---
title: "Convention and fan event ticketing questions answered"
description: "Get straight answers to 20 questions convention and fan event organizers ask, from what your buyers pay and when your ticket money reaches you to how your team runs the day."
canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions/conventions-and-fan-events/questions"
---

1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/)
2. [Solutions](https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions)
3. [Conventions & fan events](https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions/conventions-and-fan-events)
4. Convention and fan event ticketing: your questions answered

# Convention and fan event ticketing: your questions answered

  [Get started free](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome?utm_source=compare&utm_campaign=solutions-conventions-and-fan-events-questions) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo)

- **20** questions answered
- **18** pages that show you how

Here you can find out who pays the booking fee, when your pass money reaches you and how you sell weekend and day passes that cannot be passed back over the barrier. You can also see how you sell photo ops and booths, reward the fans who bring their friends, get your guests to their panels on time and staff the whole weekend with volunteers.

1. [Does a once-a-day weekend pass reset at midnight?](#does-a-once-a-day-weekend-pass-reset-at-midnight)
2. [When is an exhibitor charged for their booth?](#when-is-an-exhibitor-charged-for-their-booth)
3. [Can a fan join the follower-only presale without Instagram?](#can-a-fan-join-the-follower-only-presale-without-instagram)
4. [Can I sell photo ops and autographs?](#can-i-sell-photo-ops-and-autographs)
5. [Do exhibitors and artists need a Ticket Fairy account?](#do-exhibitors-and-artists-need-a-ticket-fairy-account)
6. [Can volunteers under 18 help at my convention?](#can-volunteers-under-18-help-at-my-convention)
7. [Does the scanning app work without a signal?](#does-the-scanning-app-work-without-a-signal)
8. [Which phones can take card payments at the door?](#which-phones-can-take-card-payments-at-the-door)
9. [Does Fai change anything without asking?](#does-fai-change-anything-without-asking)
10. [Does Ticket Fairy work for comic cons and anime conventions?](#does-ticket-fairy-work-for-comic-cons-and-anime-conventions)
11. [Who pays the booking fee, us or the fan?](#who-pays-the-booking-fee-us-or-the-fan)
12. [When do we get our ticket money?](#when-do-we-get-our-ticket-money)
13. [Can I sell cheaper passes for children?](#can-i-sell-cheaper-passes-for-children)
14. [Can fans earn a reward for bringing their friends?](#can-fans-earn-a-reward-for-bringing-their-friends)
15. [How do I give special guests, press and judges their passes?](#how-do-i-give-special-guests-press-and-judges-their-passes)
16. [Do crew, volunteers and booth staff need a ticket each day?](#do-crew-volunteers-and-booth-staff-need-a-ticket-each-day)
17. [How do I take artist alley and trader applications?](#how-do-i-take-artist-alley-and-trader-applications)
18. [Can I see when the queue peaks each morning?](#can-i-see-when-the-queue-peaks-each-morning)
19. [Can fans refund their own passes without emailing my team?](#can-fans-refund-their-own-passes-without-emailing-my-team)
20. [What happens to passes if we postpone or cancel the convention?](#what-happens-to-passes-if-we-postpone-or-cancel-the-convention)

## Does a once-a-day weekend pass reset at midnight?

No. A pass that scanned in at 10am on Saturday gets in again from 10am on Sunday, because each scan looks back over the previous 24 hours.

On the Weekend pass, you turn on Tickets can be scanned multiple times per event under Ticket Rules, choose Day and enter 1 in Max Scans. The scanner then admits the pass once in each 24 hours, so one fan cannot pass it back over the barrier for a friend.

A higher number, such as 3, lets a fan leave and come back on the same day. Add rule gives one pass both a Day rule and an Hour rule, and the app admits the holder only while the pass is below both limits. Scan a test pass before the doors open so your door team knows what to expect.

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

## When is an exhibitor charged for their booth?

Once they pass the identity check. With the online deposit set to 100, the whole booth price is held on the exhibitor's card and charged after the check. A lower percentage takes a deposit online, and you collect the rest yourself.

