confirmation_number Ticketing

Setting Up Ticketing for Your Mass

Step-by-step guide to get a proper ticketing system set up for your mass

With public masses re-opening, we are entering a new phase in the Church's pandemic response. In most dioceses around the country resuming public masses comes with required social distancing guidelines, including using ticketing to keep the number of attendees at a safe level.


Use this step-by-step guide to get a proper ticketing system set up for your masses.


When it is done, your weekend mass will have a fully-functional ticketing system using a free account on Eventbrite. Here is a example of a finished and live parish using the same setup:
www.eventbrite.com/e/105410100448

  • Step by Step
  • 1
    Map out and count your pews using appropriate social distancing. You need to determine how many pews you can use safely or what the maximum occupancy limits are. For most parishes, this means using only every third pew, or using half of one row and the opposite half of the next in a checkerboard pattern. Here is a nice example from a local parish:

    example1
  • 2
    Create an account on Eventbrite. It is free to sign up and free to list events:
    www.eventbrite.com
  • 3
    On Eventbrite, create a new event. A single event can represent ALL masses for a weekend - you will use tickets (see below) to differentiate masses. Using a single event also makes it much easier to manage and share since you only have to share one event link per weekend. Eventbrite will ask you for information such as where your parish is located and any event details.

    IMPORTANT: Be sure to list any social distancing requirements as part of the event information.
  • 4
    Set up your tickets. Depending on your parish pew layouts, you may want to have 1 ticket = a family-size group of seats. In the example above, St. Monica's opted for pew groups of 3 people maximum and 5 people maximum. This means if a family has 4 members, they would need a single 5-person ticket. Be sure to limit the total tickets to match how many 'pew slots' you have available.

    IMPORTANT: Be sure to explain your ticketing on the details and use it in the name of the ticket.

    example2
  • 5
    Publish and promote your event!
    Hit the publish button on Eventbrite and then share the link to your parish via your website, social media, email, and other communication channels.
tips_and_updates Helpful Hints

  • For members of the parish that do not have Internet access, be sure to offer a way to call in to the parish and get a ticket. You can use the 'Add Attendee' function on Eventbrite to reserve tickets for these parishioners.
  • Be sure to list how many seats there are per ticket.
  • Set a maximum number of tickets you can get as a low number, in the 2-4 range. This way if someone tries to get too many because they don't know 1 ticket = multiple seats, the system will not allow them to accidentally take up all the seats.
  • You may want to let parishioners have the first crack at tickets before sharing the link publicly to Facebook or your website. This can be a good way to encourage sign-ups for a parish email list.
  • Have a plan with your ushers for checking tickets and what to do if someone just shows up without one.
  • Be as detailed as you can with information on the Eventbrite event! Mask requirements, communion requirements and social distancing policies, and socially distanced entrance/exit details are all good things to list on the event.
  • Eventbrite can keep records of who was at mass indefinitely if you need it for contact tracing.