Theatre Manager Online Help

Assistance using Theatre Manager comes in many flavours.

You can reference:

  • our main web site that talks about the many capabilities of Theatre Manager to assist you manage your arts and entertainment business; from ticket sales, web sales, media management, blasts, donations, reports, facility management and much much more.
  • the quick reference guides that provide video tutorials and cheat sheets on the more common tasks
  • the online help (below) which, in many cases, contain step by step instructions about how to accomplish various tasks
  • our frequently asked questions area that has suggestions:
    • how to implement various features on a more theoretical level with examples -or-
    • for troubleshooting various problems
  • and you can use the search feature to find topics of interest

Getting Started - Hardware Requirements

Theatre Manager is cross platform; you can have both Macintoshs and PCs access Theatre Manager's database on the same network, without worrying about any data integrity issues. As a general rule, if your computer is up to 4 years old, it will work with Theatre Manager. We target performance to match machines that average 2 years in age.

Note: Never use a slow mobile processor for a workstation or server. These low power CPU's are very slow and typically found in very cheap equipment.

There is an example configuration (updated Nov 2020) and a friendly reminder ... always do your backups faithfully each day.

TM Workstation Requirements

These workstation suggestions are current as of March 2023.

It is always best to use latest operating systems, a decent amount or ram, SSD's, better processors and any other specifications that would improve the performance of the Theatre Manager - point of sales system..

Theatre Manager is a 64 bit application.


OSX
  • Latest version of OSX (Mojave or later, i.e. Big Sur or Monterey or Ventura)
  • 16GB+ of RAM (more is better)
  • 256GB+ free disk space for TM (SSD's are nice)
  • Any decent widescreen LCD monitors with a vertical resolution of at least 800 (more is much better - like 1024)
  • Apple-compatible printer for reports
  • (Optional) FGL based thermal ticket printer
  • (Training Only) Zoom compatible webcam and microphone
  • Example Machines
    • Apple's new Mac Mini with the M1 chip and 16 gigs of ram as best.
    • Any core i7 Intel Mac, 2.0 GHz or better (core i7 preferred). 2018 Mac Mini's released with a core i7 or i9 processor are reasonable workstations

Windows
  • Any dual-core microprocessor machine at 2.0 Ghz or better, with core i7 preferred
  • a 64 bit version of Windows 11 Pro or Windows 10 Pro. Windows 11 Pro is required for VPN connections to a self-hosted database
  • Windows Home Edition is NOT supported for Theatre Manager
  • 16GB+ of RAM; more is better for running many applications simultaneously
  • 256 GB+ free disk space for Theatre Manager - we suggest on SSD
  • Any decent widescreen LCD monitors with a vertical resolution of at least 800 (more is much better - like 1024)
  • Windows-compatible printer
  • Mouse or other Windows pointing device
  • (Optional) FGL based thermal ticket printer
  • (Training Only) Zoom compatible webcam and microphone

TM Server Requirements

You can combine the postgres server and the TM server machines into one, or keep them separate. They are listed separate here. If you combine them, then set total ram at 32+ gigs and probably a two CPU machine or minimum single quad or 6 core.

AMS Cloud Server Option

Arts Management has a cloud offering for database and web services. If you elect to use that option, you will not need any of the servers below.

We also offer the ability to migrate a self hosted database to the cloud or a cloud hosted database to your own servers; whichever suits your needs better.

Self Hosted Option

Note: WINDOWS 10 SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR SERVERS.

Windows 10 forces auto-updates, restarts of servers, and cannot exclude the DB directories from virus checking easily -- without a series of registry hacks. We have even heard of Win 10 automatically updating lighting boards during a performance - taking out lights and sound. It is better to use Windows 2016 or later, all of which behave better when told by the user not to do something (via configuration).

Remember to use techsoup.org to acquire windows licences inexpensively.

Can we use a Virtual Machine? Absolutely!!!

The specifications below refer to the three server processes required for Theatre Manager. You can:

  • Put database and TM server on one machine and NGINX on second machines - specs shown below
  • Put all of them on one machine using VM technology - as long as the aggregate capabilities are about the same as the individual machine specs. For example, you'd want dual 4 core, 48GB+ of ram, and a fast raid array and run everything on at least two VM's. Apache/Nginx must go on a separate single core machine. The database and TM server can be on the other VM
  • combine TM Server and Postgres onto one physical machine, but you need to have at least a 4 core processor with hyperthreading (dual cpu is better), 48GB+ of ram, and a fast raid array to handle all processes
You can use Apple's M1 processor for servers or workstations. They are quite a bit faster than Intel Mac's.


PostgreSQL Database Server
Theatre Manager uses Postgres SQL for the database. Recommended specs are:
  • Operating system: Any 64 bit operating system supported by Postgres (OSX Mojave or later, Windows 2016, 2019, or 2022 server, most Linux distributions, FreeBSD). Windows 10 is not recommended for postgres.
  • Memory:32GB+ recommended
  • Disk: the faster the disk array, the better. It is the single most important factor in server performance. We recommend:
    • SSDs, like NVMe M.2 if you can. Any SSD is better than spinning disks -or-
    • Multiple spinning disks, striping (raid 0 or 1+0), hardware raid, fast spindles 6GB SATA or better.
    • Fast Disk I/O is imperative
  • CPU: minimum of a Quad-core processor (6 or 8 core are quite economical these days). Large sites may want dual processors, depending on expected load and if web services are on same machine
TM Server TM server is a multi threaded process which requires memory and cpu cores to provide its services. If using Mac or Windows for the postgres server, this can be placed on the postgres machine. Recommended specs are:
  • Operating system: OSX Mojave or later -or- Windows 2016, 2019, or 2022 server 64 bit version. Windows 10 is not recommended
  • Memory: 32GB+
  • Disk: Anything, an SSD is best
  • CPU: a 6 core (12-thread) machine will generally suffice unless you have a lot of web traffic, or large onsales, in which case you want more cores/ram.
Nginx Web Server Theatre Manager uses Nginx web servers. Recommended specs are:
  • Operating system: OSX Mojave and later. Windows 2016, 2019, or 2022 server 64 bit version. Windows 10 is not recommended
  • Memory:8GB+
  • Disk: Anything
  • CPU: most 2 core machine will generally suffice

TM Backup Requirements

Please refer to setting up backups to see how they are automated.

AMS Cloud customers are backed up automatically.

For venues self hosting the system, refer to Backup considerations for suggested strategies of how many backups to retain.

This generally only affects the size of the local backup database. Since a 1TB SSD is cheap these days, we suggest allowing at least that much space for backups.

Backups, Data Verification and Data Integrity

These are tips for the general care of any database, be it Theatre Manager, your accounting information, Word or Excel documents, contracts, or any other data on your computers. There are three sub topics:
  • Backups
  • Data verification and integrity within the database
  • Computer checkups

Backups

American Express estimates that the average value of 100 megabytes of company data is about $1,000,000 if you count the cost to acquire it, or damage to the company if you lost it all. They also state that 50% of companies that do not recover their data within 10 business days never fully recover financially. Backups are an important safeguard for a valuable corporate asset.

Media Use a commercial grade media to store the information. This can be a replication server, removable media, memory sticks, disk, or cloud-based backup
Backup Data Backup all data to one common place using one common process. If data is categorized and treated differently, it increases the possibility that data can slip through the cracks.
Backup Programs Too! Simply backing up data is not sufficient. Programs that were used to create the data also change over time and there is no guarantee that data from a few years ago can be read by the current version of a program. The best backup strategy includes backing up an image of all data and programs to one source so that both can be restored without a synchronization issue (i.e. now I've got the data, where is that program disk - they can be lost, the floppies go bad, or the serial number activation codes for some programs are lost - all of which mean that you would recover the data without the ability to use it).
The Other Computers The need for Theatre Manager database backup is obvious.

Including operating systems, programs and machines can also be important. The actual OS for each machine (Mac or PC) is different and optimized for the particular machine during installation. (For example, older machines often cannot run newer operating systems and vice versa).

There are serialized components within the operating system for network oriented multi-user applications (e.g. Theatre Manager, backup software, Quark Express, Word, Excel) that need to be restored at the same time as the program in order to work.

Fortunately, Apple includes a tool called Time Machine - which is worthwhile implementing for all data and all computers other than Theatre Manager's database server. On Windows 8, there is a feature called File History that mimics some portions of Time Machine. (There are also other third-party products for Windows).

Retention Strategies One backup is not good enough. Your backup scheme should include generations of backups going back a number of months or even years, depending on legislative requirements or corporate risk. Typically, you should have:
  • 2 to 4 weeks of daily backups. This is the most critical time period as files are usually lost or file corruption is noticed within this time frame.

  • There should be one or two years of 'month end' backups that occur on the first day of the month. This allows recovery of data to a specific point in time (e.g. what was the accounting data at the last grant application, or what were the house counts in Theatre Manager, or recovery of an important graphic from last year's brochure that should be used again).

  • Ultimately, we suggest you save 7 years of yearly backups to satisfy government requirements, should they come looking for data (don't forget that you need the program at the same time as the data).

This represents 30+12+7 = 49 distinct backups

Offsite Storage Backups need to be rotated off site - out of the office. This allows business recovery in the event of fire or theft from the principal site. Removable media or automated FTP of databases can be used.
Redundancy
Replication is a feature of postgres and is automatically set up for cloud venues. Self service venues may set this up if they wish - the support team is unable to help you.
Devices can break. You should have access to another similar device so that you can restore backup files and resume operation until the primary server device is repaired. For a moderate cost, you can have an immediate redundancy for the database server via hot streaming replication measures.

Example Backup Strategy and Devices

Volume of Data The size of most databases we see these days is under 500 MB, although some are 3 or 4 GB.

A rule of thumb is that many backups are far more valuable than the cost of the backup device. A 1Tb SSD backup disk is worth the investment - consider it insurance.

Performance A snapshot of the database should be done at least once a day, if not more often.

Alternatives

Streaming Replication This involves a second database server computer to have a live-hot backup of the database. This is highly recommended for active sites that need to minimize downtime or service outages.
Replication is a feature of postgres and is automatically set up for cloud venues. Self service venues may set this up if they wish - the support team is unable to help you.
Removable Media Examples are USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt external drives which are useful for offsite rotation. Simply copy the database from the backup directory to the removable device and take it with you.
Automated Transfer

Examples are FTP, cloud-based backup, Dropbox, or other services. These can be set up to automate the process of saving an offsite copy of the database.

Testing Your Backups for Integrity

Data Integrity in your backup is important.

Just having backups is a very good start.

We also recommend doing tests on any important data according to a schedule. For example, with your accounting data, printing a balance sheet or income statement monthly and then testing the receivables balance is a generally accepted accounting principle. What you are doing is really testing the data integrity.

Theatre Manager has some built in safeguards. We recommend:

  1. Scheduling the backup process one or more times daily.
  2. Looking at the backup sizes daily to see that they are generally similar or growing in size as you use the system. TM will alert you if a backup is missed or is smaller in size than the previous one, indicating a possible problem - but do not rely on this as your only visual test of backups running properly.
  3. Using
    • AMS Offsite Backup storage to automate sending data securely offsite -or-
    • making copies on removable media and on thumb drives and taking some offsite manually
  4. Restoring your backup database periodically to ensure that it can be restored.

Do's and Don'ts of Backups

The do's of backups:

The don'ts of backups:

  1. Do backups daily
  2. Do backups before an upgrade to your operating system
  3. Do backups before doing a significant batch activity (like merging of patron records).  It is sometimes easier to back out a change by restoring an older database!
  4. Keep two weeks worth of daily backups
  5. Keep 2 months worth of monthly backups
  6. Keep a yearly backup of the database.  At the same time, back up the specific copy of Theatre manager used to access the database.  If you upgrade later in the year, it means that you can still access your old database using the old program without having to upgrade that database too.
  7. Test your backups once a month by trying to restore from the backup to make sure they are reliable.
    • See if you can read the data.  If not, your hardware may have problems that need fixed.
  8. Do take a copy of your latest backup home with you.  If your machines are stolen or wiped out in a fire, the backup at home will be your only friend!
  1. Do not do backups to the same drive over and over again unless you are also backing up offsite.  All it takes is for a bad copy to be made and the computer die to realize that you have nothing.
  2. Do not skip a day
  3. Do not ignore backup error messages from the computer that say backups didn't work!  Find out why and then get the hardware fixed if need be.
  4. Do not do backups unreliable media.

Ticket Printers

Theatre Manager works with Practical Automation, Boca, Boca Dual, Datamax Allegro, some Datamax S-Class, and Microcom FGL printers by default. This section will deal with steps for setting up a printer to work within your network.

High Performance Ticket Printers

All the ticket printers produce an image on a thermal ticket by means of direct heat transfer from printhead elements to thermal stock. The ticket stock is moved through the printer by a stepper motor, and ticket stock position is detected by two sensors which detect absorption/reflection of light on the back side of the stock. Registration marks located on the back side of the tickets will position the print area, and cut location accordingly.

As the ticket moves through the printer, control and print data received over the printer's interface are interpreted by the printer's controller. This controller activates the heat elements on the printhead. The activated heat elements cause a chemical reaction with the coating of the ticket stock, thereby producing black dot images on the ticket. Data is printed column by column. When all ticket data has been printed, the ticket is cut and stacked.

For more than 10-Years ArtsMan has distributed Practical Automation's robust product line of thermal ticket printers.

eITX-2002 High Speed Direct Thermal Printer with Internal Ticket Supply
This desktop printer is recommended for venues selling more than 20,000 tickets per year. This high speed/volume, direct feed thermal printer is designed to output between 2000 & 3000 tickets per hour.

Key features include:
• Network ready Ethernet IP data port
• 200 dpi printing (optional 300 dpi printheads are available)
• Ticket cutter with ejector
• Lockable internal ticket stock storage
• External power supply

Practical Automation Printer Setup

Before you print tickets, you need to set your ticket printer settings in employee preferences. Once set, those remain to the machine you are working on and user id logged in to the machine. If you go to another machine, you may have to set the printer preferences for that machine.

Depending on the ticket printer and the operating system there will be different confirmation windows before the tickets are printed.

NEVER INSTALL a practical automation printer driver on a computer even if suggested by the operating system. If a practical automation printer driver has been installed, remove it.

When using ticket printers with parallel ports, there should be no printer driver assigned to LPT1.

Finding out Practical Automation Ticket printer current IP address

  • Turn the ticket printer off.
  • Turn the ticket printer on holding down the [F0] button on the printer.
  • This prints a ticket with information about the printer and it's IP address. The factory default is usually 192.186.1.1

Changing IP Address on Practical Automation Printers

There are two methods for changing the ip address on a Practical Automation printer with an ethernet port:
  • Use a web browser to talk to the printer. This may not work with some browsers (Firefox is most reliable)
  • Use a special application to access the printer and change a number of settings. This method always works and is the preferred method.

We recommend that you provide a static IP address to the thermal ticket printer.

This ensures each time the ticket printer is turned on, the Theatre Manager's workstations will be able to communicate properly with it

It is a good idea to stick a label with the printer's IP address directly onto the printer.
If you change the printer's IP address, make sure to update its Device Record with the new ip address.
Finding out Practical Automation Ticket printer current IP address

  • Turn the ticket printer on holding down the [F0] button on the printer.
  • This prints a ticket with information about the printer and it's IP address. The factory default is usually 192.186.1.1

 

Option #1 - Using the Practical Automation Tool

  1. Download the installer for the Practical Automation Tool from http://www2.artsman.com/Software/PANetworkUtilityVB-1.1.zip.
  2. When the download is complete, extract the ZIP file into a new folder anywhere that is easily accessible.
  3. Open the folder.

    There will be a number of files.

  4. Open the folder labeled Package and find the file labeled setup.exe.

  5. Double click on the setup file to run it, and complete the installation.
  6. After the installation is complete, return the previous level in the folder that the Practical Automation Tool was extracted to.

    Do this by pressing the Back button or the Up button.

  7. Setup the Practical Automation Printer, power it up, and connect it to the network via a hub, switch or router.

    If a hub, switch, or router is not available, a crossover cable between another computer and the printer will be needed. A crossover cable is not a standard ethernet cable. It has a different pin configuration and is used to connect servers to servers or routers to routers - not machines or printers to routers. Macintosh computers can auto-negotiate standard ethernet cables into crossover cables, but Windows machines cannot. If at all possible, use a hub, switch or small router to create your own small network of computer to router / router to printer configuration.

    The default address of the printer is 192.168.1.1, (which is a commonly used IP address). Make sure that the printer will not conflict with something else on the network before powering it up. If another device is using the same IP address, it is recommended that you use a crossover cable to another computer rather than hooking the printer into the network.

  8. In the Practical Automation Tool folder, double click on the PANetwork program to start it.

  9. At the top of the screen, enter the IP address 192.168.1.1, and then click the Ping & Get Printer Info button.

    This will connect you to the printer.

  10. Near the bottom of the screen, click on the Change IP Address tab.
  11. Change the IP address and subnet mask as necessary.
  12. Click the Update IP Address using FGL Command button.

    Once the settings are saved, the IP address at the top of the program will need to be changed to reflect the new IP address, and to re-connect to the printer.

  13. To verify the settings, turn off the printer. Hold down the F0 button and turn the printer on.

    A ticket will print containing the IP address of the printer.

  14. Once everything is set, each user will need to be adjusted in Theatre Manager to connect to the new printer.

    Click here for more information on changing a user's ticket printer settings.

Option #2 - Using a Web Browser

  1. Change the IP address of the computer temporarily to 192.168.1.xx where xx is anything you want except 1 (for the ticket printer is using 192.168.1.1). You may want to take a screenshot or write down your existing settings so you can reset them after you are finished.

    Arts Management recommends that you provide a static IP address to the thermal ticket printer. This can be obtained from your IT Support. Having a static IP address ensures each time the ticket printer is turned off and back on again, the Theatre Manager's workstations will be able to communicate properly with it.


    a) On a Macintosh go to Apple >> System Prefs >> Network,
    b) On a PC go to Network Places >> Properties >> Local Area Connection >> Properties >> TCP/IP >> Properties
    c) Set your Built-In Ethernet to become Manually set at 192.168.1.2 (anything but 192.168.1.1) and subnet of 255.255.255.0
  2. d) Turn off your wireless connection
  3. Setup the Practical Automation Printer, power it up, and connect it to the network via a hub, switch or router.

    If a hub, switch, or router is not available, a crossover cable between another computer and the printer will be needed.

    The default address of the printer is 192.168.1.1, (which is a commonly used IP address). Make sure that the printer will not conflict with something else on the network before powering it up. If another device is using the same IP address, it is recommended that you use a crossover cable to another computer rather than hooking the printer into the network.

  4. Open the computer's web browser, typically either Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox or Chrome. Do not use Safari as it will not be effective.
  5. In the address bar of the web browser enter the following IP address: http://192.168.1.1 and press the Enter key.

    A prompt for user name and password should appear. Leave these fields blank and press the Enter key.

    A new page will open showing the Printer Configuration.

  6. Click on the link labeled 'Network' to adjust the IP configuration.
  7. Change the IP to the new static address, and adjust the subnet if necessary.
  8. Click the OK button at the bottom of the screen.

    The word 'Done' should appear to the right of the button confirming the settings are saved.

  9. Click the Apply Settings button to update the printer.

    The printer should reset once the settings have been updated.

  10. Turn the printer off and back on one time to ensure that the settings have correctly updated.
  11. To verify the settings, turn off the printer. Hold down the F0 button and turn the printer on.

    A ticket will print containing the IP address of the printer.

  12. Once everything is set, each user will need to be adjusted in Theatre Manager to connect to the new printer.

    Click here for more information on changing a user's ticket printer settings.

  13. Reset the IP settings for your computer to what they were before you started.

Reset the Printer to Factory Defaults

To reset the printer EEPROM settings to factory default, Press the following key sequence:

  1. On power up, press [F1] to enter Diagnostics.
  2. Press [F0] for Special Functions.
  3. Press and hold [F1] for 5 seconds until 5 rapid beeps are heard.
  4. Release the button and cycle the power.

Click the icon to download the ITX 3000/2000 Printer User Manual.

Disable SNMP on Practical Automation Ticket Printer

Disabling any unused service from the network, as per PCI DSS standard 2.2.2, may require you to disable the SNMP service from the ticket printer. This would only apply to 'Ethernet' ticket printers as parallel, serial, and USB cabled ticket printers do not offer the SNMP service.

If you are required to disable the SNMP service, there is an application/utility called the "Device Installer" that will allow you to make these changes. You can find this utility at http://www.lantronix.com under Support/Downloads. Download this application/utility to update the software within the ticket printer.

Please contact your local IT department for assistance making this change.

IP Ticket Printing Setup - Mac

Finding out Practical Automation Ticket printer current IP address

  • Turn the thermal ticket printer on holding down the [F0] button on the printer.
  • This prints a ticket with information about the printer and it's IP address. The factory default is usually 192.186.1.1

Mac OS

For the Mac OS, you perform the following steps:

  1. Connect the printer to the computer using a crossover cable or to the network by connecting through a hub.
  2. Temporarily change the computer's IP address to 192.168.1.xx where xx is anything other then 1 (the ticket printer default is 1).
    1. Go to Apple >> System Preferences.
    2. Select Network.
    3. Double click Built-in Ethernet.
    4. Change the IP Address to 192.168.1.2 (anything other then 192.168.1.1) and the Subnet to 255.255.255.0
    5. Close the window and save changes.
  3. Open a web browser and enter the address for the router (http://192.168.1.1).
  4. When prompted for a user name and password leave then blank and login.

    The configuration page opens.

  5. Click Network in the top left side of the window.

    The IP Address and Subnet Mask for the ticket printer will be displayed.

  6. Change the IP Address and Subnet Mask.
  7. Click the Ok button at the bottom of the screen.

    The work done will appear next to the OK button.

  8. Click Apply Settings in the lower left side of the window.

    Wait for the settings to take effect.

  9. Close the web browser.
  10. Turn the ticket printer off and on.
  11. Change the computer IP Address back to it's original setting.
  12. Turn the ticket printer off and on.
  13. Login to Theatre Manager.
  14. Go to Setup >> Users and Access >> Employee Preferences. Click the Ticket Printer tab.

  15. Change the ticket printer IP Address.
  16. Click the Save button.

    The ticket printer has now been set for this user and is ready to print. The Employee Preference window can be closed. Each user will need to see the ticket printer under Employee Preferences.

Practical Automation/BOCA Printer

The first time printing tickets since logging onto Theatre Manager for that session, a confirmation window will appear, otherwise the tickets will automatically print.

  1. Verify the printer is turned on and connected to the computer.
  2. Click the Yes button.

IP Ticket Printing Setup - Windows

Windows OS

To configure a printer for the Windows operating system, you perform the following steps:

  1. Connect the printer to the computer using a crossover cable or to the network by connecting through a hub.
  2. Turn the ticket printer on holding down the [F0] button on the printer.

    This prints a ticket with information about the printer and it's IP address. The factory default tends to be 192.168.1.1

  3. Download the installation file.

    The installation file can be found at http://www2.artsman.com/Software/PANetworkUtilityVB-1.1.zip

  4. If you are connecting through a hub (and not using a crossover cable), it may be necessary to use only the hub between the workstation and the printer - disconnecting the workstation from the primary network. Since the printer comes with a default IP of 192.168.1.1, this IP may already be in use by another router on your network. This will cause an IP conflict and you won't be able to affect the IP address of the printer. Be sure to download the PANetwork Utility prior to disconnecting from the network.

  5. Extract the file from the zip archive.

  6. Open the Package folder and run the Setup.exe file.

    Follow the prompts to complete the install.

  7. Temporarily change the computers IP address to 192.168.1.xx where xx is anything other then 1 (the ticket printer default is 1).
    1. Open Network Places.
    2. Right click and select Properties.
    3. Click Local Area Connection.
    4. Click Properties.
    5. Select TCP/IP.
    6. Click Properties.
    7. Change the IP Address to 192.168.1.2 (anything other than 192.168.1.1) and the Subnet to 255.255.255.0
    8. Click OK till the desktop is reached.
  8. Move back to the previous folder and run the PanNetwork file (Third from the left).

  9. Enter the ticket printer IP address at the top of the window.

  10. Click the Change IP Address tab.
  11. Change the Printer's New IP Address and the Printer's New Subnet Mask.
  12. Click the Update IP Address Using FGL Command button.
  13. Change the computer IP Address back to it's original setting.
  14. Turn the ticket printer off and on.

    If you disconnected this workstation from the primary network as noted above, reconnect it at this time.

  15. Login to Theatre Manager.
  16. Go to Setup->System Tables->Devices and search for a list of all devices you have.

  17. If this printer is in the list of devices, then edit it. If not, insert a new printer device. Refer to Device setup for more information.

    Change the IP address in the appropriate spot

  18. Any employee using that device in their hardware setup will now use the revised IP address - so it changes it for everybody.

Boca

To setup a Boca printer, you perform the following steps:
  1. Power up the printer and connect it to the network via a hub, switch or router.

    If a hub, switch, or router is not available, a crossover cable between another computer and the printer will be needed.

  2. Open the computer's web browser, typically either Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.
  3. In the address bar of the web browser enter the IP address of a ticket printer.

    You'll need to know this but it might look like

    http://10.0.0.192 or http://192.168.1.1

    and press the Enter key.

    This should open the Boca Systems' Printer Configuration Page.

  4. Near the bottom of the first column of settings, use the drop down menu to change Ethernet from DHCP Enabled to Yes

  5. At the bottom of the second column of settings, set the IP address for the printer.

    Typically leading zeros are not necessary in an IP address, but they are for this setting.

  6. At the bottom of the third column of settings, adjust the Subnet Mask if necessary.
  7. At the bottom of the fourth column of settings, set the Default Gateway for the network.

    Again, it is necessary to include the leading zeros.

  8. Click the Save Changes button to finish the process.

    The printer should now be able to be pinged at the new IP address. Also, the new IP address will print on a test ticket if the information is needed to be stored somewhere.

    For information on connecting a user to the printer via Theatre Manager, click here.

Boca Lemur

To setup a Boca printer, you perform the following steps:
  1. Power up the printer and connect it to the network via a hub, switch or router.

    If a hub, switch, or router is not available, a crossover cable between another computer and the printer will be needed.

  2. Open the computer's web browser, typically either Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.
  3. In the address bar of the web browser enter the following IP address: http://10.0.0.192 and press the Enter key.

    The Boca Systems' Printer Configuration Page opens.

  4. Near the bottom of the first column of settings, use the drop down menu to change Ethernet from DHCP Enabled to Yes

  5. At the bottom of the second column of settings, set the IP address for the printer.

    Typically leading zeros are not necessary in an IP address, but they are for this setting.

  6. At the bottom of the third column of settings, adjust the Subnet Mask if necessary.
  7. At the bottom of the fourth column of settings, set the Default Gateway for the network.

    Again, it is necessary to include the leading zeros.

  8. Click the Save Changes button to finish the process.

    The printer should now be able to be pinged at the new IP address. Also, the new IP address will print on a test ticket if the information is needed to be stored somewhere.

    For information on connecting a user to the printer via Theatre Manager, click here.

Datamax S-Class

Please refer to the instructions on the manufacturer's web site (Honeywell) for setup and operation instructions.

The Parallel version (for PC only) has been tested and confirmed to work with Theatre Manager. Ethernet connectivity has not been tested. USB is not supported.

Microcom Ticket Printers

Artsman's Exclusive Thermal Ticket Printer Provider - Microcom

Artsman is proud to partner with Microcom to provide thermal ticket printing solutions, which are optimized for the ticketing market. Their heavy duty metal design and reliable mechanics will provide years of continuous, low maintenance printing. For more information and current pricing, please contact Artsman Sales.

First Time Setup For Microcom Printers

Theatre Manager only connects to Microcom Thermal Ticket Printers via an Ethernet cable. This is designed so that all Theatre Manager users can connect to the ticket printer when on the same network.
Microcom printers support QR codes on ticket faces

Unbox and Setup Printer

Unbox and setup the printer as per the steps below. You should only need to:

  • Step 1
  • Step 2 - the placement of the port will differ depending on your printer model, see below.
  • Step 3
  • Step 5
Step 4 (adding drivers or USB FGL support) are not required.
Connect Ethernet Cable You will need to connect an ethernet cable to the back of your printer as per the diagram to the right.

The port should be labelled Ethernet - but it might be called Aux.

Using the other ports like Parallel and Serial shoaled work - and will require support for those ports in your computer. Ethernet is the recommended and supported option.

Find Ethernet Address from Test Ticket Use the instructions to print a test ticket and determine the printers current ethernet address. It will be required when setting up the device in Theatre Manager.
Enter Device Communication Settings Add the MicroCom printer to the device table using device setup so that is it similar to the image to the right.

You will need to enter the IP address of the printer into this field. If it is not on the same subnet, you might have to make up a mini network and manually assign your computer an address to match the printers subnet in order to continue this process.

If using serial or parallel printing, adjust the TM setup accordingly.

Connect to the Printer Status Page On the set-up page, if you enter an IP address, you can click the 'globe' icon to connect to the printer's status page. If you have the right ethernet address and are on the same subnet, you should see a page similar to the one on the right.

Of particular interest are:

  • Firmware Version - which should be at least version 01.00.22.2 or later. This firmware has compatible support for the Practical Automation status command which allows the printer to talk back to the computer sending tickets.
  • FGL Settings - to make sure the printer supports the Boca FGL language and settings are appropriate
  • Ethernet Settings - to ensure ethernet is set up and that you are communicating on the standard port for ticket printing.
  • Wifi Settings - if your printer supports wifi, you may wish to have it join to your network. If you do that, you could print over wifi, perhaps when at remote sites.
  • Other settings - come into play if using the machine via serial or parallel ports. USB is not supported
Configure Printer Click the Configuration Page button to change any settings you need for your network or FLG compatibility.

For ethernet setup:

  • Make sure it is enabled
  • Host Name - is a name you can give to the printer and is used for DHCP setup. You probably will not change this.
  • IP Address - provide a static IP address for the printer. Note that Theatre Manager could print to a DNS Address and if you set up your domain name servers with a record for the printer, you might choose DHCP setup. If you want that, please tal to your IT person.
  • Port - we suggest the default of 9100
  • Subnet - set it as per the image unless otherwise advised by your IT staff
  • Gateway - set it as advised by your IT staff
  • DHCP Enabled - seems to be ignored if a static address is provided.
Configure Printer (Wifi) Lower on the Configuration Page are settings for enabling wifi. We generally recommend against wifi on your ticket sales network as that could create an exploitable part within your network and should be documented as per PCI compliance requirements.

If you wish to use wifi for connecting to the ticket printer, you can. It takes two approaches:

  • You can join your printer to your hardwired network (the better approach). If you do this, you specify the IP address of the printer and the WPA encryption keys required to allow the printer to join the network. -or-
  • it looks like you can set the printer up as a wifi point and access it directly. Any passphrase support would come from the operating system. Talk to your IT people if you really need to implement this option as they would be the people to support you.
Diataxis: 

Microcom Printer Unboxing

A Microcom printer ships with a print tray and power cable. You will need to supply ticket stock and an ethernet cable or pre-ordered Panda Wi-Fi dongle from Artsman.

When opening the box you'll find a Quick Start Guide. Set this aside as these steps are not required.

Below the Quick Start Guild will be a yellow envelope containing the Key to open the printer. This envelope is taped to the plastic wrap encompassing the printer. The key will need to be used each time to unlock the side panel before the printer can be opened.

Open the side panel of the print (using the key) to access the Accessories box.

The Accessories box contains the print tray, a USB cable (this will not be used), and the power cable for the printer.

Updating Microcom Printer Firmware

The 485 series printer uses the USB HOST port found on the back of the printer to update the firmware in the printer. A USB flash drive that is greater than 1GB but less than 32GB formatted as a FAT32 file system is used during the update. Follow the instructions below for additional information.

 

Preparing the USB flash drive to update printer code

  1. The flash drive must be less than 32GB in size and formatted as a FAT32 file system.
  2. Connect the USB Flash Drive to a Windows-based PC.
  3. Open Explorer or type My Computer in the search bar of the task menu.
  4. Right-click on the flash drive and select Format from the menu that appears.

    CAUTION: Verify that you are selecting the flash drive as this will erase the contents of the drive. If you have any doubt, disconnect the flash drive and it should no longer show up under the Devices and Driver section.

  5. In the Format window displayed, select FAT32 for the file system. Type in a label for the flash drive and then click Start.
  6. Once complete, the flash drive is ready for the code update files to be copied to it.

 

Copying Files to the formatted USB Flash Drive

Once formatted for the FAT32 file system on the flash drive, copy the updated file to the flash drive by doing the following.

  1. Download the code files located at:

    Firmware Version 01.01.21 (Jan 2024)

  2. Unzip the files onto your PC.
  3. Copy the unzipped files onto the formatted flash drive.
  4. After the files are copied onto the flash drive, right-click on the drive, select Eject, and remove the drive from the PC.

 

485 Firmware Update Process

Follow these instructions using a flash drive that contains the code update files. Please make sure that ticket stock is installed in the printer before continuing.

  1. Turn the printer power OFF.
  2. Connect the flash drive to the USB HOST port on the back of the printer.
  3. Turn the printer ON.
  4. Observe the display on the front of the printer, it should look like this:

  5. Once the status light changes GREEN turn the printer off and remove the USB flash drive.
  6. Turn the printer ON and allow the update to complete. The Display code will now update. Once the light turns Green, the update is complete.
  7. Verify the code update by going to CONFIG\PRINTER INFO on the display.

    Under the Code Ver should report 01.01.21. Led should turn green in color once the update is successful.

 

Updating Microcom Cutter Settings

There is Windows-based application that allows for connecting to any Micromcom printer currently on the local network. This tool can be used to update the cutter settings that may have been impacted following the installation of Firmware version 01.01.12.

 

Updating Cutter Settings

  1. Download the Microcom Confirmation Application from here:

    https://www.microcomcorp.com/downloads/x85_configuration_application_for_windows.zip

  2. Unzip and install the application.
  3. Run the .exe file to start the configuration application.
  4. Connection the printer directly to the same PC.
  5. On the main screen towards the bottom, select the "CONNECT TO PRINTER" button and select the port of the printer that is being used (Enet or CDC USB).
  6. Select the port number of the connection.
  7. Select the "READ FROM PRINTER" button to load in the current printers configuration.
  8. Select the "BASIC CONFIG" on the side menu.

    You should now see a CUTTER TYPE, select MICROCOM CUTTER

  9. Select the "SAVE TO PRINTER" button towards the bottom to send the command to the printer.
  10. Select "RESTART" to restart the printer and you may now exit the configuration app
  11. Test the printer once it reboots to verify that it now cuts properly.

 

Microcom Printer - Cutter Offset

If you are having Microcom Printer issues, in that your Tickets are not cutting at the exact line they should be, you can adjust the Cutter Offset.

 

NOTE: Do not cut right on the perforation. It will dull the cutting blade faster, causing more frequent blade replacement costs. New blade cutters are supplied directly by Microcom and are not covered by warranty.

 

Setting Cutter Offset

  1. Press the Print Menu Button

    On the Printer itself, click the Print Menu button.

  2. Click the Next Button Twice

    Click the Next button twice to get to the Cutter Offset option.

  3. Select the Cutter Offset Option
  4. Select the Offset Measurement

    Use the plus + and minus - buttons to set your preferred offset measurement, which are calculated in pixels.

    We recommend '-20' as a good starting point.

  5. Click Save
  6. Print a Test Ticket

 

Replacing Latch for Microcom Printer

The latch sits inside the print head assembly. It holds the print head firmly in place ensuring it makes contact with the ticket stock at the time of printing. If the latch fails the head cannot burn content onto the ticket stock. It can look like one side of the printed ticket is "faded" or blank.

 

The latch has a smooth top with a nub that protrudes for easy movement. Below the flat surface, there are clasps on opposite sides of the latch. These are used to hold the latch in place. One side has a small pressure spring that allows for the clasps to be moved and makes for easy removal.

 

When the latch fails the nub disconnects from the top as seen below.

 

Removing the clasp

  1. Push in the spring-loaded side of the clasp with a flat head screwdriver.

  2. While pushing in the clasp, pry up on the flat part of the latch on the top of the print head assembly.
  3. One side of the latch should release allowing for the broken latch to be removed.

 

Inserting the clasp

  1. Gently slide the latch in non-spring loaded side first.
  2. Push the clasp on the spring loaded side in and down till it pops through the hole.

 

Microcom Printers and Wireless Printing

Microcom printers have the ability to print wirelessly using a Panda Wireless dongle. When the printer is unboxed the dongle can be inserted directly into the USB port and the printer configured to join the network using Wi-Fi.

For security, Wi-Fi printing should be set up on a private, secure network where only administrative staff have access. The speed of ticket printing will largely depend on the network speed. Wi-Fi printing may not be as effective for larger batch printing.

Connecting Microcom Printer to Wi-Fi

  1. Turn the printer Off using the rear panel power switch.
  2. Plug the Wi-Fi dongle into the USB port on the back of the printer.

    The Wi-Fi dongle will not light up.

  3. Turn the printer On.
  4. Press the CONFIG MENU button on the printer display.
  5. Press Next until you see the OPTIONAL PORTS setting and press.
  6. Press the OPTIONAL PORTS button, select the WIFI bullet and click SAVE.
  7. Press Next until you get to the WIFI menu option.
  8. Press the WIFI button.
  9. Press the WIFI JOIN button, choose the JOIN setting, and click Save.

    Use the Next button to continue navigating through the settings.

  10. Press WIFI SSID, enter the name of the wireless network to be joined, and click Save.
  11. Press WIFI PASSPHRASE, enter the wireless network password, and click Save.
  12. Press WIFI DHCP, select ENABLE, and click Save.
  13. Press WIFI PORT, enter 9100, and click Save.
  14. Press WIFI ENCRYPTION, select your Wi-Fi network encryption, and click Save.

The Wi-Fi dongle will light up once it's connected to the network. The printer will take approximately 30 seconds to retrieve a DHCP IP address from the network.

 

If the Microcom printer has previously been connected via an Ethernet cable or an Ethernet cable has been plugged into the printer you will not be able to simply plug the dongle in and configure the Wi-Fi settings. Follow the steps below to complete the wifi setup process.

 

Removing Ethernet Settings Before Using Wi-FI

  1. Turn the printer Off using the rear panel power switch.
  2. Unplug the Wi-Fi dongle and/or Ethernet cable from the printer.
  3. Turn the printer On.
  4. Press the CONFIG MENU button on the printer display.
  5. Press Next until you get to the ETHERNET menu option.
  6. Press the ETHERNET button.
  7. Press the DHCP button, select the DISABLE bullet, and press Save.
  8. Click the Next button to advance to the IP ADDRESS menu.
  9. Click the IP ADDRESS button, change each of the four numbers to 10, and press Save.

    This removes the previously configured IP address from the ethernet connection and moves the settings back to default.

  10. Press EXIT and REBOOT NOW.
  11. Wait until the printer comes back online and you see the PRINT button.
  12. Turn the printer Off.
  13. Plug the Wi-Fi dongle back into the printer.
  14. Turn the printer On.

The printer will take up to 30 seconds to pull an IP address from the network. Use the Print button on the front of the printer to generate a test ticket. The IP address of the printer will appear on the test ticket. Use the Command prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac) to Ping the IP address on the ticket. The printer should respond.

Add the printer as a Device to Theatre Manager and set your Hardware Preferences to use the new printer. You should now be able to print to the printer using the Wi-Fi connection.

Sharing Ticket Printers

If you wish to share a ticket printer amongst Windows and/or Mac OSX machines, the recommended solution is a printer with an ethernet card built into it.

Note: Arts Management Systems only supports sharing ticket printers if they are IP based. We do not support sharing parallel printers using the Net Use technique for Vista or earlier. If you cannot get the technique to work, please contact Microsoft.

Net Use for Parallel printers (not supported)

Net Use solution is NOT supported by Arts Management Systems.

Use IP based printers instead.

Note: this technique only works with NT, 2000, XP pro and Vista. It does not work with:
  • Windows 7 or later because Microsoft did not implement the 'net use' command the same.
  • non professional versions of XP
  • if you attempt to share printers and you are using Theatre Manager via Remote Desktop.
  • Again, please ask Microsoft why.

Historically, sharing can be done amongst Windows only computers with an LPT port using a feature called NET USE available in some versions of Windows older than Vista. Alternatively, you could print when two computers that are side by side in the box office using an electronic A/B switch (means it automatically switches LPT1 depending on who is printing).

If you opt for the software solution, it works like this:

  • Give the computer a name like BoxOffice1 (notice, no spaces). each computer must have a unique name, so the other ones can be called BoxOffice2, etc.
  • Set up a 'generic text/only' printer driver for LPT1 (or LPT2 or LPT3) on the machine with the ticket printer
  • Make this printer shared and give it a convenient name like TixPrnt1 (8 characters and no spaces works best)
  • On all other machines that are to print on this printer, start the 'DOS' command prompt and do a command that looks like:

    net use lptx: \\ComputerWithPrinter\PrinterName /Persistent:yes

    using the example above, the command would look like

    net use lpt2: \\BoxOffce1\TixPrnt1 /Persistent:yes

    This will redirect lpt2 on a computer to the machine with the ticket printer. The advantage of this is that is it easily configurable and you can use more than one of these commands on any machine to allow it to point to any ticket printer on the network.

  • Now, in the employee preferences for the user of the second computer, you need to indicate that they print to LPT2. When a ticket is printed, it will be routed through the network to the BoxOffice1 computer. It is generally about that easy in practice.

To remove the ticket printer connection on a workstation

Using the example above

net use lptx: /delete

For more information on how the net use command works use the Windows help/ Go to start >> help. And do a search for "net use"

Ticket Printer Error Codes

Occasionally, you may receive a Thermal Ticket Printer Error Code in Theatre Manager when attempting to print a ticket. This message is not generated by Theatre Manager, but rather by the ticket printer itself, and then passed through Theatre Manager for you to see.

Thermal Ticket Printer Error Codes as provided by Practical Automation:

CODE DESCRIPTION
1 Printer out of paper
2 Jammed ticket
3 Printer offline
4 Printer failure
5 Low paper (roll ticket printers only).

The following resources are also available from Practical Automation:

Ticket Printer Error Codes as provided by BOCA:

CODE DESCRIPTION
1 REJECT BIN WARNING
2 REJECT BIN ERROR
3 PAPER JAM PATH 1
4 PAPER JAM PATH 2
5 TEST BUTTON TICKET ACK
6 TICKET ACK
7 WRONG FILE IDENTIFIER DURING UPDATE
8 INVALID CHECKSUM
9 VALID CHECKSUM
10 OUT OF PAPER PATH 1
11 OUT OF PAPER PATH 2
12 PAPER LOADED PATH 1
13 PAPER LOADED PATH 2
14 ESCROW JAM
15 LOW PAPER
16 OUT OF PAPER
17 X-ON
18 POWER ON
19 X-OFF
20 BAD FLASH MEMORY
21 NAK (illegal print command)
22 RIBBON LOW
23 RIBBON OUT
24 PAPER JAM
25 ILLEGAL DATA
26 POWERUP PROBLEM
27 DOWNLOADING ERROR
28 DOWNLOADING ERROR
29 CUTTER JAM
30 STUCK TICKET or CUTJAM PATH1
31 CUTJAM PATH2

The BOCA Systems web site contains a variety of technical manuals for FGL programming and Owner's Manuals.

