---
title: "Run ticketing for a fan convention | Ticket Fairy Guides"
description: "Build a comic, anime or gaming convention from the Convention template, group weekend and day passes, let a weekend pass in on every day of the convention, sell extras and exhibitor booths, take artist alley applications, and get guests, press and crew through the door."
canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-fan-convention"
---

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3. Run ticketing for a fan convention

Playbooks by event type

# Run ticketing for a fan convention

If you run a comic, anime or gaming convention, you sell weekend and day passes to fans, rent booths to traders and artists, and bring guests, press and volunteers through the same doors. Once the passes are set up, each one lets its holder in on the days it covers, and your door team scans fans, traders and crew with one app.

Takes:  20 minutes

- [Build the convention from the Convention template](#step-1)
- [Group the passes by the days they cover](#step-2)
- [Let a weekend pass in on every day of the convention](#step-3)
- [Sell merchandise, parking and extras with the pass](#step-4)
- [Take artist alley and trader applications](#step-5)
- [Price the exhibitor booth](#step-6)
- [Send guest tickets to your guests and press](#step-7)
- [Give crew, volunteers and traders a multi-entry pass](#step-8)
- [Open the on-sale at the minute you announced](#step-9)
- [Put the scanning app on the door team's phones](#step-10)
- [Follow arrivals while the doors are open](#step-11)

## Before you start

- You're a brand owner or admin. You can create events, change tickets, add-ons and table types, and publish.
- You know the days you run, what a weekend, day and VIP pass cost, and which extras and exhibitor booths you sell.
- You have the list of guests, press, crew and volunteers who come in without buying a ticket.

1. ## Build the convention from the Convention template

   Select **Create Event**, choose **Convention** and turn on **Add an exhibitor booth** if you rent booths. The template builds a Weekend pass, a Day pass and a VIP pass with a name on every ticket, and **Add a child ticket** adds a discounted Child ticket.

   **Note:** You can rename, reprice or remove each pass, the Cloakroom add-on and the booth before you create the event. A convention you ran last year is quicker to duplicate than to rebuild.

   [Create an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/create-an-event)

   ![The Convention template with its selling choices, the exhibitor booth and child ticket questions, and the weekend, day and VIP passes it creates](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-event-templates--convention.png)    
   *Create Event, Convention template.*
2. ## Group the passes by the days they cover

   On the event's **Tickets** page, create a ticket category for Weekend and one for each single day, then put every pass and price release in its category. Fans then choose the days first and the price second.

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

   ![Ticket Categories section with a category for each day and one for the full weekend](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-ticket-categories--categories.png)    
   *Tickets, Ticket Categories.*
3. ## Let a weekend pass in on every day of the convention

   On the Weekend pass, turn on **Tickets can be scanned multiple times per event**, choose **Day** and enter 2 in **Max Scans**. Ticket Fairy counts the scans in the 24 hours before each new scan, so 2 lets a fan who arrived later yesterday back in this morning, and the scanner refuses a third scan inside the same 24 hours.

   **Note:** A Day pass keeps the standard rule of one entry per event. Enter a higher number when fans may leave and come back during the day.

   [Set ticket entry and repeat-scan rules](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/set-ticket-entry-and-repeat-scan-rules)

   ![Ticket Rules with a daily repeat-scan limit for a weekend pass](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-tickets--scan-rules.png)    
   *Tickets, ticket type, Ticket Rules.*
4. ## Sell merchandise, parking and extras with the pass

   Under **Add-Ons**, select **Create Add-On** for each extra, such as a convention tote, a parking pass or the cloakroom, with its own price and stock. Fans add them in the same checkout as their pass.

   **Note:** Limit an add-on to the passes it belongs with, so a Sunday-only fan is not offered weekend parking.

   [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 the name, price, stock and the switches that limit it](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-add-ons--new-add-on.png)    
   *Tickets, Add-Ons, Create Add-On.*
5. ## Take artist alley and trader applications

   Open **Forms** on the event and select **Create Form** for artist alley and a second one for traders. Every application arrives in one list with the same questions answered, ready for you to accept or decline.

   **Note:** Once you accept an applicant, their row offers you a guest ticket or an invitation to buy for them.

   [Build an application or sign-up form for your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/take-applications-with-a-form)

   ![The Forms page with two application forms, their dates and their public addresses](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-custom-forms--forms.png)    
   *Event, Forms.*
6. ## Price the exhibitor booth

   Open the Exhibitor booth under **Table Types** and enter its price, how many booths you have, the smallest and largest team one booking admits, and 100 in **Online Deposit Percentage**. With 100 in that field, Ticket Fairy holds the whole booth price on the trader's card and charges it once they pass the identity check.

   **Note:** After paying, each trader photographs an ID document and takes a selfie before their booking is confirmed. A trader who has passed the check before skips it.
   **Tip:** Create a separate table type for each booth size or position with its own price, such as a corner booth or an artist alley table.

   [Sell VIP tables and bottle service through your promoters](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-vip-tables-and-bottle-service)

   ![Table type form with the name, price, number of sales, guest limits and online deposit](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-table-tickets--vip-booth.png)    
   *Tickets, Table Types.*
7. ## Send guest tickets to your guests and press

   Open **Guest Tickets**, select **Send Guest Tickets** and send each guest, cosplay judge and journalist a ticket on the pass they should hold. They scan in like a paying fan, and the issued list shows who sent each one.

   **Note:** A guest ticket comes out of that pass's stock, so leave room in the allocation for the guests you invite.

   [Send free tickets to your guest list](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/issue-guest-tickets)

   ![Guest ticket form with the ticket type list open, a quantity and the first ticket holder](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-guest-tickets--send-guest-tickets.png)    
   *Event, Guest Tickets, Send Guest Tickets.*
8. ## Give crew, volunteers and traders a multi-entry pass

   Open **Multi-Entry Passes** on your brand, create a pass type for crew, volunteers and booth staff, then add each person under **Enter Recipient** and send the passes. The same app scans passes and tickets, and a pass does not take a ticket out of your allocation.

