, I still plan to "crash" the party
Click to expand...
Sounds like a plan. :cool:
 
Judge said:
Sounds like a plan. :cool:
Click to expand...

Alright I chickened out, maybe I just also just wanted a quiet evening too, I also have a funny feeling I might have had a really bad reaction if they didn't let me in, because I think it's stupid for them to do something like that, and I just might have said something about that :rolleyes:
 
Sherlock77 said:
It drives me crazy now how even a free event now often requires booking a ticket in advance
Click to expand...
As a Calgarian who has had to engage in vehicular jousting for a parking spot at popular venues, you are aware that the demand for free events and attractions outstrips the availability of the offerings. Chaos ensues when many more people than can be accommodated show up and become upset. I think tickets to manage overcrowding is the new normal.
 
velociraptor said:
As a Calgarian who has had to engage in vehicular jousting for a parking spot at popular venues, you are aware that the demand for free events and attractions outstrips the availability of the offerings. Chaos ensues when many more people than can be accommodated show up and become upset. I think tickets to manage overcrowding is the new normal.
Click to expand...

In this particular case I just don't buy it, all it means is that lots of people end up missing out (not just me), we all know that lots of people who reserved a ticket won't make it for various reasons

My biggest overall issue is that this kind of thing takes away from people being spontaneous, just simply showing up, and someone like myself just misses out on life itself :(
 
Tickets to free events usually happen when the venue has a restriction on numbers. If the capacity is say 200, one can't go over that number. It's seen as a health hazard if say for example there's an emergency and an evacuation is needed. If there are too many people in the building that's going to be much harder to do. So the way to keep numbers at safe levels is to ticket them, even if the tickets are free.

Just putting that out there.
 
Sherlock77 said:
This reception in particular is a photographer collective, so I believe only the members have their work on the wall... But you are right, as to why they would limit potential buyers by possibly capping the free attendance, or maybe it isn't free any more to attend this reception, I still plan to "crash" the party
Click to expand...

Do you have fire codes and building occupancy laws where you live? The organizers may need a potential headcount of attendees to comply with laws and/or to protect liability insurance coverage in case something happens that could render the organizers legally liable.
 
Mary Terry said:
Do you have fire codes and building occupancy laws where you live? The organizers may need a potential headcount of attendees to comply with laws and/or to protect liability insurance coverage in case something happens that could render the organizers legally liable.
Click to expand...
velociraptor said:
Those running venues are expected to have measures in place for controlling numbers to comply with fire and safety codes and are expected to be able to submit documents listing their procedures upon each renewal.
Click to expand...

Maybe there is a real reason but I've only noticed this trend in the last few years, and at least in some cases it means that I can't just decide randomly that I do feel like going to the event

Maybe it's my dislike of change, and the memory of what I used to do

Also knowing in advance for next year I may just pre-book, in case I do have that night free
 
Sherlock77 said:
but I've only noticed this trend in the last few years
Click to expand...
You can thank COVID for that. A lot of people who would have traveled were forced to stay in Canada a few years ago because travel was either not possible at all or a bureaucratic nightmare. This caused local venues that weren't overrun pre-pandemic to have to come up with new strategies to satisfy insurance requirements because of the new crowding issues...

City police, bylaw close Bowness Park entrance amid crowding concerns

Once insurance companies put a process in place it is there forever. Trust me on this, it is my life.
 
velociraptor said:
You can thank COVID for that. A lot of people who would have traveled were forced to stay in Canada a few years ago because travel was either not possible at all or a bureaucratic nightmare. This caused local venues that weren't overrun pre-pandemic to have to come up with new strategies to satisfy insurance requirements because of the new crowding issues...

City police, bylaw close Bowness Park entrance amid crowding concerns

Once insurance companies put a process in place it is there forever. Trust me on this, it is my life.
Click to expand...

:(

Which just means that life sucks 😏
 
@Sherlock77 - Sign up for whatever you think you might want to attend. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but you'll be "pre-registered" in the event you do go. I don't think you need to notify the sponsor/host if you decide not to attend, either, even if you pre-booked a spot for yourself.

They're just trying to get an approximation for how many people might come to the event. Also, if the event is catered, as many galleries do, it gives them an idea of how many canapes, hors d'oeuvres, bottles of wine, coffee or other refreshments to have available.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom