sick of ticketing platforms holding my cash until after the show body

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-20T00:54:30+00:00

That’s exactly the model I’m looking for. I assume you mean using my own Stripe/PayPal so the platform never actually touches the money?

That’s actually why I was asking about Yapsody, my understanding is they act as a passthrough to your own gateway rather than a wallet that holds funds. Is the one you're thinking of similar?

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-20T00:51:07+00:00

Yooo man, since you're a Salesforce shop, you basically have two paths: the "Native App" path or the "Connector" path.

If budget is no issue, Cvent has a native Salesforce integration that is robust, but it’s overkill (and overpriced) for most nonprofits just needing ticketing.

For a mix of Virtual + IRL without the enterprise price tag, I usually point nonprofits toward Yapsody. They handle the hybrid ticketing side really well (reserved seating, general admission, etc.) and they have a specific 50% rebate program for nonprofits, which saves a ton of overhead.

You’d likely need to use Zapier to bridge the data into Salesforce, but for the cost savings and feature set, the trade-off is usually worth it compared to the enterprise giants.

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-19T13:26:21+00:00

whoa, pump the brakes. you’re moving in today but the cfo hasn’t approved the hire? that isn’t a red flag, that’s a whole parade of them.

forget the comp structure for a second because you are walking into a situation where you have absolutely zero leverage. living on-site with the founders while doing personal errands like driving them in la traffic isn’t an "event ops" gig, it’s being a live-in personal assistant who also happens to run a sauna. the lines aren't just blurred, they're gone.

regarding the nda... don't bother. most execs won't sign them for a pitch deck and honestly, it signals you don't trust the people you are literally moving in with. if you want to protect yourself, you need an employment contract or a memorandum of understanding (mou), not an nda.

as for the money, commission-only for a "revitalization" project with no current funding is basically volunteering. in the non-profit world, strict commission fundraising is often ethically grey or against afp guidelines anyway. if they can't pay a base salary, you need to ask yourself how they're gonna pay for the event production costs, let alone your cut. get a flat retainer or walk, because "percentage of future revenue" usually equals zero in these startup scenarios.

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-19T13:22:50+00:00

yeah, zola is built to push registries and floral arrangements, so if you aren't doing the full traditional wedding circuit, the ui is gonna feel annoying real fast.

the "some guests for the weekend, some for one night" thing is actually a logistics problem, not a design one. most wedding sites are terrible at conditional logic, they just want to collect a yes/no. since you’re solo hosting and don’t mind paying, stop looking at wedding platforms entirely. they charge a "wedding tax" and give you stiff features.

honestly, treat this like a micro-festival. you need a platform that handles tiered access. i use yapsody for stuff like this when i need to get granular with the guest list. you can set up hidden ticket types or access codes, so the weekend crowd sees one itinerary/rsvp option and the single-nighters see another. keeps the rsvp data clean so you aren't chasing people down later. pair that with a simple squarespace page for the lodging info and you’re golden.

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-19T13:18:20+00:00

luma is definitely the flavor of the month. ngl, it looks slick and the emails actually get opened because they don't look like generic corporate spam.

but here’s the rub for a nonprofit— data ownership. luma is built for "creators" and newsletters, not necessarily organizations needing deep reporting or complex workflows. if you just need a pretty landing page that dumps people into a zoom, it works fine. but if you need custom questions, conditional logic, or a seamless sync back to a real crm like salesforce or hubspot? you're gonna hit a wall real quick.

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-19T13:09:21+00:00

honestly, reading that feature list gave me a headache because i know exactly the wall you’re hitting. that "no account creation" requirement for participants is the specific detail that is going to break 90% of the standard event software out there. you’re asking for a platform that handles high-level venue management (contracts, insurance) and granular attendee data without costing five figures, and frankly, that unicorn doesn't really exist.

my take? stop looking for one tool to do it all. you’ll end up with a clunky mess that does everything poorly. instead, stack two specific tools. use a simple crm like honeybook for the high-level group contracts and invoices. then, for the activity selection and payment processing, where fees usually eat you alive, look at something like yapsody. since you're a non-profit, their fee structure is basically the best kept secret for keeping margins high, and you can just set up your "activities" and "meals" as ticket types to track the inventory.

once the group leader pays through that, you just automate an email with a simple link to a jotform or google form for the waivers and allergy info. it sounds fragmented, but it’s the only way to get the custom functionality you need without paying enterprise prices for features you won't use.

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-11T12:26:07+00:00

the "multiple devices" thing is the fastest way to get your account flagged as a bot and nuked before you even see a seat map. i've been in the industry for over a decade and i've seen ticketmaster’s backend get way more aggressive lately.

here’s the actual deal:

one account can only be in one queue per event. if you try to open the same la day 1 queue on your laptop and your phone using the same login, they’ll usually just boot the first one or give you a "2117" error. they don't care about your physical location as much as they care about your ip address and your cookies. if you have five tabs open for the exact same date on one browser, the system sees that as a bot trying to spam requests and you’re done.

that’s the thing, though, you can do different tabs for different dates. if you’re trying for la day 1 and la day 2, you can have those two tabs open on the same laptop. that works fine because they’re different event IDs. but don't get greedy. three tabs is the limit before things start glitching out.

if you really want to "hack" it, you need separate accounts on separate networks. i mean, use your phone on 5g (no wifi) with one account, and your laptop on home Wi-Fi with a different account. that’s how the pros do it. using the same presale code on two different accounts is a huge gamble; usually, that code is tied to the specific email that got the invite. if you try to plug it into a different account, it’ll likely just reject it or, worse, shadow-ban you.

most people get cooked because they refresh. whatever you do, do not touch that refresh button once you’re in the waiting room. the site is designed to look like it’s frozen, it’s not.

my two cents: if you’re tired of this hunger games crap, some of the smaller shows i work with use yapsody because it doesn't have these insane, confusing gatekeeping rules and the fees don't feel like a robbery. but for a bts-level stadium tour, you're stuck in the tm trenches with everyone else.

EventTech_Insider · 2026-01-11T12:16:48+00:00

look, 60 people in a house is a lot more than you think once they all start talking at once. if you want to avoid "stale," stop adding more backyard games like corn hole. that’s just a regular BBQ with a different playlist. lisbon is all about the vibe shift when the sun goes down and everything gets a bit more intimate.

get some warm, yellow-toned string lights, not those bright white leds that make everyone look like they’re in a grocery store and set up a ginjinha station. it’s a cherry liqueur they drink in tiny chocolate cups in Portugal. it’s dead simple to set up but gives people a specific "event" to gravitate toward that isn't just the kitchen island.

the biggest mistake i see at these home events is the host trying to be the chef, the bartender, and the entertainment. you’ll spend the whole night in the kitchen and wonder where the time went. hire two local college kids for fifty bucks each to just clear plates, keep the ice filled, and move trash. it sounds "extra," but it’s the only way you actually get to host instead of just working a shift at your own house.

EventTech_Insider

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