   **Note:** The maximum number of uses covers the whole convention rather than one day, so set it high enough for every trip in and out across all your days. Ticket Fairy support turns passes on for a brand, so ask Ticket Fairy support if the page is not in your menu.

   [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, the maximum uses and the Enter Recipient and Upload Recipients tabs](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-passes--issue-a-pass.png)    
   *Multi-Entry Passes, Create New Pass.*
9. ## Open the on-sale at the minute you announced

   Select **Publish**, then **Schedule Publish**, and choose the date and time your announcement promised. The convention page goes public at that minute in the event's own timezone.

   [Schedule when your event goes live](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/schedule-when-your-event-goes-live)

   ![The Schedule Publish dialog with the date and time the convention page goes public](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-event-publish--schedule-publish-dialog.png)    
   *Publish, Schedule Publish.*
10. ## Put the scanning app on the door team's phones

    Open **Check-In** and select **Download App** for the Entry Fairy links on both app stores. Each person scanning signs in with their own login and the Door Staff role, so each admission shows who scanned it.

    [Scan tickets at the door](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/scan-tickets-at-the-door)

    ![The Entry Fairy scanning app download links for the convention door team](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-check-in--download-the-app.png)    
    *Event, Check-In, Download App.*
11. ## Follow arrivals while the doors are open

    Open **Check-In** and select **Hourly** on each day of the convention. Arrivals by hour against passes sold show you when the queue peaks and when to move volunteers from the doors to the hall.

    ![Check-in report with arrivals by hour against passes sold on a convention 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 convention from the Convention template, group the passes, set the daily entry rule, add the extras and the exhibitor booth, send guest tickets, issue and send crew passes, schedule the on-sale and report arrivals. She shows you each change and asks you to approve it before she makes it. You set up artist alley applications on the Forms page in the dashboard.

### In your dashboard, with Fai

```
Help me set up ticketing for our fan convention <EVENT NAME>; ask about our days, weekend, day and VIP prices, child tickets, extras, exhibitor booths, guests, press and crew, and our on-sale date, then show me the proposed setup before changing anything
```

## 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 CLI to create a weekend pass with its daily entry rule, an extra and an exhibitor booth, publish the convention and read arrivals. You set up categories, applications, guest tickets and passes in the dashboard.

### Create a weekend pass that admits its holder twice in any 24 hours.

```
ticketfairy ticket create <EVENT_ID> --name "Weekend pass" --price 90 --max-inventory 3000 --scan-rule "day:2"
```

### Create an extra sold with the pass.

```
ticketfairy addon create <EVENT_ID> --name "Convention tote" --price 15 --quantity 500
```

### Create the exhibitor booth for up to 4 traders, paid in full online. Prices are in the smallest unit of your event currency, so 40000 is 400.00.

```
ticketfairy table create <EVENT_ID> --body '{"displayName": "Exhibitor booth", "price": 40000, "maxInventory": 60, "minGuests": 1, "maxGuests": 4, "guestPrice": 0, "depositPercent": 100}'
```

### Publish the convention.

```
ticketfairy event publish <EVENT_ID>
```

### Read arrivals while the doors are open.

```
ticketfairy checkin status <EVENT_ID> --output json
```

## Questions you might have

**Can fans book a photo op or an autograph with a guest?**

 Include them in the VIP pass and list what it covers in the pass description. Checkout sells passes and extras, so arrange the photo and signing times with VIP holders at the convention.

**Can a weekend pass holder leave and come back on the same day?**

 Yes. Enter the number of entries a fan may make in 24 hours in the pass's daily rule, such as 3. The scanner admits them up to that number and refuses the next scan until the 24 hours move on.

**Should Saturday and Sunday be separate ticket types or categories?**

 Both. Each day is a category, and the price releases for that day are the ticket types inside it. Fans see one choice per day, and your reports still show every release.

**Do traders need a ticket as well as their booth?**

 The booth booking covers the stand. Give each trader who works the stand a multi-entry pass, so they come and go across the weekend without a ticket per day.

**How do I sell cheaper tickets for children?**

 Turn on the child ticket question in the Convention template, or add a Child ticket type later with its own price. Name the age limit in the ticket description so parents and your door team read the same rule.

**Do guest tickets and crew passes count against my passes?**

 Guest tickets do, because each one comes out of the stock of the pass it is on. Multi-entry passes do not reduce your ticket stock or appear in your ticket orders.

**Could a second person get in on the same weekend pass?**

 Yes, with a **Day** scan rule and 2 in **Max Scans**. Both scans can happen on the same day, so a holder can leave and come back, and a second person can also get in on that weekend pass. A holder who leaves and comes back has used both scans until 24 hours after the first one. If one entry a day matters more to you than early arrivals, enter 1 instead: the scanner then refuses a pass scanned less than 24 hours after its last 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/conventions-and-fan-events)
- [Create an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/create-an-event)
- [Group your tickets into categories](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/group-your-tickets-into-categories)
- [Set ticket entry and repeat-scan rules](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/set-ticket-entry-and-repeat-scan-rules)
- [Sell parking, camping and merchandise with your tickets](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-add-ons-with-your-tickets)
- [Build an application or sign-up form for your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/take-applications-with-a-form)
- [Issue reusable event passes to crew and artists](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/issue-entry-passes-to-your-crew)
- [Scan tickets at the door](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/scan-tickets-at-the-door)
- [Run a conference on Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-conference)
- [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/conventions-and-fan-events)

### 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)