# Run ticketing for events at your bar or small venue | Ticket Fairy Guides

1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/)
2. [Guides](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides)
3. Run ticketing for events at your bar or small venue

Playbooks by event type

# Run ticketing for events at your bar or small venue

Bars, lounges, rooftops, restaurants and small rooms put on quiz nights, live music and DJ sets beside their everyday trade. You can set a night up once, copy it for the next date and let a bartender scan tickets at the door from their own phone. The guests who come end up on a list you can invite back to your next event.

Start each event from a template, keep free RSVPs honest with a refundable deposit, take table bookings, sell tickets on your own website, give your bar staff a door login and turn the people who come into a list you can invite back.

For:  Bars, lounges, rooftops, restaurants and small rooms that put on events beside their everyday trade

Takes:  14 minutes

- [Start the night from a template](#step-1)
- [Keep a deposit on every free RSVP](#step-2)
- [Take bookings for your tables](#step-3)
- [Sell tickets on your own website](#step-4)
- [Give your bar staff a door login](#step-5)
- [Copy the night for its next date](#step-6)
- [Add your guests to your mailing list](#step-7)
- [See who keeps coming back](#step-8)

## Before you start

- You're a brand owner or admin. You can create events, change tickets and tables, and invite your team.
- You know your room's capacity and whether each night is free with a deposit or has a ticket price.
- You have a Mailchimp account if you want the people who buy tickets added to your mailing list.

1. ## Start the night from a template

   Select **Create Event** and choose the template that matches the night.

   - **Freefund RSVP**: A free night where each guest pays a refundable deposit that comes back when their ticket is scanned in time.
   - **Club show**: A ticketed night with cheaper early tickets and a door price, plus a guest list ticket and VIP booths when you ask for them.
   - **Concert**: A live music night with general admission and merchandise, standing or seated, with a VIP ticket when you want one.

   [Create an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/create-an-event)
          ![Ticket Fairy event template gallery with the event assistant and built-in event setups](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-event-templates--gallery.png)    Create Event, template gallery.
2. ## Keep a deposit on every free RSVP

   If the night is free, open **Tickets** and turn on **I confirm that tickets not scanned in time are charged** beside the Freefund setting, then save.

   **Note:** Each admission ticket's price is its deposit. A guest whose ticket is scanned by the cutoff you choose gets it back, and a ticket nobody scans in time is charged.

   [Use Freefund to reduce no-shows at free and RSVP events](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/reduce-no-shows-at-free-rsvp-events)
          ![Ticket Fairy Freefund event setting with its check-in cutoff and confirmation together](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-freefund--event-settings.png)    Tickets, Freefund.
3. ## Take bookings for your tables

   Optional: On **Tickets**, select **Create** under **Table Types** for each table or booth, with its price, party size and the deposit taken online.

   **Note:** Every table booking asks the buyer for an identity check, and we charge the online share once they pass it. You collect the rest at the venue.

   [Sell VIP tables and bottle service through your promoters](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-vip-tables-and-bottle-service)
          ![Ticket Fairy Create Table Type form with the name, price, stock, guest limits and online deposit for a booth](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-table-tickets--vip-booth.png)    Tickets, Table Types, Create.
4. ## Sell tickets on your own website

   Optional: Open the event, choose **Embed** and copy the snippet for a buy button, the full checkout or a list of your upcoming events.

   **Note:** Buyers then choose tickets, pay and receive their confirmation without leaving your website.

   [Can you sell tickets directly from your own website?](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-tickets-on-your-own-website)
          ![Website embed install page with ready-to-paste checkout code](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-event-embeds--install.png)    Website Embeds, Install.
5. ## Give your bar staff a door login

   Open **Team** on your brand, select **Add Team Member** and invite whoever works the door as **Door Staff**.

   **Note:** A Door Staff login reaches the scanning app and nothing else in your dashboard, so a bartender can scan tickets from their own phone.