Under Table Types, the Exhibitor booth holds its price, how many booths you have, the smallest and largest team one booking admits, and the share paid online in Online Deposit Percentage. Our booking fee is charged on the amount paid online, not on the balance you collect yourself.

After paying, the exhibitor photographs an ID document and takes a selfie, and the result usually arrives in seconds. You find bookings still waiting on the Needs Verification tab under Orders, where you can send the check again, take the payment without it or release the hold.

[Price your exhibitor booths](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-fan-convention)

## Can a fan join the follower-only presale without Instagram?

Yes. Fans without Instagram can join through pre-registration on your event page, and both lists can buy before the public on-sale. The follower-only presale runs on Instagram, so connect your account first.

You turn on pre-registration for the convention, set when registration opens and closes, then open a presale for the people who registered, with both ends of its window. The presale gets its own release with a set number of passes, and the public release stays hidden until the public on-sale.

You choose what earns points under Pre-Registration Actions, so fans who share the convention move up, and add a prize worth competing for. Registering does not guarantee a pass, so hold back enough passes for the presale to be worth joining.

[Take pre-registrations before your on-sale](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/take-pre-registrations-before-your-on-sale)

## Can I sell photo ops and autographs?

Yes. Each one can sell as an add-on with its own price and stock. Or it can sell as a ticket type with time slots, so fans pick a time when they buy. Each photo op, signing and meet and greet sits on your schedule beside the guest's panels. Your team then sees the whole day.

Under Add-Ons, Create Add-On sets up each photo op or signing with its own price and stock, and fans add it in the same checkout as their pass. When a session sells out, it is no longer available and your passes stay on sale.

To give each fan a time, Ticket Fairy can turn on time slots for your convention, and you then create a ticket type and turn on This ticket type has time slots. With Generate time slots, you choose the dates, the first and last entry time, how long each slot lasts and how many fans each slot takes. Fans then pick their date and time on your event page, and a full time shows greyed out.

[Sell photo ops and signings by time slot](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/sell-timed-entry-tickets)

## Do exhibitors and artists need a Ticket Fairy account?

No. Booth staff work from a lead scanner link on their own phone or tablet. They scan with a USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner, or enter the code printed on the pass. Each exhibitor sees their leads, follow-ups and results on their own page, and each trader sees their pitch, invoice and terms on theirs.

On the event, you select Operations, then Exhibitors and Leads. On an exhibitor, you select Booth staff, add each person, then select Give a scanner link and send it to them. Booth staff scan a fan's pass with a USB or Bluetooth scanner, tap a Rating and add Notes.

Each trader you accept gets their own page with their pitch, invoice and trading terms. When you place a trader on the site map, their page shows Your pitch with the pitch number, the zone and a map of the area around it, and it changes as soon as you move them.

[Give exhibitors a lead scanner for their booth](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/give-exhibitors-a-lead-scanner-for-their-booth)

## Can volunteers under 18 help at my convention?

Yes, from 16 by default. A volunteer under 18 adds a parent or guardian, who agrees too.

On the event, you select Operations, then Volunteers, and select Open applications. You add the roles you need and your welcome text, then enter the Minimum age. People apply from their phone with no account, from the link you share on your website and social media.

An applicant under 18 enters the name and phone number of a parent or guardian, and the parent or guardian has to agree before the application can be sent. Every applicant confirms they are at least your minimum age.

[Recruit volunteers for your convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/recruit-volunteers-for-your-event)

## Does the scanning app work without a signal?

No. The Entry Fairy app needs an internet connection to scan passes, so check the connection at each entrance before the doors open.

The app is best installed on each phone the day before, while every phone has a good connection. One test pass scanned on every phone before the doors open confirms each phone is ready. The first phone admits it, and every other phone shows it as already checked in, with the time and who scanned it.

A phone that shows neither result is not signed in or has no connection. Your accreditation hand-out desk and crew meal desk keep serving people when the connection drops, and their phones send everything they record once the connection is back.

[Prepare your door team for each morning](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/prepare-your-door-team)

## Which phones can take card payments at the door?

Compatible Android phones. Taps work when your payment processing account is in a country where tap to pay works, your event's venue is in that same country, and your business address or the venue's address is complete. Cash sales work on any phone that runs the scanning app.

