Suggested Event Flow

In addition to equipping you with the tools to host a successful event, we also want to provide resources to help you maximize their use. This article reviews our suggested flow of an event, from ticketing to collecting payments post event. Each line item will linked out to the affiliated article. 

Suggested Event Flow 

• Creating Your Event

• Ticketing 

• Sponsorship

• Messaging

• Check-In

• Item Sales & Auction

• Collecting Payment

• Closing Out Your Event

Creating & Preparing for your Event

• Login to manager.event.gives/login and click "Create Event" to begin!
• Learn the basics of getting started with Event.Gives. This article will walk you through uploading a background image, getting Stripe connected, setting up your description, and so much more!
• Add tabs to provide your attendees with needed event information. We often see organizations use event tabs to upload Sponsorship PDF's, Annual Reports, etc...
• Click the "View Event Site" button to preview the event site your attendees will interact with. 
• We suggest creating a run-of-show for your event. This allows you to have your messaging, check-in, open and close times for your auction and items, speaking moments, and checkout planned and organized prior to event day. Click here for more information on creating a fool-proof run-of-show. 

Ticketing 

• Our platform fee is entirely transaction based. This means, all features readily available on the site that are not listed as add-on's are available to your team. This includes our full featured ticketing.
  • • Why do we suggest adding ticketing to your event? By having your item sales, tickets sales, auction, donations, and downloadable receipts in once place, with one login, gives your attendees a seamless event experience. In addition, our ticketing provides you with the ability to collect attendee information and even custom event information, such as meal choices, shirt size, dietary restrictions, and more!
• Navigate to your 'Tickets' tab to begin adding tickets to your event site. 
• We suggest adding a raffle item to your ticketing modal to act as a "door sale." To do so, add a raffle or fixed price item and ensure the "Show on Event Ticketing?" is checked.
• Already sold tickets elsewhere? Purchase our bulk supporter upload add-on to upload your attendees to your event site. 

Sponsorship 

• You can easily sell sponsorships and tables using our ticketing feature. We also offer the ability to sell sponsorships that do not contain an affiliated "seat" or "ticket." 
• Click here to learn more about our RSVP Sponsorships and how you can offer complimentary tickets to your sponsors, etc...

Messaging 

• Click here to access our templated messaging guide! This resource will allow you to copy and paste our templated messages and send them out during your event. 
• Click here to learn more about messaging based on user tags. User tags are a great way to manage your attendees. In addition, this is a great way to indicate to your checkin or checkout team, information about the supporter they are interacting with. User tags such as "Staff," "Volunteer," "VIP," and "Board Member," are all commonly used.

Check-In

• We suggest setting up time with your Event.Gives customer success representative to walk through the check-in process, make a plan, and ensure your staff and volunteers assisting with check-in are well trained. 
• User tags, mentioned in the "Messaging" section above, can have affiliated notes that pop-up for the staff and volunteers facilitating check-in. This is a great way to alert them of medical needs, special treatment, and more!

Item Sales & Auction

• It is important to offer a reasonable number of items in your auction. We suggest 1 item for every 4-5 supporters. This not only increases the item appeal but ensures that the majority of your items will be sold by the end of the event. 
  • • Example: You have an estimate headcount of 400 Attendees (*It is fair to assume a majority of these are couples making purchases together, therefore, you can cut this headcount down to an estimate 250 attendees) you would then want roughly 60-70 items. 
• If you are intending to have item sales, such as raffle or fixed price items, at the door or during your event, we suggest printing QR codes for these items. In addition, it is important to have one staff member or volunteer in this area assisting those who are purchasing items. Click here to learn more about printing item cards with affiliated QR codes. 

Collecting Payment 

• We always suggest having a strategy for your checkout. Every organization facilitates checkout differently. Interested in learning more about how to facilitate your checkout? Reach out to us at support@event.gives to speak with a member of our customer success team. 
  • • *Our team's suggestion is to organize your checkout by item code. When a supporter approaches the table to checkout, you will want to have two smaller sticky notes next to your computer. After completing checkout, you will write the item codes on the first sticky note and repeat the process for the second sticky note. Next, hand one sticky note to the supporter who won the items. The other sticky note should go to the item runner. This allows the item runner to simply repeat the item codes to those waiting, instead of remembering a face or a supporter's name. 
• After closing your auction, we suggest sending a payment link to your attendees. This link is a magic link and is specific to each individual. This will skip the login process and take the supporter directly to their cart to complete any outstanding payments. Supporters who do not have outstanding unpaid items/donation/etc.. in their cart will not receive this link. 
• We always suggest facilitating checkout within the 'Supporters' tab. If the event is strictly item sales/auction items and there were no donations collected, then we suggest using the "View Auction Winner" report in order to checkout your guests.