Picking machines - Example Setup

Theatre Manager will operate on virtually on any platform that it is installed on. From Theatre Manager's original conception, it has been designed on the Macintosh and the PC platforms (simultaneously), while still enabling a single version of the source code, resulting in a true cross-platform box office solution.

Workstations

When purchasing a new desktop system, budgeting $450-$800 for a box office workstation has been a standard price for the past 5 years. For that price, you will get a great price/performance value including the monitor and everything else you need.

Examples that fall in this price range (as of Nov 2020):

  • PC: Intel® quad core i7; up to 16 GB RAM; Windows 10; gigabit ethernet; up to 2 TB SATA or 256 GB solid state drive
  • Apple: iMac Mini, fast dual i7; 16 GB RAM (more is better); 1TB hard drive; OSX 10.14 or later
  • Theatre Manager is best viewed at higher screen resolutions (>1280 x 1080 pixels or better). 24" or 27" widescreen LCD's are about $150-$200 and are perfect for the box office, allowing larger seating maps to be displayed making it easier for your patrons and staff to view the available seats during the sales process

If you are going to buy, check the consumer ratings for phone and web based computer vendors. In many instances, you can get some good deals on machines purchased this way.

Web Services

The second generation web services run best on machines with more CPUs, due to its multithreaded nature. Most organizations install it on the database server. Some make the web listener a standalone machine. A faster quad-core i7 machine with 16 GB of RAM is a good choice.

Note: the server starts up a number of listeners equal to about twice what the # of CPU's are, meaning a dual-core machine gets 3 listeners and a quad-core gets 7. This is why a quad-core or better should be used.

Ethernet

The best performance today is a gigabit switched Ethernet network using cat-5 or cat-6 cable

You can use 10T/100T/Gigabit networks if that is what is available.

Postgres Server

A decent database server can easily be purchased for between $2,000 and $3,000 (Nov 2020). For most venues, this could also be the web services computer.

Database server specifications (in order of importance) are:

Disk Performance

  • Striped disk array or RAID 1+0 using fast 6GB SATA or industrial strength SSD.
    • The goal is to reduce drive latency as much as possible, so more striping is better.
    • Even better is a computer that includes hardware RAID.
    • Notes about RAID 5:
      • if not implemented properly, it can impose significant performance penalties.
      • If high performance and 100% redundancy is required, it is far better to implement the Postgres hot standby server feature on a second server rather than RAID 5. The standby server receives far less I/O than the main server, so it does not have to be as fast.
  • If using linux or FreeBSD, use ZFS or EXT4 for parity/redundancy in the drives
A 500 GB to 1 TB hard drive is sufficient for most databases and a number of backups. This helps make SSD's a good choice.

Memory (RAM)

  • 32 GB of RAM at a minimum.
  • 48 GB or more recommended for larger installations.
  • More, if it's affordable since ram is cheap.

Number of CPUs

  • A server (Mac or PC) with multiple core processors or more.
  • More cores are slightly more important than speed of the CPU. A quad-core i7 will do better than a single-core Xeon
  • today, 4 or 6 core Xeons are quite affordable.

Operating System

  • 64 bit operating system.
  • OS-X 10.14 or later, Linux, Windows Server 2012 or 2016
  • Note: Do not use Windows 10 for any servers - you can't manage software updates
  • Note: Postgres is 10-15% faster on Unix flavours of the OS than Windows flavours.
  • Linux is generally slightly faster than OS X (you will need in-house Linux expertise)
  • gigabit ethernet port.

Ticket Printers

You may want a specialized thermal ticket printer to connect to the network. This allows you to print tickets at the time of sale. A thermal printer's performance is around 3600 tickets per hour (1 a second). These can be configured as ethernet, serial, or parallel devices. If you want to share ticket printers, we recommend only using ticket printers with an ethernet port.

For large volume box office operations, we suggest one ticket printer per Box Office wicket. More printers provide emergency backup. Depending on your requirements, subscription or group sales can elect to have their own printer or share with box office printers. Depending on print volume (and walkups), sharing a ticket printer between one or more box office wickets is supported through an ethernet-capable printer interface.

Report Printers

Theatre Manager will print to most Mac or Windows compatible printers that have drivers already installed. We suggest networked or shared printers.

Hardware Management Policies

To manage hardware requirements, often an organization will purchase one or two new machines each year. We suggest you buy mid-range computing power for the best price/performance ratio and install them in the box office. You can then migrate the box office machines around the organization. Doing this annually, you will have an effective hardware management policy, and users will be happy as the computers can keep up to the new features introduced to the software.

Login / Logoff

The data stored in Theatre Manager is very valuable, and you want to protect it from those not authorized to access it. You, as a business, also have a responsibility to your patrons to keep their data protected. Therefore, all Employees must log in to Theatre Manager in order to see any data or process any transactions by using not only their name, but a password as well. The password should be known only to the Employee in an effort to protect their electronic identity.

All transactions are linked to an Employee record. This means that for every sale, refund, exchange, form letter request... every process, Theatre Manager records the Employee initials for the Employee performing that task. If Employees 'share' an Employee record, then the audit trail of 'who did what' vanishes, and there will be no way to track which Employee performed a specific task. Sharing logins is not only poor business practice, but violates PCI Compliance.

There are a two options to set up log on to Theatre Manager, depending on the level of security you wish to invoke for the Employees. You can provide:

There are also special considerations for logging in using the Outlet Edition.

Diataxis: 

Login Options and Setup

In order to use Theatre Manager, each Employee must log in.

For PCI compliance, each employee must have their own individual Employee login and password. This means that no two users can 'share' a user account, such as 'Box Office Volunteer' or 'Marketing.' All transactions that take place within Theatre Manager are tagged to the Employee who processed the data. If generic employees are used, then tracking audit issues will be impossible.

There should be one (and only one) Master User in a database.

The Master User is not a specific person, but rather an 'Administrator' much like on Windows or Mac. This 'Administrator' does not do sales, run reports or mail lists or other daily operations. Instead, the Master User acts as a system technician who adjusts and edits how Theatre Manager operates. The Master User is a 'know all/see all' user, and therefore for PCI compliance, there is only ONE Master User. All other users are considered 'Normal Users' (some of whom have more privileges than others, but they all fall within the 'Normal' category).

The Master User password is generally known by only a few people within a venue.

These people will have their own login as employees, which is used for daily operation. The Master User is only used to make operational adjustments to the database such as adding new employees.

When providing Remote Assistance, AMS technicians will often require the Master User password as they will be making adjustments to the operation of Theatre Manager.

Login passwords should be set to expire every 90 days.

For PCI compliance, all passwords must be set to expire every 90 days, and will be required to be reset by the user. You will receive a warning several days in advance of your expiration date that your password will need to be changed. The expiration and other password parameters are controlled on the PCI Security tab of Setup >> System Preferences.

The Log In window provides valuable information about the database.

The log in window provides information such as:

  • Database Version (shown here as 9.15.06)
  • Database Name (shown here as 'TheatreManagerDemo')
  • The IP address or DNS name of the database server (shown here as 127.0.0.1)
  • The Port Theatre Manager is using to connect to the database (shown here as 5432)
  • The version of Postgres being used (shown here as (v9.1.2)

Theatre Manager will always revert to the last used database.

If you utilize a 'Training' database, take extra care to note which database you will be logging into by checking the Database Name at the bottom of the log in window. If the Training database was accessed last on this machine, then Theatre Manager will attempt to log on to the Training database. If you intend to log into the live, 'Production' database, you will need to change databases first.

The Web Listener may be set to automatically log in.

If you utilize a dedicated Web Listener (Arts Management Systems recommends one for venues just starting with web sales, and a minimum of two dedicated web listeners for venues with a higher online sales rate) the dedicated machine may be set to automatically log in to web sales.

List of Employees

To login to Theatre Manager from the list of employees, you perform the following steps:

  1. Select your user name from the log in window.

    There are some icons/colours that have meaning:
    • a complete grey line means never logged in.
    • a green dot means master user
    • a yellow dot means the person is an outlet administrator
    • checkmark means logged in once
    • a number like 2, 3, 4, 5 indicates the number of time people are logged in
    • a complete red line means logged in more than once and they will also have a number a head of their name
  2. Click the Logon button.
  3. Enter the password you created when your Employee record was set up.

    If the employee is able to log into multiple outlets, the outlet list will appear above the password. The employee will need to select the outlet and provide the password for that outlet.

  4. Click the Accept button.
    1. You are now logged into the last used Theatre Manager database.

Diataxis: 

Access ID/Password

For enhanced security, Employees can be required to login using their own Access ID and password. The benefit is, to log in, the Employee must know BOTH their Access ID and their password, rather than a potential hacker choosing a name from a list and having to guess only one login access.

To enable this setting, change the Login Window Setting parameter in Setup>>System Preferences>>PCI Security tab.

The Access ID is found on the Access tab of the Employee record in Setup>>Users & Access>>Employee List.


The Access ID can be changed from the Theatre Manager default so that it is more easily remembered by the user.


When providing Remote Assistance, AMS technicians will often require the Master User Access ID and password as they will be making adjustments to the operation of Theatre Manager.


To Login to Theatre Manager using the Access ID and Password method, you perform the following steps:

  1. Start Theatre Manager by clicking on the desktop icon.

    The Login window opens.

  2. Enter the Access ID and password you created when your Employee record was set up.
  3. Click the Logon button.
    1. You will be logged into the last used database.

Diataxis: 

Windows NT Login ID

This feature is no longer supported.

Employee Login

To login to the Theatre Manager system, you perform the following steps:

  1. Click/double-click the Theatre Manager icon on your desktop.

    The Login window opens.

  2. Find your name in the list and select it.
  3. Click the Log On button.
  4. The Enter Password window opens.

  5. Enter your password.
  6. Click the Accept button.
  7. The Theatre Manager application opens.

Logging in Twice

If you are already logged in to Theatre Manager at another workstation and try to log into another workstation, you will get a message like the one below.

All it is doing is telling you that you may be logged in elsewhere for informational purposes.

Click Continue to dismiss the message and continue logging in.

Password Help, Rules and Policies

Theatre Manager implements fully PCI DSS compliant AES256 encrypted passwords per PCI DSS standard 8.5 and this feature cannot be changed or overridden.

This means all login passwords must be:

  • reviewed and changed every 90 days. Theatre Manager will enforce password changes automatically. This must be manually done on those devices that do not force a change of passwords like routers and firewalls. (PCI DSS 8.5.9)
  • 7 characters or more (PCI DSS 8.5.10)
  • mixed case consisting of at least uppercase and one lowercase letter (PCI DSS 8.5.11)
  • contain at least one number and special character (PCI DSS 8.5.11)
  • cannot be the same as the previous 12 passwords (PCI DSS 8.5.12)
  • cannot have characters or numbers repeated together

Changed all passwords from any vendor default password that might be used for installation per PCI DSS 2.1. For example, you must:
  • Change the Theatre Manager 'Master User' password when the system is installed
  • Change the user and password on any router from anything printed in the manufacturer's documentation
  • Make sure that accessing each computer requires a password and does not 'auto-login'
  • ensure that screen savers are implemented that require passwords to be entered whenever the screen saver is activated. Screensavers (or some other mechanism for locking computers) must activate after 15 minutes of idle time or less (PCI DSS 8.5.15) on all workstations and servers.

Never use the Master User account for daily operations. It should only be used when creating other accounts or for other very specialized needs as directed by Arts Management Systems.

If your network has 'master' domain server (or open directory on OSX) available that could control password authentication for all machines, please ensure that the security policies on the domain/directory server is set to enforce PCI/DSS passwords and that all machines in the network log in using authentication from the server.

If a domain/open directory server is not available to enforce password settings, then each machine/user must use PCI/DSS compliant passwords.

If a user tries more than 6 times to gain access to the system, Theatre Manager automatically resigns the user - which means that they are locked out permanently until manually re-instated per PCI-DSS standard 8.5.13 and 8.5.14

Resetting an Employee Password

If an Employee forgets their password, or attempts to log in too many times and gets locked out of Theatre Manager, their password may need to be reset before they can log in again.

When an employee is locked out, Theatre Manager marks them as resigned. Any permissions that they used to have remain as they were. It is possible to reinstate the employee. This means that they will have same permissions from before they were locked out.

  1. Log into Theatre Manager as a Master User or Outlet Administrator.
  2. Open the Employee List window.

    Click here, for more information on the Employee List wondow.

  3. Search for the Employee to reset.
  4. Double click on the Employee record to open the Employee Data window.

    Click here for more information on the Empolyee Data window.

  5. Click the Password button in the Employee Data window toolbar / ribbon bar.

    The New Password window opens.

  6. Enter the password in the New Password field according to your password settings.
  7. Confirm the new password in the 'Retype Password' field.
  8. Click the Accept button.

    The new password is set for the Employee.

Reinstating an Employee Locked Out of the Database

If an Employee returns to work for your organization, you can reinstate their Employee account.

You will also need to do this when an Employee enters an incorrect password too many times, as Theatre Manager will lock the Employee out of the program. This is designed to prevent people from accessing the database who should not have access.

Theatre Manager applies a resignation date to the Employee recor, which then removes them from the login window.

This process is also used in cases when the Master User or Outlet User has been resigned/locked out. In this case, another Employee with Master User or Outlet User privileges can log in and complete the following process for the Master User account. We, also highly recommend setting a primary email for the Master User on its patron account so users can choose to have an email with the password sent to their email address in cases where the password is lost or forgotten.
The password parameters are defined on the PCI Security tab in Setup>>System Preferences.
  1. Login to Theatre Manager as a Master User or Outlet Administrator.
  2. Open the Employee List window.

    Click here, for more information on the Employee List window.

  3. Check the Resigned box in the upper left of the window.
  4. Search for the Employee.
  5. Single click on the resigned Employee to select them.
  6. Click the Open button.

    The Employee Access window for the selected employee opens.

  7. Clear the Resigned date field.
  8. Click the Password button in the Employee Access Data window toolbar / ribbon bar to set a one-time-use temporary password for the Employee.

    NOTE: The employee will be forced to change their password from the one you enter above when they first log in.

  9. Close the Employee Access Data window.

The Employee is now listed in the login window andt hey will be able to access Theatre Manager using the password you entered above.

In some very rare cases, there will be no other Employees with Master User access to complete the above steps. In those instances, please enable Remote Assistance on the database server machine and contact support@artsman.com with the login id/pw combination so we can reinstate access.

Change Your Password

To change your password to the Theatre Manager system, you perform the following steps:

  1. Click/double-click the Theatre Manager icon on your desktop.

    The Login window opens.

  2. Find your name in the list and select it.
  3. Click the Log On button.
  4. The Enter Password window opens.

  5. Click the Change button.
  6. Enter your password.
  7. Click the Accept button.

    The Change Password window opens.

  8. Enter your New Password.
  9. Enter the password again in the Retype Password field.
  10. Click the Accept button.

    The Theatre Manager Application opens

    If you change your mind, click the Cancel button. Theatre Manager will open.

Time on Computer Differs From Server

You log into Theatre Manager and you get the following message:

Your computer date/time (MMDDYYYY 00:00:00) differs from the date on the database server (MMDDYYYY 00:00:00) by more than 30 seconds.

This error is one generated by Theatre Manager. Theatre Manager checks the time between the application and the Postgres Database Server as time is important in journalizing accounting.

If only one workstation is affected, it is ok to proceed with work but you should address the time discrepancy as soon as possible. Check the workstation clock

If all workstations are getting the error, stop work, and resolve the issue as it may have a bigger impact on when transactions are posted. Check the time or timezone on the database server.

Why does the time deviate?

It is a well established fact that computers don't keep time very well. They do a darn good job, but the time is generally based on the oscillation of crystals which are based on the frequency in the line voltage. If line voltage frequency varies from the normal +/- 60 cycles per second, it means clocks don't run true and they will never match the accuracy of an atomic clock.

Computer time can change on a particular machine for a number of reasons:

  • sometimes it is the battery, or
  • in older machines, it is not calculating the daylight savings time changes properly.
  • Or your computer is in a different timezone than the database and needs an explicit offset

microsoft even states in this article that they expect the clock on the CPU to vary a minute a day up to an hour. yes, the article states that your computer clock may lose an hour a day.

Time differs by a few minutes

If the time is off by a few minutes, it is more likely to be the workstations. In that case:
  1. Update the workstation clock and timezone to match the Server.
  2. In Theatre Manager you can check time zone setting in Setup >> Company Prefs >> Reports/Misc tab
  3. Set up time synchronization on your computer and server.

Time differs by an hourly increment.

If the time on your computer differs from the server by what appears to be a relatively even multiple of an hour (eg +/-1, 2, 3 or so hours)
  1. Verify that the server time and timezone is correct
  2. Verify that the timezone setting in the postgresql.conf file is correct.
  3. Verify that the workstation clock time and timezone match the Server. If they do not, you have two options:
    • If the workstation should be in the same timezone, fix the timezone in the clock preferences
    • If the office is in a different timezone than the server, you can set the workstation timezone in the Theatre Manager Preferences file for that workstation
  4. If it still persists, check that the postgresql.conf has the correct 'Log_timezone' setting and "timezone" setting for the local area and match the timezone on the server. There are instructions for editing on an OSX or Windows Server
  5. Typical values are:
    • US/Eastern, US/Central, US/Mountain, US/Pacific, US/Alaska, US/Hawaii, US/Michigan, US/East-Indiana, US/Indiana-Starke
    • Canada/Newfoundland, Canada/Atlantic, Canada/Eastern, Canada/Eastern, Canada/Saskatchewan, Canada/East-Saskatchewan, Canada/Central, Canada/Mountain, Canada/Yukon or Canada/Pacific
    • The valid timezone list can be found in Setup >> Company Prefs >> Reports/Misc tab

Using Computer Time Synchronization

To set up time synchronization, please check your computer's built in help to help you determine how to do this as it varies from operating system to operating system. Generally:

Changing the active Database

If you have multiple databases - such as a live, 'Production' database and a 'Training' database that is used for either training new employees in a benign environment or as a test bed for new ideas, concepts or features - you can switch between the databases on a 'per machine' basis. This means that while most of the office is using the 'Production' database, you can set a new employee at an out-of-the-way workstation where they can learn Theatre Manager without affecting the real data.

In general, Arts Management Systems will set up a Training database for you when we are visiting you onsite. If you require one at some other time, then simply contact Support at support@artsman.com, and we can arrange to remote in to your server and update your Training database for you. Note: In some cases, there may be a nominal charge for building a new Training database.


A good time to rebuild your Training database is immediately after you have loaded all your events for the upcoming season.
Click to see how to log into your database if it is hosted on the AMS Cloud

To Change the Database:


  1. Double click on the icon on your desktop

  2. Either the List of Employees window or the Access ID window will appear.

  3. Click the button in the bottom left of the window.
  4. The Database Connection window will appear.


  5. Use the drop down for DB Name to choose a different database.
  6. You can also switch from a local database and log into the AMS Cloud Server and back, depending where your database is.

  7. Click the button.
  8. Either the List of Employees window or the Access ID window will reappear.


    When switching databases, it is important to make note if the database is for Demo or Training use.

    Often the Production and Training database are identical. However:

    • A Training database is clearly marked on the login window (where demo is shown below) and the title of every screen contains the word training
    • A Demo database is marked as below.

Login for Outlet Edition

The Login process for the Outlet Edition is the same as any other edition of Theatre Manager. Select your name from the list (or enter it directly), and enter your password to log in.

The Outlet Edition does have some extra considerations on the Login window. The Logon Level takes on new responsibilities based on your Cross Outlet Policies and Rules. For example:

  • There should only be one Master User account. The Master User account is indicated by a solid bullet next to the Master User Employee Name.
  • Each Outlet requires an Outlet Administrator account. The Outlet Administrator is indicated by an empty bullet on the Log in window.
  • If an employee works for multiple Outlets, then that employee should have an employee record (still only one patron account) created for each Outlet. That employee will be required to log into the proper Outlet's employee record to have their activity and transactions recorded correctly.

Diataxis: 

RM Log In for Outlet Edition RM

This page is under construction...

Logoff

Logging off Theatre Manager is an important part of using the software. Since each client is provided with a specific number of licenses based on their contract with Arts Management Systems, you have only a limited number of licenses to go around your office. If you do not properly log off Theatre Manager, you may preclude someone else in your office from logging on.


Theatre Manager site licenses are 'concurrent' licenses - meaning, if your venue has ten user licenses, then ten workstations can be logged on at any one time. Theatre Manager can be installed on every workstation in your office, but only ten can log in at the same time. This emphasizes the need to have users log off when they are not using Theatre Manager.


To Log Off of Theatre Manager, you perform the following steps:

There are two methods to log off of Theatre Manager.

  • On the PC - From the Theatre Manager main menu, select File >> Quit.
  • On the Mac - From the Theatre Manager main menu, select Quit Theatre Manager.

Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut of:

  • On the PC - Control+Q.
  • On the Mac - Command+Q.

Change User

Occasionally, you may need to switch the Employee profile you are using in order to log on as a different Employee (for example the Master User). Rather than quitting Theatre Manager and logging back on, you can simply 'Change User.' This option will log off the current user, and return you to the login window.

  • On both the PC and the Mac, choose File >> Change User

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Customizing Theatre Manager

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Changing Sort Order of a List

In any window in Theatre Manager that displays a list of records in a series of columns of information you can adjust the sort order by simply clicking on any one of the column headers. This feature allows you to sort any list window in the order of your preference then you can choose to print the list as shown or export the list. The list will print or export in the sort order that you choose.

Note that in this example the list is sorted by the patron number, denoted with a 1 to the right of the column title.

If you print the list as shown, the printout will appear sorted by the patron number.

In addition to sorting a list by a specific column, you can also create a multiple sort of two or more of the columns of data. This is done by first clicking the column header of the first sort column while holding down the [Command] key on a Mac keyboard or the [Alt] key on a PC Keyboard, then click the column header of the next column.

Note in this example the list is sorted first by Patron Last Name, then by Patron Number.

If you print the list as shown the printout will appear sorted first by Patron Last Name, then second by Patron Number.

This function applies to any and all windows in Theatre Manager containing lists of data.

Diataxis: 

Changing Column Order of a List

In any window in Theatre Manager that displays a list of records in a series of columns of information you can adjust the order in which the information is displayed. This allows you to customize the information in this window to your specific needs and will be retained as your user preference.

Click [and hold] on the header of the column you wish to relocate and with your mouse drag the column left or right to the desired position.

Below you will see that now the Company Name column has moved from the right of the Last Name to the Left of the First Name.

Now this change will remain as your users preference for this window. This will apply to all windows where a list columns of information is presented.

Diataxis: 

Changing Column Preferences

In any window in Theatre Manager that displays a list of records in a series of columns of information, you can change the information that is displayed to suit your needs.

The column preferences will only be saved for the user who is logged into Theatre Manager when the changes are made.

To change the column preferences for a list, you perform the following steps:

  1. Right-click anywhere on one of the column headers in the list you wish to change.

    A checkable sublist opens.

    What is checked in the list is the column that displays.

  2. Click to check the columns you want displayed.

    Clicking places a check next to the column name.

  3. Click to uncheck the columns to be dismissed.

    This removes a check next to the column name. Note that Primary Fax has now been unchecked.

Now the Primary Fax Column has been removed from the list.



This feature is useful to customize the window to suit your needs, but even more so for exporting the data from this list. Only the data fields that are shown will be included in the export.

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Changing Default Auto-Capitalization Settings

By default, Theatre Manager automatically changes the capitalization of some words typed into fields. For example, only the first letter of last names are capitalized, as are company names, regardless of how they are typed in. There may be times where you need to change the default setting for a field.

To change the default auto-capitalization setting for a field, you perform the following steps:

On a MAC:
  1. Type the word into the field with the capitalization you want to display.

    For example: MacDonald

  2. Press option+tab.

    The cursor moves to the next field and your capitalization remains. Or Press option and click to the next database field with your mouse.

    For example: MacDonald instead of Macdonald

On a PC:
  1. Type the word into the field with the capitalization you want to display.

    For example: MacDonald

  2. Press ctrl+Click into the next field.

    Your capitalization remains.

    For example: MacDonald instead of Macdonald

If necessary, you can change the default auto-capitalization settings for all fields.

It is strongly recommended users maintain the auto-capitalization default. This preserves the 'standardization' of name and address data. If the default setting is changed, all users - including employees and patrons using the online interface - will be able to enter information in an incorrect manner.(no capitalization for anything, all caps for everything, etc.)

To change the default setting for all fields:
  1. Choose Setup >> System Preferences >> Edits tab.

  2. Change the Auto-Capitalize drop down box to your desired setting.
  • Never Capitalize will never auto-capitalize words
  • First Time will auto capitalize words the first time they are typed in, but not when they are edited after the first time
  • Except for Option-Tab will auto capitalize words except when the methods described above are used
  • Always Capitalize will always auto capitalize words
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Customizing Date Preference

Using the Date Lookup icon lets you edit the format of how the dates will appear in Theatre Manager.

Using the corresponding letters from the lookup you can choose to change the date format.

Each letter is separated by a space.

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Multi-Level Sorting

There may be time where you would like to create a multi-level sort within your data. Some examples of when you might need this could be to find duplicate patrons; perform multi-season event searches; sort patrons within the subscription module; sort orders/tickets within a frequent buyer's record, etc.

Clicking on a column header, sorts any list:

Sort by Single Column

If you would like to further refine your sort, use Shift+Click on the columns in the order you would like them to sort:

Sort by Multiple Column

Performing a Shift-Click on the same column header again will change whether it is in ascending or descending order:

Sorting by Ascending or Descending Order

A single regular click will remove the additional sorts.

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Statistics

The Statistics window is accessed through the File>>Statistics menu.

This shows a quick glance at the record counts in the system. There is a more detailed report that can be printed. The statistics are up dated as the window is opened. If you want to refresh the statistics, you may click the button.



Overview of the Theatre Manager Workspace

The Theatre Manager uses a desktop for the standard interface. Think of the desktop as a workspace where you can access everything you need to operate Theatre Manager, such as Donation Management, Facility Management, Patron Management, Mail Lists, etc.

The desktop contains:

A Title Bar  The Name of the application, and within the workspace,  it also contains:
  • Close
  • Minimize
  • Maximize
B Menu Bar is located at the top and includes the titles of the drop down list functions.
C Toolbar / Ribbon contain Icons leading to the most commonly used functions
D Desktop work space
E Function open in the desktop work space
F Status Bar

Other functions available within the Theatre manager workspace are:

Tooltips

Move the mouse pointer around the screen and you'll see popup tooltips that identify what toolbar buttons do.

Right-Click Menus

Right-click menus are found in many of the function windows and bring up a context menu of functions. These can also contain fly-out menus.

Diataxis: 

Main Toolbar / Ribbon Bar

The main Toolbar (or Ribbon Bar) are the buttons above the Patron Window and below the Menu Bar. Each button has a specialized but generic function so that it is useable for the same function in many different areas. The toolbar / ribbon bar allows quick access to commands and other modules of Theatre Manager.

 

The main toolbar bar provides quick access to key data in Theatre Manager

The Buttons

The Main Toolbar/Ribbon Bar gives you quick access to the following functions:

Patron - Find a patron using the search list and sell tickets (and more).

Click here for more information on the Patron List window.

You can option+click on the patron icon to see a list of the most recent 20 patrons you have accessed and quickly open their patron window.

This is the same list as the recent patron list. Use it as a short cut, or as a reminder of the last patrons you interacted with.

Quick Find - Find a patron in the database using the patron number. Click here for more information on Quick Find.
Calendar - Show multiple Calendars with plays, tasks and other activities which can be used for facility management and scheduling. Click here for more information on Calendars.
Project - Facility Management projects, schedules tasks and activities. The Facility and Workflow Management module allows you to coordinate events, people, and resources across your organization's available venues. You can pull from and create information in your database to manage your venue, your staff and volunteers, your resources and your clients. With this module, the data coordination is presented in multiple visual ways allowing you to easily view and understand the relationships among all those variables. Click here for more information on Facility Management.
Report - List of reports. Click here for more information on Theatre manager Reporting.
Letter - List of form letters. Click here for more information on Form Letters.
Cart - List of shopping carts. Click here for more information on Shopping Carts.
Account - Chart of accounts. Click here for more information on the Chart of Accounts.
GL Entry - General Ledger entries. Click here for more information in GL Entries.
End of Day - End of day wizard. Click here for more information on the End of Day.
Map - List of theatres and their attached maps. Click here for more information on Theatre Maps.
Play - Play list. Click here for more information on Plays.
Subscription - Manage favorite seats for subscriptions. Click here for more information on Season Subscriptions.
Mail List - Mail lists and quick labels for patrons on a Mail List. Click here for more information on Mail Lists.
Preference - Employee preferences. Click here for more information on Employee Preferences.
Help - Access TheatreManagerHelp.com which contains the most recent documentation, procedures and FAQ's about Theatre Manager
Remote Assistance - Activates the remote assistance application to permit Arts Management Systems's support staff to access your machine remotely and assist you. To schedule remote assistance, please phone (888) 536-5244, ext. 1 or email support@artsman.com
Diataxis: 

Toolbar Options

Toolbar options allow you to customize:
  • Toolbars

    the way your toolbars appear both on the main window, specific window toolbars and on floating toolbars. By default, the toolbars all appear with large icons and text beneath them indicating what the icon does.

    • You can customize the main toolbar by right clicking on the Main Theatre Manager toolbar.
    • The toolbars on each window can be altered directly from the toolbar within each window.
  • Menu (windows only)

    On windows, you can also decide if you want the MENU bar to appear or not at the top of the window. To just toggle it on or off by 'checking' or 'unchecking' it.

To access the Toolbar Options on any window, simply Right-click on the toolbar. If you are presented with a menu of options (some windows take you directly to Toolbar Options), choose Preferences, then select your toolbar options.

To revert back to the System Default, you have two options:

  1. Go to Setup>>Users & Access>>Employee Preferences>>WINDOWS tab, and click on the button.
  2. This resets all window settings to the System Defaults, including any customized column placement.



  3. Right-click on the toolbar, select Preferences, and click the option.

The Toolbar Options Window

In the default mode, the Main Toolbar appears as indicated below.


By deselecting the "System Default" you have the following options:

  • Show Text
  • Large Icons
  • Variable Text Width

Each one of these options may be used separately, or in conjunction with each other and are customizable on a per user basis.

By deselecting the Show Text option, the text will disappear from below the icons.


By deselecting the Large Icons option, the icons will get about 50% smaller.


By deselecting the Variable Text Width option, the text will stay at a fixed width, cutting off longer text selections.


Quick Find

Quick Find is designed for finding some needles in a haystack within the theatre manager Database. The quick-find window does a live search of text across a number of database records.

For example, searching for 123 might bring up an order, an address, a company with that in the name, a shopping cart or other interesting things.

Quick-Find finds the top 5 (by default) records in specific categories which can be set in Employee Preferences

To open quick Find, you can:

  • Click the Quick Find button in the main Theatre manager tool bar / ribbon bar.

    Alternatively

    At any time press the [Ctrl] and [F] keys.

    The Quick Search window opens.

 

Quick find shows:

  • the most recently updated records found
  • that match the criteria you entered
  • in each category you have allowed to be search in your employee preferences.
Simply Double Click on the row to see the record.

 

The quick search window can be printed or exported.

Diataxis: 

Selecting a Date or Time

When looking up date and time fields, clicking on the icon will produce the Calendar/Date Search window. If the criteria you are using searches a date field only, the time will not appear.


Calendar Functions

The date search window allows you to select any date to use as a parameter. You can select any date by simply double-clicking on it.

There are also navigation tools available to help you move forward or backward on the calendar:

Click this button to move the calendar back one month.
Click this button to move the calendar back one year.
Click this button to move the calendar forward one month.
Click this button to move the calendar forward one year.
Click this button to directly select from any of the upcoming 12 months, or the same month from the next 5 years.

Time Functions

To change the hour, you can click on the top of the field to forward an hour. it rolls from 12 back to 1. Click on the bottom to go back an hour.

For minutes, if you click the 'left' side, it will go up/down by 10 minutes at a time. If you click on the right side of the minute, it will go up/down a minute at a time. This provides both a "fast" and a "slow" mode of changing the time.

If you right click on any part of the hour, you can pick 1 to 12.

If you right click on any part of the minutes, you can quick set the time to the quarter hour (00, 15, 30 or 45)

If you click on the am/pm, it toggles. If you right click, you get to pick am or pm directly.

Accounting

The Accounting section of Theatre Manager is used for the general ledger setup, general ledger transactions, deposits, receivables, end of day posting, and year end posting. There are many facets to the Accounting section. All of the Accounting functions can be reached through the main menu bar. For more general information and tips on Accounting, click here.

Parts of the Accounting Menu

General Ledger The General Ledger sub-menu contains access to the general ledger and general journal transactions. For more information about the General Ledger sub-menu, click here.
Receivables The Receivables sub-menu contains access to bank deposits and receivables within Theatre Manager. For more information on the Receivables sub-menu, click here.
Payables This function is planned for implementation at a later date.
End of Day Wizard The End of Day Wizard is used for posting all sales at the end of the business day to the general ledger. For more information about the End of Day Wizard, click here.
Confirm Attendance The Confirm Attendance function is used for verifying tickets that were actually used for a performance. It allows tracking of tickets once they have been given to the patron. For more information on the Confirm Attendance function, click here.
Transaction Monitor The Transaction Monitor is used to see transactions that are happening throughout the day in Theatre Manager. This is useful to see how sales are going throughout the day. For more information on the Transaction Monitor, click here.

Overview of the General Ledger

At the most basic level, the best way to think of Theatre Manager is as a replacement Accounts Receivable Sub-Ledger to your existing accounting system.

Sales and payments within Theatre Manager create daily G/L entries for your financial system, using the account numbers in your financial system.

There is a Powerpoint presentation on The Perfect Audit that contains most of the principles of Accounting in TM, especially the Golden Rule and the principle of Source Document Capture. We are happy to explain this for those that wish -and if followed - will give you a great audit.
The accounting module in Theatre Manager is designed to be used in conjunction with the organization's existing financial accounting system. Information generated from the Theatre Manager General Ledger provides:
  • Deposit and Sales Entries into your financial accounting system, including future liabilities for deferred revenues like gift certificates, events or donations.
  • A list of Accounts Receivables by patron.
  • Tax liability information.
  • Event / Play revenue breakdown reports, including order fees and exchange fees.

Sales are controlled and accounted for in the General Ledger module and display numerous variations of revenue breakdown. Implementing the General Ledger requires setting up a simplified chart of accounts, creating general journal entries, and posting the entries to the General Ledger. The General Ledger module provides information based on transactions which have been recorded. This differs from the ticket based reports as they show revenue at the moment of time that the report was created. The General Ledger provides detail and summary information.

The design of the General Ledger Chart of Accounts controls how information is maintained in the General Ledger. The number and type of accounts maintained determines the detail that is available from the General Ledger. This enables the ability to have all the detail information remain in Theatre Manager, while your financial package retains the summary information.

Data is entered into the General Ledger through General Journal Entries which record detail information on sales, exchanges and refund transactions for specific time periods. Summarizing the transactions is known as journalizing and the transaction detail created for each Deposit and Sales Entry records a chronological record of events / plays for the time period. The summarizing links together the debits and credits of each transaction and provides a complete record of each transaction.

There are five types of General Ledger entries:

  1. Deposit entries summarize payments by method of payment; Cash, Check, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Other.
  2. Sales entries summarize revenue for new sales, exchanges and refunds. The sales entry can then be broken down and displayed in virtually any format that is required.
  3. Automatic entries that indicate when to transfer deferred revenue to earned revenue
  4. Manual General Ledger Entries record periodic transactions such as the payment of tax liabilities, adjustments, and year end closings.
  5. G/L entries for inter company transfers when using outlet version of Theatre Manager. This will show ticket sales and commissions due/payable when the ticket sale occurs for your outlet at another outlet - perfect for reconciliation of activity between companies.

After the transactions are recorded in the General Journal, the debit and credit information about each transaction is posted to the General Ledger. Posting the General Journal Entries updates the General Ledger Accounts to reflect all transactions which have been journalized. The General Ledger account balances provide summary information on all General Ledger Entries that have been posted.

Accrual Basis Accounting

Accrual Based Accounting reflects the understanding that the economic effect of a revenue generally occurs when the event occurs (eg tickets bought), not when cash is received. This approach supports deferred accounting, management of receivables, post dated payments and other features. In the US, the IRS requires accrual accounting for 'C' organizations under most circumstances and GAAP/FASB requires it. Canada Revenue Agency rules are similar.

Theatre Manager is designed exclusively around Accrual Accounting principles.

Cash Basis Accounting

Under the cash basis, revenues are reported when cash is received. If the order is entered in December, but the cash from the patron is not received until January, the revenue is reported in January because revenues are recorded when cash is received. Most 503C organizations should follow GAAP and use Accrual accounting per IRS and Canadian requirements.

This manual is not a source of basic accounting knowledge. For detailed explanations of general ledgers, chart of accounts, debits, credits, journalizing, and posting, consult an accounting manual. Follow the accepted accounting practices when selecting the debit or credit setting for accounts and the chart of accounts created in Theatre Manager's General Ledger should reflect your business practices.

The General Ledger Submenu

In the General Ledger function you can post general ledger entries, set up general ledger accounts, look at transactions, and handle year end rollover. The General Ledger Sub-menu is accessed from the Accounting Menu >> General Ledger.

Parts of the General Ledger Sub-menu

G/L Entries The G/L Entries window allows the searching and posting of general ledger entries. For more information on the G/L Entries window, click here.
G/L Accounts In the G/L Accounts window you can create and edit the general ledger accounts in Theatre Manager. For more information on the G/L Accounts window, click here.
Transaction List In the Transaction List window you can search the transactions that have been created, including non-financial transactions. For more information on the Transaction List window, click here.
Year End Roll Over Yhe Year End Roll Over function is used at the end of the fiscal year for your organization to "roll over" financial transactions and accounts to the new fiscal year. For more information on the Year End Roll Over function, click here.

G/L Entries Window

The General Ledger entries window contains all journal entries created, both posted and unposted. You access it through the Accounting -> General Ledger -> G/L Entries menu.

The G/L Entries List Window opens. For more information on the G/L Entries Detail window, click here

G/L Accounts Window

The General Ledger Chart of Accounts contains all the accounts which have been setup in the G/L. The Chart of Accounts can be accessed through the Accounting >> General Ledger >> G/L Accounts menu.

The G/L Chart of Accounts Window opens.

Both the active and inactive accounts can be displayed using the check boxes. Click here, for a description of the General Ledger Accounts window.

Transaction List Window

You use the General Ledger Transaction History List window to access specific transactions based on your lookup. The General Ledger Transactions List Window is accessed through the Accounting >> General Ledger >> Transactions List menu.

The G/L transaction List Window opens.

For more information on the G/L Transaction History window, click here.

Transaction History List

You use the Transaction History window to review transactions that occurred within a certain date and time range. This can be useful when trying to discover an error that may have occurred during the day.

Parts of the Transaction History Window

This function is not available in this window.
Opens the Transaction Detail window for further detail about the transaction.
This function is not available in this window.
This function is not available in this window.
Prints a copy of the information in the window.
Exports the information in the window to a TXT document for the purpose of importing into another program.
Opens the Patron record of the patron associated with the transaction.
Attempts to unpost the transaction where applicable.
Creates a reverse debit or credit for the transaction. This function is not yet available.
Analyzes the TS transactions to verify that they are in balance.
A drop down menu of the available search functions.
Initiates a search based on the parameters in the To and From fields.
Include The items checked will be included in the search. Uncheck an item to remove it from the search.
Seq. # The sequence number of the transaction.
Trans. Date The date of the transaction.
Journal No The journal number of the transaction.
Code The transaction code associated with the transaction.
Transaction Desc A description of the transaction.
Order # The order number the transaction was part of.
Event / Play The event / play the transaction is associated with.
Performance The performance the transaction is associated with.
Description of Entry An entry description.
Debit The amount of the debit associated with the transaction.
Credit The amount of the credit associated with the transaction.
User The user who handled the transaction.
Qty The quantity of items in the transaction.
Total The total of the transaction
First Name The first name of the patron associated with the transaction.
Last Name The last name of the patron associated with the transaction.
Company The company associated with the transaction.
Patron # The patron number associated with the transaction.
Campaign The donation campaign associated with the transaction.
Description A description of the donation campaign.
Promotion The promotion that used with the transaction.
Group The report group of the promotion.
Merchant The merchant that was used to process the transaction.
Event / Play Title The event / play title associated with the transaction.
Event / Play Code The event / play code associated with the transaction.
GL # The general ledger number associated with the transaction.
Fee The fee associated with the transaction.

Transaction History - Detail

Displays the information about the transaction selected in the Transaction History window.

The parts of the window are:

Toolbar / Ribbon Bar

Help - Opens the online help.
Duplicate - Duplicates and Reverses the transaction to create an offsetting entry
Delete - Unavailable
Patron - show the patron this transaction belongs to. Opens the Patron record for the patron associated with the transaction.
GL Entry - Show the GL Entry  containing this transaction if it has been posted
Unpost - Clears the journal number on the transaction if it can be unposted so it can be posted again

General Information

Displays general information about the transaction, such as:

  • Type
  • Patron
  • Order Number
  • Date Created
  • GL Journal Number
  • Transaction ID Number
  • Dated
Diataxis: 

Transaction History - GL tab

The GL Entries tab displays:

  • for posted transactions - the accounts that the entry has posted to and contained in the G/L
  • for not-yet-posted transactions - the accounts that the entry is expected to post to during end of day using the current account setup in events, passes, donations, etc. If those setup accounts are changed, prior to posting, the transaction will post to those changed accounts. In other words, the accounts that the system posts to is determined during end of day posting.
  • in order to make change to transactionas the user MUST have a Master User status in Theatre Manager.
  • This transaction history list can be accessed from many places in Theatre Manager such as the End of Day wizard, Plays & Dates, GL Entry Window, etc. The contents of the transaction list varies depending on the route used to access it.

Transaction History - Notifications

If a transaction has any notifications associated with it, you will see the recipients in this list. You can:

  • View the contents of the notification sent to the employee
  • See whether it has been read (or not)
  • Resend the notification by changing its status to Not Done

Year End Rollover

Year End Rollover is the conversion of the general ledger from one fiscal accounting year to the next and occurs at the end of the fiscal year (not the calendar year). The following steps occur:
  • Current year monthly financial totals are moved into the previous year monthly totals.
  • Donations that were deferred for the next fiscal year are transferred from deferred revenue to earned revenue.
  • Passes and Gift Certificates that were deferred for the next fiscal year are transferred from deferred revenue to earned revenue
  • Hours attributed to volunteers/staff are rolled forward one year.
  • Marketing statistics are recalculated to reflect the new fiscal year
  • Optional Steps:
    • Ticket sales for the next fiscal year can all be transferred from deferred revenue to earned revenue based on accounting settings in Company Preferences
    • All events with dates in the past can be closed automatically to prevent any sales, exchanges or refunds from occurring.

