Hybrid events: selling in-person and Zoom tickets for the same event

The short answer

A hybrid event has two audiences at the same time: people in the room and people on Zoom. They need different things. The room needs a capacity, a QR code and someone on the door. The online audience needs a join link, reminders that carry it and someone looking after them on the call.

The cleanest way to sell both is as two events side by side: an in-person event at the venue and an online event on Zoom, at the same time, each with its own tickets, price and capacity, each linking to the other. Buyers pick the one that suits them, and each gets exactly the right ticket.

Why two events rather than one

It’s tempting to put both on one event with an “in person” ticket and an “online” ticket. The trouble is that the two audiences need different things from the same ticket:

• In-person tickets need the venue address, a QR code to scan and a capacity set by the room.
• Online tickets need the join link, no QR code and a capacity set by your Zoom plan.
• Reminders should say “doors open at 6.30 at the hall” to one group and “here’s your link” to the other.

On One Ticket an event’s place is either a venue or online, so its tickets, emails and reminders are right for that place. Two events at the same time give each audience the right ticket, the right emails and its own attendee list, and the door only has to deal with the people coming in person.

Step 1: Set up the in-person event

Create the event as usual: title, date and time, the venue and address, tickets and a capacity that fits the room. Write the description for the people in the room: parking, accessibility, what’s included.

Step 2: Make the online version

The quickest way is to duplicate it. From the event’s menu choose Duplicate event; the copy opens as a draft with the same tickets, look and settings. Then:

1. Rename it so it’s clear, such as “Spring Forum (online)”.
2. Set the same date and times.
3. Open the place, choose Online, and either paste your Zoom link or have it created. With your own Zoom account connected in Settings › Zoom, choose Meeting or Webinar under Generate with Zoom; One Ticket creates the Zoom meeting for you when you save the event. Creating Zoom meetings is on Pro and Team. Pro and Team are open now: upgrade any time in Settings › Plan. Limited-time offer: A$1 for your first year (first 100 organisers), then A$29/month for Pro or A$79/month for Team. Cancel anytime.
4. Adjust the tickets: online tickets are often cheaper, and the capacity follows your Zoom plan rather than the room.
5. Rewrite the description for the online audience: what they’ll see, whether they can ask questions, and when the link appears.
6. Publish.

If you duplicate an event that’s already online, give the copy its own meeting rather than keeping the original’s link, so each event has a link of its own.

Step 3: Link them together

In each event’s description, add a line pointing to the other: “Can’t make it to the hall? Join online” with the online event’s page link, and the reverse. Share both in your announcements, or share the in-person page first and the online page to people who are far away.

If you have an organiser page, both events show there, side by side.

What each audience receives

In-person ticket holders get a QR code ticket, the venue and address, calendar links, and reminders the day before and on the morning. Your team checks them in at the door with any phone.

Online ticket holders get the join link on their ticket and in their ticket email, calendar links that carry it, the same reminders, and a “Starting in 15 minutes” email with the link. You can hold the link back until 15, 30 or 60 minutes before the start. Online events don’t appear on Check-in, because nobody needs scanning; Attendees shows who opened the join link from their ticket.

Running the Zoom side of a hybrid event

The hardest part of a hybrid event isn’t the ticketing; it’s making the online audience feel included. A few habits:

• Get the audio right. People online will forgive a fixed camera, never bad sound. Put the presenter on a proper microphone, not the laptop’s.
• Appoint an online host. Someone whose only job is the Zoom room: admitting people, reading the chat, passing questions to the stage.
• Repeat questions from the room into the microphone, so people online hear them.
• Take some questions from online first, so they know they count.
• Keep the waiting room on. Meetings One Ticket creates have it on already, and people are muted as they arrive.
• Test the whole setup at the venue the day before, including the venue’s internet.

Pricing two audiences

Online tickets are often priced lower, because there’s no catering or seat to cover, but the content is the same. Some organisers price both the same and treat online as the accessible option for people far away. Others offer a combined price for members. Whatever you choose, say plainly on each page what’s included. For help with figures, see pricing a paid or free webinar. On a paid ticket, buyers pay a small booking fee and you receive your full price; see the pricing page.

A regular hybrid group

For a monthly meetup or a weekly class that runs in the room and on Zoom, make two series: one at the venue and one online, at the same times. Each can have its own drop-in tickets and its own subscription. In the online series, Create a unique Zoom link for each session gives every session its own meeting. See weekly online classes on Zoom and the guide to repeating events.

After the event

Zoom can record the session. On any plan, a replay sends the recording to everyone with a ticket, in person or online, so people in the room can watch it again too. Pro and Team are open now: upgrade any time in Settings › Plan. Limited-time offer: A$1 for your first year (first 100 organisers), then A$29/month for Pro or A$79/month for Team. Cancel anytime. See replays.

The complete guide to selling tickets to a Zoom event links the rest of this series. The events page covers in-person ticketing and the webinars page online.