   [Scan tickets at the door](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/scan-tickets-at-the-door)
          ![Ticket Fairy Add Team Member dialog with the email addresses field and a card for each permission level](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-brand-team--add-team-member.png)    Brand, Team, Add Team Member.
6. ## Copy the night for its next date

   In **Events**, open the menu on the night and choose **Duplicate Event**, then enter the new name, date and web address.

   **Note:** The copy keeps the ticket types, table types and settings, and stays a draft until you publish it.

   [Duplicate an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/duplicate-an-event)
          ![Ticket Fairy duplicate event dialog with the new event name, dates and the choice of what to copy across](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-nightclub-operations--duplicate-night.png)    Events, Duplicate Event.
7. ## Add your guests to your mailing list

   Open **Integrations** on your brand, select **Connect** on the Mailchimp card, then choose the audience buyers join. Buyers who agree at checkout to hear from you are then added to it.

   [Sync your ticket buyers to Mailchimp](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sync-buyers-to-mailchimp)
          ![Ticket Fairy Integrations card for Mailchimp before it is connected, with Connect and Use an API key instead](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-platform--connect-provider.png)    Brand, Integrations.
8. ## See who keeps coming back

   Open **Customers** on your brand. Each row is one person, with **# of events** showing how many of your events they have bought for and what they spent.

   **Note:** Complimentary tickets do not add the recipient to **Customers**.

   [Understand who buys tickets across your events](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/understand-who-buys-tickets-across-your-events)
          ![The Customers page, one row per customer with order totals, the events they ordered from and tickets ordered](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-customers--customer-list.png)    Customers, the list.

## Try these steps on your own event

Create a free account, build your event and follow the steps above in your own dashboard. It takes a few minutes and you do not need to book a sales call.

    Your email address    [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo)

No setup fees. No required monthly ticketing fee. No credit card required.

## Or have it done for you

Fai, the assistant inside your dashboard, can start a night from a template, turn on the refundable deposit for free RSVPs, create your table types, copy a night to a new date, invite your door staff and find the people who keep coming back. She shows you each change and asks you to approve it first.

### In your dashboard, with Fai

Set up a free quiz night at \<VENUE\> on \<DATE\> for \<CAPACITY\> people with a \<DEPOSIT\> refundable deposit on each rsvp, and show me the setup before you create it

## From your terminal

Install the CLI from [our CLI page](https://www.ticketfairy.com/cli), sign in with `ticketfairy auth login`, and choose the brand you are working on with `ticketfairy brand use <BRAND_ID>`. `ticketfairy brand list` and `ticketfairy event list` show the IDs the other commands use.

Use the command line to copy a night for its next date, add a table type, publish it and list the people who buy from you. The refundable deposit, your website checkout, the door logins and the Mailchimp connection are set up in the dashboard.

### Copy last week's night as a draft with its ticket and table types, team, promotions, emails, contacts and FAQs. Enter the start and end as local date and time, such as 2026-10-10T22:00:00; sale windows and door times move by the same number of whole days.

ticketfairy event clone \<EVENT\_ID\> --body '{"data": {"displayName": "\<NEW EVENT NAME\>", "slug": "", "shortName": "", "startDate": "\<NEW START\>", "endDate": "\<NEW END\>", "ticketTypes": true, "team": true, "credentials": false, "preRegistration": false, "promotions": true, "delegations": false, "emailTemplates": true, "contacts": true, "faqs": true}}'

### Add a booth that takes a 25% deposit online.

ticketfairy table create \<EVENT\_ID\> --body '{"displayName": "Booth", "price": 20000, "maxInventory": 4, "minGuests": 4, "maxGuests": 6, "guestPrice": 4000, "depositPercent": 25}'

### Publish the night.

ticketfairy event publish \<EVENT\_ID\>

### List the people who have bought tickets from your brand.

ticketfairy customer list

## Let Fai do it for you

Fai works inside your Ticket Fairy dashboard. Create your account, open Fai and paste the prompt above.

   [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo)

No setup fees. No required monthly ticketing fee. No credit card required.

