Different types of event tickets | All you need to know

Choosing the right types of tickets for your events can help you fill more places and reach a wider audience. There are other benefits, too, like giving attendees extra flexibility and rewarding loyal fans with season passes and discounts. 

From general admission and early bird tickets to VIP packages and fun bundles, there are tons of options to explore. No idea where to start? Don’t worry. This handy guide breaks down all you need to know about the different types of event tickets, including when to use them and how each one could support your sales.

If you’ve never given your ticketing strategy much thought, now’s a great time to get started. Let’s go.

What are the different types of event tickets?

To kick things off, here’s a quick overview of some of the most popular ticket types for a variety of events:

• General Admission: Your bog standard entry ticket; no frills, no fuss.
• Multi-day tickets: A ticket that provides multi-day access to an event (where there’s also the option to buy a single day ticket).
• Reserved seating: Tickets that provide a reserved seat at a seated event.
• Early bird tickets: An early release of a limited number of tickets at a discounted rate.
• Door tickets: Tickets that can be bought at the door of an event, without needing to book in advance.
• VIP tickets: Tickets that come with special extras, like access to a VIP area or an included drinks package.
• Family pass: A ticket for a set amount of family members (at a cheaper rate than if tickets were bought separately).
• Memberships & season passes: Where attendees pay a one-off payment then get to access your attraction or events for a set amount of time (say, the summer season).
• Kids go free: Where adults buy tickets, but there’s no charge for kids.

What types of tickets are best for my event?

The best types of tickets for your event will depend on its format, your audience and the experience you want to offer. A music festival, for example, might benefit from early bird, VIP and multi-day tickets, while a museum is likely to need timed-entry ticketing and concession tickets.

Before choosing between the different types of event tickets, ask yourself:

• Will everyone receive the same experience, or could you offer premium extras?
• Do guests need to choose a seat, entry time or session?
• Would early bird tickets help you generate sales sooner?
• Are families, students, children or other specific groups likely to attend?
• Could group tickets encourage more people to book together?
• Is your event likely to attract last-minute attendees?
• Would memberships or season passes reward your most loyal visitors?
• Are there quieter dates or time slots you’d like to fill?
• Could flexible pricing make your event more accessible?
• How many ticket types can you offer without confusing buyers?
• Can you explain each ticket type clearly in its name and description?

One thing to keep in mind is that offering more ticket types doesn’t always create a better experience for buyers. Each option should have a clear purpose, like encouraging earlier sales or adding extra value. The key is to balance your sales goals with what will genuinely make booking easier for attendees.

General admission

Great for: Pretty much any event or attraction that doesn’t require reserved seating 

Most events and attractions will have general admission tickets, even if they also have other ticket types available. Consider this your ticketing baseline; the cost covers the standard stuff on offer at your event, with no additional extras or discounts. 

Multi-day tickets

Great for: Music festivals, food & drink festivals, retreats, theme parks, safaris, water parks, kids play centres, historic sites and attractions

If you run an event or attraction that draws visitors on a full weekend or multi-day basis, multi-day tickets are a must. These allow visitors to purchase entry to your event or attraction for a set amount of days, at a slightly cheaper rate than if they were to buy separate tickets for each day. It’s worth bearing in mind that multi-day tickets are only really necessary if visitors also have the option to attend for a single day or multiple days (otherwise you’d just need normal general admission tickets).

Reserved seating

Great for: Outdoor theatres, outdoor music, outdoor comedy, outdoor cinema

Seated events can be made to run a whole lot smoother when you give attendees the chance to reserve seats at the point of ticket sale. Even with small seated events, ticket buyers might feel that bit more relaxed knowing they’ve got a guaranteed spot with their friends and family. (Most of us will have learned from experience that scrambling for a good spot can dampen the enjoyment of an event!)

👀 Tip: With Ticket Tailor, it’s super easy to create your own seating charts (we have a step-by-step guide to walk you through), so ticket buyers can choose their seats in a couple of clicks at the point of ticket sale.

Early bird tickets

Great for: Music festivals, food & drink festivals, retreats, music nights, garden parties

Early bird tickets are a great option for highly anticipated events, as they give people who are eager to attend the chance to secure their place sooner than usual, and at a discounted rate to boot. 

As well as this, they’re a great way to encourage those on-the-fencers who tend to leave decisions ‘til the last minute. Finally, early bird tickets help to build hype around your event; as numbers dwindle (because you’ve only released a set amount), potential attendees start to feel that FOMO kicking in!

Timed-entry tickets

Great for: Museums, galleries, tours, workshops, theme parks, historic attractions and busy venues

Timed-entry tickets allow visitors to book a specific arrival time, rather than turning up whenever they fancy. This can make managing capacity and visitor flow much easier.

They’re especially handy for popular attractions where queues can build up quickly. Spreading arrivals throughout the day can create a calmer experience for guests and staff alike.

Group tickets

Great for: Festivals, workshops, tours, comedy nights, community events, corporate events and attractions

Group tickets let several people book together, usually at a lower price than buying individual tickets. They can be a great incentive for friends, families or colleagues who are thinking about attending as a group.

You could offer a set ticket for groups of four, six or ten people. Just make sure the saving is clear, so buyers can quickly see the benefit of booking together.

Concession tickets

Great for: Theatres, museums, attractions, talks, workshops, community events and live performances

Concession tickets offer discounted entry to specific groups, like students, seniors, disabled attendees or people receiving certain benefits. They can help make your event more accessible to a wider audience.

Be clear about who qualifies for the discount and whether attendees need to bring proof of eligibility. This avoids any awkwardness when they arrive.

Pay-what-you-can tickets

Great for: Community events, charity fundraisers, talks, workshops, arts events and local performances

Pay-what-you-can tickets are where attendees decide how much they’ll pay, rather than you setting a single ticket price. You can still offer a few suggested amounts to help guide people, like a reduced rate and a supporter rate, to help guide people.

This approach works well for events where your core costs are already covered, perhaps through grants, sponsorship or other funding. If ticket sales need to cover the full cost of running your event, you’ll want to set a minimum price or use this model for a limited number of places.

A short explanation of what each price helps fund can encourage attendees to choose the highest amount they can comfortably afford.

Ticket bundles

Great for: Festivals, food and drink events, attractions, workshops, live music and family events

Ticket bundles combine event entry with one or more added extras. For example, a bundle could include food, drinks, merchandise, parking, activity tokens or access to another experience. They can be a fun way to add a bit more excitement around your event, or simply to help streamline the experience for attendees. Plus, they’re a good way to boost profits at the point of ticket sale. 

Keep the contents simple and clearly explain what’s included, so buyers know exactly what they’re getting.

Free RSVP tickets

Great for: Community events, talks, networking events, product launches, open days and free workshops

Even when your event is free, asking attendees to reserve an RSVP ticket can still be incredibly useful. It gives you a clearer idea of expected numbers and helps you stay within your venue’s capacity.

You’ll also be able to send attendees useful information before the event, like arrival instructions or last-minute updates. Bear in mind that free events can have higher no-show rates, so plan your capacity accordingly.

Virtual or hybrid tickets

Great for: Conferences, talks, workshops, classes, performances and business events

Virtual tickets give attendees online access to your event, while hybrid tickets let them choose between attending in person or online. Access might include a livestream, a recording or additional digital content.

These ticket types can help you reach people who live further away or can’t attend in person. Remember to always make it clear whether access is live, on demand or available for a limited time.

Door tickets

Great for: Outdoor events and attractions that depend on the weather, recurring events, events and attractions in tourist hotspots 

If your event or attraction draws in a more spontaneous crowd, it’s definitely a wise move to reserve some tickets to be sold on the door, rather than only offering advance online ticketing. Doing so can work really well for slightly lower-stakes events and attractions. For example, museum grounds and gardens where warmer days are naturally way busier than days when it’s raining. 

You might not want to reserve any door tickets for a larger scale, one-off event, as this opens you up to the risk of not knowing how many tickets you’ve sold until the day. 

VIP tickets

Great for: Music festivals, music nights, food & drink festivals, garden parties, theme parks  

Adding a little luxe to your event or attraction can be a great way to boost your profits and give things a more exciting, dynamic feel. A VIP ticket could include anything from access to a VIP area, free fizz on arrival, gift bags, queue jumping… or basically anything else that goes above and beyond ‘general admission’. 

Family pass 

Great for: family funday events, kids attractions, theme parks, safaris, water parks, circuses, historic sites and attractions, grounds & gardens

If families make up a significant portion of your attendees, it’s well worth considering offering discounted rates for groups. For example, you could offer admission for four people at a lower rate than four individual tickets. 

This can be an integral part of making your event or attraction more appealing to families, as costs can soon rack up when you’ve got multiple kids in tow!

Memberships & season passes

Great for: theme parks, safaris, water parks, kids attractions, historic sites & attractions, grounds and gardens

If your venue or attraction is open frequently across the summer, it can be a great idea to offer memberships to regular visitors. This gives you the opportunity to reward your best customers, encourages visitors to return more frequently and helps to foster brand loyalty (which can help you grow more revenue! 💪). 

👀 Tip: With Ticket Tailor, you can email all of your members using our handy Membership Broadcasts feature. This means you can update everyone with important event announcements, and generally nurture your relationship with your loyal customers. Nice. 