The amount of time taken by the year end rollover is dependant only on the number of accounts and posting history. It should take only a couple of minutes to do the actual rollover once you have the reports you want.
Complete the final End Of Day for the current year before doing a Year End Rollover. This generates the final deposit, creates all sales entries, posts to the G/L and then you can run any G/L reports that are traditionally required for auditors.

Refer to timing to decide when to do the rollover.

Sales can continue on the web and at the box office while year end rollover is in progress. Just don't do your end of day until Rollover is complete.

Year End Backup

Making a year end backup of your database is important for audit purposes.

Almost all reports in Theatre Manager can be re-run with the exception of the receivables report. That changes when anything new is bought and/or paid for. Auditors like to see your receivables as of year end and reconcile it to your accounting program.

This audit backup generally coincides with when you run the year end rollover, especially if you do your rollover on the last day of the fiscal year or the first day of the next year. If you decide to delay the year end rollover, then you will have future G/L entries that are pending posting (after the rollover), which will affect receivable reports. In that case, you will also want to do a back up as at the end of the fiscal year.

Venues with databases on the AMS cloud should contact AMS support with message asking to make a special backup for year end.
You must manually create a backup at a time of your own choosing by following these instructions and saving the backup file.

Timing of Year End Rollover

Year End Rollover does not have to be done on the last day of the fiscal year (as determined in Accounting tab in Company Preferences). You can
  • wait until the first day of next fiscal year to run the rollover. This will capture internet sales through midnight and into the current year -or-
  • do it a day or so early. Any sales occurring after rollover will be allocated to the next fiscal year.
  • Generally speaking, a good accounting practice is that year end rollover should be run as soon as possible after the actual end of year

If you have not run a Year End Rollover and the last day of the fiscal year has now passed:

  • the user will receive a message when trying to post G/L entries at end of day. This message indicates that some sales or deposit postings were not done because they are in the next fiscal year. This still gives time to print the G/L reports for prior year and make adjustments.
  • any donations entered after the start of the new fiscal year default to the past fiscal year. If the intention of a donation is to be in the NEW fiscal year, then change the fiscal year on the donation entry window manually -or- do Year End Roll Over and the fiscal year default will change.

If the organization does a Year End Rollover and still needs to make manual adjustments to the G/L, they can be done to the prior year. Then print a G/L report for the prior year (because of the roll over, the current year moved to the prior year). This means the user can still get any financial information needed.

Year End Rollover and Extended Break Settlements

Fiscal Year End Roll Over
If your offices will be closed during the time of your Fiscal Year End (such as over December 31, for example), you may want to make Year End Roll Over (YERO) preparations before you close for the season that need to occur prior to transacting any business in the new fiscal year.

Why is this important?
The primary reason Theatre Manager needs a YERO performed is to appropriately move donation funds into the correct fiscal year. Typically, future campaign funds are kept in a separate General Ledger account (deferred) until the first day of the new fiscal year. The YERO process moves these funds from the deferred account to the earned account. New donations, intended for the upcoming fiscal year, will need to be appropriately allocated according to the ACCOUNTING tab of the campaign setup. The YERO also advances the default fiscal year setting when entering a donation. If the YERO has not been performed, the funds will not be allocated to the correct fiscal year. Season and event ticket income may also be affected depending on the settings in your database.

The complete YERO steps can be reviewed and followed at Year End Rollover as it provides you the step-by-step instructions to complete the process.

Special notes:

  • Be sure to make a backup of the database prior to running the YERO.
  • Be sure to read the section on the optional step carefully. Although most organizations do not use this option - review them with your accountant to see if they do apply to you.
  • Do not interrupt the YERO process. It may take from several minutes to several hours to complete and the computer may look "stalled" during that time. Do not stop the process or interrupt the computer at any time. If you are unsure, contact Arts Management Systems Support first. If you quit the process, you may need to restore to a backup copy of the database before you can continue.

End of Day over an Extended Break
In addition, you may need to take into consideration your End Of Day process over an extended break, such as the upcoming holidays. Ideally, you need to keep the Deposits and Sales Entries portion of the End Of Day going on a regular basis over the break - bearing in mind that even though there is no one in the office selling tickets, if you have web sales, it will continue to run. Please refer to strategies to keep your system running smoothly over an extended break.

Steps in the Year End Rollover Process

Only run the Year End Rollover routine when your venue is ready and/or if the user is prompted to by the End Of Day Wizard, which indicates that Theatre Manager is unable to post 'next' year's sales and deposit entries.
  • We suggest making a backup of your database before starting year end rollover. The purpose is in case the auditor wants you to go back to an old database for some reports.
  • Please find your most recent backup and save it in the monthly or annual backup folder.
  • For those venues on the AMS Cloud, please contact us and we will save a year end database for you.
Do not interrupt the year end rollover process once you start it and it should finish in a few minutes.

If you do interrupt it, please contact Arts Management Support and it may be possible for us to re-run it for you

  1. Use the Accounting >> General Ledger >>Year End Rollover menu.

  2. Check off all items in the 'check list' section to confirm that you completed them and/or have the data and that you are ready to continue the Year End Rollover.

      The check box in the 'Optional Steps' at the bottom of this window to transfer events from deferred to earned revenue can ONLY be checked if your company preferences are set to defer revenue only from one "season" to another "season". (Other settings should prevent use of this option).

      The check box to 'Close Past Events' will take all events that are completely in the past fiscal years and close them - so that ticket sales, exchanges and refunds can no longer occur. This can be reversed by editing the event and re-opening it.

  3. Click the Perform Year End Rollover button to continue.
  4. A window opens confirming you are ready to run the Year End Rollover.

  5. A confirmation window opens stating the Rollover is complete.

Changing Fiscal Year End

If you are changing your fiscal year end, you can run a year end rollover:
  • in the middle of the old fiscal year if making your fiscal year shorter
  • a few months after later if making your fiscal year longer
    • This is such a rare situation, that we suggest you contact the support team.

Making a shorter fiscal year

If, for example, your current fiscal year ends in October and you want to change the fiscal year end to be July of the same year, then you are making your fiscal year shorter. The current fiscal year will not be 12 months, it will only be 9 months and then the fiscal year will go from August to July moving forward.

At End of Day on July 31st of the shortened fiscal year

  • Stop all sales in Theatre Manager
  • Complete the final End Of Day for the shortened fiscal year on the day that you want to be the new year end.
  • Make a backup of the database. If you are using AMS cloud, ask support team to make one for you to file away
  • Alter the fiscal year end in Company Preferences to indicate the new end month of the fiscal year.. it will be 'JULY' in this example.
  • Do the year end rollover to set the new fiscal year. In the example above, you will be doing a year end rollover on July 31st (instead of Oct 31st)

In the accounting data in TM, you will see the following effects.

  • The prior year fields in accounting will show 9 months containing data and 3 months without data (since that represents August, September and October which have not happened yet.
  • The title on the month columns in history will not reflect correctly. This is because TM simply calls the accounting periods - period 1 to period 12. For convenience, TM displays the month based on the value in default data - which is now meaningless since you adjusted the year end period. . Think of months as period 1 to period 12.
  • The new year will start as expected, in the new month, starting in a new period 1 in the new fiscal year fields.

 

Making a longer fiscal year

For example, if you are changing your fiscal year from July 31 to October 30, (which means 15 months in the fiscal year), then you are trying to have more than 12 months in the current fiscal year. Theatre Manager only recognizes 12 motnhly periods, even if your accotning system recognizes more.

To make the change in TM, on July 31st of the current fiscal year:

  • Alter the current fiscal year end in Company Preferences to indicate the new end month of October
    • The effect you will see in the accounting data for TM is that:

      • TM puts the monthly totals into the last periods in reports and on screen. They will contain totals for multiple months. This means:
        • Month 10 (now named August, but formerly called May before you changed the fiscal year end month) will have accounting totals for both May and August.
        • Month 11 (now named September) will contain totals for June & September
        • Month 12 (now named October) will contain totals for July and October
      • You will defer the year end rollover to the month that it should now occur, which is Oct 31st.
      • The financial totals for the 15 months of the prior year will be correct -- and ther appear in the monthly columns adjusted by 3 months, with the last 3 months (Aug, Sept, Oct) each containing two months of financial data as described above.

Fixing EOD Imbalance created because of Year End Rollover

Please read carefully and fully understand the ramifications of this one time only feature before using it.

It will make a historical balancing entry and should only be used if your most recent Year End Rollover resulted in an End of Day imbalance.

DO NOT use this process to correct and EOD imbalance in the middle of the year. It is only to be used if the EOD imbalance occurred directly after running Year End Rollover

 

Why did I get an imbalance in the first place?

This issue should only arise if you:

  • just ran your year end rollover -and-
  • discovered that your first end of day after that was out of balance,
The likely cause of the issue is:
  • The year end rollover process was redesigned in Mid 2018 to make it a much faster process. It now rebuilds annual GL totals from all past GL entries. The added benefit is that year-end-rollover to be rerun (please contact the support team to if you need this).
  • Your venue has been using TM for a long time (most likely from version 6 era decades ago) -AND-
  • A consolidated GL entry might not have been created properly - so this will address this missing data in the database

 

When NOT to use this process

DO NOT use this process if you just discovered and EOD imbalance in the middle of the year. Instead use the Troubleshooting End of Day imbalance checklist to find your issue.

Otherwise, we suggest to contact the support team to get assistance and to verify that the process should be used.

 

Who can do this process?

Only a master user or outlet administrator can make this entry. It is not visible for any other user.

 

What is the process and rules surrounding this feature

If you discover an EOD imbalance after your first end of day after year end:

If, after involving the support team and the End of Day Imbalance is still present, then:

  • Force the EOD to balance by creating the adjusting entry under your normal user account.
  • Do not post this force balanced GL entry.

    If you posted it in TM, the next step you take depends on whether you passed this GL entry to your accounting system:

    • If you just posted in Theatre Manager and have not created your end of day G/L report to pass to your accounting staff, please unpost this GL entry immediately.
    • If you have already passed the Adjusting entry to your accounting staff, then:
      • reverse the GL entry in TM.
      • Create another force balance Adjusting Entry. The totals should be the same as the one you just reversed.
  • Log in as the Master User or Outlet Administrator for your outlet. The feature is not available to anybody else
  • Find the EOD adjustment GL entry you just created. It must not be posted and it must be of type 'GL'
  • Click the Convert to Historical Entry
  • Confirm that you want to convert this GL entry to historical by clicking the Convert button.

 

What does this process do

Converting a GL Entry to historical will:

  • Change the source of the GL entry from GL to CO, meaning that it is a historical consolidation accounting entry from years ago.
  • Add text to the notes indicating that that it was a force balance after year end rollover
  • Change the date on the GL entry to 10 years ago to the date
  • Mark the entry as posted so that it will not be posted again
  • It will back date the posting date to 10 years ago. This means it will not show up in today's end of day.
  • Mark the GL entry as exported - meaning it cannot be exported and passed to your accounting system if you have automated that process
  • Adds a flag to the GL entry to mark this a a special GL entry. Once you have created this one-time GL entry for a Year End Rollover problem, you will never be able to create another one.
  • Theatre Manager will then rebuild the account balances as if it were ding year end rollover to bring TM's A/R account into balance. Since this GL entry is now 10 years old, it make it appear as if the force balance never occurred.

Receivables Submenu

The General Ledger function allows the posting of general ledger entries, setting up general ledger accounts, looking at transactions, and handling year end rollover. The General Ledger Sub-menu is accessed from the Accounting Menu >> General Ledger.

Parts of the Receivables Submenu

Bank Deposits. If credit card payments are deposited into separate bank accounts, they may require a separate deposit number. For more information on Bank Deposits, click here.
The Receivables List window is used to review all patrons with balances in the Accounts Receivable ledger. For more information on the Receivables List window, click here.

Payment Request List

The payment request list shows
  • activity created by EMV pin pads (currently Moneris only) and
  • the status of the request.
The list is useful for analyzing any issues with credit card activity from using pin pads. If an error occurs, it might cause an end of day imbalance that might be identifiable in the list of EMV payment requests since all are tracked that, regardless of success or failure.

Bank Deposit Entry

For cash control, an employee’s cash receipts should be balanced to their sales on a daily basis.

If credit card payments are deposited into separate bank accounts, they may require a separate deposit number. A single type of payment method is used to identify each sales. Theatre Manager can quickly remove a particular payment method from the daily deposit using the delete button. To do this, you:

  • Highlight the payment method to be removed from the deposit.
  • Click the delete button. The deposit total is automatically recalculated.

Your accounting polices and practices will determine how to develop the deposit totals.

  1. Open the Bank Deposits window selecting Accounting >> Receivables >> Bank Deposits menu.

    The payment selection criteria window opens.

  2. Confirm the time period for the deposit.

    Set the ending date to select all payments which have not been deposited. The current date is automatically displayed in the date filed on the message window.

    When balancing is done for the day of the sales, the date used will be the current date. When balancing is done the day after the sales, the date used will be the previous day’s date. If correcting ticket orders caused new payments, then the date used will be the current date -- when this is performed, new payments that have been entered will be included in the payment selection and may have to be removed.

    It is recommended that if the balancing is performed the day after the ticket sales. You do not enter new payments until the previous days payment receipts are balanced. This prevents mixing payments for two separate time periods in the same deposit. If new payments have been entered, the new payments should be identified and removed from the deposit before it is created.

  3. Click the Deposit button.

    The Deposit Window is now accessible.

    For more information on the Deposit window, click here.

  4. Verify that the payments listed match the payment receipts in hand.

    Before continuing with the deposit process, remember to balance the actual receipts to the daily receipts shown in the deposit window. 

  5. Remove any payments from the list which are not to be deposited.
  6. Click the Step 2 button.

    The second step of the Deposit window will open.

  7. Verify that there are no warnings listed at the top of the window.

  8. Enter any shortages or overages for the Box Office and Concessions.

  9. Set the preferences for the reports to be printed.

  10. Click the Deposit button to finish.

The Receivables List Window

The Receivables List window is used to review all patrons with balances in the Accounts Receivable ledger. To find everybody, click the search button with empty entries in the search list.

Once you see your receivables listing, you may want to:

Parts of the Receivables List Window

Opens the online help.
This function is unavailable in this window.
Opens the Patron record for the selected patron.
This function is unavailable in this window.
This function is unavailable in this window.
Prints a list of the patrons in the Receivables List window.
Exports the list of patrons in the Receivables List window into a TXT document for use in another program.
Opens the Patron record for the selected patron.
Adds a Payment to the slected order.
Rebuilds the selected order to verify that it is in balance.
Runs the Order and Transaction reports to verify that all orders listed are in balance.
The different ways to search the window.
Begins a search based on the parameters in the From and To fields.
Patron # The patron number of the patron.
First Name The first name of the patron.
Last Name The last name of the patron.
Company The company of the patron.
Order # The order number associated with the listing.
Balance The total balance owed by the patron.
Credit The total credit amount owed to the patron.
Tix Balance The amount of the balance that is owed for tickets.
Donation Balance The amount of the balance that is owed for donations.
Age The length of time that order has been past due.
Notes Any notes associated with the order.
Deposit Date Due The original date that deposit was due.
Final Date Due The original date the final payment was due.
Inv Date The original invoice date.
Order PO # The PO number associated with the order.
Sold By The user that sold the order.

Post Dated Payment List

You can access a list of post dated payments directly from the Receivables menu.

This will show you a list of all post dated payments, including those for future dates. Any current or past due post dated payments will show up in the end-of-day deposit window to allow them to be deposited.

In addition, this list should be viewed just prior to year end rollover and printed for the auditors - who typically like to see the post dated payments.

Parts of the Post Dated Payment List Window

Opens the online help.
This function is unavailable in this window.
Opens the payment record.
This function is unavailable in this window.
yo can delete a post dated payment. This will alter the balance owing on the order.
Prints the list of the payments on the Post Dated Payment List window to produce the post dated payment report.
Exports the list of payments into a TXT document for use in another program.
Opens the Patron record for the selected payments.
The different ways to search the window.
Begins a search based on the parameters in the From and To fields.
Patron # The patron number of the patron.
First Name The first name of the patron.
Last Name The last name of the patron.
Company The company of the patron.
Notes Any notes associated with the order.
Sold By The user that sold the order.

End of Day Wizard and Daily Balancing

The End of Day wizard should be run at the end of each business day (or first thing the next morning) to create deposit and sales entries. To segregate daily business, the entries should be created prior to entering new sales and payments (corrections excepted). Creating the journal entries prior to entering new sales and recording payments, prevents combining deposits and sales for two periods in the same general ledger entry.

All ticketing and payment corrections and errors should be completed prior to creating a deposit or a sales entry.

To simplify analysis of the sales and deposit entries, create the minimum number of as sales and deposit entries as necessary in any given day. If you create more than one, you must remember to combine everything for that day in your search criteria before analyzing them.

The End of Day Wizard is accessed through the Accounting >> End of Day Wizard menu.

This will open the End of Day Wizard Window allowing you to clear up the business transactions for the day all in one location.

For more information on using the End of Day Wizard, click here.

Timing for Creating Deposit and Sales Entries

Deposit and sales entries can be created at any time. You can create them any number of times per day. If you want to balance the A/R in Theatre Manager, both the deposits and sales should be created at the same time period and at the same time. The End of Day Wizard takes you through the process and identifies if you are out of balance. If you wish, you can also do it manually using the various menu items under the accounting menu. To simplify revenue analysis, the sales entry should be created immediately after the deposit entry.

Normally:

  • The deposit and sales entry should be created daily.
  • only one sales entry is created for the same time period covering the deposit.

However, a sales entry is automatically created for each revenue date since the last sales entry was created. Should you decide not to create sales entries for a week, running the process will create a Sales Posting for each day that sales occurred in that week period.

Time Stamps on Transactions

Reviewing transactions for any time period is made possible by the date and time stamps that are placed on each transaction when it is created.

Time stamps are attached to transactions -- ticket sales, refunds, exchanges, and payments -- and are created at the time the transaction was entered into Theatre Manager. Time stamps identify the date and time that the transaction occurred and enable reports to summarize transactions for specific time periods.

Transactions created to "correct errors" are dated for the time they occurred. Orders, payments, refunds, or exchanges created today to correct yesterday’s errors are date and time stamped today. Any amounts included in the transaction are included in the deposit and sales entries created today. Any transactions required to correct yesterdays transactions should be journalized in a sales and deposit entry prior to new sales being created. These transactions should be included in yesterdays "Deposit and Sales Analysis". Refer to the section Date & Time Stamps for more information.

Employee Till Balancing

The Till Balance feature allows you to have all employees balance their own tills at the end of each shift. This speeds up the End of Day and removes the room for error when employees may have already left for the day.

  1. Open the Till Balance window.

  2. If this employee has had one or more shifts since the payments have been deposited, the following window will appear (if not, proceed to step 4).

    When a shift's till is created, it is assigned a unique number. If the employee has entered one or more payments since the last time they balanced a till, and the payments have not been posted in the end of day process, the employee has the option to:

    • Assign the payments to the same till as they previously balanced. This means that all money taken across a number of days is simply being lumped together into one till #.
    • Create a new shift till for the unbalanced payments. This means you are putting new money into a new till #.
    • A combination of the above by putting some money into an existing till and the rest into a new till. You can do this by
      • selecting the existing till
      • removing all but the 'new' payments you want to add to that existing till
      • indicate that the till now balances with the selected payments.
      • Anything not balanced in one till will be left to the balance in another till.
      • Anything marked as not balanced in an existing till will be taken out of that till. It can then be put into another till (new or otherwise), effectively providing at way to move money between employee till numbers.
    Regardless of the option taken, it is the same amount of money to the end of day process. Use Till #'s for your internal processing if you wish as it means nothing to Theatre Manager end of day balancing - other than it lets you segregate money by shift if you want.
  3. Select the Shift # and click the OK button.

    The Till Balance window opens. For more information on the Till Balance window, click here.

  4. Once all payments are marked as being in the till a number should appear under the Till # column. The Imbalance column at bottom left will also have $0.00 for each item.
  5. Click the Balance button.
  6. Mark which report to print and click the Reports button.

    The Till Summary is suggested.

  7. Bundle the Till Report with the monies that were received by the employee until the time that the deposit is run.

Till Balance Window

Only physical payment methods where this is a chance of discrepancy appear in till balance. This includes Cash, Check, Pass/GC, and other payment methods. The reason is that a manual tally of these payments may point out instances where the value on the check and the value entered into Theatre Manager may be different. It gives a chance of correction at source.

Credit Card payments processed through your merchant account will NEVER show in the till balance window because they can never be for the wrong amount. (The system created the amount and sent to the bank, so there is no possible discrepancy in amount in the system).

Post dated credit cards may appear as a convenience to allow the user to authorize them (although this is usually done in end of day). It may be useful if emergency mode was enabled for part of the day.

Parts of the Till Balance Window

Opens the online Help for this window.
Opens the selected Patron
If enabled, marks the selected payments as missing.
If available, authorizes the selected credit card.
If available, allows you to change the card that a post dated payment is being changed to.
Displays the summary table by patron.
Displays the summary by the type of payment
Patron # The patron number for that patron that this payment is assigned to
First Name First name of the patron this payment is assigned to
Last Name Last name of the patron this payment is assigned to
Company Company name of the patron this payment is assigned to
Total Paid Amount paid by the patron, using this payment method
Till # Has this payment been marked as being in the till? The default is blank, which will change to the till number once the payments are marked manually as being in the till
Card Number The card number/ check number of this payment
Payment types Where you mark (using the check boxes) the payments as being physically in the till. Any payments that are not in the till should be marked as such. You can batch mark payments of a certain type as being in the till, then double click specific payments to remove them

End of Day What to Expect

It is important to close out the daily transactions and balance Theatre Manager on a frequent basis. If this occurs 365 days each year and the GL entry created by Theatre Manager is posted to the organization's accounting system, there should be no problems with the annual audit. This is based on making the GL entries in the accounting software exactly the same as TM creates them.

Theatre Manager is an accrual accounting system!

The Accounts Receivable account (A/R) is a revolving account to manage sales and payments. Each sale (ticket, donation or pass) increases the sales account for that item AND increases the A/R account. When the payment is received, the asset account for that payment is increased while A/R is decreased. If everything is paid for, then the net change to A/R on a daily basis will be zero. If an item is not paid for (i.e. pledge, group ticket sale, or reservation), there will be an increase in A/R on that day. At some subsequent day, once the order is paid for, there will be a decrease in A/R.

Typical GL Entries Seen at End of Day

Posting Type Debit Credit GL Entry Type
Sales of Items
Ticket Sale A/R Deferred Revenue for Event Sales Posting (SP-xxxxxx)
Donation A/R Earned Income for Donation Campaign Sales Posting (SP-xxxxxx)
Pass or Gift Certificate Sale A/R Liability for unused Passes Sales Posting (SP-xxxxxx)
Membership Sale A/R Earned Income for Membership Sales Posting (SP-xxxxxx)
Payments
Credit Card, Check or Cash Payment Visa, MCard or Bank account A/R Deposit (DP-xxxxxx)
Redemption of Pass Liability for unused Passes

A/R

Deposit (DP-xxxxxx)
Transfer to Restricted Account Asset Account for restricted donation campaigns Main Bank Account Deposit (DP-xxxxxx)
Automatically Generated Postings
On day after event, transfer from deferred to earned revenue Deferred Revenue for Event Earned Income for Event Sales Posting (SP-xxxxxx)
On year end Rollover Deferred income for donations dated in a future fiscal year Earned Income for the campaign Sales Posting (SP-xxxxxx)
Manual GL Adjustments
Adjustments to GL Any Account, usually not A/R Any Account, usually not A/R GL-xxxxxx

End of Day Wizard Window

Since Theatre Manager treats sales and payments as separate items, the user needs to do four steps each day to balance. We recommend completing all steps by the end of the day -or- next morning prior to the day's sales.

Parts of the End of Day Wizard Window

Toolbar/Ribbon Bar

Help - Opens the online help.
Deposit Funds - Selects all undeposited payments by payment date and creates a bank deposit
Sales Entries - Creates G/L entries based on all new sales transaction in Venue Manager
Post to G/L - Posts the G/L Entries that comprise the 'end of day' totals to the ledger
Tabs
The calculator located in the upper right hand corner of the window is used to track where the balance stands as the user progresses through the End of Day process.
The Deposits tab is used for creating deposits to send to the bank. For more information on the Deposits tab, click here.
The Sales Entries tab is used to journalize all sales entries to the General Ledger. For more information on the the Sales Entries tab, click here.
The A/R Balance tab is used to journalize all outstanding A/R to the General Ledger. For more information on the A/R Balance tab, click here.
The Reports tab is used for printing reports when the End of Day process is complete. For more information on the Reports tab, click here.

Deposit Tab

Parts of the Deposit Tab

The Sales Entries tab is used to journalize all sales entries to the General Ledger. For more information on the the Sales Entries tab, click here.
The A/R Balance tab is used to journalize all outstanding A/R to the General Ledger. For more information on the A/R Balance tab, click here.
The Reports tab is used for printing reports when the End of Day process is complete. For more information on the Reports tab, click here.
Date The date the journal was created.
Journal # The journal to which the payment(s) was posted.
Account # The unique account number for the payment type.
Description A description of the account.
Memo A detailed description of the journal.
Debit Deposits will debit their corresponding account number for the payment type.
Credit All deposits will credit Accounts Receivable in the General Ledger.
Deposits outstanding funds. For more information on using the Deposits tab, click here.
Opens the Transaction History window with information on the payments received.

Step 1: Deposit Detail Window

The Deposit window has many functions. It:
  • is used to identify payments made since the last deposit that can be taken to the bank or settled in a credit card batch
  • Remove any post dated credit card payments that cannot be authorized or checks that cannot be found.
  • Replace the credit card number or expiry date on a post dated credit card payment to allow it to be authorized
  • aggregate them into a 'batch' to take to the bank and create a deposit posting/GL entry (DP-xxxxxxxx) that can be used by the end of day process.

The deposit window is designed to match exactly the money put into your bank account -- so that it make it easy to reconcile your bank statement with your accounting program.

If you cannot authorize (or find) a post dated payment, or do not want to take specific payment to the bank, REMOVE it from the deposit so that the deposit list matches exactly what will be put into the bank in a single deposit.

Parts of the Deposit Window

Opens the online Help.
Opens the Patron record for the associated payment. Only valid on Summary by Patron tab.
Removes the selected payments from the deposit. This only removes (not delete) a post dated credit card payment from a deposit. Once a payment is removed, the deposit total will be smaller. The removed payment will re-appear the next time you run the deposit window. Hopefully in that time frame, you will have a replacement credit card or the customer will have topped up the balance on the card so it can be authorized.

While valid on all tabs, the effect is a little different, depending on the tab you are on:

  • Summary By Payment Type - removes all payments represented by the selected line. You could. for example, Remove all checks if you do not intend on taking the checks to the bank that day. It means the checks will reappear the next time. This is useful for managing the number of times you physically want to take money to the bank. You could use it to remove all curretnly unauthorized cards.
  • Summary by Patron - removes a single specific selected payment from the deposit. Most often used if there is a credit card that was declined -- so that it will come back the next time .. or to pick that declined card and use the 'Edit Card' button to change the card number. See below further down the web page
  • Summary by employee - removes all payments taken by an employee out of this deposit. It might be used if that employee has not delivered their checks/cash to finance as of yet.
  • Summary by Till - remove all payments within a till balance from this deposit
Authorizes the selected payments through the credit card server if necessary. Valid on all tabs for credit cards
Allows you to change the card that a post dated payment was being charged to - in case of a decline and the patron provides a replacement credit card for the purchase.

This option is only valid on the Summary by Patron tab where you can select the individual payment that you want to change.

Prints a list of the payment in the Deposit window.
Summarizes the payments in the deposit by payment type.
Summarizes the payments in the deposit by patron.
Summarizes the payments in the deposit by the employee who received them.
Summarizes the payments in the deposit by the till they were associated with.
Description A description of the payment.
Quantity The number of payments.
Patron # The patron number of the patron the payment is associated with.
First Name The first name of the patron associated with the payment.
Last Name The last name of the patron associated with the payment.
Company The company associated with the payment.
Received By The employee who received the payment.
Total Paid The total amount of the payment.
Till # The till number the payment is associated with.
Payment Desc A description of the payment.
Date Received The date the payment was received.
Merchant The merchant used to process the payment.
Date Updated The last date the payment was updated.
Troutid
Auth. # The authorization number of the payment if it was a credit card.
Credit Card The credit card number used to make the payment.
Payment # The payment number.
Cash The amount of cash received with the payment.
The breakdown of all the deposits received and the total deposit amount.
Force Duplicates? If there are similar transactions that seem like duplicates and need to be authorized, this will force the transactions through on the credit card server. Duplicate transactions are rejected by default.
Cancels the Deposit window.
Moves to Step Two of the deposit process.

Change Post Dated Credit Card

If a credit card has not yet been authorized because You can change the credit card information prior to authorization on the:
  1. 'Summary by Patron' tab of the Deposit window
  2. 'Summary by Patron' tab on the Till balance List
  3. Payment list on the patron window
  4. Prior payment list on the Order window -or-
  5. If the card is used for recurring donations:
    • you need to change it on the recurring donation window in the payment section PRIOR to the next recurring donation being created.
    • If the recurring donation was created and the card wont authorize, change the card number in the Deposit window (item #1 above)

Simply:

  • select one or more unauthorized credit cards in the list of payments
  • make sure that they are for the same patron
  • Right click to edit it using a context menu. (The deposit and till balance windows also have an icon at the top of the window).
  • You will see a window that lets you put in the credit card details similar to the one above right.
    • Type in (or swipe) a new credit card, expiry, and name on card.
    • Alternatively, use the lookup to select a prior existing card from the patron's list of credit cards
    • When you update the payment, it will replace the new card on all the existing, selected, not-yet-authorized payments.

When you next to end of day and need to authorize the payments, they will authorize using the replacement credit card.
Diataxis: 

Step 2: Confirming the Deposit

End of Day Balance Warnings

Step 2 of the deposit process shows possible issues

  • balancing credit cards through web sales
  • balancing credit cards accepted through an EMV Devices
  • with outstanding/unprocessed post dated payments that may need to be found and
    • Authorized if they are credit cards (or removed if they will not authorize)
    • found in your safe if they are checks and confirmed for value and date so you can take them to the bank
  • where debit/credit offsets for credit cards that could be cancelled and save credit card fees
  • in authorize.net end if somebody forced a prior end of day
  • etc.
After addressing the errors and finding imbalances, you should, in general, have only informational messages (and not warking or errors noted).

Cash Over Under

If you find cash in emplioyee tills to be over/under, you can enter the amounts here and a GL entry will be created for your over/under balancing account. This is used to bring A/R into line.

Deposit Reports

Click to indicate which deposit reports you want printed. Normally, the pertinent one is the check listing. All of them can be recreated at any time in the future

Sales Entry Tab

Parts of the Sales Entries Tab

The Deposits tab is used for creating deposits to send to the bank. For more information on the Deposits tab, click here.
The A/R Balance tab is used to journalize all outstanding A/R to the General Ledger. For more information on the A/R Balance tab, click here.
The Reports tab is used for printing reports when the End of Day process is complete. For more information on the Reports tab, click here.
Date The date the journal was created.
Journal # The journal to which the payment(s) were posted.
Account # The unique account number for the payment type.
Description A description of the account.
Memo A detailed description of the journal.
Debit Debits will be created for there corresponding account number in the G/L.
Credit Credits will be created for there corresponding account number in the G/L.
Play Code Event the sales entry is associated with.
Enable the checkbox to summarize the data by account number.
Begins the process of journalizing the sales entries to the General Ledger. For more information on the Sales Entry Creation process, click here.
Opens the G/L entry associated with the selected items.
Opens a window to view any orders currently in the process of being sold which may affect the End of Day balance.

A/R Balance Tab

Parts of the A/R Balance Tab

The Deposits tab is used for creating deposits to send to the bank. For more information on the Deposits tab, click here.
The Sales Entries tab is used to journalize all sales entries to the General Ledger. For more information on the the Sales Entries tab, click here.
The Reports tab is used for printing reports when the End of Day process is complete. For more information on the Reports tab, click here.
Patron # The number of the patron who made the order.
Last Name The patron's last name.
First Name The patron's first name.
Company The patron's company if applicable.
Order The order number.
Balance Outstanding balance on the order.
Debit The patron account is debited for purchase of tickets, memberships, etc..
Credit The patron account is credited for refunds and returns.
Tix Balance The amount of the total which is due for tickets.
Donation Balance The amount of the total which is due for donations.
Post the accounts receivable to the General Ledger. For more information on the Post to G/L process, click here.
Rebuilds the balances of the orders.
Creates a balancing entry in the GL for a Box Office write-off.

End of Day Wizard Reports Tab

Parts of the Reports Tab

The Deposits tab is used for creating deposits to send to the bank. For more information on the Deposits tab, click here.
The Sales Entries tab is used to journalize all sales entries to the General Ledger. For more information on the the Sales Entries tab, click here.
The A/R Balance tab is used to journalize all outstanding A/R to the General Ledger. For more information on the A/R Balance tab, click here.
Prints the selected report to the screen.
Exports all not-yet-exported general ledger entries to disk for use in another program. If you do not export one day, this button ensures the files are created the next time it is used for all past (not-yet-exported) GL entries. If you:
  • wish to export only selected G/L entries (or want to see what can be exported), refer to the list of G/L Entries
  • If you want to select an export format for your GL entries, refer to Accounting Tab on company preferences.
Create EFT File If you are using EFT within your organization and have set the EFT Merchant Account, you can export your EFT data, ready to upload to your bank.
Printed Denotes whether the report has been printed. A 'Yes' will appear when it has.
Report Description A description of the report.
Report Parameters The parameters that are used for the report.
Report Help A lengthier description of the report.

Multiple End of Days/Reports on the Same Day

You can run the Deposits and Sales Entries at any point during the day (or multiple times during the day), however you should generally only post to the General Ledger and run your reports once a day.

The reason for only producing the reports once per day (after the LAST posting for the day) is that the default criteria in the reports at end of day default the criteria to be everything for that day out of convenience to you. Meaning, if you post three times in one day, the end of day reports produce an aggregate of the 3 postings.

If you wish to separate the postings into parts of a day, you can:

  • access the same reports under Theatre Managers Reporting system (General Ledger section) and put criteria into separate the day into parts. For example, use criteria in the reports for GL DATE POSTED between midnight and noon. Or from Noon to 4 pm.
  • or when looking at a finished report in the end of day, click the criteria button and change the criteria to reflect only the part of the day you are interested in

Using the End of Day Wizard

The End of Day wizard is simple to use. It allows you to process all necessary accounting transactions from one location. There are three steps in using the End of Day wizard:

Once the above steps are run the Reports tab can be used to generate the desired reports for entering details in the accounting software. The most commonly generated reports are indicated with stars next to them.

Deposit In The End Of Day

You can run the Deposit process as many times as is needed in a day. You can also run it independently of the additional steps in the End of Day. You do this most often when you want to get the money to the bank, the remaining steps in the End of Day are not required.
Recurring donations are created during end of day deposit automatically on the date that they are next due.
  1. Open the End of Day Wizard window.

    For more information on the End of Day Wizard window, click here.

  2. Start with the Deposits tab (which will be blank). Click the Deposit Funds button.

    The Bank Deposits window opens.

  3. Enter the date up to including the date you want to make the deposit.
  4. Click the Deposit button.

    The Deposit window opens.

    For more information about the Deposits window, click here.

  5. Click the Step 2 button to continue with the deposit.

    The Confirm Deposit window opens.

    If the Box Office or Concession tills have an overage or shortage, fill the fields with the correct amount to show it as over or short.

  6. Click the Deposit button to continue with the transaction.

    The Deposit Confirmation opens.

  7. Click the Deposit button to continue.

    Any reports selected are generated to the screen for printing. You are returned to the End of Day Wizard window with the deposits displayed.

    To continue the End of Day process with adding Sales Entries, click here.

Using the End of Day Wizard with Paymentech Orbital

For complete instructions on the setup of your Orbital Merchant account within Theatre Manager click Orbital Setup.
    Completing the End of Day when setup using Paymentech Orbital is exactly the same as completing the standard End of Day as outline in the previous page. There is however one new step which requires logging into the Orbital Account, retrieving the credit card batch summary and entering the values into Theatre Manager. Access to your Orbital Account is defined in Step #5 below.
    1. Open the End of Day Wizard window. Click button from the main Theatre Manager Toolbar / Ribbon Bar.

      For more information on accessing the End of Day wizard, click here.

    2. Start at the Deposits tab which will be blank. Click the Deposit Funds button.

      The Bank Deposits window opens.

    3. Enter the date up to which the user would like to make the deposits.

      Traditionally, accept the current default date to deposit all payments up to the moment.

    4. Click the Deposit button.

      The Deposit window with the Orbital feature window opens.

    5. Click the Orbital button to access your Orbital Virtual Server account, obtain your transaction count and total. Enter the number of Transactions in Batch and the value for the Batch Total obtained from your Virtual Server Account.

      For more information about the Orbital Virtual Server window, click here.

    6. Click the Matches button to continue.
    7. Click the Step 2 button to continue with the deposit.

      The Confirm Deposit window opens.

      If the Box Office or Concession tills have an overage or shortage, fill the fields with the correct amount to show it as over or short.

    8. Click Deposit to continue with the transaction.

      The Deposit Confirmation window opens.

    9. Click the Deposit button to continue.

      Any reports selected will be generated to the screen for printing. The user will be returned to the End of Day Wizard window with the deposits displayed.

      To continue the End of Day process with adding Sales Entries, click here.

Finding the Paymentech Orbital Balance

If the credit card authorization software you are using is Paymentech Orbital, you will need to access your merchant account via the web to obtain transaction totals and transaction counts while doing the end of data process.

Theatre Manager assumes you have turned off auto-settle in the admin settings and that Theatre Manager will do the settlement. Do not settle the batch using the Orbital interface.

To find the batch total, you will need to:

  • log into the Orbital Virtual Server for your merchant account with your user id and password.
  • Click on the 'Open Batch' link at the top of the web page and you will see the page below

  • On the 'Open Batch - Search' window, change the following search parameters. Others should be blank.
    • Remove the check next to Date Range.
    • Set the Query Type to be Summary Query
    • Click the Search button
  • When the screen below is shown, look for the values in the middle of the screen called
    • Total Count in the 2nd last column of the second table. In this example it is 1 and represents the number of transactions
    • Net Amount in the last column of the second table. In this example it is 2.00 and represents the total value of the current batch that has not yet been settled. You will want these total which include any refunds that may have been purchased

  • When you have both those values, place them into the dialog window of the Theatre Manager Deposit process in the window show below and click Matches.

    These values may be zero if there are no credit cards waiting to be settled.

    If you do not know the balances or have already forced settled a batch, click No Match (this is not the normal practice).

Authorize.Net End Of Day Process

For complete instructions on the setup of your Authorize.net account within Theatre Manager click Authorize.net Setup.

End of day in Authorize.net is similar to any other merchant provider. You follow the basic end of day process outlined previously. However, Authorize.Net operates with one little (but important to know) difference compared to the other credit card service providers.

Most providers allow you to authorize cards, get a batch total, and then settle the batch. Each 'settlement' results in a batch being flushed to your bank. If you settle twice a day, you will likely have two entries in your bank account.

Authorize.net allows one batch per day. You can settle in Theatre Manager as many times as you want and all of them will be aggregated into one single batch that appears on your bank statement. That single batch is 'swept' into your bank account at a time of your choosing (set by each merchant in the online interface in authorize.net and can be changed at any time). We recommend that you set the batch sweep to be approximately 12 hours after the time you regularly do your end of day processing. For instructions on setting the sweep time, click here. For example:

  • If you do your end of day in at 8 in the morning, then setting the automatic sweep to between evening and midnight would allow sufficient time for correction.
  • If you typically do your end of day before going home for the evening, then a sweep of all settled cards at 4 am would be a good idea.

The following describes how Authorize.net differs (slightly) as it may be important to understand the effects if you need to create more than 1000 transactions between each end of day. (This is a very large number of transactions and is rarely exceeded - even by large venues and onsale dates).

Authorize.net also has an online Merchant Login where you can view your current charges at any time -and- review current unsettled transactions and past batches.

Your Authorize.net account must have permission to call the Transaction Details API in order to settle. It is a permission your service provider must give you.

Authorize.net Authorization

To enable the level of End-of-Day reconciliation that Theatre Manager users have come to expect, the authorization in Authorize.net is done a little differently.

  • Each authorization is sent using a mode called 'auth only'. This gives you an authorization number and a guaranteed hold on the patrons credit card - just like a full authorization - for up to 30 days, or until released. The situation where you would personally experience 'auth only' is when checking into a hotel where a hold is put on your card for the duration of your stay.
  • In Theatre Manager, the amount 'held' is the exact amount of the sale (it is never more, nor less). Refer to the top part of the diagram above - Theatre Manager simply asks Authorize.net to guarantee a hold on the right amount of funds.

Authorize.net Settlement

There is a quick additional setup step inside the Authorize.net online interface to allow settlement from within Theatre Manager. Click here for instructions. The Authorize.net settlement process is also a little different because of the authorization process, yet provides some interesting benefits. In general, when you decide to settle your batch:

  1. Theatre Manager retrieves all the unsettled 'auth only' transactions from Authorize.net. However, Authorize.net will only send the most recent 1000 transactions back to Theatre Manager. This should be perfectly fine for almost every venue almost every day.
  2. Theatre Manager compares those transactions on a one-by-one basis to the payments that have not yet been deposited. In theory, they should match exactly. If they do, Theatre Manager goes on to the next step. If the transactions do not match exactly, then a short list of discrepancies is shown that can only be:

    Very important - please read the error message column to see if:
    • The transaction is in Authorize.net and not in Theatre Manager -OR-
    • The transaction is in Theatre Manager and not authorize.net
    and then take action according to the two options below.
    • Payments in Authorize.net that are not in Theatre Manager.

      This might happen if

      1. You settled the match in Authorize.net manually the previous day and did not settle TM. If this is the case, you will see multiple lines in the list .. and the total should match prior days deposit plus today's business
      2. a user logs in to the Authorize.net online interface using their web browser and authorizes a card independently of Theatre Manager (this in itself is a no-no). In other words, something that should never happen.
      3. there is a communication error after Theatre Manager sends the authorization - and before Authorize.net can send on back. If these happen, then you will probably already know about it and need only void the card in Authorize.net to make both balance.
      4. There is some sort of communication error during end of day and TM settles the batch, but they payments were not marked as 'capture' in Authorize.net. If that happens, you will have a continuing out of balance that is constant day-after-day. To fix it:
        • find the payments in Authorize.net that were part of the batch that had the problem. Conveniently, the eod of day will provide an audit list for you (it things they are missing in TM, but they are not).
        • mark them captured manually in Authorize.net so that the same payments are both captured in auth.net and already previously deposited in TM.
      5. there is a chargeback from visa - in which case it might show up as a discrepancy. The advantage is that you will know about these when they happen and can correct it in Theatre Manager immediately.
    • Payments in Theatre Manager that are not in Authorize.net.

