Your Ticket Shop is your online storefront for tickets and other items you sell through VBO. You can start with the standard layout, choose what to display, and preview the result. You do not need HTML or CSS to complete the basic setup.
Go to Setup > Integrations > Ticket Shop to get started.
In this article
- Set up your shop
- Switch to Live when you are ready
- Add images and personalize your shop
- Help patrons find events
- Create links to selected events or items
- More options
- Common questions
Set up your shop
1. Enable Ticket Shop
Turn on Enable Ticket Shop and leave Status set to Test while you get things ready. Click Save.
Test lets you preview the new shop while your existing website embeds and Event Manager email links continue using the classic plugin. The new shop can still be opened at its direct address. This setting is separate from your payment gateway's test mode.
Enable the shop and use Test status while you set it up. 2. Choose what to display
Turn on the sections you want patrons to use:
- Display Events: show your upcoming events.
- Display Merchandise: offer your merchandise.
- Display Donations: show your donation campaigns.
- Display Memberships: offer your memberships.
- Display Subscriptions: offer your subscriptions.
Leave any sections you do not use turned off. Keep Display Navigation on if you want patrons to move between the available sections using the menu. The event link in that menu is labeled Tickets.
These switches use the items you have already set up in VBO. To appear in the shop, an event or item must also be available for sale online.
Click the main Save button after changing the switches.
Choose the sections you want to offer. You can add others later. 3. Preview your shop
Click Preview Ticket Shop on the right side of the page. If the link does not appear after you enable and save the shop, reload the setup page.
Check that the events and items you expect are visible, and try the navigation and item links. You can use the standard layout as it is, or add images and other options below.
A Ticket Shop using the standard layout with existing event graphics. Saving tip: The main Save button stores the settings on the main page. When you open an Edit panel, use that panel's own Save or Upload button for changes inside it.
Switch to Live when you are ready
Once you have reviewed your shop, change Status to Live and click Save.
With Ticket Shop enabled and Live, Event Manager emails such as confirmations, hold links, and balance links direct patrons to the new shop. Your existing website embeds follow the Embed Behavior you choose:
| Option | What patrons experience |
|---|---|
| Show a button | A button opens the Ticket Shop in a new tab. |
| Open the Ticket Shop in a new tab | The embed tries to open the shop automatically. A button is also available if the browser blocks the new tab. |
| Redirect to the Ticket Shop | The visitor's current page opens the Ticket Shop. |
Embed Button Text changes the button wording. Leave it blank to use BUY TICKETS, or enter your own text, up to 50 characters. Save your changes and check the result on your website.
Some specialized links and checkout return flows continue using the classic plugin. Overlay plugins keep your website's existing trigger, and do not automatically open with the automatic-new-tab option.
Add images and personalize your shop
These options are optional. Start with the images you need; you can return and make more changes later.
Add a header image
Click Upload next to Header Image and select your image. Use a JPG, JPEG, or PNG file up to 10 MB.
Add a short description in Header Image Alt Text for accessibility, then click the main Save button. The description can be up to 150 characters. Use the image's Edit or Delete controls to change or remove it.
Add a hero banner
A hero banner is a large featured image, video, or rotating event display at the top of your home page.
- Turn on Hero Banner.
- Click Edit Hero Banner Settings.
- Choose Image Banner, Video Banner, or Event Carousel.
- For an image or video, upload your file and optionally enter a Hero Banner Title to display over it. Click Save in the panel.
- Save the Hero Banner switch using the main Save button, then preview the result.
Image banners accept JPG, JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG, or AVIF files. Video banners use MP4. The maximum file size is 10 MB. Event Carousel setup is covered under More options.
Upload an image banner and add a title if you want one. Choose images for your other sections
Use the settings button beside Merchandise, Donations, Memberships, or Subscriptions to upload an image for that section's home-page tile. Turn the section on first if its settings button is not visible.
The recommended tile image size is 390 × 150 pixels, with a maximum file size of 10 MB. Use Upload in the panel to save the image.
Merchandise supports up to five tile images, which you can drag to reorder. Its settings also let you search for Popular Categories and Featured Items to highlight. Those selections save as you work; use the X to remove one.
Help patrons find events
Use Edit Event Settings beside Display Events to add keyword search, organize events into categories, or show a message while a seat map loads.
Turn on keyword search
Turn on Enable Event Filter, then click Save in the panel. This adds a keyword search above the event list. The setting is shared with the legacy event list, calendar, and Box Office pages.
Add category buttons
- Under Category Filters, select an event.
- Select a category and sub-category.
- Click Add Filter.
- Repeat for other events or tags, then preview your shop.
For example, you could tag an event with Dance > Ballet. Patrons can select Dance and then Ballet to narrow the event list. An event can have more than one tag.