Kids go free

Great for: outdoor theatre, music festivals, food & drinks festivals, garden parties

Offering free entry for kids can be a fantastic way to broaden your appeal to those families who might not be able to fork out for several tickets. 

If parents can grab their tickets to a great event without worrying about paying for kids’ tickets or childcare, they could be much more likely to attend your events. This tactic can be most suited to events that are geared towards adults but which are also totally kid-friendly.

Adults go free

Great for: kids’ attractions, family shows, activity centres, workshops and children’s events

For events designed mainly for children, offering free adult entry can make more sense than letting kids attend for free. Parents and carers still need to come along, but they’re not the main participants.

You could include one free adult with every child’s ticket, then charge for any additional adults. Set out the rules clearly, so families know how many tickets they need before booking.

How should I price different event tickets?

Start by looking at what each ticket includes and how much extra value it gives the buyer. Naturally, a VIP ticket should cost more because the experience is clearly different. On the flipside, an early bird ticket needs enough of a saving to encourage people to book sooner.

It’s also important to make sure the gap between prices feels reasonable. If two ticket types are very similar but priced far apart, buyers might struggle to see where the extra cost comes from.

If you’re offering lower-cost tickets, say for early bird or group admissions, it’s worth checking how these discounts will affect your overall margin before tickets go on sale. A lower price can help drive early bookings, but it still needs to work for your budget.

👀 Tip: Read our full guide to pricing event tickets for more advice on setting prices, planning discounts and protecting your margins.

🎟️ Sell unlimited ticket types with ease 

Every event is different, so your ticket options should be flexible too!

Ticket Tailor makes it super easy to sell as many different ticket types as you need, from general admission, VIP, and early bird through to group tickets and season passes. Our platform is designed to be simple to navigate for both event creators and their ticket buyers, with customisable checkout forms and lots of handy tools to help your events run smoothly. Plus, we offer the lowest fees in the market, and our customer support team is on-hand to help 24/7, seven days a week. 

Get started by creating your free Ticket Tailor account today >

Your FAQs about ticket types, answered

What is the most common type of event ticket?

General admission is the most common type of event ticket. It gives the buyer standard entry without reserved seating, premium extras or added perks.

You’ll see general admission used for festivals, exhibitions, workshops, attractions and many other events. It also works well as the main ticket type when you’re offering other options alongside it, like VIP access or concession pricing.

For many organisers, general admission acts as the starting point for the whole ticketing setup. Buyers understand it quickly, which helps keep the booking process simple.

What is the difference between general admission and reserved seating?

General admission gives attendees access to the event without assigning them a specific seat. They might choose where to sit or stand when they arrive, depending on the venue setup.

Reserved seating lets buyers select a seat before the event. This works well for theatres, comedy shows, concerts and other seated events where location affects the experience.

Reserved seating can also help groups sit together and reduce the scramble for places. General admission is usually simpler to set up and works well when every attendee receives a similar experience.

How many ticket types should I offer?

Offer enough ticket types to cover the genuine choices your attendees need. A small workshop might only need standard and concession tickets, while a festival might include day passes, weekend tickets and VIP access.

Each option should have an obvious purpose. Buyers should be able to understand the difference from the ticket name and a short description.

Too many similar choices can slow people down during checkout. Start with the essentials, then add more when they suit a separate audience or include extra value. Keep an eye on low-selling tickets and repeated buyer questions.

Are early bird tickets worth offering?

Early bird tickets can help you bring in sales sooner and build momentum before your event. They work especially well when people already know your event or are likely to plan ahead.

But remember, the discount needs to feel worthwhile without cutting too deeply into your margin. Setting a limited quantity or firm end date can also give buyers a reason to book sooner.

Early bird pricing can give you an early view of demand, which might help with planning and cashflow. Always make sure buyers can see the standard price, so they understand the saving!

Can I change my ticket types after sales begin?

Yes, you can usually update ticket types after sales begin, though some changes need extra care. You might want to adjust the name, description, price or availability as your event develops.

Avoid making changes that could leave existing buyers feeling short-changed. For example, lowering the price after people have already paid more might lead to complaints unless there’s a good reason.

You can also pause a ticket type, add a new option or release another batch. Check how the change affects existing orders, capacity and any information already shared with attendees.

What information should a ticket description include?

A ticket description should explain what the buyer gets, who the ticket is for and any conditions attached to it. Mention access times, included extras and age limits where relevant.

Add details that could affect the booking decision, like seating location, entry window or whether proof of eligibility is needed. Keep the wording short enough to scan during checkout.

Buyers should understand the offer without opening another page. Use a specific ticket name and avoid vague labels that could cause confusion. Any restrictions should appear before payment, rather than being buried in follow-up emails.