      The only reasons where this would occur is:

      1. refunds processed after end of day and before the daily sweep. (Which you should avoid).
      2. If you have turned on auto-settle in the online authorize.net interface -- which would never be set up that way during the install and you should change Authorize.net to self settle.
  3. Once you are satisfied that the payment matches the Authorize.Net batch, you settle Theatre Manager by clicking on the final deposit button on the end of day deposit window. Theatre Manager has to do the EOD a little differently than simply settle:
    1. Theatre Manager will go through each of the payments that match from the step above and tell Authorize.net to 'capture' the card. Capturing the card means that the hold is removed and instantly replaced with a binding authorization
    2. These 'captured' cards sit in the batch at Authorize.net and are 'swept' once a day to move them all into the bank, just like other authorization software.

Balancing audit Messages in Authorize.net end of day

During end of Day, you may occasionally see a window like the one below containing a list of discrepancies detected by Theatre Manager while it is attempting to balance Authorize.net. It only appears if you need to do something about some failed transactions, refunds, or voids. If you do not see this window, there is nothing wrong and your end of day and nothing to do.

When you see this window:

  • Make the error column wider as it may give you enough information to help you diagnose the issues
  • Click 'Print Error List' to see actions that you might take to solve the problem which is included with the message description. See a sample report below.
  • Contact support if you need further explanation of the message and what to do.

 

Special Note on Authorize.net refund processing

Refunds are processed immediately by Authorize.net.

If you do a lot of refunds before the sweep time and settle end of day after the sweep time, you may be told that you are out of balance by what seems to be the total amount of your refunds.

See explanation why Authorize.net processes refunds right away.

Implications of the Authorize.net EOD approach

Refunds are processed immediately by Authorize.net. YOU CANNOT VOID A REFUND.

If you fail to settle a batch containing a refund before the authorize.net sweep time, you will receive a warning during the end of day that the batch may be out of balance (even if it is not).

Your balance will appear be out by the total amount of refunds you processed before the sweep time.

You will see this every time you:

  • do a refund on a specific day and
  • do not do the end of day process on that same calendar day (before the sweep time)
Set your sweep time (in authorze.net settings on their web page) to be about an hour after you normally do your end of day to minimize the messages about refunds.

There are a few subtle implications of the way Authorize.net works that you may encounter in your reconciliation. Most venues should not see them, but in case you do, these are:

  • Multiple Ends-Of-Day: If you do an end of day more than once per day, you will still only see one deposit to your bank because the batch is never closed. Authorize.net 'sweeps' all 'captured' cards once per day and moves them into your bank. This may be useful as Theatre Manager can aggregate EOD into one posting if desired.
  • Running End-Of-Day during the Sweep: The Authorize.net bank sweep should be set to run 6 hours after typical end of day. We recommend avoiding doing an end of day in Theatre Manager when the 'sweep' normally occurs otherwise part of a TM batch might be 'swept' to the bank on one day and the rest on the net day - resulting in a split batch. All a 'split batch' does is require you to use a calculator two add two numbers on a bank statement together to compare to your accounting system.
  • Setting the Sweep Time: is dependant on when you typically do end of day because of how REFUNDS in a batch are dealt with (see below). We suggest setting the sweep time to 6 hours after the time that you normally do end of day to give the best chance of a refund falling into the current day business. For example, if you do end of day:
    • each night, then 2:00 am is a good choice for the sweep time.
    • each morning, then we suggest 2:00pm for the sweep time.
  • Refunds in the batch. There is a difference between a VOID and a refund. A void cancels out an existing charge and there will be no issues during EOD because of voids. However, if a credit card charge is DEPOSITED in theatre manager and you want to refund that money some days or months later, the only way to do so with the independent refund feature in Authorize.net. You must explicitly enable this feature and if you do so:
    • you SHOULD limit who can provide refunds -and-
    • you MUST DO END OF DAY TO SETTLE YOUR TM BATCH in the same day that you did the REFUND in order to see it in the end of day BEFORE THE SWEEP TIME HAS OCCURRED.
      Authorize.net automatically 'captures' refunds immediately (we wish it didn't) so if you don't settle before the sweep, it will appear like you are out of balance and have an additional refund transaction in TM that does not seem to be in Authorize.net.

      In reality, you are most likely in balance because the refund just got placed in the previous day's batch. You will need to look in the previous day's batch for the refund to make sure you don't refund twice.

      Addressing Auth.net refund process if it gets deposited before you get a chance to do end of day:

      • Start the end of day deposit.
      • You will get a discrepancy doing end of day. TM will say the batch doesn't match and provide the edit log.
      • Read the description in each line of log to see if it gives additional info.
      • If the errors in the log are all refunds from the prior day and they are in the settled batch on auth.net's online portal, then they are already in auth.net -- so just settle the batch
      • If the errors are new authorizations, contact support. it means you'll need to check yesterdays settlement to see if somebody forced it.
  • Voids in Batch are when you authorize a charge and then void it before settlement. Authorize.net will leave a transaction on their size for ZERO dollars. This may result in TM showing the 'void' in the audit list at the end of the day. Please verify that the amount is zero. It is also for your protection to ensure that somebody did not authorize then void without anybody in finance knowing about it.
  • More that 1000 authorizations between End Of Day: It is very rare that ay venue will have 1000 distinct transactions in any one day - and likely only on a heavy on-sale day. 1000 authorizations might reflect well over $0.5M per day. On the rare day that you may have more than 1000 authorizations, you may wish to plan your day and:
    • Run an end of day when you are nearing 1000 transactions. This is because Authorize.net will retrieve only the most recent 1000 transactions and doing an end of day approximately every 1000 transactions means that the standard settlement process will run normally, providing a good edit list if possible mistakes.
    • On a really busy day, you can simply use the methodology for large batches and settle everything after all goes quiet for the day. If Theatre Manager cannot do the normal settlement process for Authorize.net, you will get a message similar to the one at right informing you. At that point you will need to get a batch total from the online interface -- and compare it manually to the Theatre Manager total. When both agree, simply close the batch and settle as normal. TM will avoid the payment balancing step (due to the Authorize.net 1000 transaction download limitation) and set all cards to 'capture'. The bank sweep will get them the next day and move them to your bank as normal.

Totals for Large Authorize.net Batches

If the credit card authorization software you are using is Authorize.net, you may need to access your merchant account via the web to obtain transaction totals and transaction counts while doing the end of data process.

This should only be required when there are more than 1000 transactions in a batch. This is due to a limitation on the Authorize.net servers which only returns the 1000 most recent transactions (suitable for most days business). If you are in a day with more than 1000 transactions, use the batch total and transaction count to compare to the totals in theatre manager and then force settle. TM will then change all cards to 'capture' them.

If there are less than 1000 transactions in the batch, Theatre Manager should identify discrepancies automatically.

Please note that a batch may appear out of balance if there are refunds in a batch, which is affected by your choice of sweep time. Check for voided payments in the Theatre Manager edit list -> error message column and make sure that they are expected.

Theatre Manager assumes you have turned off auto-settle in the admin settings and that Theatre Manager will do the settlement. Do not settle the batch using the Authorize.net interface.

To find the batch total, you will need to:

  • log into the Authorize.net Merchant Login window and enter your user id and password for your merchant account.
  • Click on the 'Reports' link at the top of the web page and you will see the page below

  • Click on the 'Transaction Statistics' on the left side.
    • Set the Transaction Type to Unsettled.
    • Click the Run Report button
  • When the screen below is shown, look for the values in the right side of the screen near the bottom:
    • Total Count in the last column. In this example it is 11 and represents the number of transactions
    • Net Amount in the last column. In this example it is 1,053.27 and represents the total value of the current batch that has not yet been settled.

  • When you have both those values, compare them to the credit card total for that batch in Theatre Manager and continue if in balance. If not in balance, then you will need to compare the payment list in TM with the transaction audit list on the server.

Elavon End of Day

For complete instructions on the setup of your Elavon Merchant account within Theatre Manager click Elavon Setup.
    Completing the End of Day when setup using Elavon is exactly the same as completing the standard End of Day as outline in the previous page. There is however one new step which requires logging into the Elavon Account, retrieving the credit card batch summary and entering the values into Theatre Manager. Access to your Orbital Account is defined in Step #5 below.
    1. Open the End of Day Wizard window. Click button from the main Theatre Manager Toolbar / Ribbon Bar.

      For more information on accessing the End of Day wizard, click here.

    2. Start at the Deposits tab which will be blank. Click the Deposit Funds button.

      The Bank Deposits window opens.

    3. Enter the date up to which the user would like to make the deposits.

      Traditionally, accept the current default date to deposit all payments up to the moment.

    4. Click the Deposit button.

      The Deposit window with the Elavon feature window opens.

    5. Click the Orbital button to access your Elavon VirtualMerchant account, obtain your transaction count and total. Enter the number of Transactions in Batch and the value for the Batch Total obtained from your VirtualMerchant Account.

      For more information about the Elavon VirtualMerchant window, click here.

    6. Click the Matches button to continue.
    7. Click the Step 2 button to continue with the deposit.

      The Confirm Deposit window opens.

      If the Box Office or Concession tills have an overage or shortage, fill the fields with the correct amount to show it as over or short.

    8. Click Deposit to continue with the transaction.

      The Deposit Confirmation window opens.

    9. Click the Deposit button to continue.

      Any reports selected will be generated to the screen for printing. The user will be returned to the End of Day Wizard window with the deposits displayed.

      To continue the End of Day process with adding Sales Entries, click here.

Finding the Elavon Balance

If you are using Elavon for credit card authorization, you will need to access your merchant account via the web to obtain transaction totals and transaction counts while doing the end of data process.

Theatre Manager assumes you have turned off auto-settle in the admin settings and that Theatre Manager will do the settlement. Do not settle the batch using the Elavon interface.

To find the batch total, you will need to:

  • log into the Elavon VirtualMerchant for your merchant account with your user id and password.
  • Click on the Current Batches link at the left of the web page
  • Click on the Main link (you may see info here, but if there are returns, they do not appear until you click 'Credit Card')
  • Click on the Credit Card link and you will see a page like below showing the 'Current Batches: Credit Card' page

Elavon may have some items in the list above marked as pending or set to review in the 'Tran Status' column, especially for returns.

You should:

  • Click on the checkbox at the beginning of the row for all items marked as pending in the 'Tran Status' column
  • Click on the Unpend button at the bottom of the page to remove the pending status.
  • Click on the checkbox at the beginning of the row for all items marked as set to review in the 'Tran Status' column
  • Click on the Release button at the bottom of the page to remove the set to review status.
  • If you don't do this, your batch in Theatre Manager will be out of balance with the batch that is deposited to the bank and reconciling your bank statement may be more difficult.
  • Look at the bottom of the screen. You may (or may not) wish to alter the number of lines to display at the bottom right.

    At the bottom centre, look for the following information:

    • Transaction count - in the example it says 6. However, there is one VOID in the list that Theatre Manager will no longer know about. Subtract the voids from the total and enter that as the transactions count.

      Example 6 (total) - 1 (voids) = 5 (net transactions)

    • Net Amount - in the example, it is $38.00
  • When you have both those values, place them into the dialog window of the Theatre Manager Deposit process in the window show below and click Matches.

    These values may be zero if there are no credit cards waiting to be settled.

    If you do not know the balances or have already forced settled a batch, click No Match (this is not the normal practice).

Past Elavon Batches

Elavon keeps past batches available on line. You can see a list of the batches and you can also view the details of the batch.

To do so, you will need to:

  • log into the Elavon VirtualMerchant for your merchant account with your user id and password.
  • Click on the Settled Batches link at the left of the web page
  • Click on the Main link and you will see a page like below showing the 'Settled Activity' page

  • you can double click on a 'blue' batch number under the 'settled date' column to see the detail in it
  • you can also use the search functions.
  • For more information or assistance, please refer to the virtual merchant user manual or call Elavon

Moneris Pinpad End of Day

End of day pin pad settlement

If you are using Moneris Pin Pads for authorizing credit cards at the box office, Theatre Manager will:

  • set the proper amount on the device for each authorization or refund
  • Capture the partial credit card and token to create the payment record in Theatre Manager
  • Interrogate the machine totals during end of day to make sure they match - and-
  • Settle each pin pad that has a balance on it when you do the end of day that includes cards processed on it
Normally, there should be no imbalances. However, if you do get one, it may look like the message below that tells you
  • Which merchant account is affected - in case you are using more than one
  • which pin pad is out of balance - if you are using more than one

 

Out Of Balance Correction

If you receive an imbalance it will tell you whether the discrepancy is in the totals and/or the number of transactions. You may have to go to the device batch totals and find out which credit card charges should not be there and remove them from Theatre Manager and/or the device to make things balance.

The message will identify what Theatre Manager thinks is out of balance (money, and/or # transactions, and pin pad)

 

Who to contact first depends depends on who thinks they have more transactions

Use the following to determine who to contact:

  • Please look at the Batch Total on the device setup identified as being out of balance (see image for the button)
  • COMPARE that to the Payment Request List for the pin pad for the appropriate time span (since last pin pad settlement)
  • if TM thinks there are:
    • fewer transactions than Moneris - see if there are some request(s) that was not processed by TM. This can likely be addressed by contacting Artsman support.
    • more transactions than Moneris then contact Moneris, using the Payment Request List as your audit log. They should be able to see everything you see and they can explain the discrepancy.

      You will need Moneris's assistance removing them from the device if that is needed to balance to Theatre Manager.

Creating Sales Entries

Once the deposits for the day have been completed, the next step in the End of Day process is to create Sales Entries in the general ledger.

The purpose of creating sales entries is to:

  • Create sales transactions for sales that occurred on the web
  • Take all sales transactions (tickets, donations, gift certificates, etc) and create G/L entries that aggregate the sales since the last time this process was run.
  • Find all ticketed events eligible for rolling over revenues from deferred to earned and make G/L entries for those sales
  • Run some daily clean up activities such as:
    • removing patrons from double opt-in mail lists if they have not responded within the limit in company preferences.
    • Deleting old shopping carts per the retention periods in company preferences
    • Deleting old eblasts and letter correspendance per the retention periods in company preferences

  1. Click the Sales Entries tab.

  2. Click the Create Sales Entries button.

    This will open the Create Sales Entry Window allowing the user to journalize the Accounts Receivable. Depending on settings in company preferences->accounting tab, you may also want to select conversion of some orders from reservation only to earned income, especially if the performance has just occurred.

  3. Enter the date up to which Theatre Manager should journalize the A/R.
  4. Click the Create Sales Entries button.

    A window displays the progress.

  5. Click the Done button.

    The Sales Entry process is completed and you return to the Sales Entry tab.

    All the Sales Entries will be displayed under the Sales Entries tab.

    In the upper right hand corner of the End of Day wizard, the amount should be zero to show that the Deposits and Sales Entries are in balance. If they are not, then research will need to be done to determine where the problem is. For more information on finding the imbalance, click here.

    The unposted sales and deposits must now be posted to the GL. For more information on posting to the General Ledger, click here.

Posting To The GL

When payment has not been received for goods or services, the balance is recorded under Accounts Receivable.

  1. Click the A/R Balance Tab on the End of Day wizard.

  2. Click the Post to GL button.

    The confirmation window opens.

  3. Answer both questions by checking the box, then click the Post to GL button.

    The unposted sales are added to the A/R Balance in the General Ledger and balance with the Patron A/R.

    The upper right hand corner of the End of Day wizard should still be zero. If it is not, click here for more information on finding the problem.

    A variety of reports can be printed based on the new General Ledger entries by using the Reports Tab. For more information on printing reports, click here.

Force A/R Balance

Rarely, you can end up with a non-zero balance in the A/R tab on the end of day wizard that you cannot find. When this occurs, you can elect to write off the A/R balance by clicking the 'Force A/R Balance' button.

You are presented with a message, similar to the one below, indicates the amount of the imbalance and asks if you want to create a balancing entry against the cash over/under account.

Before continuing, please make sure you have done all steps to determine the source of a possible imbalance BEFORE using the 'Force A/R Balance' function. If you cannot "find" your error, please contact the support team prior to completing this action. Forcing an EOD imbalance and writing it off is a last resort activity and you should have at least tried redoing the end of day and checking order/transaction balances.

The End of Day Balance Reports

Reports are the best way to find an imbalance in the GL. The reports section, provided in the End of Day Wizard, are the most commonly used accounting reports. To view all Accounting Reports click here.

The recommended end of day reports for transferring data to your accounting system are highlighted in red. Both the highlighted reports provide a G/L listing with Debits and credits for easy entry to your accounting package. Most people use the first one and the purposes are::
  • Use the first one: if you simply want totals by account to transfer to the G/L
  • Use the second one: if you are using an accounting package that has job or class reporting and you want Theatre Manager to provide revenues by event and account and print the TM show code which can be used as the job/category code in accounting.
We highly recommend using the Export GL button to create a file that you can import into your accounting system.

Please refer to Supported Formats which is selected in company setup accounting tab.

  1. Click the Reports tab in the End of Day wizard.

  2. Double click on the report(s) to be printed.

    If you are printing a report to transfer to the accounting system, you should probably use one of the two highlighted because they help you comply with the general intent of:

    • the law Sarbanes–Oxley Act to make sure you are less likely to be doing off the balance sheet transactions
    • very helpful in fulfilling IRS requirements and rules of reporting (examples reasons are)
      • generally revenue is reported at time of sale, even if you are only taking taking deposits for tickets such as group sales
      • also applied to donations where you have not yet received any cash or payment al all - because if you have anything that resembles a contract ... it needs to go into the books.
    • GAAP/FASB requirements
    • CCRA financial tracking

    The reports selected are generated on the screen.

  3. Click the Print button on any reports you want paper copies of.

    Once all reports have been printed, and there is no imbalance, the End of Day process is complete. Congratulations!

Troubleshooting End of Day Wizard Problems

This page describes what to do if trying to solve end of day problems that prevent posting to the General Ledger. If any one of the steps in this section below does not fix the out-of-balance problem, try the next step or the other sections

Also, note the 'Create Sales Entries' process in the End of Day wizard actually takes two passes at checking for an imbalance. If your venue is not busy, this will handle most end of day issues automatically. However, if it does not -AND- you are having an extra busy day, then re-running the 'Create Sales Entries' can catch any sales that straggle in and counts them.

Problem

Action

You received a deposit in process message when attempting to use the End of Day:
  • Refer to resetting end of day in Company Preferences to reset all end of day settings (Normal approach), or
  • You can reset the 'deposit status' for the specific merchant account in merchant setup (This avoids resetting all merchant accounts and the overall EOD in progress setting).
Matching a deposit to your Merchant Account: Please refer to the following to make sure you've looked at your batch totals and/or settled the batches If your merchant batch total is different than Theatre Manager, it means one of two things:
  • There is more at the Bank batch than Theatre Manager.
    • If its a small amount or one or two cards AND ALL FOR ONE DAY, then
      • compare your entire batch, card for card to what theatre manager thinks.
      • Void any authorization at the bank that is not in theatre manager until you balance
    • If it is a larger amount, its likely that somebody forced closed theatre manager deposits:
      • look back at past deposits/transactions in Theatre Manager
      • see if those cards are in the open batch at the bank
      • If so, figure oiut which cards match the deposits in theatre Manager
      • Add them up and if you can see which bathes were force closed and the totals match, then settle the batch using theatre manger and make sure the batch is closed online
  • There is more in Theatre Manager than the Bank
    • Generally means that somebody settled the bank batch online instead of through theatre manager
    • Start at the last day that balanced and look at all Closed batches at the bank to get a total by day
    • Look at the open batch to see how much it is
    • Add them up
    • If that matches Theatre Manager, then settle the batch
Making the end of day balance go to zero so you can post: Please refer to correcting an imbalance to resolve the problem.
You receive a message indicating that there are orders currently being sold: Some orders may currently be in the process of having tickets sold to them or taking payments. You might need to
  • clear orders currently being sold for older orders to get End of Day to balance.
  • New orders - you may have to wait till the box office finishes with the customer.
  • At the very least, look at the BALANCE on each order as you will likely be out of balance by that amount in end of day -- at least till the order is completed or cancelled.
The inability to post to the general ledger after balancing: Please refer to cannot post to the General Ledger
If the payments can not be seen in the deposit process window:
  • The merchant account has been de-actived, or
  • The workstation does not have internet access, or
  • When the workstation started Theatre Manager, it didn't get a valid 'internet available' response. In this case, you will need to quit Theatre Manager and start it back up again to have the 'internet available' flag reset within that workstation's session.
You just ran the first End of Day after Year End Rollover and found an issue Please refer to End of Day Imbalance after Year End Rollover

Correcting an Imbalance in the End of Day Wizard

Occasionally, when performing the End Of Day, there will be an imbalance which prevents you from posting to the General Ledger. An "imbalance" simply means that Deposits do not match Sales. When this happens, Theatre Manager will not allow you to post an unbalanced entry to the General Ledger without fixing it first.

An imbalance can be caused by a variety of things such as:

  • A power outage in the middle of a transaction
  • A power outage in the middle of the the End Of Day
  • A misapplied fee or refund during the sales process
  • A manual GL Entry that was incorrectly applied
  • A GL entry with no detail lines
  • An EMV (pinpad) authorization initiated by Theatre Manager in which there was a time out or failure
  • Other reasons

There are several steps you can take to correct an imbalance in the End Of Day prior to contacting Support.

The first step is easy: don't panic.

There are two important things to remember about an imbalance in the End Of Day:
  1. Not completing your End Of Day does not mean you can't do any more business. If you can't complete the End Of Day, leave it until you can contact Support to assist you.
  2. Never - ever - Force Balance the End Of Day unless you have been advised by Support to do so.


1 First, verify no users are in the middle of selling tickets, donations, or passes. The End of Day wizard excludes any order in the process of being modified (i.e. tickets being sold) and does not journalize them.
  • When you start the end-of-day wizard, if there any orders in the state of account being modified (i.e in process of being sold), you will see a list of the orders, the patron and the user who is editing the order. A message is displayed indicating the probable resolution.
  • If an order is being sold and it contains a balance, then your end-of-day will be out by that amount.
    • If orders are older than 3 hours, you may want to talk to the sales representative and/or clear the order being sold flag by highlighting it on the list and clearing it.
    • You can also access this window from Setup ->Batch Functions -> Orders Currently Being Sold.
2 Re-run the End of Day process again to see if any new sales show up.
  • Do the sales entries again to look for new sales that came in while the last 'create sales entries' was running and compiling the G/L.
    • This may be needed if it was a very busy day and sales are still occurring while the a prior 'create sales entries' was being processed.
    • Also, note TM is designed to allow sales to occur while end of day is being done, so this is normal.
  • Optionally, redo the deposit to look for new payments.
    • You should never do this step unless you plan on taking the extra money to the bank.
    • Any money highlighted in this step would also have been displayed in the 'Pending Deposits' value on the upper right of the end of day wizard.
    • This means doing a second deposit will never fix an end of day issue.
  • Optionally: verify if there any issues with EMV PinPads by looking at their totals, if they have settled and for any issues in the payment requests sent by them to the bank.
3 Run the report called Utility Functions and Database Analysis Reports >> Check Order and Transaction Balances.
  • Set the criteria as:

    order date updated >= (last date in balance)
    AND order flag-reservation only = NO

  • Fix the orders and transactions that appear in the report to make them balance.
  • Re-run the End of Day wizard.
4 Run a Transaction History >> Transaction History List report.
  • Set the criteria as:

    trans date revenue >= (current date and time)

    to see if any user has their computer clock set into the future.  If an order has a date set in the future, Theatre Manager will not post that order until that date/time has passed.

    Theatre Manager uses the server date for all transactions, so this could only occur if the server date was set wrong (and in the future), and somebody or automatic time sync process discovered the server time error and reset it. You will rarely ever find this to be the problem.

  • However, If this is the case:
    • Stop all sales (including pausing the web listener) and set the clock forward on both the server and the computer handling the End of Day process and redo the deposit/sales postings.
    • Re-run the End of Day process to get these payments and sales entries. IGNORE any post dated payments.
    • Then change the date on the deposit and sales entries to today.
    • Change the date and time on the server and computer clock back to the proper time. After the future transactions have been posted, you can resume normal sales.
5 Run Setup >> Batch Functions >> Order Balances
  • As criteria, use:

    dates between (last date balanced) and (today).

  • Re-run the End of Day wizard.
6 Go into Accounting -> General Ledger -> G/L Entries.  Are there any manual G/L entries since last time balanced?
  • If so, check to see why it was created, and see if that is what is causing the imbalance.
  • Double click on the entry, and look at the A/R line.
  • If the A/R line matches the out of balance amount, it is the problem.
  • Re code the manual GL entry so that it does not adjust the A/R account.
  • Re-run the End of Day wizard. 
7 Did the system crash in the middle of creating sales entry?  If so make sure G/L entries are not out of balance.
  • Go back into Accounting -> General Ledger -> G/L entries, and make sure debits equal credits.
  • Run a Transaction History by Play (Totals only) report for the sales posting that is out of balance with the criteria:

    trans g/l reference # = (the SP journal entry that is out of balance).

    • Most likely, if this occurred, there are missing sales, donations, memberships, ticket fees, order fees, exchange fee and taxes in the A/R line.
    • A manual correction of the GL Entry is required (or simply a reposting of the missing transactions) to add missing detail lines or adjust the debit/credit amount of the existing lines to match to the transactions that were journalized to the G/L Entry.
  • Run a Utility Functions and Database Analysis >> Check Transaction and G/L Entry Balances report with the criteria:

    trans date revenue >= (the last time the EOD was in balance).

  • This report will ensure that all transactions journalized to the GL Entry actually match the detail lines in the GL Entry
    • If not, a manual correction of the GL Entry is required (or simply a reposting of the missing transactions) to add missing detail lines or adjust the debit/credit amount of the existing lines to match to the transactions that were journalized to the G/L Entry.
  • Re-run the End of Day wizard.
8 Did the system crash in the middle of a deposit?  The deposit entries will need to be fixed in order to balance.
  • Go to ,Accounting >> General Ledger >> G/L Entries, and check to see if there are two deposits for one day.
  • Run a Bank Deposit report for both deposit numbers.
    • One deposit will appear to be in balance, but will be lower than expected.
    • The other one will be unbalanced.
  • Edit the deposit to match the amount that the other deposit is off. For example:
    • The deposit total is $2000, half cash and half check.
    • The deposit that balances totals $600 cash and $500 check, with $1100 A/R.
    • The other Deposit totals $2000, but does not have A/R.
    • Change the deposit that does not balance to show $400 cash, $500 check and $900 A/R, so that the two deposits will total $1000 cash and $1000 check.
  • Run a Utility Functions and Database Analysis >> Check Transaction and G/L Entry Balances report with the criteria:
    • trans date revenue >= (the last time the EOD was in balance).
  • This report will ensure that all transactions journalized to the GL Entry actually match the detail lines in the GL Entry.
    • If not, a manual correction of the GL Entry is required (or simply a reposting of the missing transactions) to add missing detail lines or adjust the debit/credit amount of the existing lines to match to the transactions that were journalized to the G/L Entry.
  • Re-run the End of Day wizard.
9 Has anybody gone into a Patron's transactions and either duplicated or reversed debits and credits in an attempt to fix something? If so:
  • Contact AMS with the patron account, the order and the transactions that have been changed.
  • If possible, AMS can assist with finding the transactions and creating new ones to balance the End of Day. 
10 Run a Utility Functions and Database Analysis Reports >> Check Order and Transaction Balances report again.
  • Broaden the criteria to look for more data:

    order date updated >= (a much longer time in the past)
    AND order flag-reservation only = NO

  • Fix the orders for any patrons orders and transactions who appear in the report.
  • Re-run the End of Day wizard.
11 Have TM Support run a query to find any transactions that are posted but are not connected to a a GL entry

The general form of the query is below and will need modified depending on what is found.

select * from f_transaction where T_GL_SEQ not in (select GL_SEQ from F_GL_HEADER)
and T_TRAN_CODE not iLike 'A%' AND T_TRAN_CODE not in ('TU','DU','TTT','TTF','OTT','OTF','DTT','DTF','MTT','MTF')
and T_GL_D_DEPT_SEQ = xx

12 Look to see if there are any gift cards or passes that were sold/refunded/adjusted and are not in GL entries.
13 Did you just complete the first year end rollover since Jan 1 2018 and are users TM for a long time? The new rollover process recalculates all account balances from inception of the database and this could be a leftover imbalance from before version 6. Please contact AMS support if this is the case. In the end, a one-time-only manual adjustment will be necessary by forcing the end of day balance that should be noted and ignored in the accounting program.

AMS team will need to:

  • Manually create a GL entry against the A/R account over 6 years ago
  • Mark it posted
  • Re-run the year end rollover after adjusting the current year to bring into balance
14 Force the A/R Balance. If you have:
  • done all the previous steps -and-
  • simply cannot find the source of the out of balance -and-
  • have contacted AMS Support for their assistance - THEN -
  • You may have to force the end of day balance. We do not recommend doing this step unless an imbalance simply cannot be found.

Cannot Post to the General Ledger

Follow these steps if the user is unable to post to the general ledger in the End of Day wizard.  If a step does not fix the posting problem, proceed to the next step.

Problem

Action

Has the End of Day been completed? If not, complete an End of Day.
Is it in balance? If not, review the instructions above on finding and fixing an imbalance.
Are account numbers missing? Check to make sure that all account numbers are entered in deposit and sales entry windows in End of Day.
>Are any GL entries unbalanced? Go into Accounting >> General Ledger >> G/L Entries, and make sure that all debits and credits are equal for each entry.
Is it a new fiscal year? If the organization is at or past year end, a Year End Roll Over needs to be completed. If the organization has not done a year end rollover, it will not be able possible to post GL entries in the new fiscal year. For more information on handling a Year End Roll Over, click here.
Are there any posting dates in the future? Check sales posting dates - are any in the future? Future dates cannot be posted.
Does the user have permission? Does the user have authorization/permission in the user ID permissions in the system to post? If not, the user will need to obtain permission.
Is your Merchant Provider different than TM? It is possible that Theatre Manager got a timeout sending a credit card, and if it was sent again with a force duplciate, you would expect this. Compare TM edit list with the authorization detail online at your merchant account and then void the extra in your online merchant account. If the deposit doesn't match, them please refer to solving merchant account Imbalance

Deposit In Progress Flag

If you experience an interruption of power or connection to the database server during the End Of Day, when you attempt the End Of Day again, Theatre Manager may respond with a message that a 'Deposit is In Progress,' indicating that it believes the End Of Day Wizard is still active and is currently depositing credit card funds through your merchant processor.

The resolution for this is simple, and you can get back to running your End of Day in seconds by unchecking the 'Deposit In Progress' box in the Merchant Account setup. You cannot check this box, you can only uncheck it. Only do so if you are 100% sure there is no settlement occurring for this merchant account (i.e. nobody has End Of Day open). Unchecking it, resets the End Of Day and allows a settlement to happen.

To reset the Deposit in Progress Flag, you perform the following steps:

  1. Ensure that no one is currently doing the End Of Day.
  2. Log on as the Master User.
  3. Select the Setup>>System Tables>>Merchant Account menu.

  4. Select your Merchant account from the list.

    Double click on the Merchant account to open it.

  5. Click the tab.

  6. Uncheck the 'Deposit Status' box.

  7. logon using your Employee account.
  8. Restart and proceed with the End Of Day.

Balancing Outlet Sales

The outlet version of Theatre Manager automatically tracks receivables and payables to other outlets so that all you should really need to do is:
  • Daily Basis - run the end of day wizard and post to your G/L
  • Periodically - reconcile the 4 receivables and payable accounts with each outlet and pay each other.

Periodically Balancing Outlets

Balancing outlets and what you owe to each other assumes you have set up the outlet accounts (in each outlet) as per the instructions in setting up outlet posting accounts

The general process is that on a daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly period, as agreed to by each outlet, you should reconcile the special accounts for posting outlet receivables and payables. This is done as follows:

  1. Each outlet completes their end of day and posts to the GL on the anointed date
  2. Each outlet runs the G/L Journal Detail by Account report with criteria that specifies the three accounts for their outlet that represent and a date range. EG:
    • A/R Ticket sales other outlets owe you
    • A/R Commissions owed from other outlets
    • A/P Tickets sales owed to other outlets
    • And the same transaction date range - eg if you are doing for a month, then specify the month in the criteria
    Refer to the sample below:
  3. The text in the journal description indicates which outlet owes whom for commissions and sales and receivables. Add them up so that:
    • Your receivables (from each outlet) or ticket sales and commissions
    • LESS your payables to each outlet
    • -----------------------
    • Result in WHAT YOU OWE EACH OTHER
    • Write and checks to each other as required
    • Repeat after the next period is over

     

    Optionally - Make a Clearing entry in TheatreManager

    Once you know what each outlet owes you and you owe them, we highly recommend making a manual GL clearing entry for the above 3 accounts indicating that things have been paid (i.e. create GL entries to set the balances to zero and offset the bank account with the income received or check paid). That way you will see the manual GL entry with the appropriate date on it and can see the settlement dates.

     

    Other places with financial data

    While the above is the sole process for dealing with outlet reconciliation, you can also look at events to see who's been selling them for you.

    On the Sales tab, you can see the current state of affairs. Note: tickets can be refunded from other outlets so there may be days with negative numbers. And since this data can be reported on, you could use a daily sales report to see across events.

    On the Revenue Tab:

    Daily Change in A/R and the End Of Day

    There are two reports you can be compared while performing the End Of Day to determine which event / play(s) and/or payments caused an A/R Balance to show in the End-Of-Day process,however, you need to take special care when comparing the reports and you need an understanding of their meaning.

    1. The first is the GL Journal Entry Summary By Account. We recommend all venues run this report on a daily basis to inform the Accounting department of the GL Transactions made by Theatre Manager. It is a complete account of all sales and payment activity entered into Theatre Manager for a period of time. An example of a GL Journal Entry Summary By Account report appears below:

    2. The other report you can use is the Payment Summary - Sales Transaction Allocation report. The AR amount on the Sales Transaction report fluctuates as the days progress, as tickets are sold and payments are received. Tickets sold, but not paid for, payments taken for tickets sold previously, ticket exchanges/upgrades/downgrades, or ticket refunds affect the Daily Change in AR. Therefore the Sales Transaction Allocation report cannot be used as an accurate measuring stick for allocating sales revenue to an event / play based on the payments received. An example of the Sales Transaction Allocation report appears below:

    3. The critical piece to compare is the date - and time - range of the two reports. To do this, you need to look at the General Ledger postings to find when the last posting in the previous End of Day occurred.

    1. Go to the Accounting>>General Ledger>>GL Entries menu.

    2. Search for the Journal entries for a week or so prior to the last End Of Day.

    3. Sort the report by the Date Posted column.

      Sorting will group the transactions in the order they were posted (matching each End-Of-Day process).

      The listing shows the last posting of the previous End Of Day was on May 2, 2011 at 2:15 PM. The Sales Transaction report will need to start at least one minute after the last posting (2:16 PM).

    4. Open the Sales Transaction Allocation report.

      Enter criteria to obtain transactions from 2:16 PM (one minute AFTER the previous End Of Day).

    5. Run the Sales Transaction Allocation report.

      The Sales Transaction Allocation report will now match the GL Journal Entry Summary by Account report.

    The Transaction Monitor

    The Transaction Monitor displays the transactions which have taken place on the current day. Theatre Manager automatically updates the monitor every thirty seconds.

    Parts of the Transaction Monitor Window

    This function is not available in this window.
    This function is not available in this window.
    This function is not available in this window.
    This function is not available in this window.
    Prints a copy of the information in the window.
    This function is not available in this window.
    Opens the Transaction window. For more information on the Transaction window, click here.
    Forces an update of the data in the window immediately.
    First Name The first name of the employee who performed the transaction.
    Last Name The last name of the employee who performed the transaction.
    Event / Play Code The event / play code of the event that was affected.
    Event / Play Title The title of the event / play affected.
    Performance The performance the transaction occurred for.
    Hour The hour in which the transaction occurred.
    Quantity The quantity of tickets in the transaction.
    Gross The amount of sales of the transaction.
    Exchange The exchange amount of the transaction
    Refunds The refund amount of the transaction.
    Donation The donation amount of the transaction.
    Membership The membership amount of the transaction.
    Total The total of the transaction.
    Date The date of the transaction.
    Time The time of the transaction.
    Fee The fee associated with the transaction.
    Campaign The donation campaign associated with the transaction.
    Description A description of the transaction.
    Seq # The sequence number of the transaction.
    Code
    Trans. Date The transaction date.
    Total The total of the transaction.
    Event / Play # The event number associated with the transaction.
    Performance # The performance number associated with the transaction.
    Selection to show the transactions for the current day, current hour or by the last two hours.
    The preferred view of the transactions to be displayed in the monitor window.

    Creating G/L Entries

    Theatre Manager is designed to automatically facilitate a number of the processes involved with creating and tracking postings to the General Ledger. To review these postings, the G/L Entries window can be used. For more information on the G/L Entries window, click here.

    How Theatre Manager Works with the G/L

    There are three types of General Ledger entries created by Theatre Manager:

    • Deposit entries that summarize payments by the method of payment such as cash, check, credit card, other and custom payment types.
    • Sales entries that summarize the revenue received for ticket sales (and refunds, exchanges), donations and passes, gift certificates and memberships.
    • Manual entries that record periodic transactions, such as the payment of tax liabilities, corrections to reallocate revenue, year end activities and any adjustments needed to balance the A/R.

    Timing for Creating Deposit and Sales Entries

    Deposits and sales entries can be created at any time. The organization can create them any number of times per day. In order to balance the A/R in Theatre Manager, the two entries should be created for the same time period and at the same time.

    The End of Day Wizard takes the user through this process and identifies any transactions that are out of balance. For more information on the End of Day wizard, click here. It can also be done manually using the various menu items under the accounting menu.

    To simplify revenue analysis, the sales entry should be created immediately after the deposit entry.

    Normally:

    • The deposit and sales entry should be created daily.
    • Only one sales entry is created for the same time period as the deposit.

    However, a sales entry is automatically created for each revenue date since the last sales entry was created. Should the user decide not to create sales entries for a week, running the process will create a Sales Posting for each day that sales occurred in that week period.

    Recommended Daily Practice

    The End of Day wizard should be run at the end of each business day (or first thing the next morning) to create deposit and sales entries. To segregate daily business, the entries should be created prior to entering new sales and payments (corrections excepted). Creating the journal entries prior to entering new sales and recording payments, prevents combining deposits and sales for two periods in the same general ledger entry.

    All ticketing and payment corrections and errors should be completed prior to creating a deposit or a sales entry.

    To simplify analysis of the sales and deposit entries, create the minimum number of sales and deposit entries as necessary in any given day. If more than one is created, the user must remember to combine everything for that day in your search criteria before analyzing them.

    Time Stamps on Transactions

    Reviewing transactions for any time period is made possible by the date and time stamps that are placed on each transaction when it is created.

    Time stamps are attached to transactions -- ticket sales, refunds, exchanges, and payments -- and are created at the time the transaction was entered into Theatre Manager. Time stamps identify the date and time that the transaction occurred and enable reports to summarize transactions for specific time periods.

    Transactions created to "correct errors" are dated for the time they occurred. Orders, payments, refunds, or exchanges created today to correct yesterday's errors are date and time stamped today. Any amounts included in the transaction are included in the deposit and sales entries created today. Any transactions required to correct yesterdays transactions should be journalized in a sales and deposit entry prior to new sales being created. These transactions should be included in yesterdays "Deposit and Sales Analysis".

    The General Ledger Entries Window

    This window is accessed through the Accounting >> General Ledger >> G/L Entries menu. The window displays the transactions which have been posted to the G/L during the times defined in the search criteria.

    Parts of the G/L Entry Window

    Begins the creation of a new general ledger entry. For more information on creating manual entries, click here.
    Opens the selected entry in the G/L Entry Detail window. For more information on the G/L Entry Detail window, click here.
    This function is unavailable in this window.
    This function is unavailable in this window.
    Prints a copy of the currently selected entry.
    Exports a copy of the currently selected entry. This only exports the selected lines to a text file. For an export of the GL entry in a special accounting format, use the Export G/L button.
    Exports the detail of the selected entry. For more information on using the Export G/L function, click here.
    Clear Export GL Resets the Exported Flag on the GL entry so that it can be exported again in the GL Accounting Export Format that is specified in Company Preferences.
    For the selected G/L entry, this button can be used to
    • Reverse the G/L entry, which will make a duplicate of the entry with the debits and credits reversed. You generally use this to reverse the effects of a long ago/prior GL entry that has been put into your books. -or-
    • Unpost the G/L entry. If its the same day and you have not put this G/L entry into your accounting system, you can unpost it and reprint your end of day reports. They will now exclude these G/L entries. Then you can make an adjustment if necessary and repost. The idea is that you only ever do this to a GL entry that is NOT in your accounting system and needs a manual adjustment prior to getting it there.
    Opens the selected entry in the Transaction History window to allow the user to see all transactions incorporated into the entry. For more information on the Transaction History window, click here.
    The search criteria options available for the window.
    From To The search criteria to be used for the search.
    Begins the search process.
    Include: The types of accounts to be included in the search. Check the box next to the ones to be included.
    Date When the entry was added to the General Ledger.
    Journal # The journal number assigned to the entry.
    Description A brief description of the entry.
    Debit The amount which was debited.
    Credit The amount which was credited.
    Date Posted The date which the entry was posted.
    # Trans The number of transactions which the entry is composed of.
    Exported Notes whether the entry has been exported or not.

    Reviewing the Transactions for a General Ledger Entry

    1. Open the G/L Entries window.

      For more information on the G/L Entries window, click here.

    2. Select the entry to be viewed.

      For more information on finding a G/L entry, click here.

    Creating Manual GL Entries

    Manual G/L entries are most commonly used to correct an entry when an incorrect G/L account is selected. They can also be used to account for expense transactions that take place outside of Theatre Manager.

     

    Steps to Create A Manual GL Entry

    In the Main Menu, selecting Accounting -> General Ledger -> G/L Entries

    1. Inside of the Journal Entry Type Window, Click the New button
    2. This opens up the GL Entry Detail Window. To start, enter the date you are creating the entry.
    3. Enter a Description for the entry.
    4. Enter a detailed note indicating the reason for the entry.
    5. Click the Save button at the top of the window. After clicking Save, the G/L Entry Detail Window will update to allow input of the actual G/L entry.
    6. Click the New button in the lower left corner of the G/L Entry Detail window.
    7. Click the account icon to the right of the Account field.
    8. Select the CREDIT G/L account.
    9. Click the Select button in the lower right corner to select the account number.
    10. If this GL Entry is for a specific event, use the lookup to locate the event code.
    11. Enter the Amount of the CREDIT.
    12. Click the OK button.
    13. Click the New button in the lower left corner of the G/L Entry Detail window.
    14. Click the account icon to the right of the Account field.
    15. Select the DEBIT G/L account.
    16. Click the Select button in the lower right corner to select the account number.
    17. If this GL Entry is for a specific event, use the lookup to locate the event code.
    18. Enter the amount of the DEBIT.
    19. Click the OK button.

     

    Depending on the date, the entry will be posted the next time the End of Day Wizard is run and the Post to G/L step is taken.

    Inserting/Editing A G/L Entry

    When you double click on a GL entry, you can see information about the posting such as:
    • The account code it will post to
    • A memo code that describes the purpose of the G/L entry
    • The amount
    • Whether it is a debit or credit to the GL entry

    There is also a tab that lets you specifically associate the G/L entry with some items in theatre manager.