Category buttons appear automatically once events are tagged. These are the same tags used under Event Info > Advanced Filters. The event selector lists online events that have not ended. Use Manage categories to manage the category choices, or the trash icon to remove a saved tag.
Add keyword search and category tags in Event Settings. Seatmap Message is optional text patrons see while a seat map loads. Enter the message and click Save in the panel. The current Event List Display setting offers List.
Create links to selected events or items
Want a website button to open only certain events or a specific type of item? Create a filter link. For example, you can make a link for a concert series, selected memberships, or a merchandise category.
Category buttons help patrons browse within the event list. Filter links let you send patrons directly to a selection.
- Click Filters on the right side of the Ticket Shop setup page.
- Click Add and enter a name for the link.
- Choose the Filter Type: Events, Memberships, Subscriptions, Merchandise, or Donations.
- Choose which items or criteria to include.
- Click Save & Close, then copy the URL from the filter list.
Choose what the link should show, then save and copy its URL. The available choices depend on the filter type:
| Type | You can include |
|---|---|
| Events | All events, categories/sub-categories, selected events, or names containing specified words. |
| Memberships | All or selected online memberships. |
| Subscriptions | All, a group name, or selected online subscriptions. |
| Merchandise | All items, a category, selected items, or names containing specified words. |
| Donations | All or selected online campaigns. |
Name contains is useful when you want a selection to include future items too. Enter one or more comma-separated words. Matching event or merchandise names are included, even when added later.
Enforce Filter keeps patrons in that selection and hides the header navigation. Leave it off if you do not need that restriction. The Clear Filter Link removes an active filter from a patron's session, so provide that link when patrons need a way back to the full shop.
Use the filter name or gear menu to edit a link, and the gear menu to delete it. You can have up to 100 filters. Names can be up to 50 characters; Name contains accepts up to 200 characters. A deleted or outdated filter link opens the shop home page.
More options
The basic setup above is enough to get started. These options let you customize the experience further.
Feature events in a rotating carousel
Select Event Carousel in Hero Banner Settings. Then configure each event you want to feature:
- Open the event's Event Graphics page, under Design + Branding. You can also choose Event Graphics from the event's action menu in Manage Events.
- In Ticket Shop Hero, turn on Enable Ticket Shop Hero.
- Use Add beside Upload Banner to add that event's hero artwork.
- Use Edit beside Edit Hero Message to set the slide's promotional text. Save it using the controls below the text area.
- Repeat for other events, then preview the shop.
Hero artwork is separate from the event posters below it. The slide message can also differ from the event name. The message editor supports HTML and includes a separate picture-upload area.
Each featured event has its own hero image and promotional message. Adjust checkout billing fields
Open Home Page > Edit Billing Fields.
- Required Billing Fields lets you choose which listed details patrons must complete during online checkout.
- Locked Billing Fields provides controls for restricting edits to selected billing details in the online order/confirmation flow. Patrons can still update billing details through their account.
The required-field options include Company, Address, City, State, Zip Code, Country, Phone, Title, Salutation, Gender, and Birthdate. Name and Email have no required-field switches in this panel. Locked-field options include Name, Company, Address, Phone, Email, Title, Salutation, Gender, and Birthdate.
Click Save inside the billing panel.
Reuse existing website plugin selections
If you have active classic website plugins, click Import from Website Plugins to review suggested filter links. Check the entries you want, then click Apply.
Review the selections before applying: the import screen states that plugins you untick will not be offered again. If a Ticket Shop already exists, import adds filter links and leaves its existing settings in place. If no shop exists, the preview also shows the initial shop settings it will create. The 100-filter limit applies to imports too.
Add custom HTML or styling
The Home Page row also provides Edit Header Html, Edit Footer Html, and Edit CSS. Use these if you or your website designer want to add custom content or change the design beyond the standard settings. Each editor has its own Save button.
Header HTML adds content at the top of the home page. Footer HTML replaces the footer on every page. CSS changes the styling. You can see an example of a more customized design in the Green Ticket Shop.
Common questions
Why is my website still showing the classic plugin?
Check that Ticket Shop is enabled, Status is Live, and the main form has been saved. Test intentionally keeps existing website embeds and email links using the classic plugin.
Why is a section or item missing?
Check that the section is turned on and saved, and that the relevant items are available online. If you opened a filter link, use the Clear Filter Link to return to the full shop.
Why did a change not appear?
Use the Save button for the area you changed. Main-page switches use the main Save button. Edit panels have their own Save buttons, and images use Upload. Then refresh your preview.
Why is the navigation hidden?
Check Display Navigation. An enforced filter also hides the menu until the patron opens the Clear Filter Link.
I do not see Ticket Shop in my menu. What should I do?
Contact VBO Support to check access and availability. The current setup page identifies Ticket Shop as an alpha feature, so available options may change.