How does a booking number work? HELP!

Hi everyone, I've been slowly piecing together the production and theatre rental side to our show 'Boy Banned' and there suddenly arose an interesting point. How will we sell tickets? Now quite often I see a booking number on a poster for a show and I was wondering exactly how this works. We don't have credit card facilities...and tickets would only be really cheap so is it just used to put tickets aside? What kind of number should I use- a mobile or a home phone? What happens after someone has booked tickets? Do they pick them up on the night...and pay there? In general I guess (as it's my first time at this) I want to know how ticket booking numbers work so I can set one up for the show. Any help is AWESOME! Sean

you don't say which state you are in, but I guess that all states have a commercial booking firm, in WA it's BOCS who will do your bookings for you, of course they charge but it relieves you of a fair bit of work, If you want to save costs and go it alone, it's really quite simple. first you need a seating plan,then decide whether you a e going to have reserved or unreserved seats, unreserved is simpler. Decide on your ticket costs and appoint someone reliable to take the bookings.(VERY important)

If using a home phone make sure it's got an answering machine and put a message on it with all details, unless you want to be tied to the phone 24/7 as people will ring up at all kinds of odd hours! If using a mobile same thing.

Credit card facilities can be set up but once again it will cost you, so if you are watching costs keep to cash/cheques.

Make up your mind whether you are going to suggest that people pay in advance for say 6 or more tickets and if so get them to send an SAE with the money, to return the tickets or else make it clear that tickets will be held at the theatre. In this case you will have to phone people back to confirm you have got their money. mostly people 'pay on the night' but this does increase the risk of people booking and not turning up, it's one of the risks of doing your own bookings!

Hope some of this helps.

Booking Numbers

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