How to choose a ticketing partner for your event

Your ticketing partner decides how much of your revenue you keep, when you actually receive it, how buyers pay, and what the queue looks like on the night. It's one of the first decisions you'll make and one of the hardest to reverse mid-sale, so it's worth an afternoon of comparison rather than defaulting to whoever a friend used.

To be clear about where IslandLive sits in this: we're the discovery layer, not a seller. You list your event here so people can find it, and the listing links out to whichever official seller you've chosen — an external ticketing platform, a WhatsApp line, at-the-door sales, or free entry. Your listing can show your tier names and prices so buyers know what to expect before they click through. Choosing and managing the seller is entirely yours.

Fees, and who actually pays them

Quoted rates usually combine a platform commission with a payment-processing charge, and sometimes a fixed fee per ticket. Compare the all-in number on a realistic basket — a 2,000-rupee ticket and a 15,000-rupee ticket often work out very differently under the same rate card.

Then decide who absorbs it. Adding the fee on top at checkout protects your margin but produces the "why is it more than advertised?" complaint; absorbing it into the face price keeps the advertised number honest but costs you per sale. Whichever you choose, make sure the price a buyer sees on your listing matches what they'll actually pay, and that any fee is visible before the final step.

Payout timing — the question people forget

Ask exactly when money reaches your account: some partners pay out only after the event, some weekly during the sale period, some on request. Post-event payouts are common because they cover the platform against refunds and chargebacks, but they mean funding venue deposits, artist advances and production out of your own pocket first.

Confirm the mechanics too: which bank accounts they can pay into, whether a first payout needs verification documents, what the cut-off is, and whether there's a fee per transfer. A partner with a slightly higher commission and a weekly payout can be worth more to your cash flow than a cheaper one that pays six weeks after the show.

Payment methods your buyers actually use

A checkout that doesn't fit your audience quietly costs you sales. Look for:

Local and international cards, with a 3-D Secure step that works reliably on Sri Lankan bank cards.
Bank transfer or deposit options for higher-value tickets and corporate buyers who want an invoice.
Mobile wallet payments, which matter for younger audiences and anyone without a card.
A checkout that works on a phone, in one hand, on a patchy connection. Most of your buyers will never see a desktop.

If you're selling to buyers abroad — diaspora audiences, tourists booking ahead — check that international cards are accepted and what the currency handling looks like.

Entry: scanning, staffing and the door

Whatever gets issued has to work at the gate, in the dark, with a queue behind it. Ask how tickets are validated, whether the scanning app works offline when the network drops, how many devices you can run at once, and whether the platform provides scanners or expects you to supply phones and staff.

For multi-day or multi-session events, check the system can handle day-specific tickets. And ask what happens when the inevitable arrives: a buyer with no ticket but a payment receipt, a duplicate scan, a name that doesn't match. A partner with a documented answer beats one that improvises on the night.

Refunds, cancellations and postponements

Agree the policy before you sell a single ticket, and make sure it's the same policy the seller displays. Who decides refunds — you or the platform? How long do they take? Are fees returned or retained? If a date moves, can tickets be transferred automatically to the new date? Postponements are far more common than cancellations, and platforms differ a lot in how gracefully they handle them.

Buyer support and reporting

Ask who answers buyer emails — you or them — and how quickly. Support you don't have to staff is worth real money.

On reporting, you want live sales by tier, a clear revenue-versus-fees breakdown, an exportable attendee list, and check-in numbers on the night. Ask whether you own the buyer data and can export it, and be sure that whatever you promise buyers about their data is something the platform's own terms actually allow.

Reputation and reach

A partner buyers already trust converts better than one they've never heard of. Check whether their brand appears on the checkout, whether they market events to their own audience, and what their track record looks like for events your size. Then market independently: your own channels plus a listing on IslandLive means your audience finds you whether or not they know the seller.

The questions to ask before you sign

What's the all-in fee on a typical ticket, and who pays it?
When exactly do I get paid, and what triggers the first payout?
Which payment methods are supported, and do international cards work?
Does gate scanning work offline, and who supplies the devices?
Who handles refunds, on what timeline, and are fees refunded?
Who answers buyer support, and how fast?
What reporting do I get live, and can I export the attendee list?
What happens if the date moves?

The short version

Compare the all-in fee and the payout timing together, make sure the checkout matches how your buyers actually pay, and pressure-test the gate and refund process before you commit. Then keep discovery separate from selling: list the event on IslandLive with your tiers and prices, and send buyers to the official seller you chose — so the people who don't yet know your brand can still find the show.