Fans tap a card, phone or watch on the back of the phone, so you need no card reader. If a phone does not offer it, the app names the reason. Once you fix what it names and save, the option appears within a minute.

Walk-up passes come from the same ticket types as your event page, so you never sell the same pass twice. Box Office Sales shows each sale by seller, with cash and card apart, so you can settle up with each seller at the end of the day.

[Sell walk-up passes and scan at the door](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/check-in-and-box-office)

## Does Fai change anything without asking?

No. Fai can set up prizes and presales, draft your application forms, decide trader and volunteer applications with you, and draft exhibitor follow-ups. She shows you each change and waits for your approval before anything is saved or sent.

You can ask Fai in plain words, such as to set a weekend pass to admit its holder once a day, and she shows you the change before she saves it. You approve it or ask her to change it. The same goes for prizes, application forms and the decisions on trader and volunteer applications.

When an email to applicants does not go straight away, the decision waits on the event's Today page for an owner or admin to approve. Exhibitors approve the follow-ups Fai drafts from their own leads before any is sent.

[Choose what Fai does on your convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/choose-what-fai-does-on-your-event)

## Does Ticket Fairy work for comic cons and anime conventions?

Yes. Pop culture conventions, comic cons, gaming and anime conventions and fan events can sell their passes with Ticket Fairy, from one-day shows to long weekends. Expos work the same way, with exhibitor booths, lead scanners and volunteer shifts on the same event as the passes.

You select Create Event and choose Convention. The template builds a Weekend pass, a Day pass and a VIP pass with a name on every ticket. Add a child ticket gives you a discounted child ticket, and Add an exhibitor booth sets up booths if you rent them.

On the Tickets page, you create a ticket category for Weekend and one for each single day, and every pass and price release sits in its category. Fans choose their days first and their price second, and your reports still show every release.

[Run ticketing for a fan convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-fan-convention)

## Who pays the booking fee, us or the fan?

The fan pays it, unless you choose otherwise. With Added, the default, the fan pays the booking fee on top and you receive the full pass price. Absorbed suits you when the price on your poster has to be the price at checkout, and the fee comes out of what you receive.

On your event, you select Tickets and choose a card under Booking Fees on the Inventory tab, or choose while you create the event. The choice comes before your first ticket type, because you cannot switch between Added and Absorbed once ticket types exist. A third choice, Added Later, shows the price on your event page and the fee at checkout, in countries other than Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The booking fee depends on the price and your event's country, and your Ticket Types table shows the exact amount for every price you enter. Free tickets carry no fee, and there is no setup fee and no required monthly ticketing fee.

[Choose who pays the booking fee on your convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/set-who-pays-the-fees)

## When do we get our ticket money?

You get paid daily as passes sell, once your own payment processing account is linked and active. If you choose to be paid out after your event instead, Ticket Fairy processes the payments and pays you 10 to 15 business days after the convention finishes.

Daily payouts need a payment processing account of a kind and in a country where we support them, and your publish review shows which applies to your event. Any other account you link pays out on its own schedule. With your account linked before your on-sale, you are paid as passes sell, which helps when guest fees and the hall hire fall due before the weekend.

When you are paid after the convention, the money goes to the account under Payout Details on your brand. It is worth checking before the convention ends, because a payout already sent to an old account has to be recalled. Pending refund requests and chargebacks extend the wait.

[Check the payout for your convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/check-your-payout)

## Can I sell cheaper passes for children?

Yes. You can turn on the child ticket question in the Convention template, or add a Child ticket type later with its own price. With the age limit named in the ticket description, parents and your door team read the same rule.

The child pass sits in the same category as the adult pass it goes with, such as Saturday, so a family picks their day once and then chooses one adult and one child ticket. It gets the same once-a-day scan rule as the adult weekend pass.

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

## Can fans earn a reward for bringing their friends?

Yes. Each buyer gets a referral link and earns back part of their pass price as friends buy through it. Prizes on top, such as a VIP upgrade or a photo with a guest, can go to the fans who bring the most friends.

