Search

Introduction to Priority Booking and Priority Packages

Jessica Abejar
Jessica Abejar
  • Updated

Priority Booking (also known as advance sale period, presale, early bird or advanced booking) gives customers pre-sale access ahead of your general onsales.

Priority Packages are an option within Priority Booking that enables customers to build their own custom packages before single tickets go on sale, ensuring they commit to a set number of events while still enjoying total pricing flexibility.

Priority Booking and Priority Packages are available for Web sales only.

 

What is Priority Booking?

Priority Booking lets customers access online sales before an Instance’s scheduled start sell date.

To limit who has access to Priority Booking, you can set Customer Criteria, Payment Eligibility or create a Priority Package:

  • Customer Criteria: Gives access to Customers based on specific Tags, Promotion Codes or active Subscriptions. Eligible Customers must log in first before selecting tickets and checking out.
     
  • Payment Eligibility: Limits presale to specific payment cards. Customers can add Tickets to their Basket/Cart but are unable to checkout without an eligible card. They can use a stored card in their Wallet, but stored cards in Apple Pay and Google Pay are not eligible.
     
  • Priority Package: Limits presale to only those who purchase Tickets to more than one Event. Customers must add Tickets for a required minimum number of Events in order to proceed to checkout. This option requires Spektrix Payments.

TIP: You can also set any combination of Customer Criteria, Payment Eligibility and Priority Package to even further restrict presale access.

 

What are Priority Packages?

Priority Packages are an option within Priority Booking, where you can specify the number of Events that customers are required to book to be able to access the presale. This lets you offer a flexible subscription package, for example “choose your own” season packages that are available before general single ticket on sales.

Priority Packages restrict presales to multiple Event ticket purchases while also allowing for flexibility in how many tickets customers purchase. While Priority Packages don’t require a specific number of Tickets per Event, you can opt to require that the number of tickets per event are equal.

For example, VIP members can have early access to seven events and are required to purchase equal sets of tickets for a minimum of three events. Presales can look like the following:

  • Customer A purchases two tickets each to four events (total of eight tickets)
  • Customer B purchases one ticket each to seven events (total of seven tickets)
  • Customer C purchases four tickets each to three events (total of twelve tickets)

 

How does a customer purchase tickets during the Priority Booking Period?

When the Priority Booking period opens, eligible customers can access Priority Booking online.

Depending on eligibility criteria, they may be able to select an Instance in the Priority Booking period, select Tickets and purchase right away:

Customers may also see a prompt to log into their account from the Event page:

Or the Event Instance page:

Once logged in, customers can select tickets and purchase as usual.

If they are purchasing Tickets as part of a Priority Package, they may reach a page that will stop them from checking out:

This page will let a customer know exactly what is needed to fulfill the Priority Package requirements and include links to add more Tickets.

Once the requirements are met, they’ll be able to checkout as usual.

TIP: If a customer removes any Tickets, they may encounter this page again until the requirements are met.

 

What should I know before setting up Priority Booking Periods?

  • Are there any requirements for setting up and using Priority Booking Periods?
    Priority Booking Periods are generally available to use.

    • If you require Payment Eligibility options, this requires prior configuration in the Settings Interface.
    • If you'd like to sell Priority Packages, you are required to use Spektrix Payments.

    For more information, read the What do I need before setting up a Priority Booking Period? section in the How to Set Up and Manage Priority Booking and Priority Packages article.
     

  • How do I set up the dates for Priority Booking Periods?
    The Priority Booking Period start date is relative to the On Sale on Web start date and time. The start time can be set any number of days and/or hours before. Access to Priority Booking lasts until general on sales begin but can end early when it is deactivated. Deactivation must be done manually and cannot be scheduled in advance.
     
  • Do I have to set up a Priority Booking Period for each Event?
    A Priority Booking Period can be set up once for multiple Events, even with different On Sale dates. As the start time is relative to the Event, Priority Booking Periods can open for each Event on different dates.
     