    For example, if the G/L entry is related to a

    • ticket sale - it should have an event code and venue as part of the GL entry for tracking profit/loss by event. This helps in reconciliation of events in the GL tab. No other GL entries should have event or venue
    • pass/gift certificate sale or redemption - it should have an entry under the Membership tab, which will be called whatever you names passes or gift certificates. This helps reconciliation on the G/L tab in the setup of the pass/Gift certificate. No other GL entries should have a pass number.
    • anything else - should not have anything filled in either of the above fields

    General Ledger Entry Detail Window

    The General Ledger Entry Detail window is used for creating new G/L entries and examining posted entries.

    Parts of the G/L Entry Detail Window

    Begins the creation of a new general ledger entry. For more information on creating manual entries, click here.
    Saves the general ledger entry.
    Duplicates the general ledger entry.
    Reverts to the last saved version of the general ledger entry.
    Deletes the general ledger entry.
    Prints a copy of the general ledger entry.
    Checks the spelling of all text entry fields.
    Reverses or unposts the currently selected entry. For more information on using the Unpost function, click here.
    Exports the detail of the selected entry. For more information on using the Export G/L function, click here.
    Convert to Historical Entry May be used one time only if the Year End Rollover created and End Of Day imbalance
    G/L Entry Date The date the entry was created.
    A mini-calendar for the purpose of date lookup.
    Journal # The journal entry number for the general ledger entry.
    Description A short description of the entry.
    Note A more detailed description of the entry.
    Date Posted The date the entry was posted to the general ledger.
    # Transactions The number of transactions included in the entry.
    Source The source of the entry.
    The G/L Detail tab is used for adding the debits and credits to the different general ledger accounts. For more information on the G/L Detail tab, click here.
    The Transactions tab is used to see all transactions that are incorporated into the entry. For more information on the Transactions tab, click here.

    G/L Entry Tab

    You use the General Ledger Entry Detail window for creating new G/L entries and examining posted entries.

    Parts of the G/L Entry Detail Window's G/L Detail Tab

    The Transactions tab is used to see all transactions that are incorporated into the entry. For more information on the Transactions tab, click here.
    Account # The account number used in the transaction.
    Description A description of the transaction.
    Memo The memo associated with the transaction.
    Debit The debit amount of the transaction.
    Credit The credit amount of the transaction.
    Event / Play Code The event / play code associated with the transaction.
    Creates a new G/L transaction.
    Opens the selected G/L transaction.
    Deletes the selected G/L transaction.

    Entry Detail - Transactions Tab

    The General Ledger Entry Detail window is used for examining posted entries.

    Parts of the G/L Entry Detail Transaction Tab

    The G/L Detail tab is used for adding the debits and credits to the different general ledger accounts. For more information on the G/L Detail tab, click here.
    Begins a search of the transactions.
    Include The types of transactions to include. To remove a type from the search, uncheck the box next to the item.
    Seq # The sequence number of the transaction.
    Trans Date The date of the transaction.
    Journal No The journal number of the transaction.
    Code The transaction code associated with the transaction.
    Transaction Desc A description of the transaction.
    Order # The order number associated with the transaction.
    Event / Play The event / play associated with the transaction.
    Performance The performance associated with the transaction.
    Type The type of transaction.
    Description of Entry A description associated with the entry of the transaction.
    This function is not available in this window.
    Opens the Transaction Detail window.
    This function is not available in this window.

    Creating a General Ledger Sales Entry

    The Revenue Date Ending is be the last revenue date orders are to be selected for the sales entry. Orders which have been realized as revenue and have not been journalized will be selected if they are on or prior to this date. Refer to Default Data General Ledger Setup for more information on determining when an order is realized as revenue. The current date will automatically be displayed in the revenue date field.

    When balancing is done the day of the sales, the date used will be the current date.

    When balancing is done the day after the sales, the date used will be the previous day’s date -- the date the sales were entered. If correcting ticket orders caused new ticket orders, ticket exchanges, or ticket refunds, then the date used will be the current date -- when this is performed, new ticket sales that have been realized as revenue will be included in the sales entry creation.

    It is recommended that if the balancing is performed the day after the ticket sales, then new ticket sales are not entered until the previous days sales are balanced. Creating the sales entry creates a general ledger entry that summarizes the sales revenue. A separate entry is created for each date which sales, exchanges, and refunds were recorded. When the entries are created daily and no corrections are made after posting, only one entry per day is created. When entries are created the day after sales, and corrections caused new orders, exchanges, or refunds to be created, two sales entries will be created for the same revenue date. One entry is created for the date of the original sale and the second entry is for the corrections entered the day after. The two sales entries must be manually combined when balancing to the deposit entry. If several days passed since the last Create Sales Entry was created, several sales entries are created, one for each day ticket activity was recorded.

    1. Open the Main Menu Accounting >> Create Sales Entry.

      The Journal Entry Types window opens.

    2. Click the New button.

      A G/L Entry Detail window opens.

    3. Enter a Description of the entry and a detailed Note highlighting the reason for the entry.
    4. Click the Save button.

      The entry is now created.

    5. The GL Entry window will change to allow you to add lines to the entry.


    6. Click the button at the bottom of the entry to add debits and credits as needed.

      A balanced entry will require the debits and the credits to add up to the same value. If the debits and credits do not balance it will cause the End of Day to be out of balance. The entry will need to be corrected before you can Post to the GL.

    7. Add the details to the G/L Account Detail

      • Account: The GL Account for this Credit or Debit
      • Play/Event (Optional): The Play, Event or Game that this entry applies to
      • Theatre/Venue (Optional): The Theatre or Venue that this entry applies to
      • Memo: A short description of why this entry is being made
      • Amount: The credit or debit amount for this entry
      • Debit or Credit "radio" buttons: Allows you to choose whether this is a Debit or Credit entry.
    8. Note: By adding the optional Play or Venue values, the GL entry can be tagged to that specific event or venue. Therefore, you can adjust values manually, as well as calculate the revenues by Venue. This could be helpful if you wish to compare how well Venue A does, compared to Venue B.

    9. Close the entry to save the changes.

    During the next End of Day, when the Post to GL step is done the entry will be journalized and posted.

    Exporting General Ledger Entries

    The General Ledger data can only be exported once. The entry is flagged as being exported when it is done so no one exports it twice by mistake.

    If you lose the export file, you'll need to clear the export flag using the Clear Export G/L button in the toolbar prior to exporting the entry again.

    GL Entries can only be exported if they:
    • are posted to the GL - unposted GL entries cannot be exported as they are still subject to manual correction
    • are not previously exported (the exported column will have a no in it).
    • are selected in the list to be exported
    • have the total of the Debits and Credits match in the database - to ensure consistency of data records

    Exporting General Ledger Entries allows you to take the entries and import them into your accounting software package. They can be exported in one of two places with the same result and the export format is defined in company preferences. You can export:

    • selected from the list of general ledger entries window. Only the ones you select can be exported, and only if they are not already exported
    • all not-yet-exported GL entries using the export button on the final tab of the End of Day Wizard. This gives an automatic way of picking up all the latest GL entries that have been posted and its the preferred location to do the export

     

    Exporting G/L Entries from the list

    1. Click the G/L Entries button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.

    2. Set the date in the To and From fields for the transactions to be exported, and click the Search button.
    3. Select the entries to be exported.
    4. Click the Export G/L button.

      The user's operating system's Save dialog opens.

    5. Enter a filename to save the export under and click the OK button.

      The file will now be saved in Tab Delimited format for import into another program. Please reference the program's help section for information on importing.

    Diataxis: 

    Correcting Transactions in the G/L

    The Transaction Detail displays all information pertaining to a specific transaction. To view the detail of a particular transaction, select the transaction tab on a Patron's record and double click on the transaction. For more information on accessing the Patron Transaction tab, click here.

    • in order to make a correction to transactions the user MUST have a Master Users status in Theatre Manager.
    • The same transaction history list can be accesses from many places in Theatre Manager such as the End of Day wizard, Plays & Dates, GL Entry Window, etc. The contents of the transaction list varies depending on the route used to access it.

    1. Click the Transaction Tab in the patron window.

      The Transaction History Record opens.

      Click the Search button to view all transactions.

    2. Double clicking on the selected transaction opens the Transaction Detail window.

    3. Click Duplicate and Reverse button.

      A transaction can be duplicated (and reversed) to make a correction to a transaction that has already been journalized to the General Ledger. The result of duplicating a transaction is an un-posted journal entry which reverses the debit or credit result of the original transaction. This un-posted journal entry will be journalized the next time an End of Day, Create Sales Entry routine is generated.

      Click the No Button to cancel duplicating and reversing the transaction.

    4. Click the to reverse debit or credit created in error.

      You use this to correct a transaction that has been created in error and has not yet been journalized to the General Ledger resulting in a reversal of the debit or credit created by this transaction. It can only be preformed by Arts Management. This is an option rarely used.

    Setting up the Chart of Accounts

    The following steps are required to setup the General Ledger. If you don not compete the setup procedures, this could cause errors in posting.

    1. Confirm and update the credit card types in the Code Table setup.

      For more information on setting up the Credit Card types, click here.

    2. Determine the detail required for tracking sales revenue, ticket markups, ticket discounts, ticket exchanges, and ticket refunds.

      For more information on the Detail Level, see below.

    3. Determine the taxes that are applied to ticket sales and set the Default Data Tax controls so they are applied correctly.

      For more information on the Tax Table setup, click here.

    4. Create or update the General Ledger accounts.

      For more information on creating a general ledger account, click here.

    5. Enter the account numbers required for posting into the Default Data general ledger window.
    6. Determine when receivables are to be recorded in the General Ledger.

      For more information on this setting, click here.

    7. Input the correct revenue account numbers into the setup windows under the Events / Plays.

    Determine the General Ledger Revenue Detail Required

    The Plays and Dates window has seven general ledger account number fields. These fields are used to enter account numbers from the General Ledger Chart of Accounts to direct the type of revenue received, to a specific account number. Depending on the level of detail your organization requires, you can enter separate General Ledger account numbers in each field, or the same account number could be entered in all the fields.

     

    The number of General Ledger accounts setup depends on the detail required.

    Detailed Setup

    Simplified Setup

    The maximum detail is achieved when each event / play has a separate general ledger account number for sales, refunds, exchanges, markups, discounts, and service charges. The General Ledger would provide detailed information for each account. The general ledger entries created would display each revenue account affected by the transactions journalized in the entry.

    A simplified setup would use the same general ledger account number for sales, refunds, exchanges, markups and discounts. Another general ledger account number would be setup for service charges. The General Ledger Chart of Accounts would have only one revenue account. The general ledger entries created would display only one account number for all the transactions journalized for the event / play, recording all the revenue into one account.

    Chart of Accounts Window

    The General Ledger Chart of Accounts contains all the accounts your organization sets up in the G/L. Both the active and inactive accounts can be displayed using the selection field at the bottom of the window.

    To open the Chart of Accounts, select the Accounting >> General Ledger >> G/L Accounts menu.

    The G/L Chart of Accounts window opens.

    Parts of the GL Account Window

    Insert a New G/L Account.
    Open the detail window for a G/L Account.
    Create a copy a G/L Account
    Delete a selected G/L Account.
    Generate a report of the current list of G/L Accounts.
    Export the G/L Account details.
    Merges G/L Accounts (if more than 1 account is selected).
    Asset Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Asset Accounts. Click here to view a sample of Asset accounts.
    Liability Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Liability Accounts. Click here to view a sample of Liability accounts.
    Equity Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Equity Accounts. Click here to view a sample of Equity accounts.
    Income Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Income Accounts. Click here to view a sample of Income accounts.
    Cost/Sales Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Cost/Sales Accounts. Click here to view a sample of Cost/Sales accounts.
    Expense Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Expense Accounts. Click here to view a sample of Expense accounts.
    Other Income Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Other Income Accounts. Click here to view a sample of Other Income accounts.
    Other Expense Displays all the accounts which have been setup as Other Expense Accounts.
    Account # The eight digit account number of the account.
    Description The description of the account which is viewed on reports and any general journal entries which involve the account.
    Level The report level of the account. This feature is a future enhancement of Theatre Manager meant to represent indenting on the reporting and sub total levels. In other words, if something is at level 1, it is a grand total, Anything that is a 2 and under is accumulated into the grand total.
    Type The type of account either Detail or Posting. This is another future enhancement of Theatre Manager used to designate whether the account is a detail account or a posting account when printing summary level reports.
    Debit/Credit If the account is a Debit or Credit Account.
    Posting If the account is posted to the General Ledger
    Active If the account is set as active or inactive.

    G/L Account Detail

    The account detail window is accessed by opening the G/L Chart of Accounts and double clicking on an account or when inserting a new account.

    Parts of the Account Detail Window

    Saves the current general ledger account.
    Creates a duplicate of the current general ledger account.
    Reverts to the last saved version of the general ledger account.
    Deletes the general ledger account. If there are transactions associated with the account, it cannot be deleted.
    Prints the information in the general ledger account.
    Checks the spelling in all text entry fields in the window.
    Account Type Designates whether the account is a detail account or a posting account when printing summary level reports. Available for future enhancement. Not used at this time.
    Account Number An account consists of numbers and dashes. The dashes are typically a place holder (eg. 0-0000-000). The format of the numbers is controlled within the Accounting tab of Company Preferences. The first digit corresponding to the type of account. For more information on Account Types, see below.
    External Account External Account is a 50 character alpha-numeric field that will accommodate systems with longer account numbers or ones which include letters. When printing reports or exporting, the external account number will print or be visible. For use specifically with the Banner financial package and similar. Clients who do not need this longer field can simply duplicate the internal account number here. Information about the different export formats can be found here.
    Description Description allows the account to be named. The account number and descriptions are displayed on reports and on any general journal entries that affect the account. The more detail used to explain the account, the more easy reports will be to read.
    Status Used to indicate that the account is in use. If accounts are retired, or no longer required, it may be unchecked.
    The Setup tab deals with general information settings for the general ledger account. For more information on the Setup tab, click here.
    The Monthly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the monthly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Monthly Totals tab, click here.
    The Yearly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the yearly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Yearly Totals tab, click here.
    The G/L Entries tab shows transactions that are associated with the general ledger account. For more information on the G/L Entries tab, click here.

    Account Types

    Type of Account First Number
    Asset 1
    Liability 2
    Equity 3
    Income 4
    Cost of Sales 5
    Expenses 6
    Other Income 8
    Other Expenses 9

    The next four numbers indicate the account number. The last three digits are for a feature of the account.

    Play revenue accounts can be created so that the account number indicates the play and the feature indicates the type of revenue (sales, exchange, refunds, markup or discounts).

    Try to harmonize the numbers to match the account numbers used in your existing accounting system.

    G/L Account Detail Setup Tab

    The account detail window is accessed by opening the G/L Chart of Accounts and double clicking on an account or when inserting a new account.

    Parts of the Account Detail Setup Tab


    • Account Type indicates if the GL account is to be an Asset, Liability, Equity, Income, Cost of Goods Sold, Expense, or Other Income/Other Expense type.
    • Account Number is the GL Account Number that will be assigned to this account.
    • External Account gives you the opportunity to display a longer GL account number for reporting. This field is alpha-numeric.
    • Description is the common name of the GL Account. This, in conjunction with the Account Number will appear on reports.

    The Monthly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the monthly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Monthly Totals tab, click here.
    The Yearly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the yearly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Yearly Totals tab, click here.
    The G/L Entries tab shows transactions that are associated with the general ledger account. For more information on the G/L Entries tab, click here.
    Account Balance Depending on the account type selected, Theatre Manager will using standard accounting conventions to determine in the account should be a Credit or a Debit.

    G/L Account Detail Monthly Totals Tab

    The account detail window is accessed by opening the G/L Chart of Accounts and double clicking on an account or when inserting a new account.

    Parts of the Account Detail Monthly Totals Tab

    The Setup tab deals with general information settings for the general ledger account. For more information on the Setup tab, click here.
    The Yearly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the yearly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Yearly Totals tab, click here.
    The G/L Entries tab shows transactions that are associated with the general ledger account. For more information on the G/L Entries tab, click here.
    Next Year This area shows the account details for the Next Year prior to Year End Roll Over.
    Current Year This area shows the account detail for the current year divided into four quarters.
    Prior Year The same as the current year but the totals are for the prior year.

    G/L Account Yearly Totals Tab

    The account detail window is accessed by opening the G/L Chart of Accounts and double clicking on an account or when inserting a new account.

    Parts of the Account Detail Yearly Totals Tab

    The Setup tab deals with general information settings for the general ledger account. For more information on the Setup tab, click here.
    The Monthly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the monthly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Monthly Totals tab, click here.
    The G/L Entries tab shows transactions that are associated with the general ledger account. For more information on the G/L Entries tab, click here.
    A brief summary of the account details for the past five years and the total for those years.

    G/L Account Detail G/L Entries Tab

    You access the account detail window by opening the G/L Chart of Accounts and double clicking on an account or when inserting a new account.

    If you select a number of rows on the GL detail or transaction tabs, Theatre Manager will summarize the totals for you.

    Parts of the Account Detail G/L Entries Tab

    The Setup tab deals with general information settings for the general ledger account. For more information on the Setup tab, click here.
    The Monthly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the monthly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Monthly Totals tab, click here.
    The Yearly Totals tab shows a breakdown of the yearly totals for the general ledger account. For more information on the Yearly Totals tab, click here.
    Choose from the the drop down the type of entries for viewing
    Journal # The Journal number generated when the entry was created
    Description Brief description outlining the reason for the entry
    Date Date the entry was created
    Debit Amount debited to the G/L account
    Credit Amount credited to the G/L account
    Memo Details about the nature of the entry

    G/L Account Usage

    The 'Usage' tab shows the majority of locations where an account has been set up to be used for posting. This can include:
    • events
    • fees
    • donation campaigns
    • resources
    • taxes
    • default posting accounts

    Double click on any row to see the detail window containing the posting account. The first example shows what one might expect for a normal setup,

    This second example shows that events are being posted to a tax account, which may assist showing why things are getting into an account that you didn't expect.

    Setting up General Ledger Accounts

    1. Access to the Chart of Accounts is through the Accounting menu.

      The G/L Accounts window opens.

    Merging G/L Accounts

    From the list window, you can select one or more accounts and merge them. This will take all the items in the database using the account and:
    • change it to the first account
    • Aggregate any totals into the new account

    it could take a long time, especially if the account you are merging from has a lot of transactions (eg it was used for a play). Always try to merge into the most used account, and if you need to afterwards, rename/renumber the account you combined things into.

    Accounts must be of the same type to merge them. Eg, you can only merge an asset account into an asset account, an income account into an income account, etc. Since is possible to change some account types (eg you can change liability to income). If you wish to merge disparate account types, then change the account type first.

    Deleting General Ledger Accounts

    Only accounts which have not been used in a transaction may be deleted.

    For information on inactivating a G/L Account, click here.

    1. Find the account to be deleted.

      For more information on finding a G/L Account, click here.

    2. Click the Delete button.

      If the account has been used for a transaction the following message will appear.

      If the account has not been used then the following message will appear.

    3. Click the button to confirm.

      The account will be removed and a deletion confirmation will appear at the bottom of the window.

    Determine the Chart of Accounts

    Creating the Chart of Accounts requires understanding how the General Ledger will be used to generate information. For more information, refer to the sample Chart of Accounts by clicking here.

    Minimum General Ledger Accounts

    The suggested minimum number of General Ledger Account numbers are outlined in this table. The organization may choose to operate with fewer or more accounts.

    Minimum General Ledger Accounts

    Type of Account

    Cash

    Asset

    Check

    Asset

    Accepted Credit Cards

    Asset

    Vouchers Received

    Asset

    Other Payments

    Asset

    Accounts Receivable

    Asset

    Accounts Receivable - Future Payment

    Asset

    Accounts Receivable - Outlet

    Asset

    Accounts Payable

    Liability

    City/Municipal Tax Payable - If this tax is collected

    Liability

    Provincial/State Tax Payable - If this tax is collected

    Liability

    Federal Tax Payable - If this tax is collected

    Liability

    Prepaid Gift Certificates

    Liability

    Deferred Donation

    Liability

    Commissions Payable

    Liability

    Order Fees

    Revenue

    Exchange Fees

    Revenue

    Reprint Fees

    Revenue

    Mail Fees

    Revenue

    Sales Account for Each Event

    Revenue

    Cash Over/Under

    Expense

    Donation Bank Transfer

    Expense

    Bank Service Charges

    Expense

    Donations

    Other Income

    Required General Ledger Accounts

    1. Open the Code Table Window via the Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables menu.

    2. Select Payments.

      A list of required general ledger accounts is displayed.

    3. Select Default Posting Accounts.

    The account names that appear in the list are the minimum number of accounts required for the General Ledger to operate and, except the credit card types, are determined by Theatre Manager. The credit card types that appear are determined by the credit card types entered in the Credit Card Category of the Code Table. All additional credit card types to the Code Table requires that Accounting Default Data be updated with a corresponding account number.

    The actual general ledger account numbers used depends on the accounts set up in the General Ledger.

    All required accounts must have a corresponding account number otherwise Theatre Manager we be unable to create deposits and revenue allocations.

    Editing a General Ledger Account

    To edit an account, you change some of the account details. Accounts can be changed to debit or credit accounts, active or inactive etc.

    1. Open the Chart of Accounts.

      For more information on accessing the Chart of Accounts, click here.

      For a detailed description of this window, click here.

    2. Find the account to be edited.

      For information on finding a G/L account, click here.

    3. Double click the account to open the Account Detail window.

      For a detailed description of this window, click here.

    4. Once the changes have been completed, click the Save button.

    Setting an Account as Inactive

    Over time, accounts in the GL may become obsolete. These accounts cannot be deleted because they still hold financial information. A user with the proper security clearance can set these accounts as inactive. Once an account is set as inactive it can no longer be used unless it it is reactivated.

    1. Open the Chart of Accounts window.

      For more information on accessing the Chart of Accounts, click here.

    2. Find the account to be set as inactive.

      For more information on finding a general ledger account, click here.

    3. Double click the account to open the Account Detail window.

    4. Uncheck the Status Active box.

      The account will now be set as inactive and can no longer be used.

    Finding General Ledger Accounts

    1. Open the Chart of Accounts window.

      For more information on accessing the Chart of Accounts window, click here.

    2. Select the type of search to use to find the account.

    3. Enter the range of accounts to search for in the To and From fields.
    4. Click the Search button.

      All matching entries will be displayed.

      To view the details of an account double click the account.

    Sample Chart of Accounts

    The number of General Ledger accounts setup depends on the detail required and should reflect the business practices for the organization. To view account details simply double click an account.

    Assets

    Liability

    Equity

    Income

    The four digit account number has been used to indicate the play code and the three digit feature code has been used to indicate the type of revenue. However, the three digit feature code could be used to indicate the play code and the four digit account number could be used to indicate the type of revenue.

    The refund accounts have a debit balance. 

    Cost of Goods

    Expense

    Other Income

    Other Expense

    Adding Accounts to the General Ledger

    Using the chart of accounts you can edit and add accounts to the GL.

    1. Open the Chart of Accounts Window.

      Click Here to Learn how to access this window.

      Click Here for a detailed description of this window.

      Clicking on the different tabs will show the accounts setup for corresponding type.

    2. Select the account type by clicking the corresponding tab.
    3. Either click the New button or right click and select add.

      The GL Account Detail Window opens.

      Click Here for a detailed description of this window.

    4. Enter the account number and description in the top fields.
    5. Choose the correct account attributes.

      Set the account as active if you wish to use it immediately.

    6. Once you have entered all the information click the Save button and close the G/L Account Detail window.

      The new account will be added to the Chart of Accounts.

    General Ledger - Budgets

    This Page is under construction

    Preparing for Tax Change

     

    If your organization has set the single ticket or season ticket prices as rounded prices (i.e. $15.00 or $15.50, etc) inclusive of the current tax, when the tax rate changes, the final price of the ticket will no longer be rounded (in most cases). To continue with rounded prices after a tax change, additional adjustments will have to be made to the ticket base prices and/or sales promotion calculations.

    We advise each site to start planning for any tax changes as soon as they are aware a change will happen. This way, you can determine the effect a change has on the 'end price' shown to the patron and if any other price changes to the base ticket price or sales promotion are required.

    For example, if the Exchange Fee (or Order Fee, or Mailing Fee) is currently $2.00 per ticket, inclusive of a 6% tax rate. It is likely the exchange fee in System Tables will need to be set to $1.90.
    To maintain a $2.00 exchange fee after a Tax Rate Change Day, you need to change the ticket exchange fee amount from $1.89 to $1.90.

    This same example applies if you have any ticket fees setup for your sales promotions. If you have a ticket fee that is setup to become rounded at $1.00 inclusive of the 6% Tax Rate, then in the Sales Promotion, you will need to setup the ticket fee amount from $0.94 to $0.95.

    Keep in mind, if a tax rate is being reduced, patrons may expect the ticket prices to drop accordingly. It will be an internal decision within your organization to reset the prices to round to the nearest dollar again, or leave the ticket prices as currently set and have 'non-rounded' ticket values. If your organization chooses to have 'non-rounded' ticket values for the remainder of the current season, then next season, simply go back to having 'rounded' ticket prices again.

    You will need to evaluate your patrons' perception, as many patron's expect to see a ticket price drop.

     

    Attendance Tracking/Ticket Scanning

    Theatre Manager handles tracking of tickets that were used at an event which can be accomplished in one of three ways:

    Each option was built for a different purpose and have some pro's and con's associated with them. These are outlined in the table below. All methods:

    • Allow you to enter ticket numbers for a specific event to record attendance. It can be done by scanning the bar codes on a printed or web ticket -or- if the bar code fails, typing it in manually.
    • Have a range of messages that tell you if the ticket was used already to gain admittance, if it is for the wrong night, etc.
    • Can be used in conjunction with each other - meaning, you can use all 3 methods simultaneously if you wish.
    Events & Dates

    This method of verifying attendance requires you to open the Events and Dates window (or access it from the Accounting->Confirm Attendance Menu).
    Pros
    • Can also track attendance by patron number. If you enter the patron #, then all tickets purchased by that patron for that night will be considered used.
    • The simplest method of attendance tracking and probably the cheapest, especially if used after stubs have been collected.
    Cons
    • Requires a full copy of Theatre Manager (and licence) for each of the workstations that you are using for attendance tracking. This means that attendance tracking 'at the door' requires a computer and scanner attached.
    • Does not facilitate the process of a patron entering and leaving a venue multiple times by multiple exits.
    Web Site Interface

    This method uses computers equipped with a web browser to communicate to the web listener to track attendance.
    Pros
    • Can use inexpensive 'older' computers and a connected bar code scanner to perform attendance tracking at the door. Discarded laptops with a USB interface might be ideal.
    • Bar code scanners connected to machines are cheaper than stand-alone wireless solutions - so this is probably a mid-range price solution.
    • It does not require a user licence to be in use to scan tickets. All tickets are scanned and sent to the web listener via a special interface to the listener.
    • It can be used to check patrons into the venue -and- allow them to leave for later re-entry.
    • It could be used for attendance tracking of stubs after the fact.
    • Can have one or more separate web listener(s) assigned to the attendance function, if desired.
    Cons
    • This approach requires a computer at each of the venue's access/egress points capable of being networked and running a browser.
    • The bar code scanner must be tethered ("wired") to the computer at each door.
    • You must have the web listener module to use this option (however, multiple devices can communicate to the same web listener).
    Wireless Scanners

    This option uses iPhone/iPod wireless scanners and a custom ArtsMan application to scan tickets and send the information to a web listener that checks the person in and out of a venue based on ticket number for that performance.
    Pros
    • This uses a battery operated stand alone wireless device specially designed for this purpose. Staff can wander un-tethered to scan tickets which makes it very flexible and the scanner can be deployed to any venue access/egress point depending on demand.
    • It does not require a user licence to be in use to scan tickets. All tickets are scanned and sent to the web listener via a special interface to the listener.
    • It is designed for the leanest communication with a web listener and is quite fast.
    • It has great visual and audio feedback to help determine the permissions of the user to check in and/or out.
    • Can have a one or more separate web listener(s) assigned to the attendance function, if desired, to speed processing.
    Cons
    • It requires the web listener module to operate (however, multiple wireless devices can communicate to the same web listener).
    • It is a more expensive technology.
    • It requires a wireless LAN connection to be operating continuously otherwise you cannot scan people into the venue.

    Scanning Tickets using Wireless Scanners

    Wireless scanners are a convenient way of checking people into (or out of) a venue and tracking exactly who is on the premises. They are battery operated, portable and can be deployed from one entrance to another, depending on traffic or load. They are easy to operate, however they do require a few steps to get them working the first time. The general setup steps are:

    1. Contact ArtsMan Sales Dept to purchase a ticket scanner and licence (iOS device NOT included with purchase of scanner)
    2. Buy or get an iPhone or iPod donated that fits the ticket scanner you are going to purchase in step 1
    3. Install the ticket scanning software and mate with the network (usually a one time task).
    4. Set up the preferences to scan a particular event (once before the show)
    5. Scan the tickets as people enter and exit the venue.

     

    Similar to the Web Scan method, you need to:

    You use the scanner to check patrons in (step 3) or check them out of (step 4) the venue.

    iOS device not included with purchase of scanner/licence. It must be acquired separately
    Ensure you fully charge the devices before a performance so they have a full battery level. There is nothing worse than having the battery run out in the middle of admitting patrons. If necessasry, test the device while it is in the charger cradle and to make sure that it will still scan.
    New Linea Pro scanners may arrive at your location not fully charged and occasionally drain completely during shipping or if they have not been used in a long time. In such instances, the scanner will appear non-responsive and probably won’t power up in a charging station. The solution is to remove it from any accessories (pistol grip) and plug it in directly with the provided mini-USB cable. It should start to charge normally within 1-2 hours at most.

    If the scanner is still unresponsive after leaving it plugged in for a couple of hours, only then would something more serious be likely.
    Print at home is wonderful and when enabled for a performance, it becomes the default ticket handling method online. Tickets are marked printed and the customer is prompted to download or print their tickets.

    Print at home may be new behaviour for patrons at your venue. If so, we suggest doing an initial educational eblast to your current online purchasers that might mention things like:

    • Your Venue Name now offers print at home tickets which will be the the default way to get tickets for online purchases -and/or-
    • Patrons who purchased prior to this offering can log into their online account if they wish and print their tickets for upcoming shows and avoid waiting in line at the box office -and/or-
    • patrons can reprint tickets at any time after logging in to the online web sales portal

    Step 1 - Installing Scanner Software

    Follow the steps in this section to install the software on the iOS device you are using. If you encounter any issues, check the frequently asked questions for troubleshooting
    1. Install the TM Scanner app on an iPhone/iPod
    2. Add the purchased Linea Pro Scanner attachment around the iOS device
    3. Test the scanner on some sample tickets in your environment

    The purchase of the linea pro scanner/licence does not include an iOS device.

    It must be acquired separately

    For installation instructions, click on the picture of the scanner.

    IOS

    TM Scanner App
    iOS - iPhone/iPod Based

    TM Scanner - with Linea Pro Bar Code Scanner

    The purchase of the linea pro scanner/licence does not include an iOS device.

    It must be acquired separately

    TM Scanner - Arts Management Systems Ltd. TM Scanner - Arts Management Systems Ltd. You can download the TM Scanner application by visiting the Apple App Store using the link above or typing tm scanner in the app store search

    The TM Scanner bar code scanner application can be used on iOS with a device like an iPhone in conjunction with a hardware scanner from Linea Pro.

    IOS To use this application, you will need to:

    • Make sure your ticket face has a bar code that goes all across the ticket so that it can be scanned more easily. Refer to adding a field to the ticket.
    • Provide your own iPod or iPhone
      • iOS 10 is currently the earliest compatible OS
      • It is always recommended to keep the devices updated to the latest version of iOS, in order to maintain security compatibility
    • Download the app from Apple's App Store. The app is free and may be installed on any number of devices that you wish.
    • Contact our sales department to:
      • Purchase the Linea Pro to match your iOS device for rapid scanning.
      • Add scanner licensing to your second generation listener (happens automatically when you purchase the above scanner hardware)
      • You can also type the ticket number on the screen as an option if you don't want to have a scanner. This approach is far less efficient than having scanner hardware as the ticket number is manually typed rather than scanned.
    • Make some settings in the TM Scanner app to talk to your web server
    • Set the print at home barcode to QR Code format.

    Step 2 - Setting Base Options in the Scanner

    The scanner options is generally the same no matter which scanner you are using. Generally, they tell the scanner where the web services are located and the user id/password to use to allow the scan to be processed.

    Most often, the settings can be made once and left alone if the intent is to scan tickets on the day of the show.

    Scanner User Id in TM

    Scanning tickets using a scanner requires a user id set up in theatre manager. We suggest dedicating a specific user id to this purpose.

    The setup steps for a user id for scanning are:

    • Create a patron in Theatre Manager with a suitable name, like 'Ticket Scanner'. You could even make them a household member of your other special TM id's like the 'Master User' or 'Web Listener'
    • Turn the user into an employee
    • The only settings and permissions that the ticket scanner id really needs is:
      • a unique set of initials to log in with. These are created automatically when the employee login is created and can be found on the employee window
      • The Employee initials are placed in the scanner setup field on the device you are using to do the scanning.
      • This active user must is allowed to log in
      • the permission to Confirm Attendance at a Performance as per the image below.

    Scanner Prefs - Linea Pro TM Scanner application

    You may protect access to this entire screen (or parts of it) using an iPhones built in Accessibility Feature
    Some configuration settings need to be made on the iPhone or iPod prior to using the Linea Pro scanner to scan tickets. These are very simple, and are all contained on one screen on the iPhone/iPod.

    When using the TM Scan application, click on the settings icon at the bottom right of the screen to make changes to the settings. When done, click on the scan button at the lower left.

    The values of the fields are in the table below and some troubleshooting steps are at the end.

    Theatre Manager Server Address This is the URL address of the web listener that will be responding to checkin and checkout requests. Enter the address of either:
    • your web ticketing server address such as tickets.yourvenue.org. This will elevate the scanning to use https and can occur from anywhere in the world. It must be used for AMS cloud customers.
    • Do not add http:// or https:// in front of the URL. That will be added automatically.
    Outlet This is the company number (normally 1). In multi-outlet venues, this number will be different for each outlet.
    Performance (optional) You can enter the performance number that you are scanning for or leave it empty. Both options affect which tickets will be accepted by the scanner.

    Please refer to the scanner rules for more detail.

    Area (optional) This is an optional number that you may assign to scans. It is intended to identify entrance to a specific venue in the case where one ticket allows a patron access to one or more places and you need to monitor how many people are in each area. The venue number must exist in Theatre Manager and does not need to be the same as the venue for the ticket. Example: the ticket could be for a game or circus in an arena. However, there may be a 'bar tent' or 'children's play area' that only ticket holders can go to -- so you can scan them into those auxiliary areas for capacity tracking.

    Normally, this field is not entered.

    User Initials This is the uppercase initials for the user ID in Theatre Manager doing the scanning. This person does not need to be able to log on to TM for any other reason. You might wish to create a generic ID for this purpose.

    The user initials for the scanner must be unique within each outlet.

    Password The password used for these User Initials to log on to Theatre Manager.

    Note: Passwords are case sensitive per PCI compliance. Please ensure you get the case correct.

    Beep on go This function can be turned on if you want a beep to sound when a valid scan is entered. If this is off, the scanner will only vibrate - which may be nice if you are scanning in an area where silence is better. A higher pitched longer beep occurs if an invalid scan is attempted.

     

    Troubleshooting the scanner

    The first trouble shooting technique if you can't scan tickets, is to open safari on the iOS device and see if you can connect to your ticketing web site.

    If you cannot, then usually the issue is the DNS on the wifi router you are connected to.

    If some devices can scan tickets and others cannot on the same network, then compare the versions of iOS on the devices to find out which version is working.

    Linea Pro Scanner Check Battery Health & RFID Laser

    Infinite Peripherals offers an app via the Apple Store to download and install on iPod or iPhone devices used with the Linea Pro Scanner sleds.

    The app is called IPCSupport and can only be downloaded from the apple store on your iOS device.

     

    This app will provide:

    • the battery health of the scanner device
    • the ability to test the infrared laser.
    • Note: There are other features in this app that are NOT applicable because the Linea Pro is using Theatre Manager's TM Scanner ticket scanning software.

    Only use the Device for battery health and RFID to test infrared laser.

    Protecting Scanner Preferences Using Accessibility

    If you wish to manage access to parts of you scanners so that volunteer ushers or unauthorized person cannot click on check out or the settings buttons on your scanner, Apple provides a great solution through the accessibility feature on the iPhone or iPod touch.

    Guided Access limits your iOS device to a single app and lets you control which features are available. You can turn on Guided Access when you let a volunteer use your device, or when accidental gestures might distract you..

     

    To Enable Guided Access

    1. open the Settings application and navigate through
      • General
      • Accessibility
      • Guided Access (as per the screen to the right)
    2. Turn on Guided Access.
    3. Tap Passcode Settings, then
      • tap Set Guided Access Passcode.
      • Enter a passcode, then reenter it.

     

    To set up Guided Access for a Specific Application

    Open the app that you want to manage (eg TM Scan - for purposes of this example) and decide if you want to control access to the entire settings tab or only parts of it.

     

    Option 1: Control Access to Multiple Specific Parts of Settings Tab

    This can be used to limit access to some parts of the settings. You might use this approach if you want to allow staff to only change of the performance

    1. Click on Settings
    2. Triple-click the Home button.
    3. If you want to manager parts of your screen to stop responding to touch, use one finger to circle those areas. You can move or resize the circle, or tap the X to remove it. In our example to the right we have selected the:
      • URL to the ticketing web site,
      • Outlet (if you are scanning for multiple organizations in an outlet version, you may not want to select this
      • ID and Password
      • Refer to scanner settings for meaning of the fields to decide what you want to protect. You could, if you want, protect the entire screen
    4. Tap Start.
    5. Stay on the main screen

     

    Option 2: Control Access to an entire screen

    This can be used to limit access to some parts of the settings. You might use this approach if you want to allow staff to only change of the performance

    1. Click on Settings
    2. Triple-click the Home button.
    3. Select all the fields on the screen
    4. Adjust the corners of the rectangle as need be by dragging them
    5. Tap Start.
    6. Stay on the main screen

    Step 3 - Checking a Patron INTO the venue

    This page describes how to scan a ticket and check a patron INTO the venue. The process is very similar for both scanners.

    TM Scanner (iPhone/iPod)
    • Make sure the 'white words' in the centre of the screen say 'Scan In'. If they do not, click the 'blue' words that say 'scan in'.
    • Aim the front of the scanner at a ticket
    • Press the 'black' button at the right side of the scanner so that the red laser scans the ticket
    • When you hear the beep (or the phone vibrates), the scan was successful and the words will say 'go'
    • If you hear a longer beep, the screen will say stop and the scan failed -- read the error message to find out why
    If you have trouble doing a scan, you can enter the ticket number manually. To do so:
    • Click on the green word 'Start' (or on the blue 'Manual' at the upper left)
    • Type in the ticket number
    • Click the 'Go' Button
    A successful scan looks similar to the image on the right.

    it will include:

    • The patrons name
    • The ticket number
    • And if its a reserved seating event:
      • the door
      • section
      • row
      • and seat data
      If such data is available for the venue

    Step 4 - Checking a Patron OUT of the venue

    This page describes how to check a patron OUT OF the venue so that they can come back in another entrance. A checkout assumes that the patron has been checked in to the venue in the first place. If you receive an error checking the patron out, it would be an odd situation.

    The process is very similar for both scanners.

    TM Scanner (iPhone/iPod)
    • Make sure the 'white words' in the centre of the screen say 'Scan Out'. If they do not, click the 'blue' words that say 'Scan Out'.
    • Aim the front of the scanner at a ticket
    • Press the 'black' button at the right side of the scanner so that the red laser scans the ticket
    • When you hear the beep (or the phone vibrates), the scan was successful and the words will say 'go'
    • If you hear a longer beep, the screen will say stop and the scan failed -- read the error message to find out why
    If you have trouble doing a scan, you can enter the ticket number manually. To do so:
    • Click on the green word 'Start' (or on the blue 'Manual' at the upper left)
    • Type in the ticket number
    • Click the 'Go' Button

    Ticket Scanner Acceptance Rules

    Entering a performance number or leaving it blank the scanner setup preferences directly affects which tickets the scanners will accept or reject.

    These apply to checkin or checkout of the venue.

    If you enter a Specific Performance Number into the scanner

    While providing a performance number is generally the best option, it is especially important If you have multiple venues or multiple events on the same day.

    • Tickets for any other performance will be rejected.
    • The scanner will accepts tickets if the performance date is midnight or earlier. It means you:
      • can scan tickets for an event that goes on today because it has todays date on it
      • can scan ticket stubs you put aside from a prior days performance if you wish, up to any number of days in the past
      • cannot scan tickets for any event with tomorrows date on it
    • Provide this parameters if you want absolute certainty that patrons are entering the correct venue.
    • Find the performance number from the list within the event window

     

    If you leave the Performance Number zero or blank

    If you generally have one event per day, it may work best leaving the performance number blank as there is no configuration changes required for each day. You just need to pick up the scanners and use them.

    • Tickets for any event/play that day will be accepted.
    • Ticket for any other day will be rejected. (Provide specific performance number to scan prior days events)
    • Use this if you have
      • a festival situation occurring and patrons could have purchased tickets to any one of a number of events / plays to obtain entry to the area you are scanning for.
      • a multi venue situation where you quickly move scanners from one venue to another and don't want operators to enter performance numbers
    • Note: If you enter a zero in this field, tickets for events occurring on any other day will return the message that the ticket is for a future event, and is not valid on this date.

     

    Tricking the scanning process for future performances

    If you want to scan for tomorrow's performance for some reason, then:
    • Just before attempting to scan tickets, set the date/time on the performance to be just before midnight today.
    • Add a comment to the specific performance notes to clarify for online sales (eg 'this performance is friday all day and not at the time indicated').
    • When you have finished scanning advance tickets, then change the date/time back to the proper performance time.

    Print-at-Home and coupon requirements

    If a sales promotions is explicitly marked with the requirement for a coupon when sold online, then the following happens:

    • if the patron prints at home - all tickets in the order will be printed - this is so that a patron has the same number of tickets as their online order
    • The tickets that require an online coupon will have an invalid bar code. This means that the ticket cannot be scanned into the venue in anyway.
    • There will be instructions on the ticket to take the print-at-home copy to the box office or will call to have it exchanged for a hard ticket stock ticket - which of course can be scanned.
    • This way the box office can verify price eligibility for the promotion, such as AAA discount, 2 for 1 coupon, Active Military - any reason at all.

    Scanning Tickets using Tethered Scanner

    With a tethered unit, you follow a similar process as outlined below:

    1. From the main menu bar, choose Accounting >> Confirm Attendance.

      The Patron Attendance list window opens.

    2. Enter Search Criteria.

      The search criteria is entered in the From and To fields and is based on the field listed in the drop down list.

    3. Click the Search button.

      A list of performances opens.

