How to Set Up and Manage Priority Booking and Priority Packages

Priority Bookings and Priority Packages grant customers early access to purchasing tickets online. You can set up and manage Priority Booking Periods in the Admin Interface.

For in-depth information and considerations before setting up Priority Bookings and Priority Packages, read Introduction to Priority Bookings and Priority Periods.

What do I need to do before setting up Priority Booking?

Consider the following details before setting up a Priority Booking period:

• Set up your Instance’s Start Selling Date and Time
  Priority Booking is set relative to an Instance’s Start Selling Date and Time on the Web. An Instance must also be made visible on the Web. For more information, read How to Set Up Instances.
   

• Set up Payment Eligibility for Priority Booking
  If you’d like to set up Payment Eligibility for your Priority Booking, you must turn on the feature in the Settings Interface. This feature only needs to be turned on once for all Priority Booking periods. 

  TIP: To access the Settings Interface, you’ll need the Settings Administrator Role. If you don’t have this Role, ask the Settings Administrator in your organization to add this Role to your User Account.

  •  

    1. Navigate to the Settings Interface > Configuration > System Setup > Payment Eligibility
    2. Toggle on Enable Payment Eligibility for Priority Periods

    

• Set up Custom Website Messaging
  A message displays if Priority Booking is available. You can customize that message to include other details such as requiring a Membership. This is a global message and applies to all Priority Booking Periods. Custom messages cannot be individualized for each Event or Instance. For more information, read the Priority Booking section in the Custom Website Messages for iframes article. 

What do I need to do before setting up Priority Packages?

In addition to the considerations outlined above, the following are required for setting up Priority Packages:

• Use Spektrix Payments
  Only organizations using Spektrix Payments can set up the Priority Packages options. For more information on Spektrix Payments, read Introduction to Spektrix Payments.
   
• Set Event Web URL
  Each eligible Event should have a Web URL so that when a customer reaches the Ticket requirements page, they can click the links directly to the eligible Events. For more information, read the Website of the How to Set Up an Event article.

Where do I set up and manage Priority Booking Periods?

Priority Booking Periods are created and managed in the Admin Interface > Other > Priority Booking:

The list includes the name of the Priority Booking and the number of days and hours prior it can be accessed.

Here you can Add new Priority Booking Periods and Edit or Delete existing Priority Booking Periods.

How do I set up a Priority Booking Period?

To add a new Priority Booking period:

1. Navigate to Priority Booking
2. In the lower right of the screen, click + Add

Complete these sections in the Priority period editor:

1. Basic details
2. Customer criteria
3. Event criteria
4. Payment eligibility

1. Basic Details

Complete the Basic Details to set up your Priority Booking Period:

1. Name (Required): Give your Priority Booking Period a clear, descriptive name. This name is visible in the Admin Interface and is used for reporting and segmentation.
    
2. Description: Enter a description to detail what the Priority Booking Period is for. This is only visible in the Admin Interface.
    
3. Days and hours before: Enter the number of days and select from the dropdown the hours before the Start Selling Date/Time of an Instance that eligible customers are allowed to book online.
    
4. Active?: This box is checked by default and makes your Priority Booking Period active. Unchecking the box will stop granting customers early access to purchase Tickets.

Click Next for Customer Criteria. You can also click Cancel to abandon the Priority Booking Period. 

2. Customer Criteria

Select which Customers are eligible based on Customer Criteria.

If customer eligibility is not required for this Priority Booking, you can skip this section. Click Next to go to Event Criteria.

REMINDER: Priority Booking requires setting up Customer Criteria, Payment Eligibility or Priority Packages. If you leave the Customer Criteria section blank, you must set up at least one of the other two sections.

Drag and drop the Customer metrics you want to use to filter in or out certain Customers. To learn more about how to choose specific Customer Eligibility Criteria, read the Customer Eligibility article.

If you select Memberships, Ticket Subscriptions or Promotion Codes, consider the following:

Click Next for Event Criteria. You can also click Cancel to abandon the Priority Booking Period. 

3. Event Criteria

Event Criteria has two subsections:

• Package booking: Complete this section only  if you are creating a Priority Package. If you’re not creating a Package, keep the default Minimum number of events to 1. 

  REMINDER: Priority Booking requires setting up Customer Criteria, Payment Eligibility or Priority Packages. If you keep the default Minimum number of events to 1, you must set up at least one of the other two sections.

• Event Instance Selection: Choose eligible Event Instances based on Event Criteria. If you’d like to add all Instances, you can leave this section blank.

Package booking

TIP: The Package booking section is only visible if your organization uses Spektrix Payments.

Complete the package details:

1. Minimum number of events: This defaults to 1. Enter the lowest number of required Events in order for a customer to checkout.
    
2. Require equal tickets across events: Check this box if the number of tickets per Event Instance must be equal. This applies only when Minimum number of events is set.
    
3. Package name: Give your package a clear, descriptive name. This name is visible in the Admin Interface and is used for reporting and segmentation.
    

Event Instance Selection

Choose eligible Event Instances based on Event Criteria. If you’d like to add all Instances, you can leave this section blank.

To specify the Event Criteria, drag and drop the Event metrics you want to use to filter in or out certain Instances. To learn more about how to choose specific Events and Instances, read the Event Criteria article.

Click Next for the Payment Eligibility section. If you don’t have the Payment Eligibility turned on, click Save. You can also click Cancel to abandon the Priority Booking Period.

4. Payment eligibility

Choose which card types are eligible.

If payment eligibility is not required for this Priority Booking, you can skip this section.

If you do not see the Payment Eligibility section, turn on the Payment Eligibility feature in the Settings Interface.

REMINDER: Priority Booking requires setting up Customer Criteria, Payment Eligibility or Priority Packages.  If you leave the Payment Eligibility criteria section blank, you must set up at least one of the other two sections.

Check the box for the cards that are eligible for presale payment.

TIP: If you need to include a new card type to this list, contact Support.

Click Save. You can also click Cancel to abandon the Priority Booking Period.

How can I test the Priority Booking Period?

Once you've created a Priority Booking Period, test to make sure it works as expected.

To prevent customers from booking tickets online while you’re testing your Priority Booking Period, try temporarily amending your Customer Eligibility Criteria:

1. Set up a Normal Tag called Priority Booking Testing.
    
2. Edit the Priority Booking Customer Criteria to only include only the Priority Booking Testing Tag. If you have other Customer Criteria, you can replace it with or add the Priority Booking Testing Tag.
    
3. Apply the Tag and other Customer Criteria to your Customer Record.
    
4. Go to an eligible Event and check you're able to select Tickets and proceed to checkout.

If you've successfully accessed Priority Booking, you can remove the Tag from your Customer Record and the Customer Criteria.

If you’re unable to access Priority Booking, you can edit the Priority Booking Period. You can check the tips and solutions in How do I troubleshoot a Priority Booking Period?.

How do I troubleshoot a Priority Booking Period?

If a customer can’t purchase Tickets during the Priority Booking Period, check if your customer encounters the following messages:

• “No online booking.”
  Check to make sure you’ve set a date and time for On Sale on Web and the box has been checked.
   
• “Priority booking has not yet opened. It will open on [date and time of Priority Booking Period].”
  Check to make sure they are booking within the presale dates. You may need to adjust the Days and hours before in Basic Details.
   
• “Online booking for this event opens on [Start Selling on Web date and time]. For priority booking please log in to your account.”
  The customer should log into their online account. If Customer Criteria is not intended for eligibility requirements, you may need to adjust Customer Criteria. Customers may need to login later in the purchase path to complete their transaction.
   
• “Online booking for this event opens at [Start Selling on Web date and time]. Unfortunately you are not eligible for priority booking on this event.”
  • Check if the Priority Booking Period is active.
     
  • Check the Customer Record to see if the Customer meets the requirements. If they do, you may need to adjust the Customer Criteria.
     
  • Check if the Instance has been added to the Event Criteria.

If a customer can’t purchase tickets with Apple Pay or google Pay:

• They can use a stored card in their Wallet, but stored cards in Apple Pay and Google Pay are not eligible for Priority Booking.

If a customer can’t purchase tickets to some Events and cannot complete their Priority Package:

• Check to make sure all Events are visible on the web and within the presale dates. You may need to adjust the On Sale on Web date for the Events so they match.
   
• Check to make sure a Web URL is set for the Event.

If a customer is able to purchase tickets when they are not eligible or if it is outside the Priority Booking Period:

• Check the Customer Record to see if the Customer meets the requirements. If they do, you may need to adjust the Customer Criteria.
   
• Check if there are other overlapping Priority Booking Periods that they may be eligible for.
   
• Check if the Priority Booking Period is still active.

How do I manage a Priority Booking Period?

Once you’ve created a Priority Booking period, you can make changes to any of the Basic details and/or eligibility criteria.

To edit a Priority Booking period:

1. Navigate to Priority Booking.
2. Find the Priority Booking you’d like to edit.
3. Click Edit.
4. Go to the section you’d like to edit and click Edit.
5. Make changes to the Basic Details or eligibility criteria.
6. Click Next to move to the edit the next section or continue clicking Next until you reach the last section. You can also click Cancel to discard any changes.
7. Click Save. You can also click Cancel to discard any changes.

All changes are effective immediately but won’t affect any previous Ticket Sales.

How do I end or restart a Priority Booking period?

A Priority Booking Period lasts until general on sales. However, you can stop a Priority Booking Period at any time by deactivating it.

To deactivate a Priority Booking period:

1. Navigate to Priority Booking.
2. Find the Priority Booking you’d like to edit.
3. Click Edit.
4. Go to Basic details and click Edit.
5. Uncheck the Active? box.
6. Click Save. You can also click Cancel to discard any changes.

Eligible Customers will no longer be able to purchase Tickets to any eligible Events until the online Start Selling Date.

To reactivate a Priority Booking period follow the same steps and check the Active? box. Eligible Customers will be able to purchase Tickets to any Events eligible for Priority Booking.

Can I report on a Priority Booking Period?

You can report on sales made through any active and inactive Priority Booking Periods and Priority Packages. 

TIP: 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.

Filtering Priority Booking Sales using Criteria Sets

You can filter sales to those made during a Priority Booking Period in Sales, Analysis and Accounting Reports.

You can Criteria Sets using the following Metrics found in the Tickets wrapper:

• The selection screen for Priority Booking by Name or by Package Name look and function similarly.

  The Select Priority Booking Periods screen lists all active Priority Booking Periods. View Inactive Priority Booking Periods by clicking Include Inactive Items.

  

  The Select Priority Booking Packages screen lists all active Priority Booking Periods that have a Package Name entered in Event Criteria > Package Booking. They will be listed by their Package Name. View Inactive Priority Booking Periods by clicking Include Inactive Items.

  TIP: Packages without a Name will not appear on the selection screen.

  

  To select the Priority Booking Periods or Packages to include:

  1. Find the Priority Booking Period or Package by Name. You can also use Filter by Name to filter the selection.
      
  2. Select do from the dropdown to include the selection. You can also select do not to explicitly exclude the selection.
      
  3. Click to highlight a Period or Package. You can select multiple items by holding the Control or Shift key. To deselect an item, click to remove the highlight.
      
  4. Click Ok to add to the Criteria Set. You can also click Cancel to abandon specifying the criteria. 

Outputting Priority Booking information

If a Ticket Sale was made during a Priority Booking Period, you can output the name of the period or package in Sales, Accounting and Analysis Reports.

You can use the following Metrics found in the Tickets wrapper:

Can I segment on customers who’ve purchased Tickets during a Priority Booking Period?

You can segment on Customers who’ve purchased Tickets during a Priority Booking Period through a Purchasing Segment.

You can use the following Metrics found in the Tickets wrapper:

• The selection screen for Priority Booking by Name or by Package Name look and function similarly.

  The Select Priority Booking Periods screen lists all active Priority Booking Periods. View Inactive Priority Booking Periods by clicking Include Inactive Items.

  

  The Select Priority Booking Packages screen lists all active Priority Booking Periods that have a Package Name entered in Event Criteria > Package Booking. They will be listed by their Package Name. View Inactive Priority Booking Periods by clicking Include Inactive Items.

  TIP: Packages without a Name will not appear on the selection screen.

  

  To select the Priority Booking Periods or Packages to include:

  1. Find the Priority Booking Period or Package by Name. You can also use Filter by Name to filter the selection.
      
  2. Select do from the dropdown to include the selection. You can also select do not to explicitly exclude the selection.
      
  3. Click to highlight a Period or Package. You can select multiple items by holding the Control or Shift key. To deselect an item, click to remove the highlight.
      
  4. Click Ok to add to the Segment. You can also click Cancel to abandon specifying the Segment.