How to Price Event Tickets
Pricing a party is three decisions: what the cheapest ticket costs, how many price steps you have before the door, and who pays the fee. Most club nights get the first one wrong by pricing to cover costs instead of pricing to what the room will pay. This guide works through all three for a 400-capacity room.
Start from the door price, not your costs
Your door price is the most anyone pays on the night, so set it first. Look at what comparable nights in your city charge, then add a few dollars if you have a draw they don't. For most club nights that's $20 to $40.
Everything else is a discount from that number, and the discounts are what sell the room early.
Three ticket types is enough
With a $25 door price in a 400 room:
| Ticket type | Price | Cap | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early bird | $15 (about 60%) | 60 to 100 | Sells the first burst and builds momentum. |
| General admission | $20 (about 80%) | Most of the room | Where most of your money comes from. |
| Final release | $25 (full) | The rest | Makes the earlier tiers look like the deal they are. |
Tip: Point each ticket type at the next one, so the price moves the moment a cap is hit and nobody has to watch the dashboard.
Who pays the fee
The slash.fm fee is 7% of the order plus $0.49, with card processing included. By default the buyer pays it on top: one $20 ticket costs the buyer $21.89 and you keep $20. Absorb it on any ticket type and the buyer pays $20 while you keep $18.11.
Passing the fee on is normal for nightlife as long as the total is shown before checkout, which it is on slash.fm. Absorbing it can make sense on VIP or tables, where a round number reads better.
Free RSVPs and guest list
A capped free RSVP fills the room early and builds your crowd for next time. Keep it to 10 to 20 percent of capacity, end its sale window early in the evening, or require approval if you want to choose who comes.
When to change prices
If the early bird sells out in a day, next month's is too cheap or too small. If general admission is flat for two weeks, don't cut it; push the lineup harder in the final week, because cutting prices teaches buyers to wait. Your Overview shows sales by ticket type and by source, which tells you which case you're in.
Start selling
Sign up with your phone number, create your organization and put in your first event: tickets, guest list and tables. No contract and no monthly fee. New organizers are reviewed before their first event goes live, usually within a day.