So, you’re planning for your next big event and you think you’ve got everything figured out. The venue is booked and ready to go, you’ve hired security and even confirmed the lineup. Don’t forget about perhaps the most important aspect of your event, though; who is going to handle your event ticketing?

As you’re probably aware, you have plenty of options to choose from when deciding who will handle your event ticketing, and each has their strengths and weaknesses. To ensure that you are linking up with the service that best meets your needs, we’ve created this guide that breaks down some of the top players in the event ticketing industry so you can get that crucial component taken care of and get to the fun part; watching all of your hard work pay off.

Ticketmaster is probably the best known player in the event ticketing industry, with a history stretching all the way back to 1976. The biggest ticketing company got even bigger in 2010 when it merged with Live Nation to create Live Nation Entertainment. The company manages some of the most popular artists in the world, their tours, their merchandise, and ticketing for their events. The list of artists under their belt includes Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Jay-Z, U2, and many more.

Ticketmaster’s hold over the event ticketing industry has been described as a monopoly by many, including some of the artists whose tickets they are selling. In 1995 the band Pearl Jam filed a complaint with the Department of Justice after they discovered that their fans were paying what they felt were exorbitant fees, but nothing ever came of it.

They still charge some of the highest fees in the market for ticket sellers, which can definitely cut into your profit margin. They also have exclusive contracts with many larger venues, so you may end up working with Ticketmaster whether you like it or not.

So, if you find yourself working with one of these venues, then by default Ticketmaster is the service for you! There are definitely perks to using Ticketmaster for many event promoters. They specialize in throwing huge events, so if you’re packing an arena then they are definitely a great option. They also have name recognition that can’t be beat, so your customers will know what to expect.

Of course, there are many other options out there for you if you’re looking for lower fees, more personalized service, and services that can help you with events for under 10,000 people.

PayPal doesn’t exclusively specialize in event ticketing, but it is an option for event organizers looking to sell tickets. You can set up an account with them and use their payment button option instead of having to set up a shopping cart on your website.

This is a good option if you have a one-time event to sell tickets for or if your event is pretty small. If you already have a lot of the traffic you need coming to your website, you can simply add the button and go without worrying about having to try to direct your traffic to another website that’s selling your tickets.

Their fees are pretty reasonable, too. They charge 5.4% + $0.30 per transaction. Higher traffic merchants are also eligible for a fee reduction down to 4.4%. There’s no set up, monthly, or cancellation fee either so feel free to use it once and not worry about maintaining an account.

The drawbacks to using PayPal come with the fact that their payment button is so simple, it doesn’t really allow for any sophisticated features. It’s not automated, so you will have to set up all the details for each event listing separately. Also, the button will take your customer to PayPal’s website with their form, which may make some customers wary and come off as a little unprofessional.

Eventbrite is a self-service event ticketing and promotion platform that was founded in 2006 by Kevin and Julia Hartz. Since its creation, it has rapidly expanded and acquired other companies along the way including Eventioz, which has a very similar setup but for Spanish speaking countries, and the London-based Lanyrd. Eventbrite’s global expansion has made it a major player in the market, and the service is now used in 179 countries and available in 7 languages.

Currently, Eventbrite is the fastest growing platform for event ticketing and promotion of mid-size events. It’s a good choice if you’re looking to sell tickets for events both big and small, but not really expecting to sell out a stadium anytime soon.

Eventbrite brands itself as more than a ticketing merchant, it makes use of existing social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to promote events across different networks and help fans keep track of their favorite artists and share their favorite moments from live shows.

As fars as fees go, Eventbrite won’t break the bank. They charge 2.5% – $0.99 per ticket. There’s also a 3% processing fee in USD. If you’re selling your tickets at the door, though, either through their Neon or At the Door mobile apps, you only need to pay the payment processing fee.

ticketZone is a great option if you’re looking for an event ticketing service that works for events of any size. With the latest technology, unmatched customer support and individualized attention, and the most powerful marketing tools we can easily help any event reach its full potential while saving you time and money.

Events can be created in minutes on ticketZone’s easy to use platform. Once your event is created it will be promoted through ticketZone’s extensive network of affiliates. You will benefit from our strong understanding of SEO, remarketing, social media promotion, and other tools that will help your event reach more customers and make you more money.

With white label ticketing, you can seamlessly integrate our ticket sale services into your own website to maintain your brand identity and keep your customers on your webpage. Facebook ticketing enables you to sell tickets directly from Facebook, getting customers excited for events by allowing them to see who is attending and share the event with their friends. You will have access to real time data so you can track sales and see how your event is doing at any time.

ticketZone also boasts some of the lowest fees in the industry, at 2.5% + $0.50 per ticket. Of course, free events are completely free to promote on ticketZone. You can also use your own merchant account and pay 2.5-3.5% + $0.30 per ticket. Special pricing is also available for higher volume clients, so feel free to contact us for more info.

Choosing the Right Ticketing Provider

While we’ve done our best to give you some insight into the biggest players in the event ticketing industry, we highly recommend you contact each provider individually to see whether they are right for you. Make sure that both of you are aware of your individual needs, and take some time in comparing the different offers before make a decision. If you have any further questions about event ticketing, feel free to contact us directly. We’d love to hear from you.