---
title: "Run a conference on Ticket Fairy | Ticket Fairy Guides"
description: "Set up delegate passes, workshops and a dinner, limit the places in each room, collect every attendee name, and get speakers, press and crew through the door."
canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-conference"
---

1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/)
2. [Guides](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides)
3. Run a conference on Ticket Fairy

Playbooks by event type

# Run a conference on Ticket Fairy

Conference and summit teams sell a day or a whole program, with a workshop place and a dinner seat on top, and every attendee arrives as a named delegate rather than a ticket number. You can set all of that up from the conference template, then watch delegates arrive in the check-in report on the morning.

Takes:  20 minutes

- [Start from the conference template](#step-1)
- [Group the passes by what they admit](#step-2)
- [Close the early bird on a date](#step-3)
- [Sell the workshops and the dinner as add-ons](#step-4)
- [Set arrival times for a room that fills](#step-5)
- [Ask for every delegate's name](#step-6)
- [Send the speakers and the press their passes](#step-7)
- [Give the crew one pass for the whole run](#step-8)
- [Email the people coming on one day](#step-9)
- [Watch the registration desk on the morning](#step-10)

## Before you start

- You're a brand owner or admin. You need at least a curator role to send the speaker and press passes.
- You have the program: which days, which rooms, and which sessions people have to book a place in.
- You know what a delegate can buy: a day, the full conference, a workshop place, a dinner seat, and whether students pay less.

1. ## Start from the conference template

   Create the event and pick **Conference**, then answer the two questions it asks about a student rate and a networking dinner. The template then sets up a Standard pass, an Early bird pass at three quarters of the price, and a Workshop pass add-on, with attendee names already switched on.

   **Note:** A comic con or expo starts from **Convention** instead, which builds weekend, day and VIP passes and can add an exhibitor booth.

   ![The conference template, with its student rate and networking dinner questions](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-event-templates--conference.png)    
   *Create event, template, Conference.*
2. ## Group the passes by what they admit

   Create a category for each thing a delegate can buy, such as Full conference and Day one. Buyers then see two clear choices with the releases underneath, rather than one list of six passes.

   [Group your tickets into categories](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/group-your-tickets-into-categories)

   ![The Create Category dialog, with the category name and its settings](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-ticket-categories--create-category.png)    
   *Event, Tickets, Ticket Categories, Create.*
3. ## Close the early bird on a date

   Under **This ticket type should be available:**, choose **At a specific time on a specific date**, then give the early bird pass a **Sales End Date** and the standard pass a **Sales Start Date** on the same day. A published cut-off gives delegates a reason to book this month rather than next.

   [Schedule ticket releases](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/schedule-ticket-sale-windows-and-release-tiers)

   ![Ticket type form with At a specific time on a specific date chosen and a Sales Start Date and Sales End Date entered](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-ticket-page-form--sale-window.png)    
   *Event, Tickets, Edit Ticket Type, This ticket type should be available.*
4. ## Sell the workshops and the dinner as add-ons

   Select **Create Add-On** for each workshop and for the dinner, each with its own price and a stock set to the number of places in the room, so a workshop with thirty places is no longer available once thirty delegates have booked it.

   **Note:** Add-ons are bought in the same checkout as the pass, so a delegate leaves with the whole day booked in one payment.

   [Sell parking, camping and merchandise with your tickets](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-add-ons-with-your-tickets)

   ![The Create Add-On form, with name, price and stock](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-add-ons--new-add-on.png)    
   *Tickets, Add-Ons, Create Add-On.*
5. ## Set arrival times for a room that fills

   Turn on time slots for a pass whose room fills, then set **Max sales per slot** to the number of places each sitting holds. Delegates pick a time when they buy, and once a sitting is full it's no longer available, while the others stay on sale.

   ![The Time Slots dialog with a date range, opening times and a capacity for each slot](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-time-slots--generate.png)    
   *Tickets, Create Ticket Type, Generate time slots.*
6. ## Ask for every delegate's name

   Keep the template's setting that each ticket needs the attendee's own name, so a company buying five passes names five people. Your door team and your attendee list then both show who is coming.

   [Choose which details checkout asks your ticket buyers for](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/choose-which-attendee-details-checkout-collects)

   ![Event settings with the attendee name and identity requirements](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-event-settings--anti-scalping.png)    
   *Event settings, Anti-Scalping/Fraud Settings.*
7. ## Send the speakers and the press their passes

   Issue each speaker, chair and journalist a guest ticket on the pass they should hold. Your door team scans them in like paying delegates without them counting towards your revenue, and the list of issued tickets shows who sent each one.

   ![The Send Guest Tickets form with a recipient, ticket type and quantity](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-guest-tickets--send-guest-tickets.png)    
   *Event, Guest Tickets.*
8. ## Give the crew one pass for the whole run

   Issue the production team, the AV crew and the registration desk a multi-entry pass instead of a ticket per day. One barcode gets them in for the whole run, and you can stop it the moment a crew member leaves the team.

