Gala Ticket Sales Plan

Ticket Sales & Distribution Plan

2026 Lunar New Year Gala - Year of the Horse

Prepared: December 21, 2025

Executive Summary

Objective: Sell 20 remaining corporate tables efficiently

Custom Base44 solution replaces Eventbrite/Humantix, saving $4,000-$6,000 in platform fees while providing superior customization, faster checkout, and complete control.

1. Cost Analysis

❌ Eventbrite/Humantix

Platform Fee: 3.7-5%

Payment Processing: 2.9%

Total Fees: 6-8%

$150-$200 per table

For 50 tables: $7,500-$10,000

✅ Base44 Custom Solution

Platform Fee: 0%

Payment Processing: 2.9% + 30¢

Total Fees: 2.9% + 30¢

$73 per table

For 50 tables: $3,650

Total Savings: $4,000 - $6,000

This event alone pays for the entire custom system

2. Payment Options & Fee Structure

Recommended: Itemized Transparent Pricing

Item	EFT Payment	Credit Card
Table Price (10 seats)	$2,500	$2,500
Payment Processing Fee	$0	$73
Total	$2,500	$2,573

Option A: Credit Card (Stripe)

✓ Instant payment confirmation
✓ Immediate ticket generation
✓ Automatic email delivery
✓ Best for individual buyers

Option B: EFT/Bank Transfer

✓ No payment processing fee
✓ Preferred by large corporations
✓ Requires manual confirmation
✓ Tickets sent after payment verified

3. Ticketing System - Smart Distribution Portal

Recommended: Smart Link Portal (Modern Solution)

Combines best of both worlds - centralized control for booker, easy distribution to guests

How It Works:

Step 1: Booking & Payment

Customer selects table, pays via credit card or EFT, receives confirmation email.

Step 2: Booker Receives Unique Portal Link

tickets.theasianexecutive.com/table/ABC123XYZ

This link is unique to their table booking and provides access to all 10 tickets.

Step 3: Portal Shows All 10 Tickets

Table 15 - Your Tickets (10 seats)

Ticket 1 of 10

Ticket 2 of 10

... (continues for all 10 tickets)

Step 4: Flexible Distribution

Booker can choose:

• Download individual ticket PDFs and forward manually
• Download all 10 as single PDF and print
• Enter guest emails and system sends tickets directly
• Add tickets to Apple Wallet / Google Pay

Step 5: Event Check-in

Guests arrive with ticket (digital or printed). Staff scans QR code, sees table assignment, tracks attendance.

4. Individual Ticket Design

THE ASIAN EXECUTIVE PRESENTS

2026 LUNAR NEW YEAR GALA

Year of the Horse

Table Number:15

Ticket:3 of 10

Company:ABC Corporation

[QR CODE]

Scan at entrance

Date: Monday, March 2, 2026

Time: 6:30 PM Arrival

Venue: 1 Hotel Melbourne, Ballroom Level 3

Dress: Black Tie

5. Complete User Journey

Table Selection (30 seconds)

Visual seating chart shows available tables. Customer clicks desired table number.

Booking Form (45 seconds)

Name, Company, Email, Phone. Choose payment method (Credit Card or EFT).

Payment (30 seconds)

Credit Card: Stripe checkout opens. EFT: Bank details displayed, booking marked pending.

Confirmation (Instant)

Email with booking confirmation and unique portal link to access all 10 tickets.

Ticket Distribution (Flexible timing)

Booker uses portal link anytime to download/send individual tickets to their 10 guests.

Total Time: Under 2 minutes from landing page to confirmation

Compare to Eventbrite: 3-5 minutes with account creation

6. Admin Dashboard Features

Real-Time Overview

✓ Visual seating chart
✓ Tables sold / available
✓ Total revenue (paid vs pending)
✓ Latest bookings feed

Booking Management

✓ Mark EFT payments as received
✓ Manually add phone bookings
✓ Resend confirmation emails
✓ Process refunds if needed

Reporting & Export

✓ Export all bookings to CSV
✓ Generate guest lists per table
✓ Print table place cards
✓ Revenue reports for accounting

Event Day Tools

✓ Mobile check-in app
✓ QR code scanner
✓ Live attendance tracking
✓ Table occupancy status

7. Implementation Timeline

Phase 1:

Core Booking System (1-2 hours)

Table selection, payment integration, confirmation emails

Phase 2:

Ticket Portal & Distribution (1-2 hours)

Smart link portal, individual ticket generation, PDF creation

Phase 3:

Admin Dashboard (1 hour)

Booking management, reporting, EFT confirmation tools

Phase 4:

Check-in System (1 hour)

QR code scanning, attendance tracking, mobile interface

Total Development Time: 4-6 hours

System ready to accept bookings within 1 business day

8. Key Advantages Over Eventbrite/Humantix

Financial

✓ Save $4,000-$6,000 per event
✓ Pass processing fees to customers (optional)
✓ No monthly subscription costs
✓ Own the system forever

Control & Customization

✓ Custom branding throughout
✓ Flexible pricing structures
✓ EFT payment option
✓ Tailor every detail to your needs

Speed & Efficiency

✓ 2-minute checkout vs 5 minutes
✓ No forced account creation
✓ Mobile-optimized experience
✓ Instant confirmation

Data & Integration

✓ All data stays in your system
✓ Integrates with existing magazine business
✓ Custom reporting capabilities
✓ Export data anytime, any format

9. Risk Management & Contingencies

Risk: EFT Payment Not Received

Mitigation: Booking marked "pending" until payment verified. Automated reminder emails at 24h and 48h. Table released after 7 days if unpaid.

Risk: Technical Issues on Event Day

Mitigation: Backup offline guest list PDF. QR codes still scannable without internet. Manual check-in procedures documented.

Risk: Booker Loses Portal Link

Mitigation: "Resend tickets" feature in system. Admin can manually email from dashboard. Tickets also in original confirmation email.

Risk: Credit Card Payment Failure

Mitigation: Stripe handles retries automatically. Customer receives clear error message. Option to switch to EFT if card issues persist.

10. Next Steps & Implementation

To Proceed, We Need:

Confirm Table Price

Final price per table (10 seats)

Suggested: $2,500

Fee Structure Preference

Itemized (show processing fee separately) or Built-in (single price)

Recommended: Itemized for transparency

Bank Details for EFT

Account name, BSB, Account number, Reference format

Will be displayed to customers choosing EFT option

Event Details Confirmation

Date, time, venue address, dress code

For ticket design

Go/No-Go Decision

Approval to begin development

System can be live within 24 hours

Ready to Launch When You Are

This plan can be implemented immediately upon approval