    4. Double click on a performance to select it. Once selected, the performance will open.

    5. Enter the patron number, ticket number or click in the ticket number field and scan the ticket.

      If you enter the patron number, all of the tickets the patron purchased will appear in the window. If you enter the ticket number or scanning the ticket, only that ticket will appear.

    6. Click the Accept button.

      To speed up the process, press the <RETURN> key to accept the ticket # / Patron #. If you are using a bar code scanner, set the default to include an automatic <RETURN> after each scan. If the tickets have a bar code on them, then either the patron number or the ticket number can be scanned in. It depends on what information has been encoded in the bar code.

      If too many tickets have been selected, and not all should be marked as attended, highlight those to remove and click the Clear Attend button. The tickets are removed from the list.

    7. Click the Finished button when all data has been entered .

      This marks all tickets entered in the list as Attended.

    Scanning Tickets using Web Interface

    While this kind of scanning will still work, we recommend a linea pro bar code scanner

    The web scanning interface is really quite easy to set up. You will need:

    • A computer
    • A USB bar code scanner (CCD is best)
    • A bar code on your hard tickets and your web tickets printed at the time of sale, and
    • A permanent net connection to the web listener

    To start, you need to know the following:

    Performance Number

    You need to know the performance number of the event that is occurring. You can find this by opening up the Events & Dates window, and clicking on the Performance tab. The first column of the performance list is the performance number.

    In the example below, you can see the performance number as #323 for the Apr 2, 2011 performance.

    Performance Number

    Web IP Address

    You need to know the listener IP address (internal). You find this by looking at the web listener on the title bar. In the example below, it is https://192.168.3.50:5111 (note - 192.168.3.50 is the IP address and 5111 is the port number to use if you are using the wireless scanners)

    Listener IP

    Once you have the setup information, then you can begin the process of tracking attendance.

    1. On any computer, start the web browser of your choice (Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.)
    2. Enter the IP address of the listener (along with the attendance page) in the following manner. This is the IP address you found above, along with the actual attendance page called 'TMattendance.html'.

    Attendance

    If you want to track attendance at a remote venue using this method, you can use the web listener and the path name will resemble https://tickets.yourvenue.com/TheatreManager/1/TMattendance.html

    Once the browser page is started, you should see something like the following page. On it, you must fill in:

    • The performance number from above (in this example -- 323)
    • Your user initials (in this example -- RDE), and
    • Your password (Password are case sensitive. For most sites, you will enter it in all upper case).

    Put the performance number into both the upper area and the lower area. The upper area checks people into the venue who have not entered the venue. The lower area tracks people leaving the venue so that they may re-enter later.

    checkin


    Entering the Venue

    Once the web page is on the screen

    1. Place the cursor in the Ticket Number cell.
    2. Aim the scanner at the bar code on the ticket
    3. Pull the scanner's trigger
    4. Click the "Check Patron In" button on the web page (see NOTE below)
    5. Scan tickets until all patrons are in the venue.

    When you click the "Check Patron In" button, a message is sent to the web listener and it responds with a message. For possible messages, see below.

    If your scanner is programmed to automatically enter a "carriage return" after the click (see the scanner's User Manual to program), then you do not need to click the "Check Patron In" button. Alternatively, after scanning, you can click the ENTER key on your keyboard.

    The next steps are repeated as required.
    Action Possible messages
    Ticket Not Used Yet

    For a ticket that is valid for admission, the message will display "OK to Enter." In this case, the ticket number is '8569' and the user is informed to allow access.

    OK

    Ticket Already Used

    If the ticket has already been marked as used then you will see a message similar to the one below.

    Used

    Not Sold If you try to scan a ticket Theatre Manager thinks has not been sold, you will get a message similar to that below. This may happen if the ticket was sold and then exchanged but the original ticket was never destroyed (as part of the box office procedures).

    NotSold

    Wrong Performance If the ticket that is entered is sold, but it is for the wrong performance, then you will receive a message like the one below.

    Wrong Performance

    Leaving the Venue

    Sometimes people need to leave the venue. If you have scanned them in, then they cannot enter again because the ticket was already used. The only way to allow them to leave, and then return is to check them out of the venue. That will mark their ticket as un-used. They can then enter again at any access point that supports ticket scanning (or manual entry of tickets).

    You are not required to use this approach for re-entry. You can ignore this process and use the traditional 'hand stamp' method (or similar protocol).

    Action Possible messages
    Patron is Leaving the Venue

    In the lower area, scan the bar code (or type the ticket number) to indicate that the patron is leaving the venue. The input screen will look like the following.

    Web Checkout

    if the patron was properly scanned into the venue, you will get a message like the following in the standard message area.

    Leave

    Ticket Not Used

    If the ticket was used and the patron has been scanned out of the venue -or- if the patron was never in the venue in the first place, you will get a message similar to the one below. This is useful to let you know when "Elvis has left the building."

    Not In Venue

    Not Sold

    If you attempt to scan a ticket that Theatre Manager thinks is currently not sold, then you will get a message to that effect (similar to the "Check In" message)

    Wrong Performance If the ticket that is entered is sold, yet it is for the wrong performance, then you will receive a message to that effect (similar to the "Check In" message).

    Determining Used/Unused tickets

    There are a number of ways to determine how many tickets were used (scanned). Some are reports and others show quick stats for a performance.

    Note: It doesn't matter how the tickets were scanned (wireless, typed in manually, or tethered scanner), each of these methods will give the same result.

    In reports, the criteria you want to use is Ticket Scan Flag-Patron Came to the Event is equal to No (they didn't get scanned) Yes (they were scanned)

    Things you can do..

    1. The Ticket Scanning Monitor can be used in real time on the night of the event to see the flow of people into the venue. It can be useful for house management to know when to close the doors, or to hold them open should there be a weather related event occurring. This has the number of tickets scanned in (and out), the performance If multiple are happening that day) and the percentage of people in the house.
    2. The manual ticket scanning window will show the number of tickets told to the performance, the scanned count and the unused count on the window. It is a quick way of seeing one performance at a glance.
    3. On the play window in the attendance tab, there is a tab that indicates the ticket use (scanned/not scanned) status. This has 3 values:
      • Future Event - indicates that the performance is for the future so we cannot tell if it was used or not.
      • Attended - indicates the people who have been scanned into the venue.
      • Not Used - refers to any ticket that was sold, but not scanned into the venue
      If you highlight all the tickets in the attendance list, the window will tell you 'xx tickets selected: Attended: yy Not Used: zz' where xx is the number of tickets sold, yy is the count of those attended and zz is the count not used/not scanned.
    4. Using any Ticket Inventory Report, you can search for only tickets that were scanned (used) or those that were not scanned (not used). This can be used in conjunction with other criteria to do things like find:
      • the number of subscribers who did not attend
      • which board members came
      • the number of people given a comp that did not show up
      • etc
    5. The criteria to use in reports is Ticket Scan Flag-Patron Came to the Event is equal to No (they didn't get scanned) Yes (they were scanned)

    Course Management

    Theatre Manager includes a module specifically for setting up, selling, assigning report cards for, and managing courses or classes that your organization may offer. The following pages include details about setting up Theatre Manager to best handle courses, how to set up the courses themselves, and then how to edit, sell, track course attendance and assign report cards for the courses.

    Course Management Items In System Setup

    Before using the Courses module, it is recommended that an organization first set up a few items in System Setup. The Performance Field #1 is a Company Preference that will affect Theatre Manager company or outlet-wide, so it should be discussed with other users/departments before changing or implementing. There are also Report Card Templates in System Tables that must be set before report cards can be created and assigned to a course. A few different items related to Courses appear in Code Tables. Instructions for setting up these features follow on the next few pages.
    Diataxis: 

    Performance Field #1

    Performance Field #1 is a customizable drop-down field used to describe a performance.

    For example, you could call it Performance Type and populate it with genre descriptions like Comedy, Drama, or Musical.

    You can use the Performance Field #1 in the Course module, to classifying Course Types.

    In the example images in this section, Performance Field #1 has been called Course Type, and has been populated with Acting, Movement, Musical Theatre and Voice as groupings for classes. To change the name Performance Field #1 to Course Types, you perform the following steps:

    1. Choose Setup >> Company (or Outlet) Preferences Appearance Tab and scroll down to Performance Field #1 in the list on the left.
    2. Select the name on the right from Performance Field #1.

      It may be the same, or it may have been previously changed for your organization.

    3. Change the name on the right to what is appropriate for your organization.

      The change you make is Company (or Outlet) wide. Ensure, if the field has been used in the past, it is not currently in use or can it be altered to be more inclusive.

      The Code Table name will also change from Perf Type to your entry.

    4. Click the Save button.

      To populate the options available in Performance Field #1, please follow the instructions under Course Settings in Code Tables found here.

    Diataxis: 

    Searching By Performance Field #1

    One of the benefits of using Performance Field #1 in conjunction with Courses is that you can search by that field in the Performance Selection screen while purchasing a Course.

    One of the benefits of using Performance Field #1 in conjunction with Courses is that you can search by that field in the Performance Selection screen while purchasing a Course.

    Change the drop-down lookup menu at the top left to whatever you have named Performance Field #1 to search just for events or courses that fit one of its descriptors.

    For example, in the above image, Course Type is the name for Performance Field #1
    Acting is being selected as the descriptor as defined in the Code Tables for Course Type.
    For more information about Performance Field #1 and Courses, click here.
    To see instructions for adding values to the associated Code Table, click here.
    Diataxis: 

    Course Settings In Code Tables

    There are five code tables found in Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables that need to be addressed when using the Courses Module. For more information, see:

    Diataxis: 

    Report Card Templates

    Before Report Cards can be assigned or used in the Courses module, you need to set up the Report Card Templates in Setup >> System Tables >> Report Card Templates. Please click here for instructions on setting up a template to use with Report Cards.

    Diataxis: 

    Setting up a Course

    Courses are set up in Theatre Manager just like any other event - in the Plays Window.

    Your version may have been changed from the default "Plays" to "Events" or another similar title.

    To set up a course, you perform the following steps:

    1. Chose Main Theatre Manager menu item Setup >> Plays.

      Alternatively

      Click the Plays button in the Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

      The Play List Window opens.

    2. Click the New button in the Play List toolbar / ribbon bar to create a new record.

      The Plays and Dates Window opens.

    Diataxis: 

    Entering the Course Title Information

    Entering course title information is done in the plays window.

    To enter course title information, you perform the following steps:

    1. Enter a Play Code for the Course.

      In this the example - 13-ED1

      Enter a code that is easy to remember and follows the naming conventions you may already have set at your venue for Play Codes. Play Codes must be unique and cannot be used again for future plays or courses.
    2. Enter a Play Title that corresponds to the title of the Course.
    3. Enter the season information that corresponds to the timing of the Course.
    4. Enter a Pricing Map.

      If you have not set up a Venue specifically for Courses, you may want to do so. It can be a Festival Seating (or General Admission) map, but one needs to be entered here. Click here for information about setting up a new Pricing Map.

    5. Ticket information does not have to be entered if no tickets will be printed for the course.

      If this is the case, choose "Mark tickets as printed (but don't print)" under Ticket Printing Information.

    6. Ensure the Active Status box is checked.

      This way, the course will show in the Plays List for purchase.

    7. Enter any Web Sales Controls desired on the top right.

      For example:

      If Advance sales shut off at a certain time before the start of the class or

      If a patron is limited to the number of admissions they may purchase for this specific course (otherwise the program default limit on ticket purchases will apply).

    8. Make appropriate Ticket Printing selections.

    You must enter Accounting information in the Accounting tab before you can Save the record.

    Accounting information is discussed on the next page.

    Course Accounting Information

    The Accounting Tab information is the same as for any other Play or Event.

    For more information about the Accounting Tab, click here.

    You may want to set up specific liability and income accounts in your Chart of Accounts to correlate to course revenues. To read about adding accounts to your G/L, click here.

    Diataxis: 

    Assigning the Course Genre

    Genre is a general classification for events that is common to all Theatre Manager customers.

    You cannot edit the Genre Table

    There are approximately 70 genre classifications which are used in the TicketTrove iPhone/iPad app and on the event search window on the web to help customers find entertainment to their liking. For Example: Customers can look for drama, hockey games, musicals, symphonies, ballet, etc.

    Specifying a genre for a course or event is required.

    Genres are listed in the Play / Event Genre code table. Click here for information on the Genre table.

    To specify the Genere for your course, you perform the following steps:

    1. Click on the Marketing tab.
    2. Click the drop down list to select the appropriate Genre from the list.

    3. Enter other information as required by your organization.
    4. When complete, click the Save button.
    5. You can now go on and add classes (as performances).

    Diataxis: 

    Adding Course Performances (Classes)

    To add Performances (or Classes) to your Course, select the Performance tab of the Plays and Dates window.

    1. Click the New button.

      The Performance Wizard opens, beginning with Step One (details begin on the next page).

    Diataxis: 

    Adding A Class - Step One

    When you first enter the Adding Performances window, you need to chage the default sales method to set up courses.

    To add a class, you perform the following steps:

    1. Enter the number of Classes that will fall under this Course.

      In this example - 20.

    2. Select "Course" as the Sales Method.

      When "Course" has been selected, you will be given an option to either:

      The difference is:

      Each course is created as a separate performance Create ONE course as series of classes

      You can have multiple performances in your Course for patrons to choose from.

      They can attend one session (or performance) and not the others.

      This is useful if you are going to have one single class offered at several different times (just like any other event with multiple performances).

      The individual classes can be sold separately

      You are creating one Course that is a series of Classes

      Patrons sign up to attend the whole series (this is the case in the example photos).

      They purchase the entire series at once rather than separately.

      Performance Field #1 is customizable. It is used for descriptions of a performance.

      For example: You could use this field to group courses (or performances) by type--acting, voice, movement, etc (or drama, comedy, musical, etc).

    3. You can change the name of this field by following the instructions found here. In this example, the Field name has been changed to Course Type.
    4. You can populate options in this field by going to Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables.

      Locating the name of the field (which is whatever you have changed it to in Company Preferences) and following the instructions found here.

    5. The quantity to sell is based on the venue assigned to the Course.

      If you think the Course may oversell the size of the venue, or if there is the possibility of adding more chairs to a venue, you can increase the quantity now.

      you cannot increase the quantity to sell once the Course has been created. Changing the venue will not increase the quantity to sell.

      The only way to increase the quantity is to create another event with a larger venue and move all the students out of this one and into the new one.

      If there is a possibility of a higher quantity to sell, increase that value now.

    6. Check the boxes next to the sales outlets for the course (the box office, the internet, etc).

      You cannot set a performance for sale Via the Internet until after pricing and promotions are set. You can check the box for Via the Internet at this step, but you will have to go back and edit the performance after setting Prices and Promotions and click Via the Internet under the Performance Tab of the Plays & Dates Window for the Course. For more information about this tab, click here.

    7. Set any appropriate Security controls for your venue.
    8. When you have everything set correctly, click the Step 2 button at the bottom right of the window.
    Diataxis: 

    Adding A Class - Step Two

    In Step 2, you setup the pattern for the course. In this example, the course is running 1 day per week for 20 weeks at 4:30 pm.

    1. In Step Two, you set the date of the first session of the Course.

      You can use the calendar lookup to the right of the data field to help choose the correct date.

    2. Use the sliders to select the number of Daily Performances for the classes in the course.

      Make sure they correspond to the date you selected as a start date (for example, if you select Feb 1 and Feb 1 is a Monday, then you can't set Monday to zero performances).

    3. Set the performance time for the start of each class in the course.
    4. Click the Step 3 button in the bottom right of the window.
    Diataxis: 

    Adding A Class - Step Three

    In Step Three, you are presented with a Calendar View of the Classes in the Course.

    1. If one or more of the classes starts at a different time than the Performance Time set in Step Two, you can drag that instance of the class on the Calendar to the appropriate start time for that class. You can also move classes to another day.
    2. When the Calendar looks the way you want, click the Build button in the bottom right corner. The Build Performance dialog opens.

    3. Click the Build button to add your performances to the database, or Cancel to go back to the Steps.

      When you have completed building your classes, you are returned to the Performance Tab of the Plays and Dates window. The Course just entered populates window.

    Diataxis: 

    Setting Course Pricing

    You set course pricing the same way Price Codes are set for any other Play or Event.

    To set the price codes for your course, you perform the following steps:

    1. In the Play window, click the Pricing tab.

    2. On the left side of the window, highlight the course.

      This enables the Price Codes on the right for editing.

    3. Double click on each Price Code to open the Price Code Detail window.

    4. Name the Price Code Description and/or set the price.
    5. When complete, click the Save button.

      For more information about Price Codes, click here.

    Diataxis: 

    Enabling Course Promotions

    Promotions, like Price Codes, are set in Courses the same way they are set for Plays or Events.

    To set the price codes for your course, you perform the following steps:

    1. In the Play window, click the Promotions tab.
    2. On the left side, highlight the Course to populate the promotions for that Course in the list on the right.

    3. Highlight promotions you do not want to use for that Course and click the Disable button to turn those promotions "off".

      Promotions are set to "Enabled" by default.

      If you change your mind or later decide to allow a promotion for use in the Course, you may have to change the drop-down in the bottom right corner to show All promotions (it may be set to only display enabled promotions)

    4. Highlight the one or ones you'd like to enable and click the Allow Use button to turn those promotions back "on".

      For more information about Promotions, please click here.

    5. Once you have completed the entire process from entering the course title, accounting information, performances, prices and promotions, you are ready to start selling Courses.

      If you want to make further adjustments to the Course, click here for information about accessing the Performance Detail tabs.

    Diataxis: 

    Redirecting link on your main website specifically for Courses

    Redirecting patrons to a specific list of Events or Performances can be especially helpful for organizations who sell Courses online. In addition to the usual Tickets link on the main website, a link can be created specifically for Courses.

    Creating a link to courses entails using the &search parameter in the event URL. By picking the right &search parameter you can:

    1. Show all courses by using the parameter &search=PB_SALES_METHOD=6 in the link. This is, by far, the easiest as
      • it simply shows all courses -and-
      • is immediately effective when new courses are created.
    2. Show selected events which can in the &search parameter. A sample is shown later on this help page.
      • This has the advantage of allowing events sold as courses as well as a final 'parent' performance to be found in one list.
      • It has the disadvantage that the web page link must be changed each time you have a new course
    3. A hybrid approach that may have a &search parameter that show all events sold as courses or some specific 'finale' performances.

     

    An example of showing a link specific courses (Option 2 above)

    A company has three Courses that are one-time events or workshops. Patrons can pick and choose or select all three if they'd like.

    In our example, the company wants a link redirecting patrons to the list of Events/Courses (we'll discuss a need for a list of Performances/Classes further down).

    In the Event List in Theatre Manager, the Courses look like this:

    The Event # column is the one at the far left.

    Those unique Event #'s - 86, 87, and 88 in the example - will belong to only the corresponding Event in the database and no others.>

    "x, y and z" are representative of those unique Event #'s in the search string in the link discussed above for creating a link to a list of Events.

    A link to these Courses will look like:

    https://tickets.myserver.com/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0&search=P_SEQ IN(86,87,88)

    Similarly, you can create a link to a list of specific Performances for sale. This can be useful if your organization offers a Course made up of a series of Classes which can be purchased separately.

    In this case, the Performance # works as the unique identifier for each Class in the Course.

    Under the Course (Event) Setup, in the Performance Tab, the Perf # column is on the far left of the list of performances:

    In the example image, the Perf #'s are 373, 374 and 375. A link to a list of those Classes would look like:

    https://tickets.myserver.com/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0&search=PB_SEQ IN(373,374,375)

    Care should be taken when creating Courses and Classes that you change the Sales Method to "Course" in the Performance Setup stage of the Course Setup.

    Online patrons can purchase a Course and then assign another patron as the attendee for the Course (helpful in cases where the parent buys a class for a child who will be attending). For this option to be available, Courses must be setup as Sales Method - Course. For more information about Courses in Theatre Manager, click here.

    Editing an Existing Course

    You may want to edit a Course or the classes within a Course.

    Most of the information you will want to access can be found under the Performance Tab for the Course in the Plays and Dates (or Events) Window.

    1. To start, go to Setup > Plays or click the Plays button in the Theatre Manager toolbar.
    2. In the Plays List, look up your Course and select it from the list.

      For information about how to use the Plays List lookup, click here.

    3. Select the Performance Tab of your Course Window.

      Here, you can set the Sales Outlets for the Course by highlighting it in the list and checking the appropriate boxes at the top of the window.

      After setting Price Codes and Promotions, you can check the Via the Internet button to sell the course online.

      If necessary, you can also change Security Settings.

    4. Select the Course from the Performance list and click the Edit button to open the Performance Detail Window.
    5. For informationon the Tabs in the courses window, Click here.

    Selling a Course (helpful hints)

    Selling a Course to a patron, is the same as selling a ticket. For Courses created as a series of classes, buying the Course gives the patron a seat in each of the classes.

    Courses created as individual events must be bought separately, just like any other event.

    Quick Reference information on buying a Ticket, click on the icon to launch the pdf or screencast.

    Quick Reference Guide

    Cheatsheet

    Flash Screencast

    MP3 Screencast

    To sell a course to a patron, you perform the following steps:

    1. Click the Patron button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

      The Contact List window opens.

    2. Find the patron you are buying the course for in the contact list.

      Single Click on the patron in the list to highlight. For more information on finding patrons click here.

    3. Open the patron window and click the Tickets button in the Tickets tab.

      The Order Window opens.

    4. Select the course(s) the patron would like to buy tickets for.

      Click here to learn how to search for performances.

      To select a single course double click on it.

    5. Click the Seat Selection tab.

      The Seat Selection window opens.

      The course registration window to allows selection of any household member as the participant in the course rather than having to sell the course and make the change in the main patron ticket list. In a household with one or more parents and one or more children, this should be a convenient shortcut.

    6. Enter the Quantity to sell as 1.
    7. For Attendee, use the drop down list to select the appropriate attendee.

    8. Click the Reserve button.

      To add other Attendees, you:

      • Enter the Quantity to sell as 1.
      • For Attendee, use the drop down list to select the appropriate attendee.

      • Click the Reserve button.

      Continue until you have selected all the Attendees.

    9. When you have completed adding attendees, click the Payment button.

      The Order Payment window opens.

    10. Make the payment.
    11. The ticket tab of the patron window displays the courses purchased for the household member.

    Gifting Tickets and Courses

    You can "gift" tickets to other household patrons or to unrelated patrons in Theatre Manager. This is especially useful for courses where parents frequently purchase classes for their child or children to attend.

    Financial data remains attached to the purchaser's record, while the ticket is transferred to the receiver's account. The receiver is listed as the attendee to the event.

    For more information about gifting tickets, click here.

    Refunding a Partial Amount for a Course

    Sometimes you need to refund part of the course tuition after it has been sold to a patron. The reasons could vary, such as:
    • The patron could drop out and want a refund
    • You could cancel it midsession because the instructor needed an extended leave

    Once the course has commenced, completely refunding it means you lose knowledge that the patron started the course.

    Instead, we want to create a way to retain attendance info, yet refund all or part of the tuition.

    Setup of a Fee to Refunding part of the Tuition

    The first step is to create a new ticket fee that accepts negative values and make sure the employee permission is set if the refund amount is variable.

    Note: when setting up the fee, make sure to talk to your accountant about the proper account for tracking purposes.

     

    Steps to Refund part of the Course Cost

    1. Find the ticket for the course you want to refund tuition to
      • highlight it in the ticket list
      • Click the Tickets button at the bottom left of the patron screen
      • Pick Add tickets to order - even though we will not add tickets to the order, this sets us up to merely modify it

    2. On the order window
      • Click the Fees Button
      • Click the New button to add a new fee
      • Select the fee called Tuition Refund
      • Enter the amount amount you want to refund tuition by
    3. Click the Payments Button
      • Enter the refund method
      • The amount to refund should be the same as the negative fee you added
      • Enter card details, if refunding by card
      • Click Refund Payment

    Scholarships for Courses/Classes

    Scholarships can be offered to students participating in your classes or courses by using a Pass. This will fall under the Membership section of Theatre Manager and is a pass that can be given to the student to help pay for a portion (or all) of their class.

    "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."



    Creating the Scholarship Pass


    A Scholarship Pass can be created new 'Dollar Value" pass using the following parameters:
    1. On the Redemption Rules tab:
      • Choose "Dollar Value" as the redemption method.
      • Make the pass Redeemable by "Purchaser Only"
      • Set the Purchase Amount as $0.00
      • Set the Redeemable Amount to any value that scholarships are typically offered (this amount can be edited when the scholarship is issued to the student).

    2. On the Accounting tab:
      • Set the Tax Rate to "None"
      • Use a General Ledger Account number that represents an Expense for Scholarships for Income, Deferred Revenue and Redemption/Expense accounts. Use a standard income account for any Unearned Income/Write Off funds.

    3. On the Sales Management tab:
      • In the Allow pass/gc to be Purchased section, check the box for "Via pass/gc tab on patron screen" only.

    4. On the Edits tab:
      • Check the box for "Value can be changed during purchase"
      • Check the box for "Can be sold for a zero value"
      • In the Defaulting the Control Number section, choose "Theatre Manager defined"
      • In the Defaulting the Expiration Date, choose "Expires on Date" and use the last date the pass is valid (very likely the end of the class).

    5. On the Valid Plays tab:
      • Check the box that says "Allow setting of valid plays on each pass/gc"
      • Do not add any events to the listing at the bottom of the screen.



    Awarding the scholarship to the student


    1. Locate the Patron Record for the student who is to receive the scholarship
    2. Select the Pass/GC tab and click the BUY button

    3. Sell the student a new Scholarship.
      • Leave the Purchase Amount as $0.00
      • Edit the Issued Passes Amount to the value of the Scholarship desired
      • Click Save

    4. Select the Valid Plays/Events tab

    5. Click the ADD button
    6. Select the Class/Course the scholarship is to be awarded for


    Applying the scholarship to the class


    1. Sell the student a class
    2. When processing the payment for the class, choose PASS as the first payment method

    3. Locate and apply the Scholarship pass to the Order

    4. Pay any remaining balance using the Payment Method tendered by the Purchaser.



    Tabs in the Course Window

    This section describes the various information tabs in the Events and Dates window. Tabs that are critical for event setup are described under Creating a Course.

    Play Tab in Courses

    Parts of the Play Tab

    Play Information

    Play # Unique play number generated by Theatre Manager.
    Play Code A quick reference for a Course. It is recommended that course codes start with the fiscal year of the course, followed by the course number. This allows for quickly generating reports on courses by year. If there is more than one venue or different types of series, a character code can be included after the year.
    Play Colour You can override the normal course colour displayed on the calendar by selecting a different colour from the colour palette.
    Play Title Official title of the course as it will appear on the ticket or internet.
    Season Year the course takes place. This is based on the financial year.
    Theatre Map Number of the venue map where the course takes place. Courses which are to be sold with reserved seats must take place in venues that have had seats created. Courses sold as general admission, Festival Sales or Traveling Troupe, may be sold to plays with or without seats created.
    Theatre map search button. This button is only available when a new course is entered. To open a list of possible theatre maps to choose from click the button. From the list double click on a map to select it.

    Additional Information

    Corporate Sponsor Name of the sponsor for the production. Additional sponsors could be entered in the notes field. This information can be printed on tickets.
    Special Note Additional information such as warnings or special messages that may be required for an play. This information can be printed on tickets.
    Director Director of the play. This information can be printed on tickets.
    Playwright Playwright of the play. This information can be printed on tickets.

    Show Status Information

    Active Status of the course for reporting purposes.
    Closed Status of the course for ticket sales and postings.
    Date Closed This field displays the date the course was set to prevent sales and financial changes.
    By This field displays the initials of the employee who closed the course.

    Web Sales Controls

    Stop Sales in Advance Number of minutes prior to the course start time the course will be removed from web sales.
    Patron Purchase Limit Sets the maximum number of tickets to be sold in an order for this course via web sales. If the Box Office will allow a patron to have more than the allotted number of tickets, the tickets will need to be sold by a Box Office staff member and not via the internet.

    Ticket Printing Information

    Print selected ticket face Choose to print ticket for this play (is the default setting)
    Ticket Face The ticket face selected for the play. The ticket face number can be typed manually or selected.
    Click to open a list of possible ticket faces to choose from. Double click on a ticket face to select it. By leaving this field blank a built in default ticket face design will be used for printing tickets.
    Mark ticket as printed (but don't print) Will not print a ticket for the course, all though when tickets are sold they will appear printed.
    Only Print Sales Promotion ticket face Prints a ticket based upon the promotion selected. For more information regarding printing tickets by promotion refer to Promotion Detail.
    Click to print a test ticket for this course.

    Accounting Tab in Courses

    The Accounting Tab displays the accounting information for a course. It shows the general ledger accounts set for the event and the applicable taxes applied. As well, when the revenue will be received into the general ledger can be determined.

    Parts of the Accounting Tab

    Accounting Stype

    Use same accounts - When checked, you can enter the accounts once and use for all ticket types.

    Tax Code and Pricing

    Ticket Tax Code Select the tax rate to apply to the BASE PRICE ONLY. If there are taxes on the various fees in the promotion, then they are set in the sales promotion Calculation Tab.
    Currency The Currency the event is priced in

    Deferred Revenue Allocation

    Revenue earned at time of sale When selected, All sales go directly to the revenue account without deferral
    Defer revenue until performance The revenue will be deferred until the performance occurs (normally these are liability accounts) After the performance a G/L entry is created to automatically transfer the revenue drom the deferred account to the Earned Revenue Account (normally income).

    Refer to the section, General Ledger Setting Up the Chart of Accounts for more information on determining a Chart of Accounts.

    Sales Target Target income
    Also Defer Tax Deferring taxes requires deffered tax accounts be set up in the G/L

    General Ledger Accounts

    Regular Accounts to use when posting tickets sold using a sales promotion marked as 'Regular'
    Season Accounts to use when posting tickets sold using a sales promotion marked as 'Season'
    Other-Type 1 Accounts to use when posting tickets sold using a sales promotion marked as 'Other-Type 1'
    Other-Type 2 Accounts to use when posting tickets sold using a sales promotion marked as 'Other-Type 2'
    Other-Type 3 Accounts to use when posting tickets sold using a sales promotion marked as 'Other-Type 3'

    Depending on how your accounting system is designed, you may want to set up all account types with the same general ledger account. For example, the same general ledger account can be entered for all revenue accounts -- the general ledger will record all revenue for the event into one account. Separate general ledger accounts can be entered for all revenue accounts -- the general ledger will record each type of revenue for the event in a separate account. Refer to the section, General Ledger Setting Up the Chart of Accounts for more information on determining whether to use a detailed versus a simplified general ledger number setup.

    Sales Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record revenue received through new ticket sales for the event.
    Exchange Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record revenue gain or revenue loss through ticket exchanges for the event.
    Refund Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record revenue loss through ticket refunds for the event.
    Discount Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record the net value of ticket discounts through ticket sales, ticket exchanges, and ticket refunds for the event.
    Markup Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record the net value of ticket markups through to ticket sales, ticket exchanges, and ticket refunds for the event.
    Ticket Fee Accounts Designates the general ledger account number used to record the net value of per ticket service charges applied to ticket sales, ticket exchanges, and ticket refunds for the event.

    Performance Tab in Courses

    The Performance Tab is used to create the classes that make up a Course. Class information cannot be added (and the tab will not be made available) until Course information and Accounting information have been entered and saved. If a course has already been set up you can access the Performance Tab at any time.

    Parts of the Performance Tab

    Sale Settings

    At the Box Office Checking this box allows you to sell theCourse at the Box Office.
    Via the Internet Checking this box allows you to sell the Course on the Internet.
    At Other Outlets Checking this box allows you to sell the Course at other outlets.
    Season Control Performance Checking this box allows the performance to be used in a Control House for subscribers.
    Prevent Overselling Checking this box prevents the performance from being oversold.
    Sell Security Allows you to control what security levels have the ability to sell this performance. Click here for more information on Sell Security.

    Performance Information

    Performance # Unique performance number generated by Theatre Manager.
    Performance Code A quick reference for the course.
    Date Date of the course.
    Time Time of the performance.
    # Sold Number of seats sold for this course.
    # Held Number of seats currently held for the course.
    # Available Number of seats currently available for purchase for this course.
    Box Office? Whether the course is available for sale at the Box Office.
    Web? Whether the course is available for sale on the Internet.
    Outlet? Whether the course is available for sale at an outlet.
    Subscription? Whether the course is available for sale via a subscription.
    Oversell? Whether overselling is allowed for this course.
    Play # The Play number that this course is part of.

    Additional Buttons

    Creates a new class and opens the Course Setup Window. Click here for more information.
    Opens one or more Class Setup Window(s) for the selected course.
    Deletes the selected course. Click here for more information.
    Shows all transactions for the selected course.
    Verifies all seats for the selected course. It is best to do this when no other users are logged in.

    Parts of the Course Detail Window

    The Course Detail window opens when you double click on an existing Course. Through this window you are able to edit course data. Depending on which sales method is being used you may not have access to some data fields. For example if you are using the festival method you will be allowed to modify the quantity of seats you can sell whereas with reserved seating since every patron requires a seat you cannot access this field.

    The tabs available within the Course Detail window include:

    Course Detail Window - Performance Tab

    As indicated in the image, many fields in the Performance Tab are not accessible once the Course has been created and built. For instance, the Quantity to Sell field cannot be changed.

    The fields available for editing are:

    Performance Code Defaults to Course for Course events
    Default Price Code You can change from the highest price default setting
    Ticket Tax Code where applicable
    Check Box for including the performance in annual patron statistics
    Held Seat Count

    For holding seats (useful if you have overestimated the quantity to sell and have not yet reached full capacity).

    For example, if the venue usually holds 24 people but you *could* add 6 more chairs, you may have set the Quantity to Sell at 30 and you can hold 6 of those seats here for release once the 24 seats sell.

    Sales Management Tab

    In the Sales Management Tab, you can set future onsale dates and times for sales outlets.

    Though not necessarily valid for Courses, you can set a Performance as a Season Control Performance here.

    The field for setting a Course or Performance as a Pay What You Can performance in Before Event Sales is found here. Courses can be sold in this way if you choose. For more information about Pay What You Can, click here.

    Web Settings Tab

    The Web Settings tab allows you to define a number of parameters for how the course is handled in Web Sales.

    The Web Settings Tab allows you to set:

    Performance Flags These are most often used for Web Sales plug-ins
    time limit to stop advance sales For example, You can shut down sales an hour before the class starts to "cap" it./td>
    specify a limit of tickets Limit the number of seats a patron can purchase (defult is 10)
    Notifications You can assign notifcations from the drop-down
    Performance Notes Anything entered here will be visible to ticket purchasers online

    Holds Tab

    Returning tickets to "hold" only applies to Reserved Seating venues.

    If your course is in a General Admission venue, this tab appears as in the image above, with the selection grayed out.

    To set a number of holds in a GA venue, use the Holds area on the Performance Tab.

    Security Tab

    If your organization has Security Settings to determine which employees can sell which events, those can be defined here by checking the appropriate boxes.

    Course Tab

    Report Cards

    On the right side of the Courses Tab, Report Cards issued for a Course are displayed. For more information about Report Cards, click here.

     

    Class dates

    On the left side of the Courses Tab, Class Dates and information are displayed.

    • If a Course has been set up, but does not have any transactions associated, you can alter settings in the Course Tab to remove sessions of the course using the Remove button.
    • Sessions of a Course can be set as active or not active via the checkbox next to their entry on the Courses Tab.
    • Class dates and times can be changed by:
      • double clicking on a class date
      • changing the appropriate fields window that opens
      • you can change dates even after sales have occurred as it will simply move the class time. This might be useful for 'snow days', 'hurricane moments', 'public holidays' or any other cancellation (see example below)
      • You can also tell Theatre Manager if individual reminders for each class are to be sent to the patron
    • If your organization wants to alter the value of Performance Field #1 for a class within a Course, you can make that change here.
    • If one or more classes for the Course take place in an Alternate Venue, you can change that. For example, a couple of classes could be in the rehearsal hall, some could be offsite at a school. If attendees or instructors have synced their purchase calendar to their devices, they will see the locations.
    • Using an alternate venue will not affect the quantity of seats available for sale.

      It only affects where you tell the instructor or students where to meet for that particular class - and shows in your facility management calendars.

      The performance runs from and through dates are automatically calculated as follows:
      • For the primary class that is being sold, it is the beginning of the class through the end of the LAST CLASS
      • For each of the other classes, the run time is simply the start of the class to the end of the class, based on the duration of each class.
      Optionally, you can change either the entire class range, or each individual class length by double clicking on the class and editing the runs though time. See image below.
    Diataxis: 

    Ticket Printing Tab

    Ticket printing and e-ticket delivery for print at home are normally enabled and disabled on the play window. You can over-ride the settings if you would like them to be different for every performance.

    Parts of the Window

    Box Office Settings Options are:
    • Print ticket face and any on sale promotions
    • Mark tickets as printed (but don't print)
    • Print only the sales promotion ticket face
    • Print ticket face only
    E-Ticket Delivery Options are:
    • Tickets cannot be printed at home (patron must select mail or will-call)
    • Tickets must be printed at home (patron has no option)
    • Tickets will be printed at home (unless patron selects mail or will call)

    Pricing Tab in Courses

    In the Pricing tab, you set course pricing the same way Price Codes are set for any other Play or Event.

    Parts of the Pricing Tab

    Pricing information for the selected performance on the left, displays in the price list on the right side of the Play Setup Window. When you click on different performances the price list will change. From left to right the price list displays:

    Pricing Panes

    Code Displays the single character code that is associated with this price. This character was assigned in the Price Code field in the Venue Map window.
    Use? Check box field. If the box is checked then the price code is available for use by the performance that is highlighted in the performance list.
    Description The description you give to easily identify the price code. For example, Adult, Child, Senior, Student. Or alternatively: Front, Mezzanine, Loge, Balcony.
    Price Displays the dollar value of the price code. For example, $10.00, 15.00... etc.
    City Displays the amount of city tax charged on the price code.
    State/PST Displays the amount of provincial / state tax that is charged on the price code.
    Federal/GST Displays the amount of Federal tax charged on the price code.
    Price + Tax Displays the total price of the price code with all taxes included.
    Duplicates the entire pricing structure from another course to this course.
    Copies prices from one play to the selected structures. Click here for more information on Copying Prices.
    Set the default price code for the selected courses. Click here for more information on setting a default.
    Opens the selected price code for editting.

    Copying Prices

    In Theatre Manager , you can copy prices to a single performance or group of performances, from any performance saved in Theatre Manager.

    1. Click on the Pricing  Tab of the Events and Dates Window.

      Pricing information should now display on the right side of the Events and Dates window.

    2. Select the performances that you want to Copy Prices to.

      To do this, click on the first performance you want to copy prices to, then drag you cursor over the remaining performances from the performances list on the left side of the window. Alternately, you can click the first performance, and then hold <CTRL> (Windows) or <COMMAND> (Mac) and click each additional performance.

    3. Click the Copy Prices  Button.

      The Copy Price Wizard window opens.

    4. In Step 1, select the performance to use as a Pricing Template.

      To further refine your search click the drop down list under the 1. You can then choose a different five search fields. They are:

      Select a search field, and you can further restrict the search using the "from" and "to" fields to enter criteria. For example, the (picture) below displays a successful search for performance that have Play Codes starting with 07.

    5. In Step 2, you select the performance that you want to use as a Pricing Template.

      As you select plays on the right, their price codes are displayed on the left and the performance's price codes are displayed on the right.

    6. Select the Price Codes you want to copy.

      Highlight the Price Codes you want. You can select all, none, or some of the price codes to be copied.

    7. In Step 3, you choose which Attributes of the Price Code to copy.

      There are four parts of the price code that you can copy across. The Description, the Price, Able To Use Flag, and Enabled/Disabled Promotions. To copy an attribute put a check in the box beside the attribute desired.

    8. Click the Copy Button.

    Selecting a Default Price Code for Courses

    Each course (series) can have its own default price code setting.

    1. Click on the Pricing  Tab of the Course Setup Window.

      Pricing information displays on the right side of the Event Setup Window.

    2. Select the performance for which you are setting the Default Price Code.

      Click on the performance from the performance list. The prices for this performance display in the price list on the right side of the window. 

    3. Open the Default Price Code drop down list.

      A list of usable price codes is displayed.

      Select a Price Code to be the Default.

    4. Do this by clicking on a price code from the list.

    Promotions Tab in Courses

    The Promotions tab is where you can add, edit or remove promotions availble when selling courses.

    Parts of the Promotions Tab

    Promotion Name The descriptive name of the promotion.
    Promotion Type Similar to the report groups, these classify similar sales promotions together. There are four possible selections to choose from. Regular Admission, Season Ticket, and three user defined fields. These promotion types are used in the same manner as the report groups.
    Used Sales outlet where the promotion can be used
    Sets or disables the default promotion to be used for this class
    Allows the selected promotions to be used when selling this class
    Indicates that the selected promotion will not be used when selling this class
    Allows you to choose which promotions are seen on the tab

    Attendance Tab in Courses

    The Attendance Tab is used to show which patrons are attending a course. As well you can track the attendance the day of the performance. Click here for more information on Tracking Attendance.

    Parts of the Attendance Tab

    Performance # Number of performance assigned in order of creation.
    Performance Code Code assigned based on the week and day of the performance.
    Performance Date The date of the performance.
    Purchase # Purchase reference number.
    First Name Patron's first name.
    Last Name Patron's last name.
    Company Company the patron works for.
    Quantity Number of admittance per ticket.
    Section Section the patron is seated in.
    Row # Row the patron is seated in.
    Seat # Seat number the patron is seated in.
    Sets the attendance for the course. This is only available on the day of the course or after it has taken place.
    Clears the attendance of the course. This is only available on the day of the course or after it has taken place.
    Print the selected tickets for this course that are not yet printed.
    Refunds the selected ticket(s).
    Transfers the selected ticket(s) to another course.

    Revenue Tab in Courses

    This tab displays a detailed summary of the revenue taken in for each course of an event. The Play is broken down into individual course.

    Parts of the Revenue Tab

    Performance Code This is the code used to track the course by.
    Date The date of the course.
    Time The time of the course.
    # Sold The current number of tickets sold to the course.
    # Report The number of tickets being used for reporting.
    Price The base price pf the ticket.
    Discount The total of all discounts.
    Gross Sales The total amount of sales minus all discounts, fees, and taxes.
    Ticket Fee 1 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
    Ticket Fee 2 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
    Ticket Fee 3 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
    City Tax The total of all City taxes.
    State / PST Tax The total of all State or PST taxes.
    Federal / GST Tax The total of all Federal or GST taxes.
    Total The total of all money collected during payment. This includes fees and taxes.
    Journal No Code If the course has occured, the G/L number that it was posted to.
    Performance # The performance number assigned by Theatre Manager based on order inputted.

    Volunteer Tab in Courses

    "Volunteer" is a broad term meaning "Personnel," "Volunteers," "Staff," or a variety of other terms. The field refers to any person assigned to an activity - whether they are paid or unpaid. you may have a mixture of paid and unpaid staff within the same event, for example Ushers (who are unpaid) and Run Crew (who are compensated). Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Volunteer," while others change it to reflect their own terminology. The nomenclature in your database may be different than "Volunteer."

