This is a very important question. The Season Subscription module provides many features, of which, depending on what you are planning to do with season subscription, depends on what parts of the module that you use, or do not use.
There are many different scenarios and circumstances specific to your organization, so before making a final decision to use the module or not, you may contact Arts Management Customer Support for helpful advice that will assist you in your decision process. Arts Management can also inform you of the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ for your specific situation and offer further explanation of various scenarios.
We do not offer season subscriptions
You would not use the Season Subscription module. However, you may wish to use the ‘Release Unpaid Tickets’ function. Releasing unpaid tickets ‘frees up’ tickets to be resold to another patron prior to the start of a performance without going into each patron’s account and manually refunding the tickets. Only the tickets within an order that have never received a payment will be refunded.
We already mailed out our renewal notices (not from Theatre Manager)
You would then maintain the Subscription Control Event when you start reserving the seats as the renewal notices start coming back. There is no need to create season packages at this time. This process will be done for next years subscriptions. It would be recommended that for the remainder of the year that you just maintain the Subscription Control Event.
We want Theatre Manager to print out the renewal notices
You would use the full functionality of the Season Subscription module. Starting from creating season packages, creating the favorite seats for patrons, printing the renewal notices, and booking the seats as the notices are returned.
There are many factors that determine the timeline necessary to complete all the steps required for a smooth season renewal process:
The first complete season renewal process will be the most time consuming. After the first year, all the patrons favorite seats are already created and maintained, the procedures required by you will be already understood, and the renewal notice format will be created, resulting in a time commitment cut in half for the next year.
The steps involved to make the subscription module work effectively vary slightly if this is the first time using the module versus using the module for multiple years; if this is the first time using the module and your renewal notices have already been mailed out by any other means than Theatre Manager.
Scenario "A"
The response that follows assumes that:
Scenario "B"
The response that follows assumes that:
Scenario "C
The response that follows assumes that:
No. Theatre Manager provides the flexibility to use two types of renewal notices.
The first type of renewal notice has all the headings and detailed subscription information printed on the notice. This type of renewal notice was designed to utilize your existing organization’s letterhead.
The second type of renewal notice only prints the subscription information (patron information, season ticket details, and subscription totals). The second type renewal notice provides you the complete flexibility to design your own renewal notices and have Theatre Manager just print the details.
When printing the renewal notices, there is also other printing options available:
When booking a season subscription use the Subscription Control Event to assist you in determining the available seating:
The patron has now been assigned favorite seats in the control event, but has not been added to the Subscription tab on the Patron Window. Depending on your method of maintaining favorite seats -- through the patron window season’s tab, or through the control event -- determines the next step.
Season Control Event
Nothing more is required as the patron has been assigned a seat in the control house.
Patron Window Season’s Tab
Manually enter in the favorite seats through the Patron Window Season tab or perform ‘Create Favorite Seats’. This option can be done on a regular basis to insure that all season ticket holders are properly accounted for. (This will only add new subscribers, it will not change existing subscribers favorite seats)
The same way as if single ticket sales are not in effect. After clicking the Reserve All button, insure that all tickets for the season were booked correctly, by reviewing them in the Purchased Ticket List. If a ticket is missing, then that particular seat for that performance was already sold to another patron as a single ticket. Click on the performance in question (top section of the window), and book the missing tickets from the seats that are available.
If single ticket sales have taken place, the seats available in the control house may not available for all other performances , however the ‘favorite seats’ assigned to the patron are the seats booked in the control event.
Before the renewal notices have been printed
Manually change the favorite seats through the Patron Window Season tab. If the seats are already assigned to another patron, an error message will be displayed.
After the renewal notices have been printed, but before the end of the renewal deadline
The correct answer depends on your box office policy of changing seats. As the request for changes arrive in the box office, assign them a number as to the order that they were received. Some of the scenarios may include:
After the tickets have been booked, and after the end of the renewal deadline
When a patron wishes to have their entire subscription changed to a new series, for example 1-FRI to 2-SAT, the control event is used in the exchange process. When booking to the new series, the control event for 2-SAT is evaluated for the available seating, and then reserve the seats as a normal season reservation.
Yes. Go to the menu options Theatre Manager >> Season Reservations >> Print Control House. Enter in the required season package and series information, then click Print. This is the map that assures that each season subscriber has their own unique seats assigned to them. This is similiar to the Season Control Event map that is maintained by you.
Not available at this time. As an alternative, print out your Season Control Event maps or print the built-in Season Control House map to the printer.
Yes. If the season package is no longer required, just delete the season package. All patron subscription information will be deleted along with their favorite seats who subscribe to that specific season package.