  • Is Priority Booking available for sales in the Sales Interface?
    Priority Booking is only available for web sales. It will not affect sales in the Sales Interface, unless the Sales Channel is set to Web. You can set the date for Instances to be visible and available on the Sales Interface at an earlier time than online sales. 

    TIP: If you allow presale access for non-web sales, we recommend adding a pop-up note on an Event or Instance to let Sales Users know if and when Priority Booking is available and what groups of Customers may be eligible. Note that when reporting and segmenting on Priority Booking Periods, only sales made through the Web Sales Channel (either online or selected in the Sales Interface) will be accounted for.

  • Can I limit the number of seats available for purchase during a Priority Booking Period?
    All Seats in a Seating Plan are available to purchase during Priority Booking. However, you can lock Seats so they are ineligible for purchase during the Priority Booking Period.
     

  • Can I limit the number of tickets purchased in a transaction during a Priority Booking Period?
    Priority Booking follows the same transaction limits as general on sale. For example, if a customer can purchase ten tickets in a transaction, they are limited to ten tickets for presale. 

    TIP: If you’d like to limit the number of tickets customers can purchase in a transaction during Priority Booking, you can create a Lock Overlay with a Lock Type that limits the maximum number of tickets in a transaction.

  • Can I limit presale Tickets by Ticket Type or Price Band?
    All Ticket Types and Price Bands in an Instance are available during a Priority Booking Period. You can lock Seats on certain Price Bands so they are ineligible for purchase during the Priority Booking Period. All Ticket Types are available if a Price has been listed in the Price List. You can apply a presale Price List with only the Ticket Types you'd like available. Changing Price Lists must be done manually.
     
  • Can I discount Tickets sold during a Priority Booking Period?
    Tickets are sold at their listed price based on the Instance’s Price List. Any Ticket Commissions and Ticket Donation structures apply. You can pair Priority Booking with Offers to discount presale tickets. For Priority Packages, you can discount Tickets using Multibuy Offers. You can also apply a presale Price List. Changing Price Lists must be done manually.
     

  • Can I use Priority Booking for early access to Subscription sales?
    Priority Booking Periods are only for the sale of single tickets or Priority Packages and not for Fixed Series Subscriptions, Memberships and Ticket Subscriptions. For more information on how and when to put a Subscription on sale, read their respective articles. 

    TIP: You can sell Ticket Subscriptions during a Priority Booking Period and allow customers to redeem their Ticket Vouchers in the same order.

  • Can I enable multiple Priority Booking Periods for the same Instances?
    Multiple Priority Booking Periods can overlap. For example, you can have multiple Priority Booking Periods with different start times and different customer eligibility such as 2 days before for Gold Members and 1 day 22 hours before for Silver Members (two hours after Gold Members have access).
    • If Customers are eligible for multiple Priority Booking Periods, they are able to access at the earliest period. If you deactivate one Priority Booking Period, a Customer may still be able to access through another Priority Booking Period.
       
    • If a Priority Booking Period selling single tickets overlaps with another selling a Priority Package with the same Event criteria eligibility, the Priority Booking Period may suppress the Package requirements. This means a Customer who is eligible for early access through both Periods can purchase single tickets to one event and not be required to meet the minimum events of the Package.
       
  • Can I report or segment on Priority Booking sales?
    You can report on sales made during a Priority Booking Period and segment on Customers who’ve purchased Tickets during a Priority Booking Period.

    Reporting on Priority Booking Periods is enabled as part of Priority Booking updates that includes Priority Packages. You’ll be able to report on sales made through Priority Booking Periods starting from this feature’s release date on November 2, 2026. Historical data of Priority Booking sales made before this release date will not be available.

 

How do I set up Priority Booking and Priority Packages?

Learn how to create, troubleshoot, edit and report on Priority Booking and Priority Packages by reading: