The guest list as a marketing tool

Overview

A guest list is more than free entry for friends. Handed out on purpose, it brings people to your event who pull others along: artists with their circle, partners, people from the scene who post about it. But every spot is also a ticket you don't sell. This guide shows how to plan the list instead of letting it grow.

A budget for spots

Before ticket sales open, decide how many guest-list spots there are in total, and split them up:

• Artists: a fixed quota per act, for example two or four spots.
• Partners and sponsors: whatever you agreed with them.
• Press and multipliers: people who report or post about the event.
• Crew and team: if they aren't working anyway.

The spots count toward capacity even though they bring in nothing. Include them in your budget: guest-list guests spend money at the bar, not at the box office.

Codes instead of free tickets

Not every request for a spot has to become a guest-list spot. For larger circles, a discount code often works better:

• Guest list: a named entry, free admission, checked in by name search.
• Code: a discounted or hidden ticket that goes through checkout. The person has a ticket with a QR code, you see the purchase in your numbers, and you learn how many came through that code.

So promoters and partners who want to “bring a few people” are better off with their own code than with a long list.

Set a deadline

Pick a date by which all names are in, say two days before the event. Then the admission crew knows who's coming, and you see in time how many spots are still free. Late requests go through a code.

Free events with registration

If your event has no admission fee, registration replaces the guest list: guests sign up with their name and email, and registration closes when capacity is reached. That way you know beforehand how many will come instead of guessing on event day.

Who came?

After the event, check who from the list actually came and through which source. A partner whose guests don't show up gets fewer spots next time. Artists whose guests reliably come and bring others might get more.

Data protection and newsletters

A guest list holds personal data. Only collect what admission needs, usually the name and plus-ones (the data minimization principle, Art. 5(1)(c) GDPR), and only pass the list to the people who need it at admission.

A spot on the guest list is not consent to advertising. Advertising by email or text message needs prior consent (§ 174(3) TKG 2021). The exception for your own customers (§ 174(4) TKG 2021) requires, among other things, that you got the address in connection with a sale or a service and that the person could refuse at that point. Don't rely on it for guest-list entries; ask for consent. More in the guide Channels that sell tickets.

With Gathermatter

• Guest list: in the event under Run › Guests you add guests with name, plus (plus-ones) and source: Organizer, Artist, Sponsor, VIP or Promo. The filters Checked in and Not yet show who came. See Guest lists and invitations.
• Quotas for artists: you assign a guest quota on the performance. The artist enters their guests themselves on their gig page, via the gig link even without an account. See Planning the program and booking artists.
• Codes: codes give a discount or unlock hidden tickets, and as a link with ?code= they're active as soon as the page opens. See Sell your first tickets.
• Registration for free events: in the RSVP registration participation mode you set a capacity limit and can offer a newsletter checkbox.

Sources

• GDPR Art. 5 (principles of processing)
• TKG 2021 § 174 (unsolicited messages, German)