Event POS System
There's nothing worse than providing a long line of people with arduously slow service. Without an efficient POS system, managing transactions for large crowds can quickly become chaotic.
Because of this, quality POS systems are necessary for event management.
We will share with you the ins and outs of the top 7 event management point-of-sale solutions in the industry.
Continue reading to find the POS provider that will meet all of your needs.
Event POS System
Accelevents
- Best event POS system overall
- Tons of features for virtual event hosting
- $125 per month starting
Tix
- Best for small event organizers
- Free venue mapping feature
- $0.25 per ticket sold
ThunderTix
- Best for performing arts event centers
- Quality customer loyalty programs
- $79 per month
EventCombo
- Best for marketing
- Post-event networking features
- Quote-based pricing
Foodics
- Best for catering events
- In-depth inventory features
- $199 per month starting
GiveSmart
- Best for fundraising events
- Strong data and analytics tools
- Quote-based pricing
TicketBud
- Best for festivals and large events
- Personal branding solutions
- $0.99 one-time payment starting
Accelevents is one of the best event POS system solutions in the industry, both for in-person and virtual events. The beauty of Accelevents is that you can try it out without risk, thanks to their free trial. However, when it comes to specific pricing, Accelevents provides quotes for each individual business.
With that said, most Accelevents customers pay around $125 per month starting.
Accelevents has plenty of powerful features, including customer engagement, polling, live chat, and absentee bidding. It's a wonderful solution for everything from small or virtual in-person events to large-scale enterprises.
It's one of our absolute favorite options for event organizers that put on virtual shows.
Beyond the features listed above, some of the other key features offered by Accelevents include auction management, attendee management, agenda management, barcode scanning, badge management, and the intuitive activity dashboard, where you'll get an overview of all of your business details.
The pricing is reasonable for any mid-sized event company, and their POS system can simplify the payment processing side of your transactions. Plus, it can be customized to perfectly fit your needs.
The one place that Accelevents does not excel is their website customization.
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Tix is one of the best event POS system solutions for smaller event organizers. This solution comes with a wide range of helpful tools, including cold outreach, ticket renewal, and automation.
It's an excellent system for seasonal events, thanks to the low POS system cost, free website integration, and wide range of marketing tools.
If you plan on scaling your event in the future, you'll find several features to help you do so. The top features found in the Tix point-of-sale system include marketing automation, kiosk ticketing software, employee management, event scheduling, barcode scanning, and customer data management.
The main aspect that makes it a great POS system for smaller or seasonal events is the ease of use.
Tix's event scheduling process is one of the most intuitive of any of the POS systems on this list. If you plan on integrating with an eCommerce site, Tix has powerful web integration.
When it comes to customer support, running an event with ticketing from different vendors can get confusing. Customers can easily find the help they need using the features in this point-of-sale system, while employees can help customers with troubleshooting and ticket issues.
Tix also delivers a number of high-end free services including venue mapping, which you wont find for free on some other POS systems. Problems that may arise on the back-end are quick to fix, thanks to Tix's tech-savvy customer support team.
The one downside to Tix is that ticketing features require a slight learning curve, though, luckily, you'll find all of the guidance you need through Tix's customer support.
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ThunderTix is a high-end event management POS system for in-person live events.
We love it for performing arts events, thanks to its high-end loyalty programs and gift card subscriptions.
In fact, it's most commonly used for events that take reservations only, making it one of the most suitable for performing arts centers.
Some of the key features found in ThunderTix include booking management, attendee segmentation, customer data management, conferences, reminders, customizable forms, customizable branding, data import, and barcode scanning.
Their post-marketing system the best we've found out of all the POS systems on this list, and the efficient attendee tracking system delivers data and insights into the crowds who attend each performance.
Though the system is uncomplicated to use, the customer support forum at ThunderTix is knowledgeable and ready to assist with any troubleshooting problems that may arise.
If you run or help manage a performing arts center, you'll know that repeat customers are a big part of the business. This is why the promotional tools and loyalty program tools in ThunderTix are so important. These tools keep your best event-goers coming back for more, while simultaneously simplifying the ticketing management process.