    This Volunteer tab displays a list of the volunteers (personnel) assigned to each course, and what their task will be.

    Parts of the Volunteer tab

    Performance Information On the left side of the window, the listing of courses including the sequence number of the course, series code, and date.
    Volunteer Information On the right side of the window, the listing of volunteers assigned to a specific course.
    Allows you to look up and add a volunteer to the selected course date.
    Brings up the Volunteer Activity Detail window for the selected patron.
    Allows you to remove a volunteer from the selected course.
    Show volunteer working entire event This feature is currently under development.

    Sales Tab in Courses

    More Information to come.

    G/L Tab in Courses

    The G/L Entries tab displays a detailed summary of the transactions created and journalized to the general ledger for the general ledger accounts defined for this course.

    You can adjust the summary options by choosing the drop down menu in the bottom right hand corner of the window.

    Marketing Tab in Courses

    In the Marketing tab, you can configure the Marketing notes for the course. You can also add the course to a mail list and include external and internal notes for your Box Office Staff. Information you enter on this page will appear on your page in the Ticket Trove iPhone and iPad app.

    Parts of the Marketing Tab

    Available Actions

    Notification The email notification that will be sent when tickets are purchased to this course. Click here for info on work flow notifications.
    Default Mail List Allows you to assign this play to a specific mail list.
    Running Time Running time of each performance in minutes. Also displays for Web Sales.
    Genre Genre is a setting for events that is common across all Theatre Manager customers. Currently, there are about 30 classifications which will be used in the iPhone/iPad app to help customers find entertainment to their liking.
    External Sales Notes Marketing notes for both your Box Office staff and for Web Sales.
    Internal Sales Notes Marketing notes that appear to you Box Office staff, but not on the Web.
    Event Icon for Web/iPhone App If there is a graphic in the event, entering it here will display the graphic for all performances of the event.

    Tasks Tab in Courses

    Any tasks associated with a course can also be seen in the Course window. From here you can add tasks and associate them with resources, so you can create all the tasks needed for a particular course. These can then be added to a project and billed.

    Tasks are added on the left side. Once a task has been added, you can select the task and add the resource on the right side.

    Click on the Calendar button in the window's top toolbar to view all tasks, performances, and/or volunteers associated with the event / play in a new calendar.

    For more information on Tasks, click here.

    Tracking Course Attendance

    As patrons purchase tickets for Courses, they are automatically added to the Attendance Tab for that Course. Before the date of the first Course (or class), the attendance list can be viewed and printed. Once the first date arrives, the ability to set Attendance Reason is enabled via the Attendance Tab.

    The image below shows the Attendance Tab for a Course which is set for a future date.

     

    Patrons setting own absence reason for courses

    Patrons may be able to set their own absence reason in advance of the class using the web site. There is a button that is typically on the Home page called Manage Courses.

    If this feature is allowed, you will want to set some absence reasons in code tables as being Patron Useable. The patron can then select the reason from one of those defined in code tables that they are allowed to use.

    Setting Attendance Reason

    The image above shows a Course Attendance Tab for a Course which has already occurred but for which the Attendance Reasons have not been set. The "Reason" column is blank for all attendees.

    To set Attendance Reasons:

    • Highlight the Course in the left column to populate the Attendance list on the right.
    • Highlight the first attendee in the list.
    • Click the Set Attendance button on the bottom of the window.
    • Choose the Attendance Reason from the menu that appears:
    • A warning message will pop up asking if you want to set All attendees to the same reason at once, or if you'd like to Scan each one individually. Choose accordingly.
    • The attendee(s) will be marked with the Reason chosen.
    • If you need to clear the Reason for one or more attendees, highlight the first one in question and click the Clear Attendance button. The same menu will appear and you can either select a new reason or choose No Reason Given to clear the Reason column entirely for the selected attendee. You will also see the same warning asking if you want to Clear All or Scan each.

    The image below shows the Attendance Tab with attendees' attendance reasons marked:

    Use of Household and Relationships

    If the courses are for children or youth, we find people want to track a number of things like:
    • emergency contacts
    • doctors
    • who may pick up the child (or who may not)
    • the other parent or guardian in a separated household
    • etc.

    This is a convenient use of relationships within Theatre Manager. You can set up the child in the parents household record and make associations with other people such as grandparents, etc and define the nature of the relationship.

    The advantage of setting the child up in the patrons household means that when they purchase online, the patron can 'gift' the course to anybody in the family using the cart web page and effectively designate which of their children would be taking the course, drama camp, conservatory or what have you.

    Diataxis: 

    Report Cards

    Being able to create, assign, and print report cards is part of the Courses module. Before report cards can be used, you need to set up the following in the Setup >> System Tables >>code tables:

    • Report Card Templates, click here for more information,
    • Course levels, to assign different levels or grades of classes, click here for more information,
    • Report Card Categories for different areas to assess students, click here for more information,
    • Report Card Ratings, to describe your system of assessment, click here for more information.

    The next few pages will describe how to:

    • create and assign report cards for a course based on the template(s) created in System Tables, and
    • how to complete the report cards for each student.

     

    Diataxis: 

    Assigning Report Cards

    To assign a report card to a Course, you perform the following steps:

    1. Open Play from Setup or use the Plays button in the Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.
    2. The Play List window opens.

    3. Search for the Course in the Plays List and select it to open up the Plays and Dates Window.
    4. Select the Performance Tab.

    5. Select the Course from the performance list and click the Open buttom.

      The Performance Detal window opens.

    6. Select the Course Tab in the Detail Window.

    7. Under the Report Cards to Issue column on the left, click the New button to add a new report card.

      The Report Card Detail window opens.

    8. Enter a name for the report card (e.g the name of the course).
    9. Using the lookup button, choose a Template from the list of report card templates.
    10. Enter a due date for the report card.
    11. Under the Notes tab, Internal Notes are notes that will only appear within Theatre Manager. External Notes will print on every report card.
    12. Click the Save button.

      The Report Card tab populates with the name of each student in the Course and enables the report card to be completed.

    Completing Report Cards

    Once you have clicked Save on the Report Card Insert Window, click the Report Cards tab. The list of students registered is available to issue report cards. This list comes from the Attendance tab for the Course.

    In the top portion of the window (just above the Notes and Report Cards tabs) are the Completed and Remaining boxes. These show you the number of report cards that have been filled out and those that are left to be done.

    1. Double-click on a student's name to open up the student's report card record.

      The Report Card Information is already populated.

    Under Status & Future Recommendation, there is a checkbox to mark that Report Card completed, and there are two drop-down menus.

    • Overall Rating is for the student's final grade or overall rating for the Course. This drop-down is populated from the Course Report Card Ratings from Code Tables.

    • Next Level will print on the report card as Next Recommended Course and is populated from the Course Level, also from Code Tables.

    • The Internal and External Notes fields work in the individual report cards much like the same fields work in the Report Card Template. Internal Notes will only appear inside Theatre Manager, and External Notes will print on the student's report card. The notes in *this* window only apply to the selected student.
    1. Click the Evaluation tab to move on to assessing the student based on the Categories and individual items in the report card.

    2. Highlight a Category on the left to enable the items for each category as set up in the Report Card Template.
    3. Assign a Rating for each item under each Category. The comments beside each item will print on the report card in line with that item.
    4. Click the Save button.

      Close the report card to move on to the next student in the Report Cards list.

    Printing Report Cards

    Report Cards can be printed from each individual student's report card record using the Print button in the report card window, or from within Reports accessed via the Theatre Manager toolbar.

      To print from Reports, you perform the following steps:

    1. Click the Reports button.

      The List of Reports window opens.

    2. Select Course Reports >> Course Report Card.

    3. Click the Print button.

      The Course Report Card Criteria window opens.

    4. Click the New button, to open the Edit Report Parameters window.

    5. Set the Criteria to Course Report Card #> is one of > select the Report Card you'd like to print.
    6. Click the Save button.

      You are returned to the Course Report Card Criteria window Sort tab.

    7. Click the Next button.

      The Titles Tab opens.

    8. Click the Done to print the report cards.

    Online Event/Course Management

    You can allow course instructors to manage some aspects of the student's attendance or front of house staff to manage guest arrival to an event via the online, depending on settings in code tables

    This can include:

    • Setting Attendance for the students in each class of the course
    • Setting Attendance for the guests arrival for an event
    • Adding new patron to the class if you have previously been their instructor. This also means that a first time attendee must be added at the box office - to provide some control over student/teacher setup process
    • refund patron and remove them from the class or event
    • Reschedule the class in entirety
    • add an extra class

    What can this be used for?

    This feature was intended to support various things like:

    • Instructors taking attendance at the beginning of the class via a tablet and immediately tracking it in the database. eg did the ballet dancers or swimmers in a course come to the class. Or, did the conference participant attend a session?
    • Instructors adding late registrants to a course they are teaching (if they taught them before)
    • Instructors of personalized sports/fitness sessions being able to add registrants and use passes to pay for the session (if they have thought them before)
    • Instructors being able to reschedule the class or add an additional one
    • This feature is not just for instructors of courses or classes. It can be used to manage events to check in guests to a gala/special event, seminars, small member, or donor events where a guest list is used to greet guests as they arrive.
    Diataxis: 

    Adding A Student to a Class

    The instructor can add a student to their own class online using the following process and subject to a few conditions:
    • The class must have already been set up and in the future
    • The instructor must have already taught the student in the past

    Steps for adding a student online

    1. The instructor must log in to the online portal and ho to the home page. If they are allowed to manage classes, they will see Manage Play/Courses in their Patron Services area.

      It is permissible to bookmark the link to manage performances - and it may involve a login to proceed.

    2. This will show a list of upcoming courses that they are allowed to manage as an instructor. They can select the course that they want to Manage and add a student to.

    3. To add a new student, click the Add Attendee button.

    4. A search window will appear. The instructor will need to:
      • type some portion of the students name to find the patron in the database
      • click the search button, and
      • select the person from the list of those previously taught and click Select Price and Payment
    5. The instructor will be asked to Select a pass/gift certificate that will pay for the registration. The passes must be valid and belong to the patron. There is an option to place the registration On Account This feature can be disabled by editing the web pages.

      Note that any notes particular to the pass type are shown - which means you can place some rules for the instructor if you wish.

    6. After picking the pass to pay for the registration, the Instructor will need to confirm via the Pay With Pass ... button

    7. After confirming payment, the Instructor will then see the student as part of the class roster - and they can take attendance if they wish - using the active attendance reasons in code tables

    Diataxis: 

    Manage Attendance in a Course

    Taking attendance for a course requires some prior setup/permissions before it can be done via a tablet or computer
    The list of absence reasons are defined in the attendance reasons code table.

     

    Steps for Managing Attendance

    1. The instructor must log in to the the ticketing site (tickets.yourvenuename.org) and go to the home page. If they are allowed to manage classes, they will see Manage Play/Courses in their Patron Services area.

      It is permissible to bookmark the link to manage performances - and it may involve a login to proceed.

    2. This will show a list of upcoming courses that they are allowed to manage as an instructor. They can select the course that they want to Manage and set the attendance for.

    3. The instructor will see a list of attendees. To change the attendance status of the student, click the Attending button beside their name.

    4. The Instructor
      • will see a list of absence reasons, and
      • can select one as the reason for missing the class, and
      • click the Set Reason for Absence to mark the student absent

      If a student is marked absent and they should be present, you can use these steps to clear the absence reason.

    5. After adding the attendance reason, the list of registrants will change to show why the Student is not able to attend.

    Clearing or Changing an Absence Reason

    1. If a student was set absent by mistake, or arrives late and you want to change the attendance reason, all you need to is:
      • start at the class roster
      • Click on the absence reason button that is beside the patron name. This example says Attended-Late and is shown in orange (the typical bootstrap danger colour)

    2. The attendance screen is shown. You will have two options:
      • Clicking the button that says {Student Name] will attend, which clears the absence and sets the Student Attended
      • Selecting a different absence reason and then clicking Set Reason For Absence
      • Clicking the Back to Performance Management to make no changes to the data

    3. When back on the attendance list, the revised attendance status will be shown beside the student's name

    Personnel Setup for taking Attendance on tablets

    The instructor, volunteer or staff member can manage the attendance of students within the course or patrons within an event, subject to a few conditions:
    1. The class or performance must have already been set up and in the future
    2. There must be a Volunteer or Personnel activity set up in code tables that allows the Set Attendance option.
      • Typically that Activity code might be called 'Instructor' or 'Attendance Taker'. It could even be 'Usher' if desired.
      • The staff member or volunteer must be permitted to do the activity code that has ticket scanning capability
    3. The staff member or volunteer with an activity code that allows scanning must be assigned to the performance you want them to scan attendance for in one of the three ways below:

    Manage Attendance in a Event

    Taking attendance for an event requires some prior setup/permissions before it can be done via a tablet or computer

    Steps for Managing Attendance

    1. The front of house staff must log in to your ticketing site (tickets.yourvenuename.org) and go to the home page. If they are allowed to manage events, they will see Manage Play/Courses in their Patron Services area.

      It is permissible to bookmark the link to manage performances - and it may involve a login to proceed.

    2. This will show a list of upcoming events that they are allowed to manage as a front of house staff. They can select the event that they want to Manage and set the attendance for.

    3. The front of house staff will see a list of attendees. To change the attendance status of a patron, click the Attending button beside their name.

    4. Front of House Staff
      • will see a list of Attendance Status
      • can select the attending status to mark the patrons arrival for the event
      • click the Set Reason for Absence to set the status

      Patrons can be marked as a 'no show' at performance time. Should they arrive late, you can use these steps to clear the absence reason.

      The list of absence or attendance reasons are defined in the attendance reasons code table.

    5. After adding the attendance status, the list of patrons will change to show who is checked in for the event.

    Customers Paying their Own Balances

    If you wish to have patron's pay for course balances online, there are two ways to do it:

    • Via the Upcoming Courses button on the home page, which also allows the patron to indicate if they will be absent at the course
    • Using the Pay an Order Balance button that can be accessed from the home page or the shopping cart window

    Diataxis: 

    Manage Course or Pay Balance via Home Page

    If the user selects Upcoming Courses from the home page, they will be able to

    Viewing Upcoming Courses

    1. After clicking Upcoming Courses, the patron will see a list of courses/classes that they are enrolled in. In the example below, there is an outstanding balance on some registrations.

      These are indicated with a button that says Add Order #xxx to Cart on the class that money is owed for.

    2. If the order is added to cart by the patron, the next page that is shown is the shopping cart containing the order (as shown below)

    3. Should the student end back up at the course list, if the button says In Cart, it means that the order has been added to the cart already and all the Student needs to do is checkout and pay.

    Student Indicates reason for being absent

    You can show your Students how to tell you that they will not be able to attend.

    1. From the Home page, they select Upcoming Courses which will provide a list of dates for the classes they are registered in.

    2. In the column called Absent?, if they click the X inside the brown circle, they will see a list of absence reasons they can select from. This list contains only those from code tables that are patron usable.

    3. After picking the absence reason, the student will see their current attendance history in the Absent? column. The student can clear or change any absence reason that is a button in that column. Any reason that is text is one that is set by the Instructor and is not patron changeable.

    Pay order balances online (in general)

    A payment for prior orders online follows the rules of applying a single payment for multiple orders
    The feature is enabled in company preferences-->Web Options-->Carts & Checkout under the checkout grouping of orders
    If you enable the feature, we suggest entering a useful comment in the order's external notes when you put the order on account.
    If the student/patron selects the Pay an Order Balance from their online cart page or home page, they will see a list of orders as per the image below.

    1. The outstanding balance list shows all the orders containing receivables that the patron will eventually pay for at some time. The patron can pick one and Add to Cart.

      There are two conditions under which an order could appear on this window.

      • If the student was registered by an instructor online and they put the order on account
      • If the box office took a phone in or walk up order and put it on account -AND- indicated that the order balance could be paid online (refer to On Account payment on this page).

    2. When they do that, they will end up at the shopping cart, ready to continue shopping or to pay for the balance.
    Diataxis: 

    Credit Card Authorization Setup

    Theatre Manager provides a connection to a number of service providers for credit card authorization, along with two modes of operating each option (schedule "C" or Schedule "D" compliance mode). Both are PCI PA-DSS 3.2.1 verified.

    More information on Credit Card installation, setup, USB credit card swipes, PCI compliance, and card encryption can be found by clicking here.

    Definitions

    There is often confusion between the purpose of a bank and a service provider and understanding the difference helps make sense of the authorization options available to you.

    Bank:
    A bank is where the money ends up at the end of the day. If somebody gives you money in any form (cash, check, credit card), you write up deposit slips and take it to the building at the corner on the main street. Banks are very bricks and mortar companies with charters to write loans, put your money is a safe, etc.
    Service Provider:
    A service provider is not a bank. Service providers are only in the business of authorizing credit cards on behalf of a bank and hold on to the money while it is electronically in transit to your bank. When you do your daily credit card batch settlement, the money in transit is transferred directly to your bank. In North America, there are about 15 major service providers such as Paymentech, Nova, 1st Data, Visanet, FMDS, etc. Some banks prefer working with some service providers - but generally, most service providers can get your money to any bank.

    The reason that service providers and banks are separate is historical. Banks started as local or regional entities in the USA. Most were not big enough to handle the infrastructure of authorizing credit cards. When cards became very popular in the 70's, they farmed out the business of authorizing cards to a service provider as an economical means of providing cards to their customers without the expense of hosting large computer centers.

    Service providers provide the infrastructure to authorize cards and then deposit YOUR funds in ANY bank.

    System Flow

    With any service provider, the money always gets to your bank account. You enter or swipe the card information into Theatre Manager and it sends all the correct information to the appropriate service provider. The following illustrates the difference in flow of the authorization. In either case, a merchant has to maintain a PCI compliant Office setup.

    Transactions Types

    With each service provider, Theatre Manager supports the ability for processing:

    • Payment Pre-Authorizations
    • Payment Voids
    • Independent Payment Refunds
    • Linked Payment Refunds
    • Batch Settlement
    Each service provider reserves the right to restrict the use of certain transactions in certain situations from being processed based on what the merchant provider has set up for your merchant account. These merchant provider restrictions can be set in the Merchant's Authorization Tab.

    Enabling Credit Card Authorization in Theatre Manager

    Regardless of which of the options you choose (Orbital, Moneris, Elavon, etc), there are two key areas to address inside Theatre Manager in order to enable credit card authorization.

    Payment Methods Code Table

    Refer to payment code table for setup information.


    Merchant Accounts

    Click here for steps to set up a Merchant Account inside Theatre Manager.

    Paymentech Orbital

    All users of the Orbital Virtual Terminal in conjunction with Theatre Manager are encouraged to download a Virtual Terminal Quick Reference Guide directly from Chase Paymentech. Additionally, once you log into your VT, there is a Help button for FAQ's and support from the Orbital Support team.

    Installation

    Installation and setup instructions for use with Paymentech Orbital start here.

    End of Day

    Instructions regarding the use of Orbital during the End of Day process are found here.

    Current Batch Total

    To find the batch total in the Orbital Virtual Terminal, Click here and follow the steps.

    Allow Manual Settlement

    click here.

    Reporting

    To find information about the various reporting options inside the Orbital Virtual Terminal, click here.

    Open Batch

    Open Batch reports are reports on the current batch in the Virtual Teminal (and by extension, in Theatre Manager). Using this function, you can look up transactions based on:

    • Transaction Status

    • Account # - this could be either the full credit card number or just the last 4 digits.
    • Order # - the Order number assigned to that transaction.
    • Order Description - the description assigned to the order.
    • Card Type - Options in the drop-down will vary based on the types of cards accepted by each individual organization.
    • Amount Range - search for transactions based on minimum or maximum amounts.
    • Approval Code - search by the authorization/approval code - this will also be noted in the Payment record in Theatre Manager.
    • Transaction Reference -
    • Profile ID - the profile ID is set up inside the Admin area of the Virtual Terminal itself and does not correspond to fields in Theatre Manager.
    • User Logon - this is the user ID used to log into the Virtual Terminal. Theatre Manager clients likely only have one of these ID's, though it is possible there could be one for each user who performs EOD.
    • A date range can be added to the search if the checkbox for that area is checked and dates included. To exclude a date range and search any dates, simply remove the check from the box.

    The Query Type determines the type of report that will result from the report query. Options include:

    • Detailed Transactions - this query shows all the details about each transaction in the batch.
    • Summary Query - a summary with totals of charges in the batch. This is the option to use in pulling the report to match to Theatre Manager's End of Day Wizard. More information about that here.
    • Generate Detail Report - will pull a detailed report in PDF format that can be recalled later in the Reporting area under Report Type.
    • Generate Detail File - will pull a CSV file that can be used to export/import to accounting packages and is also retrievable later in Reporting.

    Review

    Under the Review Tab, a user can choose to review entire Batches or specific Transactions or ranges of Transactions.

    Batch Review

    A Batch Review allows users to pull reports of in-progress, settled or rejected batches. Choose between searching by Batch Number range or a Date range.

    The Query Type determines the type of report that will result from the report query. Options include:

    • Detailed Transactions - a report with specific details about each transaction in the selected batch(es).
    • Summary Query - shows totals of the batch(es) without detail on transactions.
    • Generate Detail Report - will pull a detailed report of the batch(es) in PDF format that can be recalled later in the Reporting area under Report Type.
    • Generate Detail File - will pull a batch detail CSV file that can be used to export/import to accounting packages and is also retrievable later in Reporting.
    • Pending Options - pull either a PDF report or CSV file on batches that meet the criteria and are still pending.
    • Rejected Options - pull either a PDF report or CSV file on batches that meet the criteria and were rejected by the processor.

    Transactions Review

    Reports can also be generated for single or groups of transactions based on selected criteria. Except for the Transaction Status selection, the criteria are the same as for pulling an Open Batch report as described here.

    Under Transaction Status, a user can choose transactions which meet all the selected criteria and are:

    • Settled
    • Pending
    • Settled Sales (no refunds/credits will be included)
    • Settled Returns (the alternate of the above)
    • Rejected Items

    Reporting

    When you are pulling reports, either under Open Batch or Review, you can choose Generate Detail Files or Reports. Your previously generated reports can be recalled again in the Reporting Tab.

    You can further refine reports to include only those that are:

    • Complete
    • Queued/In Process
    • No Results
    • Deleted
    • Error

    When the report is originally pulled, under Query Type, you can choose to generate a "Report," a PDF report of the results, or "File," a CSV file that can be imported into an accounting package.

    Reports are pulled either under the Review Batch Tab, under the Open Batch Tab, or under the Admin Tab > Profile Management.

    Moneris

    This section contains information on how to use the Moneris Virtual Terminal in conjunction with Theatre Manager to obtain batch information, reports, and to charge cards directly in the Virtual Terminal.

    If your question is about setup, please refer to Moneris e-Select Installation

    Processing Charges Directly in Moneris Virtual Terminal

    This page will contain instructions for processing credit card charges in the Moneris Virtual Terminal in the rare cases it might be necessary that you do so. All charges should be normally processed in Theatre Manager.

    Viewing Transaction List in Moneris

    You can view a list of Transactions by a number of different parameters (a specific batch, a time span, by card type, etc) directly in the Moneris Virtual Terminal:
    1. Login to www.eselectplus.ca.
    2. Select Reports > Transactions from the top toolbars.

      The Transactions Search Parameters window will open.

    3. Set the search parameters to capture the transactions you'd like to see.

      For example, you can enter a time frame or day under Date, and check the Batch Number under Other Criteria. This gets all the transactions in a specific time span and in a particular batch.

      Click Submit Search to get a list of the transactions.

    4. In the returned listing, transactions with an Order ID beginning "mvt" were processed directly in the Moneris Virtual Terminal (and not in Theatre Manager). Those with a number for an Order ID were processed in Theatre Manager.

    Clicking Process Grouped Transactions will settle any unsettled transactions in the list. Do not do so without direction from Arts Management Support as this will affect your End of Day in Theatre Manager.

    Viewing the Current Open Batch Total in Moneris

    To view a summary total of any open batches in Moneris, you perform the following steps:
    1. Login to www.eselectplus.ca.
    2. Choose Reports > Batches in the top toolbars.

      The Batch Reports Search Parameters window opens.

    3. Under Date, select Current - Open Batches.
    4. Click Search at the bottom of the page.

      A window opens, showing the totals of any open batches.

    5. The Batch total should match the Theatre Manager Deposit List Total for authorized credit cards.

    Moneris Refunding Limits

    When an account is created with Moneris, the refund limit for an organization is determined. Often the daily limit is set to $5,000. The daily limit for voiding transactions for most merchants is only $500. During a traditional business day, this is often more then enough. However, when an event is cancelled, the value of refunds can be far higher then standard $5,000 limit.

    When an increase to the refund limit is required, you can make a request to Moneris. The increase usually lasts for a day. If more than a one day increase is needed, each day must be requested individually. Details about the refund date, required amount, banking information and security questions are required in advance of making the request.

    It's important you choose a date to process the cancelled events refunds. Consider a date when staff are available to complete the process and you have collected the refund details. The majority, if not all refunds, should be completed on this day, as the refund value will default back to the company limit on the following business day.

    You will need to calculate the expected amount of the refunds. You can use the Ticket Printing, Invoicing and Inventory Analysis >> Revenues by Payment Method - Ticket Based report. This report can determine how much was originally purchased using credit cards, thus helping determine the amount to be refunded.

    Once the above information is collected, the Moneris representative can be contacted. Provide them the merchant account number to locate the organizations record. Arrangements can be made for the increase and the refunds can be completed. For details on refunding tickets through Theatre Manager click here.

    Donation Management

    A Donation would be any item given to an organization without intention of receiving a benefit. Most donors receive a tax receipt for their donation. Donations can be Inserted, Modified, or Deleted depending on the need.

    Please refer to Donation Features or see how to deal with various data entry scenarios

    Please note that are required to have some system table settings in place before using the donation module. To learn more about Donation System Tables click here.

    Accessing Donations

    1. Open the Patron Record.

      For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

    2. Click the Donation tab.

    You can download the Quick Reference Guides (less than 20 pages), Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration) by clicking on the icon.

    Topic

    Reference Guide
    pdf format

    Cheatsheet
    pdf format

    Flash

    ScreenCast

    MP4

    ScreenCast

    Donations

    Donations Overview

    Add a Donation thru the Order Window

    Refund a Ticket to a Donation

     

     

    Create a Campaign  

    Pledged Donations  

    How to Toggle Between Individual & Corporate Donations  

    How to Make a Donation Anonymous  

    Soft Credits  

    Matching Gifts Part 1 - Setting up the Gifter  

    Matching Gifts Part 2 - Adding Gift to a Donation, Running a Report  

    Gift In Kind  

    Deleting and Refunding Donations  

    Donation Module Features

    The Donation module is a complete tracking option for all unearned income. The donation module closely follows IRS and CRA guidelines and is built from their recommendations as well as from the needs of our diverse clients.

    Theatre Manager can be used to enter and manage donations for your:

    • Annual Fund
    • Capital Campaign
    • Recurring donations
    • Donations on a payment plan, or
    • Simple Ticket Round-up donation online
    • Campaigns with progress bars and suggested donations online
    • Special fundraising events, silent and live auctions including raffles, cash advances and checkouts
    • Aggregating donations for recognition across campaigns
    • Gifts in kind, matching gifts, soft credits
    • and almost any scenario
    Theatre Manager can provide the entry, accounting, pledge management, tracking/reporting, print tax receipts(one per payment or annual statement) and even print the program insert listing your donors within their respective donor categories.

    For more information on the features of the donation module, you may wish to refer to a number of cheatsheet and videos or the sample data entry scenarios.
    Diataxis: 

    Features Overview

    For more information on the features of the donation module, you may wish to refer to a number of cheatsheet and videos or the sample data entry scenarios.

    The Development/ Fundraising/ Donation module of Theatre Manager has long been a major portion of the system with a long list of extensive features such as:

    Plus the numerous donation detail, summary, giving trends, giving level, reports geared towards telemarketers, board members, development staff, and management.

    Diataxis: 

    Sample Donation Scenarios and how to enter them

    For more information on the features of the donation module, you may wish to refer to a number of cheatsheet and videos.

     

    What are some sample Donation Scenarios?

    Single donation PAID at time of entry with one payment A single donation is one that is entered, paid for and receipted at one time. You would:
    • Insert a new donation (providing amount, campaign, tax receipt name, tax receipt option etc)
    • Apply a payment
    • (optionally) add a letter/email acknowledging the gift
    • Print the tax receipt now (or later)
    Single donation with PAID with multiple post dated payments A single donation is one that is entered, with a payment plan for and receipted later. You would:
    • Insert a new donation (providing amount, campaign, tax receipt name, selecting annual statement tax receipt option etc)
    • Begin applying a payment and click on post dated tab
    • Enter the post dated payments options which can be credit card, EFT or checks (if they give you all the checks in hand)
    • Add a letter/email acknowledging the gift
    • Print the tax receipt now, or later when each payment arrives, or once in an annual receipt at end of year.
    Single donation where patron PLEDGED to send checks in later on A single donation is one that is entered but there is no payment plan. The customer would be sending the checks later in response to as reminder to pay an instalment. You would:
    • Insert a new donation (providing amount, campaign, tax receipt name, selecting annual statement tax receipt option etc)
    • Click on the correspondence tab and setup up PLEDGE REMINDER letter/emails for the appropriate frequency
    • Add a letter/email acknowledging the gift
    • When each payment comes in, look up the donation it is for and apply the payment.
    • Print the tax receipt when each payment arrives, or once in an annual receipt at end of year.
    • Use the report Patrons Behind in Pledge Payments to manage who has received a reminder and hasn't sent in their payment
    Recurring Donation that repeats forever A donation that repeats forever needs to be entered once and then set up to recur. The next donation is automatically generated on the appropriate date. Any existing donation can be turned into recurring. The suggested steps are:
    • Enter a donation like the simple donation with one payment. In general, select Annual Statement receipt for the ta receipt type
    • When done, create a recurring donation from the individual donation and
      • set a frequency of occurrence (eg, weekly, monthly ,quarterly, etc.)
      • pick a payment method that is a credit card, EFT, or On account (meaning you will call them)
      • Post dated payments and pledge payments are not appropriate for recurring donations
    • Run you end of day each day. On the appropriate date, a new donation and payment will be created.
    • If it is credit card, you will authorize it. if it is EFT, you will generate an EFT file
    Donation with a non receiptable benefit amount A donation with a benefit amount is entered and paid for like any other donation. The only difference is that the campaign allocated to the donation
    • Has a benefit amount assigned to the giving level (since each giving level could have a different benefit like 2 tickets, 4 tickets and a mug, etc.
    • You can allow the benefit amount to be optional, meaning that the patron does not have to take the benefit
    • Enter the donation
    • Optionally, modify the benefit amount
    • Follow any of the previous examples for post dated, pledge, or single payment.

    Donations with a benefit will show that on the tax receipts for IRS or CRA purposes, while allowing the donation to be recognized within the venue at full value. The tax receipt will effectively indicate: Thanks for your donation of $xxx.xx of which $y.yy is a non receipt-able benefit.

    It is most often used for special events with dinners, or where there are material benefits conferred or costs incurred by the venue as part of receiving the donation.

    Prospects, Grants and Foundations A government grant or foundation gift is the same as a single donation. Simply enter it. You may want to do the following:
    • (Optional) Enter the donations as a prospect when you start applying or it
    • Create a task for the donation and on the 'documents' tab of the task, drag in any PDF's spreadsheets, word documents, etc that are pertinent to the application process. This saves them in the database permanently and make a great reference for the following year.
    • When the grant is approved:
      • Change the donations amount to the amount actually approved by the granting agency or foundation.
      • Change the donation from a prospect to a regular gift
    • Apply payments when they come in - which is often first payment, middle payment and final payment.
    • If there are interim reports, save those as a PDF and add them to the task as well
    Restricted Donations, Capital Campaigns and Gaming Revenue Generally, restricted donations are those that can only be used for a specific purpose or are required to be put into a separate bank account (or tracked appropriately in the GL).

    In some locations, funds MUST be placed into a separate account (eg gaming revenue). These are handled as follows

    • Set up a campaign that uses a restricted account.
    • Enter the donation as normal
    • Take Payments as normal. These can be one time payments, post dated, EFT, pledges, etc as described above
    • When end of day is done, Theatre Manager will create clearing entries telling you to move funds from your operating account to the appropriate restricted bank account. Use your online banking portal to move the appropriate amount
    Gifts to multiple campaigns Some donations are split amongst two or more campaigns. To do this:
    • Enter a donation to the one campaign along with the amount
    • Use the duplciate button to create an new donation in the same order. it will be created as a prospect
      • Change the campaign that is donation is to go to
      • Change the amount, if the allocation is not equal
      • Change the donation from a prospect to a gift to make it real -or-
      • Delete it if you do not want it.
    • Proceed and pay for it as you would any other donations.
    Alternatively, if you don't want the donations in the same order, just enter a second one and pay each of them separately.
    Gifts to multiple years Some donations are pledged and split amongst multiple years for ongoing large donations. Eg, a patron might pledge $3000 a year to the virtuoso fund for a 5 year period. If you want the recognition for the total amount of $15,000 for all 5 years, you would handle this as follows:
    Pledges Over Multiple Years Scenario: a patron that would like to give a total of $10,000.00 over 5 years ($2,000.00 each year). We don't want to record the $10,000 pledge upfront into our General Ledger, creating a large Accounts Payable entry. However we would like to keep track of the total amount and the progress of the $10,000.00 as it decreases with future payments. What is the best practice in this scenario?

    Buy a Seat If you are doing a seat naming campaign, the best way to handle it is:
    • Create a specific performance for the buy a seat campaign.
    • Create two prices: One for the box office of $0.00 and one for online at the donation for the seat of $xxx.xx
    • At the box office:
      • Sell the required number of seats to this performance at $0.00
      • Add a donation, set the amount and assign to the buy a seat campaign
      • enter any custom inscription notes into the donation note field
      • Take your payment (check, card, EFT or post dated payments)
      • Print receipts as required (annually, or per payment)
    • For online sales:
      • People buy online to get the seat they want to sponsor, pay the appropriate price and checkout.
      • Later, go to the attendance tab in the event window
      • Select the number of tickets sold online - they will have the sponsorship price associated with it, instead of $0.00
      • Right click and change the price on the tickets to zero
      • add a donation to the order equivalent to the former ticket price
      • Print receipts as required (annually, or per payment)
      At the end of the 'buy a seat' sale, you now have:
      • A seat map showing the seats that patrons sponsored which you can refer to later on
      • A campaign with the total of the seat sold
      • The ability to export the engraving notes from the donations
      Diataxis: 

      List Window

      There are two ways to access the donation list window. The Donation Tab window will let you access other functions of the Donation Module. For instance you can Insert a New Donation from this window or you may access the Donation Detail window from here.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      Parts of the Donation Tab

      Order # Unique number assigned to the order for tracking within Theatre Manager.

      Program Year

      The Program Year defines the time frame the donation will be recognized in published material. Use it in reports to print a list of Program Names within the Program Year.
      Use The type of donation received.
      Campaign Campaign the donation was assigned to.
      Fiscal Year The financial year the donation was made within.
      Donation Date Date the donation was recorded in Theatre Manager for.
      Pledge The amount the donation was originally entered as.
      Actual Amount of money received for the donation. A donation may be made in the form of a Stock and the payment amount may be more of less then the donation amount. For information on Stock gifts click here.
      Donation Balance The unpaid difference between the Donation and the Total Payment
      Donation Amount of Receipt The amount of the donation that receipts have been issued for.
      Inserts a new donation. For more information on inserting donations click here.
      Opens the selected donation for editing. For more information on editing donations click here.
      Deletes a donation when the tax receipt and prior payments have been removed. For more information on deleting donations click here.
      Opens the donation payment window. For more information on making payments Click here.
      Prints the donation on a ticket if a default ticket face has been associated with the donation. For information on setting up donation campaigns click here.
      Diataxis: 

      Details Window

      You use the Donation Detail Window to insert a new donation. You also use this window to provide a user with specific details about a Patron's particular Donation.
      • When Inserting Donations the Donation Detail Window is accessed through the donation module or the order window.
      • To access a Patron's Donation Detail Window after the donation has been inserted, you can open the patron's Donation tab and the previous donation from there. Double click on any donation line and the Donation Detail Window will appear.
      The data in the Campaign, Solicitor, Non-Receipt Benefit is definable while Setting up Donation. The format of program name and many of the print function defaults are defined in Default Data.

      To access the Donation Detail window, you perform the following steps:

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Click the New button.

       

      Parts of the Detail Window

      Inserts a new donation. For more information on inserting donations click here.
      Saved changes made to the current donation.
      Reverts changes made to the donation back to the last saved point.
      Deletes a donation once the donation receipt and payment have been removed. For more information on deleting donations click here.
      Generates a report displaying the donation details.
      Checks the spelling within the data entry fields.
      Adds a payment to the order. For more information on adding payments click here.
      Campaign The drop down list contains the possible donation campaign to give the donation to.
      Date Donated Enter the date a donation was made or if the donation differ from the default computer date the date can be back dated into a prior calendar year for tax purposes.
      Solicitor Select the person responsible for receiving the donation from the drop down. This person must exist in the Employee table (see Setting up an Employee)
      Donation (gift) There are two parts to the actual donation amount:
      • The gift type - which is a popup in front of the gift amount
      • The gift amount
      Click in to the amount field and type in the donation amount.

      This amount is normally set up a receivable in Theatre Manager so that the system knows to expect a payment for this amount. It could be one payment or it could be post dated payments.

      However, the choice in the popup affects whether the GL is informed about the gift. There are generally 4 choices when entering a new gift:

      • Prospect - Is used to indicate a possible future donation. These are part of the prospecting portion of Theatre Manager so that you can track a list of 'prospects' and manage them to completion through a moves management process. Pledge amounts are NOT sent to the GL until converted to a hard pledge or donation (gift).
      • Soft Pledge - a soft pledge is like a prospect. It is intended to be used for prospects that have indicated intent to give, but have not signed any paperwork. Soft pledges are also not sent to the GL.
      • Hard Pledge - are a way to classify donations where the donor has signed a pledge card and needs to be sent reminders to donate. Because there is a signed pledge card, these are sent to the GL as per IRS/CRA reporting requirements.
      • Donation (gift) - are intended to be used for regular donations, gift in kinds, grants and most donations where you get the check along with the donation or are reasonably assured you will receive the donation. These donations are also sent to the GL.
      Total Payment Amount of money received for the donation. A donation may be made in the form of a Stock and the payment amount may be more of less then the donation amount. For information on Stock gifts click here.
      WriteOff Amount The unpaid difference between the Donation and the Total Payment.
      Matching Gift Select the Matching Gift if you wish to link this donation to another patron who will also donate as a result of this patron giving a new donation. Click Here for more information.
      Commission Select Commisssion if the employee responsable for the donation receives a persentage of the sale.
      Access You can specify the groups of people who can access this donation if you wish to put some sort of restrictions on the record.
      Non-Receipt Benefit The amount deducted from the donation receipt to cover taxable benefits received by making the donation.
      Next Contact By default, the Next Contact Date is eleven months from the date of the donation. This date can be changed should you require a different date from the default. Use it in reports to print a list of donors that need contacted at that time to ensure that they give on a regular basis.
      Fiscal Year The Fiscal Year defaults from the
      Program Year The Program Year generally tracks the fiscal year - meaning it is the same. However, you can make the program year an arbitrary year in the future or in the past -- so that you can track totals differently than fiscal year. Changing program year has no effect on financial data. It can be used as selection criteria for creating the program listing.

      The allows your FISCAL YEAR to track IRS and CRA reporting/accounting requirements while program year can track your own reporting requirements

      It defaults to:

      Tax Receipt Name This field is used to record the name of the individual who will receive the tax deductible receipt. Theatre Manager prints a receipt for tax purposes in the name of the individual recorded here, which could differ from the individual giving the donation.

      Please refer to Tax Receipt Name Considerations when entering this field - there are some legal implications.

      Program Name This field is used to record how the patron would like to be recognized on the program. Theatre Manager generates a donor recognition report that ensures your donation list is complete and up-to-date. If the Donor wishes to remain anonymous this field should read "anonymous". Click here for more information on making the donation anonymous.
      Sort Name The sort name is suggested by Theatre Manager. It is initially based on the last name or company, depending on how the default donor name is selected and it may be changed. The sort name is used to position the donor's name in the program. For example, if the Program Name is 'Anonymous', the sort name could still be 'Smith'. This would cause the program to creating a listing for 'Anonymous' under S.
      Receipt Options Choose how and when receipts should be Printed. The options are described on this web page.
      Click here for details on the Notes tab.
      Click here for details on the Pledge Schedule tab.
      Click here for details on the Receipt tab.
      Click here for details on the Soft Credit tab.
      Click here for details on the Matching Gift tab.
      Click here for details on the Transaction tab.
      Diataxis: 

      Note Tab

      The Notes Tab allows you to select specific donors and event / plays and enter Notes about the selected donation.

      Parts of the Notes Tab

      Donor #1 (pop-up) A customizable pop-up field edited through the code tables. This pop-up can be made a mandatory field in Company Preferences.
      Donor #2 (pop-up) A customizable pop-up field edited through the code tables. This pop-up can be made a mandatory field in Company Preferences.
      Donor #3 (pop-up) A customizable pop-up field edited through the code tables. This pop-up can be made a mandatory field in Company Preferences.
      Donor #4 (char) A customizable character field. This field can be made a mandatory in Company Preferences.
      Donor #5 (flag) A customizable Check Box.
      Donor #6 (flag) A customizable Check Box.
      Donor #7 (flag) A customizable Check Box.
      Play Allows you to attach a play to this donation. Use the Event / Play Lookup button to choose from a list of events / plays.
      Donation Notes Any addition notes to be added to the donation. If the donation was a matching gift, notes to that effect will be automatically placed here.

      If any of the customized fields are made mandatory, you will need to edit the TMdonation.html web page in order to successfully accept donations online.


      Diataxis: 

      Pledge Schedule & Contacts Tab

      This tab can be used to add Pledge Schedules and track all donation Contacts.

      Parts of the Pledge Schedule / Contacts Tab

      Status Pictorial progress of the letter, pledge or email.
      Seq # Sequence number of the letter, pledge or email.
      Status Verbal progress of the letter, pledge or email.
      Type Type of contact detail.
      Priority Rating of priority.
      Requested By Employee who added the letter, pledge or email.
      Notes Name of the letter or email.
      Records/File Connected to Correspondence Details of the attached letter, pledge or email.
      Date Begin Date the correspondence is set to begin.
      Adds a scheduled pledge reminded to the donation. For more information on scheduled pledges click here.
      Opens the selected letter, pledge or email.
      Deletes the selected letter, pledge or email.
      Adds a new letter or email to the donation.
      Opens the document that corresponds to the selected pledge, letter or email.
      Prints the selected letter.
      Diataxis: 

      Tasks Tab

      Tasks are part of the Facility Management module. If your organization has not purchased the Facility Management module, the Tasks feature in Donation Management will be limited.

      Calendars show tasks to be done in a variety of formats. Gantt charts (part of Projects) show tasks associated with each other and the relationships between the various pieces. Invoices use tasks and the associated people and resources as line items in an invoice to bill clients.

