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Case Study: Livingston Classic PBR Harnesses the Power of Online Premium Seating Tickets

Case Studies | Events

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July 17, 2020

Summary: The Livingston Classic PBR—“The Best Bang for Your Buck!"

Featuring the world’s top 35 bull riders and 60,000 pounds of bucking bulls, the Livingston Classic PBR is Livingston, Montana’s premier sporting event. Now in its tenth year, the Livingston Classic PBR is held at the Park Country Fairgrounds, with a capacity of 5,000 total seats. Of those, 700-800 are sold at a premium as reserved seating because many of the seats are covered and all face the chute from which the riders and bulls explode.

Founded by twenty bull riders 23 years ago, The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization. It has since grown into an international sports phenomenon which has awarded more than $140 million in prize money. More than 100 million viewers annually watch primetime PBR programming on networks around the world, including CBS and CBS Sports Network.

Challenge: Wrangling Premier Seating

Printed event tickets were sold at various outlets, and tracking how many as well as assigning them was, in the words of management, “a wild goose chase.” To reconcile what was sold and what was not, Livingston Classic PBR management physically collected all the sold tickets, then manually assigned and reconciled the premium, reserved seats against the venue’s seating chart.

Solution: Online reserved ticket sales, a mobile management platform, and easy-to-integrate marketing tools

Instantly, running all over town was a thing of the past. Through Eventgroove’s intuitive, interactive seating chart, guests could  purchase and reserve their premium seats via their phones or tablets.  To access sales and seating information, all management had to do was open the EG Mobile Dashboard.

Marketing tickets was streamlined, too. Eventgrooves’s email marketing functionality enabled the Livingston Classic PBR to virtually harvest sales through email blasts. Using one of Eventgroove’s customizable templates auto-filled with event information, the Livingston Classic PBR created on-brand printed flyers and event tickets and enabled powerful marketing outreach.

Results

From 2012 (when the Livingston Classic PBR began using Eventgroove) to present, there has been 200% annual growth rate in ticket sales. In 2019, the event completely sold out in record time thanks to Eventgroove’s marketing tools and the ease with which customers could purchase and reserve seats online.

 

“When you can sell out of premium seating, your event is pretty much paid for, and Eventgroove is a key component to the success of ticket sales for the Livingston Classic PBR.”

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How Selling Prom Tickets Online Works

Creating a ticket sales page takes no time, and you can customize it so it matches your prom theme and school branding. Here’s the shape of it:
  1. Create the event. Name (Enchanted Forest Prom, 2026), date, venue, capacity, dress code, anything else students should know.
  2. Set ticket types and prices. Most committees do one student ticket plus one guest or date. Some add an early bird ticket tier at a $10 discount for the first two weeks.
  3. Grab a shareable link. Drop it in the school newsletter, add it to a QR code on your prom posters, then drop it into the school’s socials and the committee group chat so everyone can share within their networks, and the principal’s morning announcements.
  4. Collect the money. Card and digital wallet payments flow straight into your account, whether someone pays in person at school or at the door on prom night.
  5. Scan tickets at the door. Each student arrives with their printed prom tickets or a digital version. A volunteer scams them using their phone.

6 Things to Look For in a Prom Ticketing Service

Not every ticketing platform is set up for school events. Three things that matter:
  1. Real-Time Data: Student planners and faculty advisors need to monitor sales and revenue, and access updated attendee reports.
  2. Clear Fees: Every platform makes its money through fees. These fees can be passed on to buyers or absorbed by the school. In addition, when credit cards are involved, processing fees always apply but may not be included in your free ticketing platform’s service. When these are not included in the platform price, you’ll need to organize online payments separately, which can result in a much higher per-ticket cost on your end.
  3. Online and physical tickets: Printing prom tickets is something many schools do – they’re a great memento of the night, and make the experience more special. Make sure your platform’s capabilities include tracking and scanning both printed and digital tickets.
  4. Easy attendee check-in: Look for a platform that lets you scan without an app or special equipment. When faculty can scan tickets using their mobile phone‘s browser, getting up to speed takes less time.
  5. Attendee management: You’ll want to track students as they enter, leave, and return. Ensure your service can support this.
  6. Ticketing adaptability: Creating ticket bundles, reserved seating, and comp codes for VIPS means your chosen platform needs to be flexible.

What to Charge For Tickets To Prom and When to Sell

On average, a prom ticket costs between $55–$125. The exact number depends on the venue, what the night includes (DJ, photos, dinner, flowers, and the like).

Pre-prom ticket sales strategies

  • Early Bird discount. Knock $10–$15 off the standard price for the first 2–3 weeks of sales. An early bird ticket strategy rewards students who buy first, builds momentum, and gives your committee how the night is tracking weeks before prom.
  • Group bundles. Offer a small discount for friend groups buying 4 or 6 tickets together. Ticket bundling speeds up sales and they nudge friend groups to commit early.
  • Reserved tables. If you want groups to sit together, set up your ticketing with reserved seating and sell whole tables as a single package.
  • Day-of door pricing. Charge $10–$15 more at the door than online to  encourages families to pre-buy.

When to sell tickets

Open sales 6–8 weeks before prom, switch from early bird to standard pricing 2–3 weeks in, and close online sales 24–48 hours before the dance so you can finalize the catering count.

A note on the platform side: Eventgroove’s setup is free, and the service fee on paid tickets is small (2% + $0.75 per ticket). You can pass that fee on to ticket buyers, and for free events, there are no fees at all.

If you’re looking for an efficent and easy way to sell school dance tickets and manage your attendees, we’d love it if you gave Eventgroove a try. Our ticketing platform is free for organizers, with low ticket-buyer fees, no hidden charges, and no contracts. Plus, we’re also online printers, so you order custom prom tickets, VIP  badges, and flyers all in one place.

Want to see Eventgroove in action?

We’d love to show you! Schedule a one-on-one demo with our expert sales team.

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