## Questions you might have

What happens to a guest's deposit if they don't turn up?:  We charge it. A ticket that is not scanned by the cutoff you chose keeps its deposit, and a guest who arrives after the cutoff still gets in without the deposit coming back.

Can a group book a table online and pay the rest at the bar?:  Yes. Set the online deposit below 100%, and we charge that share online once the buyer passes the identity check, while you collect the balance at the venue. Our booking fee is charged on the amount paid online, not on the balance.

Do I need a separate door team?:  No. Anyone on your staff can scan tickets from their own phone with a Door Staff login, which reaches the scanning app and nothing else. Each login puts a name against every admission.

Do I have to set up the same night again every week?:  No. Duplicate last week's night and change the name, date and web address. The ticket types, table types and settings come with it, and the copy waits as a draft until you publish it.

Can people who bought a ticket hear about my next event?:  Yes, when they agreed at checkout to hear from you and your brand is connected to Mailchimp. They join your audience there, and your campaigns reach them.

## Still have a question?

Book a demo and we will answer it on a call, on your kind of event. Or create your account and see it for yourself.

   [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome)

No setup fees. No required monthly ticketing fee. No credit card required.

## Related guides

- [More ways to use Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/bar-venue-ticketing-platform)
- [Use Freefund to reduce no-shows at free and RSVP events](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/reduce-no-shows-at-free-rsvp-events)
- [Sell VIP tables and bottle service through your promoters](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-vip-tables-and-bottle-service)
- [Can you sell tickets directly from your own website?](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-tickets-on-your-own-website)
- [Duplicate an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/duplicate-an-event)
- [Sync your ticket buyers to Mailchimp](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sync-buyers-to-mailchimp)
- [Understand who buys tickets across your events](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/understand-who-buys-tickets-across-your-events)
- [Run ticketing for a nightclub](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-nightclub)
- [Run ticketing for a music festival](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-music-festival)
- [Run ticketing for a concert](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-concert)
- [Run ticketing for a food or drink festival](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-food-or-drink-festival)
- [Run ticketing for an attraction](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-an-attraction)
- [Run ticketing for a comedy or performing arts show](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-comedy-or-performing-arts-show)
- [Run ticketing for a fan convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-fan-convention)
- [Run ticketing for an esports tournament](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-an-esports-tournament)
- [Run ticketing for a county, state or renaissance fair](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-fair)
- [Run ticketing for a club night](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-club-night)
- [Run ticketing for a venue and the promoters who hire it](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-venue)
- [Run a conference on Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-conference)
- [Run ticketing for a charity gala](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-charity-gala)
- [Sell exhibitor stands for a trade show or exhibition](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-exhibitor-stands-for-a-trade-show)
- [Run ticketing for a university or campus event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-university-or-campus-event)
- [Every Ticket Fairy guide](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides)

## Do this on your own event

Create your account, build your event and follow the steps in your own dashboard. You do not need to book a sales call.

  [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo)

## Sell tickets with Ticket Fairy

Everything in these guides is in your dashboard from the day you sign up.

- Set up your event in minutes
- Free events are free
- Fai, your co-pilot, is built in

 [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome)

No setup fees. No required monthly ticketing fee. No credit card required.

## See it on a call

Book a demo and we will show you how Ticket Fairy handles your kind of event.

 [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) [More ways to use Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/bar-venue-ticketing-platform)

### Tips for selling more tickets

Practical advice from organisers who sell out, and every new guide as it is published.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

---

This page is on Ticket Fairy, a ticketing, marketing and operations platform for live events and the venues that host them: festivals, club nights, concerts, conferences and tours, and night clubs, beach clubs and concert venues. It grows revenue with fan rewards that turn an audience into a sales channel, and runs the money side with payments and payouts, Vault business banking, and working capital advanced against ticket sales. [How Ticket Fairy ticketing works](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing) · [Ticket Fairy for AI assistants](https://www.ticketfairy.com/llms.txt)
