Create Members-Only Tickets with Event Tickets Plus

Do you want to create event tickets based on different membership levels?

Event websites often have different types of users, such as free members, premium members, non-members, or general visitors. You may want to offer different ticket prices or access levels to each group.

Even though using the Event Tickets plugin, you can create and sell tickets on your event website. However, it does not provide a built-in way to restrict individual tickets based on a user’s membership level.

This means that even if you create separate tickets for different membership levels, you still need a way to decide who can access each one.

That is where the Members Only Tickets extension comes in. It allows you to restrict ticket visibility and purchasing based on a user’s membership status, so you can offer the right tickets to the right users.

In this guide, you will learn how the Members Only Tickets extension works and how to create members-only tickets.

What Is the Members Only Tickets Extension for Event Tickets?

Members Only Tickets is a free extension for Event Tickets Plus that lets you restrict ticket visibility and purchasing based on a user’s membership access. 

The extension works together with Event Tickets Plus, WooCommerce, and supported membership plugins like:

• Restrict Content Pro
• Paid Memberships Pro
• WooCommerce Memberships
• MemberPress

Here is a simple workflow:

Suppose you want to create a discounted ticket for Premium Members and a regular ticket for everyone else.

First, create both tickets using Event Tickets Plus and select WooCommerce as the ticket provider. Each ticket is then connected to a WooCommerce product.

Next, create your membership levels using a supported membership plugin. For example, you can create a Premium Members level and assign users to it.

Then, set the membership restrictions for the related WooCommerce products using a supported membership plugin. These restrictions determine which members can view or purchase each ticket product.

For example, you can make a discounted ticket available only to Premium Members while keeping a regular ticket available to other visitors.

When Event Tickets Plus displays the tickets on your event page, Members Only Tickets connects these WooCommerce product restrictions with the ticket interface. Based on the membership rules, it can control whether a user can view or purchase a ticket.

In simple words, the membership plugin defines who can access a product, and Members Only Tickets connects those access rules with Event Tickets to control ticket visibility and purchasing.

How Does The Extension Handle Tickets?

The extension provides two options to handle members-only tickets:

• Hide Members-only Ticket: You can completely hide a restricted ticket from users who do not meet the membership requirements. Visitors will only see the tickets they are allowed to access. 

• Visible but Restricted Tickets: You can also allow non-eligible members to view a members-only ticket without allowing them to purchase it. The ticket cannot be added to the cart, and the purchase controls are greyed out. You can also customize the message shown to restricted users from Tickets > Settings > General > Membership. 

        This method is useful if you want to encourage visitors to become members. 

Step-by-Step Guide to Create a Members-Only Ticket

Follow the steps below to create members-only tickets:

• Firstly, make sure to install and activate the required ticketing and membership plugins:
  • The Events Calendar
  • Event Tickets
  • Event Tickets Plus
  • WooCommerce
  • Members Only Tickets extension
  • One of the supported membership plugins:
    • Restrict Content Pro
    • Paid Memberships Pro
    • WooCommerce Memberships
    • MemberPress

(Note: This extension works only with tickets created using WooCommerce and Event Tickets Plus, together with a supported membership plugin.)

Create membership levels 

After installing and activating the membership plugin of your choice, create membership levels based on your website’s requirements.

For example, you can create:

• Free Member
• Premium Member
• VIP Member

The exact steps for creating membership levels and applying restrictions depend on the membership plugin you use. 

Create tickets with Event Tickets Plus

• Next, create your event tickets using Event Tickets Plus and select WooCommerce as the ticket provider. 
• Enter the required ticket details, such as the ticket name, price, and available quantity. For example, you can create a $20 ticket for Premium Members and a $50 general admission ticket.

After you create the tickets, Event Tickets Plus creates the corresponding WooCommerce products for each ticket. 

Apply membership restrictions

Now configure the membership restriction rules by using the membership plugin settings. 

• Membership restrictions let you control the visibility and purchasing of specific tickets based on membership level. 
• The steps for applying membership restrictions depend on the membership plugin you use. You can find the step-by-step guide for each plugin here.

Configure Members Only Tickets settings

Once the membership restrictions are configured, the Members Only Tickets extension checks the user’s eligibility when the event ticket is displayed or purchased. It uses the rules provided by the supported membership plugin to determine whether the user can view or purchase the ticket.

Final Thoughts

Members-only Tickets is useful for websites that want to offer special benefits to their members. It is one of the best ways to offer exclusive benefits to your members and encourage more users to join or upgrade their membership. 

If you want to manage both regular and members-only tickets within the same event page, the Members-only Tickets extension offers a practical solution. 

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