Tips and Tricks

Fusion Ticket is a flexible program designed to handle almost any situation. This section is designed to help with maximum flexibility using minimum effort.

Seat charts are first created in a 'Venue'. When you create an 'Event' you choose the seat chart from an existing venue. The seat chart from the venue is then copied into the event where you may manipulate categories, zones, seat chart parts for the special needs of the unique event. However, once an event is published the seat chart can not be edited in 'Events; even if you 'Unpublish' the event. This is a safety measure so an event is not published, tickets sold, and then the seats, prices, and/or sections changed which would cause pandemonium among the customers who have already reserved their seats and paid for their tickets.

In a static venue; ie. a theater where the seats are bolted into place, this is not an issue. You make one seat chart in 'Venues' and it stays the same regardless of the event.

It does make a difference in a venue with flexible seating; ie. today the event is a seminar but tomorrow the same room is used for a banquet.

<note>Problem: Your 'Event Hall' has 'Room A' that is set up for banquets. You have created a seat chart in Venues>Event Hall>Room A and you select that seat chart and copy it into banquet events as they occur.

Eventually the Event Hall rents out the room for a seminar. You create the event, select Room A and create a seat chart for this one seminar. It looks good so you publish it.

You check it on-line and realize it has mistakes in it. You can not edit the seat chart because it was created in 'Events'. </note> <note tip>Tip: Create all seat charts in 'Venues' even if it seems the room may never be used for this type of event again. It is much easier to delete and re-create an event than it is to re-create a seat chart. </note> <note important>Recommendation: Only use an 'Event' Seat Chart to make small changes to an an existing 'Venue' Seat Chart. </note>

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These Notes give guidance for a simple Seating Plan covering the whole of the Venue as a single Zone having multiple Price Categories and an (optional) clickable map image. Multiple Zones will be covered in future further guidance.

1. Create or open a Venue
2. In Venue List click the red spanner to edit the Venue details
3. Under Seats charts click +Add to create a new Seat Chart or the red spanner to modify/complete an existing Seat Chart
4. Name the Seat Chart (if new), browse for the Seat chart image, open and then Save the picture
5. Add a Category: Specify name, price, Ticket Template (from drop-down),  color (using the color picker), Category Numbering (from drop-down) and Category Size (see note below) and save it

IMPORTANT NOTE: You can only specify Category Size if you select 'Seats w/o' Numbers (Open Seating)'. For other options the number of Seats is determined at a later stage, when drawing the map.

If a 'clickable' image is required then specify Category Data bounding the area defining each Category in the form of a 'rect' (x1,y1,x2y2), or 'circle' (x,y,r) or 'polygon', (x1,y1, x2,y2' xn,yn) .

e.g. shape=“circle”coords=“200,150,20”

If it's not possible to bound all the seats in a Specific price band in one set of coordinates then create two or more Categories with different names but with the same price.

6. Add further Categories if required (e.g. if you charge more than one price)
7. When last Category is saved then return to the list
8. Now add a Zone.  A single Zone will suffice embracing all Seats on the Plan
9. Add a Seat Chart Part: Specify a Matrix of size to accommodate all the Seats of your Seating Plan

Tip: Make your Seatplan slightly larger to allow for gangways, exits etc.

10. Select a Scene (Stage) position and Shift Rows (if your adjacent rows are staggered by half a seat width. This doesn't show on the matrix
11. Now check each box on the matrix that equates to a seat on the Seat Plan

Tip: Complete rows can be selected/deselected horizontally or vertically by toggling the box at the extreme right or bottom of the matrix.

12. After selecting all boxes that equate to seats, select the Zone from the drop down and click 'Define'
13. On the matrix select ALL the seats that are to be allocated to a specific Category. Select the relevant Category from the drop-down and 'Define' the category. Repeat for other Categories.
14. At this stage you should see all the Categories, the Zone and the number of seats defined for each listed in the area towards the top of the Seat Chart Part screen.
15. Numbering Seats: Click the icon to the right of the tick in the Zone Area. This will reveal the seat Numbering menu (the chart may overlap the page but ignore this for now).

Scroll down to Automatic Numbering and typically enter values as follows:

• First Row: 1 or A, as appropriate for your Plan.
• Row Step: 1 (for consecutively numbered/lettered rows).
• Invert Rows: Yes (for rows numbered/lettered from front to back with South facing Scene).
• First Seat: 1 or A, as appropriate for your Plan.
• Invert Seats: No (for seats starting with number 1 at left side).
• Seat Step: 1 (for consecutively numbered seats).
• Leave others values as default.

Click Save at bottom tight. Check numbering is correct and then click Save at bottom right of matrix.

16. Return to main Venue list (you will need to click on List 4 times to go up through the Stages).

You can now use this Seat Plan for any number of Events at this Venue and make changes to it for individual Events from The Event menu.

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There are 3 different places to select the pdf ticket template. Order Handling, Category and Event. That is also the order of focus. OH over-rides Cat which over-rides the Event.

<note>Problem: If you select a ticket template in an Event, then select another for a Category within that Event, and then another in Order Handling, the only ticket that will print is the one in Order Handling. Why? Because that is the last action a user/patron completes. </note> <note tip>Tip: Always select a ticket template in Event.

If a categories needs a different ticket, ie. 'VIP ticket', then select a ticket template in this category only and leave the others blank. The blank categories will print the Event ticket.

Try not to add a new template in an Order Handling especially if you already have one in Categories. The combination could be staggering and you may end up with an Order Handling ticket overriding an important Category ticket. </note> <note important>Recomendation: Select the ticket template in Event and leave the ticket option in Categories and Order Handling blank. </note> [top]

All discounts show in both the online shop and the POS

<note>Problem: A discount you trust in POS can be abused in the web shop. </note> <note tip>Tip: To create a discount that can only be used in the POS use Order Handling.

Create an OH:

• Payment = Cash
• Shipment = POS
• Choose the POS check-box only
• Make the Fee Percent = -50 (for a 50% discount)
• Payment Label = 'Cash with 50% discount'

You can make as many of these as there are combinations of payment/shipping.</note>

<note important>Recomendation: Avoid using discount in the seat-chart unless you can trust the web users who buy from you.</note>

Global discounts will be available in Beta 6; these require the customer to use a special promo code to receive the discount. This feature will allow you to target who is allowed to use web discounts.

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