While we love a lot of what ThunderTix offers, one aspect that is lacks is a customer support team. Users have noted difficulty getting in touch with customer service technicians when they need, which is likely why the customer support forum is so popular.
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EventCombo is one of our favorite event management POS systems for post-event networking and marketing. This system comes with integrated high-end software that delivers quality customer service pre and post-event.
It's a great choice for in-person, though just as powerful for virtual events as well.
Top features found in EventCombo's system include barcode scanning, campaign management, audience targeting, customer data management, customizable branding, concession management, attendee management, and customizable forms.
It's one of the most effortless POS solutions to navigate, making it one of the top-tier POS systems for event businesses that have high employee turnover. With the unique networking features, you can sell tickets and manage your event while showing off your brand.
The system also promotes customer engagement and simplifies the scheduling process with its intuitive interface for both admin and clients.
While we love it for keeping track of sales and marketing to event-goers pre and post-event, the navigation process for some of the quicker operations can be quite long, making the system a bit more involved than it needs to be.
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While Foodics may seem expensive right off the bat, it offers plenty of high-end features perfect for catering companies that host events. The mobile app that comes included will help you integrate it into your retail shop, cafe or restaurant with ease.
With quality inventory management, this solution makes running a catering event incredibly easy.
Some of the best features in the Foodics system include discount management, inventory tracking, loyalty program solutions, gift cards, barcode scanning, and more.
The inventory system is outstanding, helping you accurately track all ingredients and materials that are crucial to keeping your catering business running.
The employee productivity features will ensure that your staff are on time and working for the benefit of your customers while they're representing your business.
Essentially, Foodics is a complete administrative assistant, offering solutions for back-office problems, all while improving overall customer relationship management.
One of the biggest problems seen in Foodics are that customers experience minor bugs for a short time after new updates roll out.
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GiveSmart is one of our favorite POS system solutions for fundraising events, thanks to all of its features that keep customers engaged.
There are several options for event organizers who want to set up campaigns to ensure they're hitting their fundraising goals.
We highly recommend it for non-profit event runners and fundraising event managers, though it's just as beneficial for educational campaigns and medical outreach.
The key features you'll find in the GiveSmart system include event management, donor management, absentee bidding, membership management, inventory management, gamification, and auction management.
It's an incredibly straightforward system to use, which is why we recommend it to smaller event managers, however, it's just as usable for high-volume ticket sales. Plus, GiveSmart provides some of the best tools for data analytics. By utilizing data from each event that you throw, it helps you find ways to hit your fundraising goals.
The one main downside to using GiveSmart for your events is that the financial reporting and analytics can be quite complicated for those just starting out. However, if you have an in-house employee to translate this data, or are familiar with using financial data to make business decisions, the in-depth reporting could be beneficial.
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TicketBud is our recommended POS system for selling tickets at festivals or large events.
Whether you're a seasoned event planner or just getting your feet wet, you'll find that the wide range of high-end features can minimize costs while ensuring your event runs fluidly.
The personal branding solution is one of our favorite offerings by TicketBud, as it can help you keep in line with the brand characteristics of the particular event or clients you are working with.
This POS solution is more than suitable for large-scale festivals, non-profit events, and community events.
Key features you'll find in TicketBud include customizable branding, customizable forms, barcode scanning, class registration, electronic payments, attendee management, and class registration.
It's one of the most intuitive systems we've found, though it's also backed by an excellent support system for new customers who may find its characteristics a bit of a learning curve to navigate.
While it is wonderful for eCommerce management and has top-notch SEO features for event placements, the customizable features are lacking, which is one of the reasons we wouldn't recommend it for those who need ultra-specific integrations.
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The Bottom Line
While each of these 7 POS systems provide an easier way to sell tickets and offer event services, the once you ultimately choose will depend on your specific needs.
If you're interested in receiving price quotes for your favorite POS solution, answer the few quick questions below. Our FREE service takes your needs into account and provides the lowest quotes from the best POS distributors in the nation.
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author