On your event, you select Rewards and open the Prizes tab, then select Add a prize. You choose what earns it, such as Tickets they referred or a place on the Referral leaderboard, and when it is awarded. A prize can go to a pack of friends for what they referred between them.

For a prize you judge yourself, you select Pick the winner or Draw a winner. Under Influencers, the Winners tab lets you select Mark as delivered once the prize is with the fan. A fan who has won keeps the prize even if you remove it later.

[Offer prizes your fans can win](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/offer-prizes-your-fans-can-win)

## How do I give special guests, press and judges their passes?

From Guest Tickets, Send Guest Tickets sends 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 records who sent each one.

Each guest ticket comes out of the stock of the pass it is on and adds nothing to your takings. Many conventions make a Guest ticket type with its own allocation, so the comps are easy to count and never eat into a paid release.

A guest's agent or manager fills in travel, hotel and hospitality details from one advance link with no sign-in. Fai fills in answers from their emails for you to accept.

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

## Do crew, volunteers and booth staff need a ticket each day?

No. A multi-entry pass suits them better. It scans in the same app as a fan's pass and does not take a ticket out of your allocation.

Under Multi-Entry Passes on your brand, you create a pass type for crew, volunteers and booth staff, then add each person under Enter Recipient and send the passes. Multi-entry passes do not appear in your ticket orders.

The booth booking covers an exhibitor's stand. Each person who works the stand can carry a multi-entry pass, so they come and go across the weekend without a ticket for each day.

[Give crew and booth staff their passes](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/run-a-fan-convention)

## How do I take artist alley and trader applications?

Under Forms on the event, Create Form sets up artist alley, and a second form covers traders. Every application arrives in one list with the same questions answered, ready for you to accept or decline.

You add your questions, such as a choice, a file or a short answer, and can show a question only when an earlier answer matches. You choose an Approved Email Template and a Declined Email Template, and the email you chose goes to the applicant when you decide.

Submissions on the form's row opens each application, where you select Accept or Decline. Under When someone sends this form, you can add each applicant to your traders or your volunteers list as they apply.

[Take applications with a form](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/take-applications-with-a-form)

## Can I see when the queue peaks each morning?

Yes. Check-In's Hourly view shows 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.

Everyone who scans joins as Door Staff, so each person has their own login that opens the scanning app and nothing else, and every admission carries a name. When a fan says their pass was already scanned, Individual Tickets finds them by name and shows when it went in and who scanned it.

Refused scans shows each pass turned away at the door, with the reason, the entrance and the hour, so you can fix a problem at one entrance before day two.

[See why passes were refused at the door](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/see-why-tickets-and-passes-were-refused-at-the-door)

## Can fans refund their own passes without emailing my team?

Yes. With self-refunds on, fans refund their own passes from their order page, on the refund terms you agree with Ticket Fairy, while Ticket Fairy still holds the convention's ticket money.

The amount a fan gets back can be the full face value, a percentage of it, the face value less a fixed amount you keep, or a flat sum. The pass usually stops working straight away and goes back on sale.

You can turn self-refunds off at any time. Once your payout is released to you, self-refunds end for that convention.

[Let fans refund their own passes](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/let-buyers-refund-themselves)

## What happens to passes if we postpone or cancel the convention?

If you postpone, fans keep their passes for the new dates and you choose who can ask for a refund. If you cancel, Ticket Fairy refunds the event within one to two days, apart from any order it cannot refund.

Postpone from Event Details whenever a later date is possible, because a postponed event can still be canceled later and a canceled one is hard to bring back. You can keep the new dates hidden while you confirm the hall and your guests. Ticket Fairy emails every ticket holder when you confirm the postponement.

When you cancel, each fan gets an email as their own refund goes through, and that email says only that the event is canceled. Your own message can go out the same day, and your event page can tell anyone who reaches it what happened.

[Change the dates or call off your convention](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/change-or-call-off-an-event)

[Ticket Fairy for conventions & fan events](https://www.ticketfairy.com/solutions/conventions-and-fan-events)

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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)