   [Issue reusable event passes to crew and artists](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/issue-entry-passes-to-your-crew)

   ![The Create New Pass form, with the pass type and the holder](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-passes--issue-a-pass.png)    
   *Multi-Entry Passes, Create New Pass.*
9. ## Email the people coming on one day

   Email the holders of one pass or one add-on when a room moves or a speaker changes, rather than everybody. A delegate who came for Thursday does not need Friday's running order.

   [Email your ticket buyers about your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/email-your-buyers)

   ![Email composer with the audience selector](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-messaging--email-composer.png)    
   *Event, Messaging, Send Email.*
10. ## Watch the registration desk on the morning

    Open the check-in report while the doors are open to see arrivals by hour against what sold. A queue at nine and an empty desk at eleven tells you where to move your staff while the day is still running.

    [Track your event check-ins by hour](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/watch-check-ins-live)

    ![Check-in report showing arrivals through the day](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-check-in--hourly-report.png)    
    *Event, Check-In.*

## Or have it done for you

Fai, your AI teammate, can check sales, update your event or change a ticket when you ask.

Fai can build the event from the conference template and answer the questions it asks. She shows you the passes and add-ons she means to create before she creates them.

### In your dashboard, with Fai

```
Set up a two day conference called <EVENT NAME> on <DATES> at <VENUE>, with a student rate and a networking dinner, and show me the passes before you create them
```

## Offer a workshop only to the delegates it is for

Limit an add-on to the passes whose holders can buy it, so a delegate with a day pass never sees a masterclass meant for full-conference delegates. Checkout hides it from them rather than turning them away at the end.

![Add-on form limited to certain ticket types](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-add-ons--ticket-restrictions.png)

*Tickets, Add-Ons, ticket restrictions.*

Fai lists your add-ons and which passes each one is open to. You change the limit yourself on the page.

### In your dashboard, with Fai

```
For <EVENT NAME>, list my add-ons and say which ticket types can buy each one
```

## Run next year from this year

Duplicate the event once the dates are set, and the passes, categories, add-ons and settings come with it. Next year's conference is mostly this year's with new dates.

Fai can read last year's event so you can see what was in it before you copy it. You duplicate it yourself on the page.

### In your dashboard, with Fai

```
Show me the ticket types, add-ons and settings on <LAST YEAR EVENT NAME>
```

## Questions you might have

**Should I set my workshops up as sessions?**

 Not for anything you charge for. A delegate can't buy a paid session, though they can pick sessions that come free with their pass on their order page, with a place each and a waiting list when a room is full. Sell a paid workshop as an add-on with the number of places in the room as its stock, which is what the conference template does.

**Can a company buy a block of passes on one invoice?**

 Yes, with group bookings: one company contact agrees the passes and the price and receives one invoice, with a payment link and the due date you choose when you raise it. The company's purchase order number and payment terms stay on the booking for your team rather than on the invoice, and once the invoice is paid each delegate claims their own pass. Ask Ticket Fairy support to switch group bookings on for your brand before you promise it to a company. You can't assign add-ons to individual delegates.

**How do I collect job titles and dietary needs?**

 Add your own checkout questions to the event and the answers stay with the booking, so they come out with your attendee list. Ask only what your team will read, because every extra question costs you completed checkouts.

**We have exhibitors. Where do booths go?**

 Sell each stand package as a table type, then give each exhibitor a delegation of hidden stand staff tickets up to the number their package includes. The guide to selling exhibitor stands for a trade show walks it step by step, starting from the Convention template's exhibitor booth.

**The keynote room is smaller than the conference. How do I cap it?**

 Give that pass time slots with the room's capacity on each sitting, so delegates reserve a time rather than turning up to a full room. This is the same setting museums use for timed entry.

## 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 monthly fee. No credit card required.

## Related guides

- [More ways to use Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions/conferences)
- [Sell parking, camping and merchandise with your tickets](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-add-ons-with-your-tickets)
- [Sell timed-entry tickets for an attraction, exhibition or food event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-timed-entry-tickets)
- [Group your tickets into categories](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/group-your-tickets-into-categories)
- [Send free tickets to your guest list](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/issue-guest-tickets)
- [Issue reusable event passes to crew and artists](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/issue-entry-passes-to-your-crew)
- [Email your ticket buyers about your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/email-your-buyers)
- [Duplicate an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/duplicate-an-event)
- [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 fan convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-fan-convention)
- [Run ticketing for a charity gala](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-charity-gala)
- [Let ticket holders pick the conference sessions they attend](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/let-ticket-holders-pick-the-sessions-they-attend)
- [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

Start free with unlimited events and no monthly fee, and choose a paid plan when you need more.

- Set up your event in minutes
- Free events are free
- Fai, your AI teammate, is built in

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

No setup fees. No monthly 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/solutions/conferences)

### Tips for selling more tickets

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---

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)