      You can associate tasks with any number of people who are responsible for making sure the task gets completed. Tasks can be reminders to yourself about upcoming deadlines. Tasks can be used to schedule your time. Tasks can have physical resources assigned to them that may be billed or not.

      Notifications or reminders can be set up for tasks so you don't miss a meeting or appointment.

      To learn more about tasks and how to add them click here.


      Parts of the Tasks tab

      Task # The sequence number assigned by the database to the task.
      Status The current status of the task (Done, Not Done, In Progress, Cancelled).
      Begin Date Date the task is set to begin.
      Date End Projected completion date of the task.
      Description The description of the task.
      Event Title The title of the event / play associated with the task (if any).
      Event Code The event / play code associated with the task (if any).
      Perf # The Performance number associated with the task (if any).
      Date The date of the event associated with the task (if any).
      Time The time of the performance associated with the task (if any).
      Diataxis: 

      Receipt Tab

      In this window, you can Add, Edit and Delete donation receipt information.
      Please refer to receipt options to see how your choices of when and how receipts should be printed for the donation by Theatre Manager.

      Parts of the Receipt Tab

      Receipt Date The Date the Receipt was created i.e. The day the payment was received.
      Description Method of payment received.
      Receipt Amount Amount the receipt was issued for.
      Receipt # The number of the receipt. This number is setup in Company Preferences under the Donation Receipts tab.
      Receipt Printed Date Date the receipt was printed.
      Receipt Print Count Number of times the receipt has been printed.
      Opens the Edit Manual Receipt detail window.
      Deletes the selected receipt. If after the receipt is deleted the total donation is greater than the receipted amount Theatre Manager will rebuild the order and recreate the receipts.
      Adds a form letter to the selected payment.
      Prints a ticket receipt for the selected payment.
      Diataxis: 

      Soft Credit Tab

      A Soft Credit is used to attach a patron other then the donor to the donation. The purpose is to recognize a patron for the value of the contributions they helped raise.

      Parts of the Soft Credit Tab

      Patron # Reference number for the patron associated by the soft credit.
      Patron Name First and last name of the patron.
      Soft Credit Amount of the donation the patron is to be recognized for.
      Program Year The year in which the patron should be recognized in publications.
      Campaign Name Campaign the donation was contributed to.
      First Name First name of the patron.
      Last Name Last name of the patron.
      Company Company the patron works for.
      Inserts a new soft credit. For more information on creating soft credits click here.
      Opens the selected soft credit for editing.
      Deletes the selected soft credit.
      Diataxis: 

      Matching Gift Tab

      For details on inserting matching gifts click here.

      Parts of Matching Gift Tab

      Patron Patron number for the matching gift patron.
      Amount Value of the donation the matching gift patron will make.
      Order # The order number in the matching gift patrons file.
      Giving Ratio The percentage the matching gift patron's donation is in relation to the original donation
      Opens the patron record for the matching gift patron.

      Quick reference Information for Matching Gifts

      Quick reference information for Setting up the Gifter

      Screencast

      Screencast

      Diataxis: 

      Transaction Tab

      Parts of the Transactions Tab

      Seq # The transaction reference number.
      Trans Date Date the transaction took place.
      Journal No Journal Entry reference number.
      Code Theatre Manager reference code used to determine the type of transaction.
      Transaction Desc Brief description of what the transaction was.
      Order # Reference number used to tract the components of the order.
      Play Code Play code reference the donation is associated with.
      Performance Code Performance code reference the donation is associated with.
      Opens the selected transaction displaying the transaction details window.
      Diataxis: 

      Campaign Setup

      You can download the Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration) by clicking on the icons.

      Cheatsheet

      Flash

      MP4

      Campaigns are at the heart of the donation module. For accounting and marketing purposes, Theatre Manager allows you to divide your fundraising activities into as many "campaigns" as you wish. You may choose to have a single Annual Campaign that rolls over from year to year, or you may opt to create a new Annual Fund Campaign each year, thereby allowing you to place funds from each year into separate GL account.

      While all funds for campaigns are initially processed through your general operating accounts, certain campaigns - such as the Capital Campaign - may actually reside in another bank or bank account. To handle this, Theatre Manager uses a Donation Bank Transfer (or "clearing" account) that signals your accountant to move funds from the main account to the other bank account that is being used for the Capital Campaign. And Theatre Manager handles all this accounting for you through the End Of Day.

      Campaigns can be set be used only in specific places (box office vs, the web) and for specific purposes (all ticket returns go to a specific campaign, while general gifts have more options). Solicitors can be set to a specific employee or "champion" or can be left unset so that whomever solicits the donation will get the credit for having done so. This is particularly helpful in "Ticket Round-up" campaigns where Box Office staff can compete to see who raises the most funds.

      Each campaign can be assigned a specific "Giving Level Matrix" which is simply a listing of dollar levels and their matching name. For example:

      • $0.00 to $99.99 Donor
      • $100.00 to $249.99 Friend
      • $250.00 to $349.99 Star
      • $350.00 to $499.99 Director
      • $500.00 to $999.99 Producer
      • $1,000.00 to $999,999.99 Playwright

      You can also indicate within each level what benefits they may receive for their gift (if any) and record any impact that may have on their taxable receipt amount.

      Diataxis: 

      Setting Up Stock Gifts / Donations

      We have a number of sites that receive stock donations. The general practice, is to value the stock at time of gift. This is the valuation for the tax receipt the donor receives.

      The theatre can keep the stock (perhaps for an endowment investment) or turn it over to a broker to sell it under the direction of the theatre.

      The donation value is most often recognized at the time of the gift. The amount actually received can be more or less than that valuation.

      To handle this, yopu create a payment method called 'stock gain/loss' to be written off to a special account. You create this new payment method in code tables. For more information on code tables, click here.

      For example: A patron gives $1,000 in stock.
      The stock is sold for $1,010.
      There are two payments for the gift. One of $1,000 check from the broker, and one of $10 gain/loss. The donor gets receipted for the $1,000 only, the $10 adjustment is the gain/loss.

      For future reference, in the donations notes field, you can include the information regarding amount of shares, at what price, and when you sold them in the donation notes field.

      Should you create the GL account as an expense account or revenue account?

      Typically, the stocks should be increasing in value (or at least you hope so!), so the Stock Gain/Loss GL account should be created as a revenue account by default.

      The required GL Accounts are:

      • Stock (Asset) - only if you keep Stock in the current form as Stock to be sold at a later date
      • Stock Gain/Loss (Revenue GL Account)

      The account numbers and actual type are defined by your accountant.

      Any brokerage fees (hopefully you have a generous broker who does not keep the fees) are treated the same way as a Gain/Loss on the sale of the stock.

      Example A:

      Receive $1,000 Stock and keep it as stock

      Donation $1,000

      Payment Method = Stock $1,000 (goes into the GL as a debit/asset)
      Tax Receipt = $1,000

      Sell the Stock ($1,000) that was initially entered as Payment Method Stock for a surrender value of $1,200

      Payment Method = Stock -$1,000 (to remove the initial stock asset)
      Payment Method = Cash $1,200
      Payment Method = Stock Gain/Loss -$200 (goes into the GL as a credit/gain)
      Tax Receipt - none at this point because it was already issued during initial receipt of stock

      OR Sell the Stock ($1,000) that was initially entered as Payment Method Stock for a surrender value of $900

      Payment Method = Stock -$1,000 (to remove the initial stock asset)
      Payment Method = Cash $900
      Payment Method = Stock Gain/Loss $100 (goes into the GL as a debit/loss)
      Tax Receipt - none at this point because it was already issued during initial receipt of stock

      Example B:

      Receive $1,000 Stock, Convert it to Cash for $1,010

      Donation $1,000

      Payment Method = Cash $1,010
      Payment Method = Stock Gain/Loss -$10 (goes into the GL as a credit/gain)
      Tax Receipt = $1,000

      Example C:

      Receive $1,000 Stock, Convert it to Cash for $990

      Donation $1,000

      Payment Method = Cash $990
      Payment Method = Stock Gain/Loss $10 (goes into the GL as a debit/loss)

      Tax Receipt $1,000

      Diataxis: 

      Donation Entry

      Theatre Manager is designed to handle donation entry from several sources including:
      • Box Office
      • Online
      • Pledges
      • In conjunction with ticket sales
      And once entered, the management and tracking possibilities are almost limitless. Pledge reminders, automatic billing, and financial maintenance are all part of the donation module.

      For more information on the features of the donation module, there are a number of cheatsheet and videos. Click here for a listing of the Donation Module quick reference materials.

      Follow through the links below to learn how to enter and maintain donations in Theatre Manager.

      Inserting a Donation

      It is important to recognize that donations can be entered from more then one place in Theatre Manager. You can enter a donation from the donation tab or from the orders window while a patron is purchasing tickets.

      Open the Patron Record.

      For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      1. Click the Donation tab.

      2. Click the New button. The Donation Detail window opens.

      Alternatively

      To add a Donation to an existing order, or while creating an order, you would:

      1. In the Orders window, click the Donations button.
      2. Click the New button in the Order >> Donations toolbar / ribbon bar.

        The Donation Detail window opens.

        Campaign The drop down list contains the possible donation campaign to give the donation to.
        Date Donated Enter the date that donation was made.

        If the donation date differs from the default computer date, you can back date the donation by up to 3 months into a prior calendar year for tax purposes. Donations always appear on tax receipts according to the year on the donation date.

        Note that Revenue Canada has stated:

        There are also severe penalties for issuing false receipts so we err on the side of caution..
        Solicitor Select the person responsible for receiving the donation from the drop down. This person must exist in the Employee table (see Setting up an Employee)
        Donation (gift) Click in to the amount field and enter the donation amount. Depending on the selection in the popup to the left, this sets up an as a receivable in Theatre Manager so that the system knows to expect a payment for this amount. It could be one payment or it could be post dated payments.

        In the popup to the left of the amount, the typical choices are listed below. The affect how money is reported to finance to create a receivable.

        • Categories that do not report to finance
          • Prospect - Indicates that the donation is not real and will not be reported to finance. Use this designation to track key major donations, bequests, likely grants, or other possible funding sources. Amounts can be raised or lowered without affecting financial reports
          • Soft Pledge - Similar to prospect. The intention of this category is to indicate that you have verbal (but not written) commitment for a large donation.
        • Categories that cause G/L entries to be created
          • hard pledge - When you receive any signed paperwork for a pledge that is considered legally binding, use this option. Generally it means people are paying over time. on the odd occasion, you may need to switch a Prospect or Soft Pledge (not reported to finance) over to a Hard Pledge or Donation when all the hard work has been completed and a prospective donation becomes reality.
          • Donation (gift) - Generally used for most donations where a check arrives or when advised that a grant proposal has been accepted and money is on the way.
          • Donation Refund for Ticket - an option to delineate when refunding tickets and the donation was for the refunded ticket.
        Total Payment Amount of money received for the donation. A donation may be made in the form of a Stock and the payment amount may be more of less then the donation amount. For information on Stock gifts click here.

        There are a number of rules for USA 503c registered charities that may affect the amount entered.

        WriteOff Amount The unpaid difference between the Donation and the Total Payment.
        Matching Gift Select the Matching Gift if you wish to link this donation to another patron who will also donate as a result of this patron giving a new donation. Click Here for more information.
        Commission Check the Commission Paid box to indicate if a commission was paid to a third party to procure this gift. Theatre Manager will enter the date that the commission was paid.
        Non-Receipt Benefit The amount deducted from the donation receipt to cover taxable benefits received by making the donation such as a dinner or a show. You will not be able to enter a receiptable benefit unless you have set it up in the donation campaign setup. You may also have to indicate standard benefit amounts at each donation range in the giving level matrix.
        Next Contact By default, the Next Contact Date is eleven months from the date of the donation. This date can be changed should you require a different date from the default. Use it in reports to print a list of donors that need contacted at that time to ensure that they give on a regular basis.
        Program Year The Program Year defines the time frame the donation will be recognized in published material. Use it in reports to print a list of Program Names within the Program Year.
        Fiscal Year The Fiscal Year is selected from the fiscal year set up in default settings. Refer to Accounting for more information
        Tax Receipt Name This field is used to record the name of the individual who will receive the tax deductible receipt. Theatre Manager prints a receipt for tax purposes in the name of the individual recorded here, which could differ from the individual giving the donation.

        While you can put anything into the tax receipt name, there are some legal implications. Please refer to this page on the true donor as explained in a Government Of Canada document.
        If you cannot ascertain the true donor with certainty, you'll need to ask them for any correction. If you still cannot, then you should mark their donation receipt option as No Receipt Required so that the system will not print one.
        Program Name This field is used to record how the patron would like to be recognized on your program listings. The default name is populated into the program recognition field in the order that follows:
        1. If there is a default donor publication name in the donor tab of the patron window, this will ALWAYS be used as the default publication name.
        2. If there is 'COMPANY' name in the patron record, then the donation will be set to corporate and the company name will populate in this field. You can easily change it by clicking on individual to set the patron's name in the field
        3. If the above two options do not apply, then the default is the patron's name, in the format specified in the company preferences
        4. You can then Change the recognition name manually For example:
          • if the Donor wishes to remain anonymous this field should read "anonymous". Click here for more information on making the donation anonymous.
          • Or if the name is 'in memoriam' or 'in honor of', then simply change the program name to state 'In Memory of .....'
        Theatre Manager can generate a donor program recognition report that would be your up-to-date data for creating a program listing
        Sort Name The sort name is suggested by Theatre Manager and is used to DETERMINE THE SORT ORDER of patrons (within a giving level) on the donor program insert reports.

        It is initially based on the last name or company, depending on how the default donor name is selected and it may be changed. The sort name is used to position the donor's name in the program. For example, if the Program Name is 'Anonymous', the sort name could still be 'Smith'. This would cause the program to creating a listing for 'Anonymous' under S.

        In order to maintain a reasonable alphabetic sort order, the sort name starts out with either:

        • For individual donations:
          • the first 7 characters of the last name (padded with ! if need be)
          • the first 7 characters of the first name (padded with ! if need be)
          • The first character of the middle name (or a single ! if no middle name)
        • -OR- the company name without spaces (for corporate donations)
        The sort name is designed so that you can alter the natural sort order of patrons. For example::
        • Anonymous typically falls under 'A', but you can force it to appear where the patron's last name would fall, or change sort name to ZZZZ to make it fall at the end
        • In Memory of Spot the Family Dog can be made to fall under Spot if you make the sort name Spot or under Family if you make the sort name Family
        • Normally, you would not change the sort name, this just gives some extra capability for extraordinary situations like 'In Memoriam' or 'Anonymous' or 'on behalf of' gifts.
        Tax Receipt Options There are a number of options for printing tax receipts, some of which Theatre Manager will handle for you. Please refer to the explanation on what each receipt option means and how the system processes them.
        Please read very carefully about Revenue Canada's Policies on issuing tax receipts.. Improper receipting can result in heavy fines.
      3. Enter the Donation Details.
      4. Proceed to the tab if required.
      5. Click the Payment button.

      6. Pay for the donation.

        Click Payment for additional information.

      Quick reference information Donations Overview

      Diataxis: 

      Entering a Prospect or Soft Pledge Donation

      One of the first tasks of soliciting donations is to identify your prospective donors. A "prospective donor" is anyone who hasn't been a donor to your organization, or possibly is a lapsed donor that you want to bring back into the organization.

      A prospective donor's name may come from discussions at a Development or Staff meeting, or noticing a donor on another venue's Donor Wall that isn't in your current donor list. it might also be for the purpose of Planned Giving

      As soon as you identify a prospective donor, you should start a Prospect Donation in Theatre Manager. This way, you can track the progress of moving the potential donor towards an actual gift.

      A Prospect Gift or Soft Pledge will not affect your financials in any way. Entering a Prospect Gift is simply a way of tracking a potential gift without creating any Receivables.

      Entering a Prospect Donation

      1. Start by opening the Patron Record of the prospective donor. For details on locating a Patron Record click here.
      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Click the New button. The Donation Detail window opens.
      4. Alternatively, refer to Enter Donations on the Order Window when already within an order.

        The Donation Detail window opens.

      5. On the left-hand side of the Donation Detail window, you will see a drop down for:
        • Prospect
        • Soft Pledge
        • Hard Pledge
        • Donation (gift)
      6. Select "Prospect"

        You will also note a change in the blue text to the right of the field. It now says:
        Long term prospect who may give if nurtured appropriately. Receivables/accounting entries ARE NOT created until this is converted to a gift.

      7. Complete the remainder of the fields for the prospective gift.
      8. Click the SAVE button at the top of the Donation Detail window.
      The gift will now appear in magenta on the prospective donor's DONOR tab on their Patron Record. You can now use this donation to track the progress of cultivating this donor towards an actual gift. Continue to use this donation entry, updating it with any Tasks you may have regarding this gift, and moving it through the process from Prospect to Soft Pledge to Hard Pledge to Donation (gift). Alternatively, you may be moving the donor directly from a Prospect to a Donation (gift), depending on the actions the Donor takes. Either way, the history will be maintained within this record for future reference. There is no need to create a new Donation record as the cultivation process progresses.

      Some prospect gifts will remain as prospect gifts for a long time - perhaps even forever. They will always be recorded in the Patron Record so you can see what work has been done with this particular Donor.

      Diataxis: 

      Using Prospect for Planned Giving

      Planned gifts are bequests to the venue upon the passing of the individual (as per their will) or some such variation such as a living will.

      A Prospect Gift or Soft Pledge will not affect your financials in any way. Entering a Prospect Gift is simply a way of tracking a potential gift without creating any Receivables.

      This gives you a place to track all interactions with the patron during the planned giving process.

      Setup and Data Entry

      To handle these in Theatre Manager:

      • Make a donation campaign, if it is deemed best to have a different one for tracking purposes
      • Indicate that the donation be set up as a PROSPECT

      • Enter the potential value of the planned gift
      • put something in the notes about what the planned gift is for or how you will receive it
      • optionally, use one of the custom donation fields for an additional identifier. This image shows that flag #7 is not taken, so you might rename that as 'planned gift' in company preferences if an additional marker is required to simplify pulling some reports.

       

      What to do before you actually receive the Planned Gift

      Before you actually receive the planned gift, there will undoubtably be changes to the information, discussions, reporting, etc. You can:

      • Use the TASK tab to track meetings , to-do's or such with the potential donor
      • In one of the tasks, if you get documentation from the donor, stick it into the attached files tab of the task
      • Track any letters you send specific to the planned gift in the pledge Schedule/Contacts tab
      • This gives you a central source of all interactions about this specific planned gift with the patron.

       

      What changes when you get the planned gift?

      • Change the PROSPECT marker to GIFT - this initiates the financial data to be sent to finance for the GL
      • enter the true amount of the planned gift, if it has changed from what you thought
      • Enter full payment or any sort of payment plan that the planned gift species -- just like any other donation
      • Prepare a tax receipt, any custom acknowledgement for this kind of gift, or any required government forms - which you can also track in the attached files tab of a task

      In the end, a planned gift is just like any other donation ..... except it starts its life as a PROSPECT before being converted to an actual gift.

      Diataxis: 

      Donation Tax Receipt Name Considerations

      While you can put anything into the tax receipt name, there are some legal implications. If you are in Canada, please read Revenue Canada's Policy Commentary CPC-010

      For those in the USA, you may wish to lookup the details of IRS publication 1771

      Please read about Revenue Canada's extensive policies on issuing tax receipts.. Improper receipting can result in fines.

      This handy chart below comes from the Revenue Canada web site and illustrates some common examples. In all cases, Revenue Canada indicates the need to highlight the true owner of the donation. If the donors name cannot be ascertained 100%, then no receipt should be issued.

      Refer to for entering a donation and tax receipt name

      Diataxis: 

      Donation Tax Receipt Options

      Please read carefully about Revenue Canada's Policies on issuing tax receipts. The CRA web site mentions:

      Theatre Manager modelled the contents of receipts after the requirements/samples on Revenue Canada's Web Site.. The US has fewer, although somewhat similar requirements as mentioned in publication 1771

      Read how to batch print receipts that have not been printed.
      Please note: receipts are issued for each payment made towards the donation. Receipts are not issued for the donation.

      The reason is that donations are only an indication of what the patron intends to give and payments are what they actually gave. A receipt cannot be issued until the payment is made and each payment is given its own receipt number and date.

       

      Tax Receipt Options

      Theatre Manager has a number of tax receipt options that you can set for each donation. In addition there is a setting for each campaign on the edits tab that can be used to only print donations above a certain amount.

      Receipt Options Types Printed by Theatre Manager
      • One tax receipt per Payment - is the default. Each payment is issued a separate tax receipt when the payment is received. If there are 10 payments, you will create 10 receipts at when each payment is entered.
      • Annual Statement Style (calendar Year) - will print a one page tax receipt for the patron listing all donations in the calendar year marked as using this style of receipt. If a receipt was previously printed, it is so indicated on the statement.
      Receipt Options to be handled Manually
      • Manual On typewriter - are used when the donation and payments are complex enough and the only way to observe various government regulations is to simply type one up in a word document or on an old fashioned typewriter. Theatre Manager ill not print any receipts for this donation. Once finished the donation receipt, you may want to import a PDF of the document into a task to record what was sent.
      • Special Handling - are also used for complex receipting requirements. We suggesting that this be used if you create a form letter for this purpose
      • No Receipt Required - there are cases when you should not print a receipt for a donation even if a receipt is normally created for the campaign. Use this option when the true donor cannot be identified, or if the entire donation receives benefit.
        If you cannot ascertain the true donor of a gift, select No Receipt Required to comply with Revenue Canada regulations.

       

      Which receipt type to use?

      • One per payment receipts are best suited for:
        • Larger donations paid with one or two payments
        • When the customer wants a receipt after a payment
        • if you want to strictly follow Canada's governmental reporting requirements and use facsimile signatures and/or are using preprinted forms
      • Annual Style receipts are best suited for:
        • Donations with many payments or post dated payments
        • recurring donations that never end.
        • If the client wants for one receipt for all donations in the year
      • Form letters can be used to print receipts if the options provided or the situation warrants something custom to be created.

        To use form letter receipts:

        • Mark the receipt type as Special Handling so that TM will not attempt to print one for each payment
        • Make sure to mark your receipts printed manually on the receipt tab - which will generate a receipt number in Theatre Manager
        • Create a standard form letter (based on donation receipts file as per the image to the right) and place a table in the form letter containing the receipt data you want to show that also includes the receipt number.
      Diataxis: 

      Entering Donations on the Order Window

      You can add one or more donations to the same order that contains subscriptions, tickets and/or gift certificates. There are a number of reasons why you may wish to do this:
      • A donation that accompanies a season subscription renewal
      • A patron may not be able to attend the upcoming event / play and would like to turn in their tickets. Click here for an explanation of how to turn a refunded ticket into a donation.
      • A single donation that is targeted for multiple campaigns would be entered in this window. You would enter multiple individual donations to each campaign that add up to the total donation amount. As each donation is added, the total appears at the bottom left od the screen in the financial summary.
      • Similarly, donations for a multi year pledge or capital campaign are entered in this manner. Enter a separate donation for each program year that add up to the total expected amount.

        Note: Any payment to an order with multiple donations is applied to the individual donations in this order:

        • Program Year - this mean that for donations that span multiple years, arrange them so that the program year is entered in the order that you want payments allocated.
        • Donation Date - if there are donations for the same program year, then payments are applied according to the donation date.
        • Donation Number - if the multiple donations have the same program year and donation date, then the payments are applied to donation in order of the donation number.

      Once a payment is applied to a an order with multiple donations, you cannot change the allocation of receipts unless you:

      • delete the receipts first, -then-
      • change the program year or donation date to be the order you want the receipts applied -then-
      • rebuild the order which will re-allocate the payments to the donations and recreate the receipts

      1. In the Order window click the Donation button.

        The Order window can be accessed by purchasing ticket, a membership or by simply adding a payment to an existing order.

      2. Click the New button.

      3. Enter the Donation Details.
      4. Click the Save button.
      5. Close the Donation Detail window.

      6. Click the Payments button.
      7. Pay for the donation.

        Click Payment for additional information.

      Diataxis: 

      Converting Refunded Tickets to Donations

      A patron may come to you and tell you that they cannot attend an upcoming event / play and therefore they would like you to refund their tickets, but they also tell you that they would like the company to keep the money as a donation.

      To convert a refunded tick to a donation, you would perform the following steps:

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Select the ticket(s) to be refunded.

        Only tickets within the same order can be refunded at the same time.

      3. Click the Refund button.

        The Order window will open.

      4. Click the Confirm button.

        This will release the seats to be refunded back to the Box Office. The order will now have an outstanding CREDIT balance.

      5. Click the Donations button located in the left column of the window.
      6. Click the New button in the top icon bar.

        The Donation Default Settings window will open.

      7. Click the Yes button.

        A new Donation Detail window will open.

      8. Enter the Donation information.

        Certain detail information will automatically be inserted by default i.e. Donation Amount and Date Donated. Click Donation Detail for more information on entering Donation information.

      9. Click the Save button.  
      10. Close the Donation window.

        The Order window will return. The balance in the lower left corner will be zero.

      11. Close the Order window to complete the transaction.

        Theatre Manager will have refunded the tickets from the patrons account and converted the value of those tickets into a donation. The tickets will then be returned so they can be sold to other patrons.

      Quick reference information for convertioning a refund to a donation, you can download:

      Flash

      MP4

      Diataxis: 

      Creating Anonymous Donations

      Some patrons may want to make a donation, but remain anonymous. This can be done easily in Theatre Manager, by changing the Program Name for the donation. When you change this value, the donation will be stored under anonymous for the first letter of the patron's last name. That is, Tom Potimer's anonymous donation will be stored under P Anonymous.

      To create an anonymous donation, use the following steps:

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Click the New button.

      4. Enter the Donation Details.
      5. Change the Program Name to Anonymous.
      6. Click the Payment button.

      7. Pay for the donation.

        Click Payment for additional information.

      Quick reference information on how to make a donation anonymous:

      Flash

      MP4

      Diataxis: 

      How to Toggle Between Individual and Company Donations

      There MUST be a company name in the patron record for a donation to become a Corporate donation.

      You have discovered a donation and receipt for an individual should have been made in the individual's company name. In Theatre Manager, if the donation is not printed (or you unprint it), you can easily change from:

      • an individual to their company
      • the corporation to the individual, -or-
      • one individual name to another in the household

      Please be aware of Revenue Canada's Policy Commentary CPC-010 for legal interpretations regarding the donor name in Canada.

      For quick reference information, see the following information on Toggling Between Individual and Corporate Donations.

      For quick reference information on

      Toggling Between Individual and Corporate Donations

      Cheatsheet

      Video

      To toggle between corporate and individual donations, you perform the following steps:

      1. Open the donation.

        Click here for more information on how to open the donation.

      2. Click the Receipt Tab.

      3. Double-click on the receipt to apply the changes to.

        The receipt detail window opens.

      4. Click in the Receipt # box and delete the number.

        The date will automatically clear from the Date/Time Printed field.

      5. Click the Save button.

        Repeat Steps 3 - 5 for every receipt listed for the donation (if there is more than one).

      6. Close the receipt detail window.
      7. Tax Receipt Type: Click the button to change who the donation and receipt is applied to.

        Click Corporate if you are switching from an individual donation to a company donation.

        Click Individual if you are switching from a company donation, to an individual donation.

        When you click the appropriate tax receipt type, the Tax Receipt Name, Program Name and Sort Name fields will switch to the company/individual name.

      Diataxis: 

      Setting or Changing the Donation Program Name

      If you wish to change the program name (the donor's name as they wish it to appear in the program listing) for a donation it can be done while you are entering the donation. If after the donation has been processed and the patron name on the donation needs to be changed:

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Select the Donation to change and click the Open button.

      4. Edit the Program Name as needed.
      5. Click the Save button.
      6. Close the Donation Detail window.

        The Donation will now be seen under the new name in the Program Name column of the Donation tab.

      Diataxis: 

      Pledge Schedule

      A Pledge Schedule allows you to assign pledge reminder letters to a donation, so that at a certain time (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.) you can print letters reminding donors that their payments are due.

      To set up a pledge schedule, you perform the following steps:

      1. Open the Pledge Schedule/Contacts tab in the Donation Detail window.

        Click here to learn more about adding pledges.

      2. Click the Add Pledge button.

        The Donation Pledge Reminder Setup window opens.

        Correspondence Letter Select a letter to be sent as the reminder.
        Send Reminder as Choose to send pledge reminders as a letter or an email.
        Date First Pledge Due Date the first reminder will be sent.
        Total To Schedule Amount added to the pledge schedule at this time.
        # New Reminders Number of pledge reminders to be added to the donation.
        Send Reminder Number of days ahead of the pledge due date the letter should be sent out.
        Pledge Frequency Amount of time reminders are to be spread out over.
      3. Click the Letter Search button.

        The Form Letter Selection window will open.

      4. Select a Form Letter.

        Single click on a letter to select it.

      5. Click the Select button.
      6. Alter the remaining values as required.

      7. Click the Add button.

      For Quick Reference Pledge Scheduling, You can download: Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and
      Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration)

      Cheatsheet

      Flash

      Mp4

      Diataxis: 

      Pledged Donations

      A pledged donation is when a patron says they are going to give the company X number of dollars over a period of time. A patron may pledge $600, pay $50 immediately and say they will pay $50 a month so there total for the year is $600. Also they may pledge $600 and ask you to post date the payments to be made once a month on there credit card or postdated cheques. Theatre Manager deals with these types of donations within the Donation Detail window which is opened when a new donation is being made or edited.

      For Quick Reference Pledge Scheduling, You can download: Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and
      Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration)

      Cheatsheet

      Flash

      Mp4

      Pledges without Postdated Payments

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Click the New button.

      4. Enter the Donation Details.
      5. Click the Pledge Schedule/Contacts tab.

      6. Click the Add Pledge button.

        The Donation Pledge Reminder Setup window will open.

        Correspondence Letter
        Select a letter to be sent as the reminder.
        Send Reminder as
        Choose to send pledge reminders as a letter or an email.
        Date First Pledge Due
        Date the first reminder will be sent.
        Total To Schedule
        Amount added to the pledge schedule at this time.
        # New Reminders
        Number of pledge reminders to be added to the donation.
        Send Reminder
        Number of days ahead of the pledge due date the letter should be sent out.
        Pledge Frequency
        Amount of time reminders are to be spread out over.
      7. Click the Letter Search button.

        The Form Letter Selection window opens.

      8. Select a Form Letter.

        Single click on a letter to select it.

      9. Click the Select button.
      10. Alter the remaining values as required.

      11. Click the Add button.

      12. Click the Payment button.

      13. Change the Payment Amount to reflect the amount the patron will pay at the time the donation is created.
      14. Click the Accept Payment button.
      15. Place the remaining amount of the pledge On Account.

        As they pay more of there pledged amount additional payments will be made to the order. For more information on adding payments to an order click here.

      Pledges with Postdated Payments

      Another method to deal with the Pledged amount is to use the Create Post Dated tab on the Payment for Order window. Under this tab you can setup a schedule of payments for the pledge.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Click the New button.

      4. Enter the Donation Details.
      5. Click the Pledge Schedule/Contacts tab.

      6. Click the Add Pledge button.

        The Donation Pledge Reminder Setup window will open.

      7. Click the Letter Search button.

        The Form Letter Selection window will open.

      8. Select a Form Letter.

        Single click on a letter to select it.

      9. Click the Select button.
      10. Alter the remaining values as required.

      11. Click the Add button.

      12. Click the Payment button.

      13. Click the Create Post Dated tab.
      14. Enter the Post Dated Payment details.

        For more information on entering post dated payments click here.

      15. Click the Create Post Dated button.
      16. Close the Payment for Order window.

        Theatre Manager creates the payments for the allotted time period. When viewing the Donation in the Donation tab the Donation Amount Due is blank. The balance is $0.00 because the payments have been guaranteed through the creation of the Post Dated Payments. Theatre Manger will show the posted dated payments in the end of day wizard when they are to be deposited.

      Diataxis: 

      Changing the Donor's Credit Card

      If a patron indicates that they would like their credit card charged in monthly installments to pay off a donation, you can set up donation pledge payments and Theatre Manager will automatically place those payments in the End Of Day on the proper dates for the proper amounts.

      Sometimes, issues may arise if the payments stretch over a long time. If the:

      Diataxis: 

      Soft Credits

      The donation module contains a system for tracking donation soft credits. This allows you to enter any number of soft credits to any number of other patrons, for a gift given by one person.

      A soft credit is a way to give recognition to someone who 'encouraged' the original hard donation without entering a real donation.

      For example:

      • Patron 'A' was encouraged to give a real gift or pledge of $500 by a Board member.
      • Enter the full donation under Patron 'A'
      • In the soft credit tab, you can assign an amount to the Board member that will increase their recognition total in the donation module without causing a real donation to be entered.
      • The donation program listing can be told to accumulate real donations, soft credits and matching gifts to provide the aggregate recognition

      When producing the program listing, Theatre Manager lets you determine if you want to include soft credits in the summary, just like you can optionally include matching gifts.

      Theatre Manager keeps totals for current soft credits, prior year soft credits, and total soft credits - just like it does for actual donations. This means you can find people who had soft credits last year but not this, etc.

      Almost all the donation reports have the ability to show soft credit data.

      1. Click the New button.

        Alter the values as required.

      2. Patron # This is the Patron account that you wish to add a soft credit for. You can use the button to access the list of records to find the patron.
        Soft Credit This is the amount of the soft credit that you wish to add. This assigns a giving level to the credit.
        Campaign This allows you to set the soft credit for a different campaign than the original donation. This allows you to have a corporate donation, but the person who solicited the donation will be getting the soft credits, which can appear on an individual campaign
        Program Year Allows you to determine which program year this soft credit will apply to. This is the year that this soft credit will appear in the Program Insert.
        Fiscal Year Allows you to determine which program year this soft credit will apply to. This is the year that this soft credit will appear in the Program Insert.
        Include matching gift amount... This allows you to determine whether or not to include the matching gift amount when determining program list recognition.
      3. Click the Save button.

      For Quick Reference Soft Credits, You can download: Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration)

      Flash

      Mp4

      Diataxis: 

      Matching Gift

      A Matching Gift is a donation from another patron as a result of the current donation being entered. Example: as a result of Blaine Abel's donation, Jake Belleville would also like to donate by matching his gift. The amount of the matching gift can be less than, the same as, or more than the amount of the current patron's donation.

      1. Open the Patron record for the patron who will be matching the gift.

        In the example about this would be Jake Belleville. For more information on finding a patron click here.

      2. Click the Match tab.
      3. Check the Matching Gift box and enter a Matching Gift Ratio.

        The Matching Gift Checkbox must be checked if this patron is to be used as a matching gift company.

        The Matching Gift Ratio can be altered at the time of the donation by editing the amount the matching gift patron will be donating.

        In addition, any minimums or maximums set by the Matching Gift company can be indicated here.

      4. Click the Save button.
      5. Open the Patron Record for the Patron making the Donation.

        In this example the patron would be Blaine Abel.

      6. Click the Donation tab.
      7. Click the New button.
      8. Enter the Donation Campaign and Donation Amount.
      9. Check the Matching Gift box.

        The Donation Matching Gift window will open.

      10. Click the Patron Search icon next to the Patron # field.

        Search the contact list to locate the patron making the matching gift. In this example it would be Jake Belleville. For more information on using the Contact List click here.

      11. Select the Patron who will be matching the donation.

        Single click on a patron to select them.

      12. Click the Select button.
      13. Enter the Amount of the matching gift.

        By default Theatre Manager assumes the matching gift to be the same as the donation. If the ratio has been modified under the donor tab of the matching gift patron that ratio is calculated and inserted in to the matching gift detail. The matching gift can be more or less than the amount of the current donation. Edit the Amount to change the giving ratio.

      14. Click the Create button.

        Once the payment transaction has been completed the Donation Detail window will return and the Matching Gift tab will be displayed.

      15. Click the Payment button.
      16. Pay for the donation.

        Click Payment for additional information. Once a payment is received the Donation Detail window will reopen.

      17. In the Matching Gift tab, click the Show Matching Gift Patron button.

        The Donation List Window for the matching gift patron will be opened

      18. Select the Donation tab.
      19. Select the Matching Gift donation.
      20. Click the Open button.
      21. Click the Payment button.

        Pay for the donation if all information is correct

      You can run the Donation Reports & Receipts >> Donor Program Insert reports (either one) on this data and the matching gift will be included for the individuals donations.

      When running these reports, on the Insert Summary tab click "Add matching gift amount to patron's recognition when calculating their giving level"

      Quick reference Information for Matching Gifts

      Quick reference information for Setting up the Gifter

      Screencast

      Screencast

      Matching Gifts Part 2 - Adding Gift To Donation & Running a Report

      Cheatsheet

      Video

      Screencast

      Diataxis: 

      Modifying a Donation

      After you have entered a donation, there are some things that you may need to change after the fact. Often it is just a matter of editing the donation and the financial transactions will follow in end of day.

      Typical things to change are:

      Diataxis: 

      Increasing the Donation Amount

      You may wish to modify a donation for various reasons. To add notes, make payments on pledges ect. Modifying a donation is preformed quickly through the Donation Detail Window.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Select the Donation to edit.

        Single click on a donation to select it.

      4. Click the Open button.

      5. Change data as needed.

        If a receipt has been printed for the donation you will not be able to edit the Tax Receipt Name Field.

      6. Click the Save button.

        The changes have now been made to the donation.

      7. Close the detail window.
      Diataxis: 

      Decreasing the Donation Amount

      Coming soon: How to decrease the value of a donation that has already had a tax receipt created.

      Donations - Set Donation Name

      To start, you click the Name button.

      The Set Donation name dialog opens.

      Step 1. You are about to change the donor Name and the corresponding Sort name for the selected donation. Select the name you want to change it to.

      You are given a number of choices and the option to enter another name. However, please read about Canada's Tax Receipt Name Implications if you want to type something other than the patron's name.

      Step 2. When creating a program listing, the Sort Name is used to determine the aplhabetical order of the patron in the program listing and to summarize all donations with the same sort name. Select the Name you want to change to.

      Again you are offered a list you can select from and the option to enter your own Customized Sort Name.

      Once you have made your selections, press the Change button.

      You are returned to the Donations tab.

      Diataxis: 

      Gift In Kind

      Gift in Kind is a donation of gift or services rather than money. For example: the donation of a computer or other office equipment, building materials and paint supplies for props, clothing for wardrobe or the donation of one's time. There is a perceived value for these goods and services which can be considered a donation and are subject to a receipt for tax purposes.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Click the New button.

      4. Select the Donation Campaign from the drop down.
      5. Fill in the Donation Amount as the appraised amount of the gift.
      6. Enter remaining information.
      7. Click the Payment button.

        This opens the Order Payment window.

      8. Select Gift in Kind from the Payment Method drop down menu.

        >
      9. Enter a description of the Gift In Kind, the Appraiser's Name and the Appraiser's Address for reference.

        This information may be required for auditing purposes.

      10. Click the Accept Payment button.
      11. Close the Donation Detail Window

        The gift in kind donation will now appear on the Donation List window. Details on the payment type can be seen under the Payment tab.

      For Gift In Kind Quick Reference, You can download: Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration)

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      Diataxis: 

      Splitting an Existing Donation and Payment Across Multiple Campaigns

      There can be times when a patron makes a donation and payment to a campaign. After the face, it is discovered the donation should be split across multiple campaigns. Follow the instructions below if this happens.

      1. Un-print the donation receipt if it has already been printed. For more information on un-printing donation receipts, click here.
      2. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      3. Click the Order tab.
      4. Select the Order containing the donation to be changed.
      5. Click the Open button.

        The Order window opens.

      6. Click the Donation button.
      7. Highlight the donation to be removed.

      8. Click the Delete button.

        The donation will now be deleted and removed from the list.

      9. Click the New button.

        The Donation Detail window opens.

      10. Enter the donation campaign.
      11. Enter the price of the donation, adjusted to be split across multiple campaigns.
      12. Click the Save button to save the donation.
      13. Repeat Steps 9 to 12 as many times as needed to split the donation across multiple campaigns.
      14. Close the window.

        The payment previously made will be split across all of the donations entered.

      Diataxis: 

      Deleting a Donation

      You use this process when a mistake has been made in entering a donation.
      • Once a payment has been deleted or reversed, the amounts on the donation can be modified or the donations can be deleted.
      • If the donation is deleted -and-
        • it is has a matching gift the matching gift
        • that matching gift will not be deleted.
        • If you require the matching gift to be deleted as well you must repeat the steps for that donation.
      • Only donations which have all payments removed may be deleted.
      • However refer to reducing the value of a donation to see how to reduce one
      • Before you can delete a donation all printed tax receipts associated with the donation must be un-printed.

       

      How to delete a Donations

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Select the donation to be refunded.

        Single click on the donation to select it.

      4. Click the Open button.

        The Donation Detail window opens.

      5. Click the Payment button.

        A Payment Warning appears, indicating there is no payment required for this order.

      6. Click the Yes button.
      7. Enter a negative payment for the value of the donation.

        You can use the Prior Payments tab to review how the original payment was made.

      8. Click the Accept Payment button.

        A Payment Warning dialog opens, indicating the payment made does not complete the order.

      9. Click the Yes button.

        The Process Another Payment window appears.

      10. Click the No button.

        The Donation Detail window appears.

      11. Click the Receipts tab.

      12. Click the Open button.

        The Edit Manual Receipt Detail window opens.

      13. Delete the Receipt #.
      14. Close the Edit Manual Receipt Detail window.
      15. Click the Delete button.

        The Delete A Record confirmation window opens.

      16. Click the Delete button.

        The receipt is removed from the Donation Detail window.

      17. Close the Donation Detail window.

        The Patron Record will display the Donation tab.

      18. Click the Delete button.

        The Delete A Record confirmation window opens.

      19. Click the Delete button.

        The Donation is now deleted from the Patron Record.

      For Quick reference information on Deleting a Donation, You can download: Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration)

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      Diataxis: 

      Deleting and Refunding Donations

      You use this function when a mistake has been made in entering a donation. Once the donation has been deleted, the payment for the donation can be refunded or modified. If the donation to be deleted is accompanied by a matching gift the matching gift will not be deleted. If a matching gift needs to be deleted, the same steps must be repeated for that donation in that patron's record.

      Before you can delete a donation, all printed tax receipts associated with the donation must be un-printed.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donations tab.

      3. Choose the donation to be deleted.

        Single click on a donation to select it.

      4. Click the Delete button.

        A warning dialogue box opens.

      5. Any donations with receipts printed cannot be deleted until the receipt(s) for that donation are un-printed. Only users with proper security access can un-print receipts.

      6. Click the Delete button.

        A note appears at the bottom of the Patron window. The donation has been deleted but not refunded.

      7. Click the Orders tab.

        An outstanding receivables of $21.40 can be seen for Order # 117.

      8. Select the order to be refunded or modified.
      9. Click the Payment button.

        The Payment Order window for the selected Order opens.

      10. Select the method in which the patron is to be refunded

        That is, Cash or Credit Card if the transaction has been processed. If the original purchase method is unknown, click the Prior Payments tab to view all previous payments to this order.

      11. Click the Accept Payment button.

        The payment and donation have now been refunded.

      For quick reference information in Deleting and Refunding Donations you can access the following:

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      Diataxis: 

      Refunding a Donation

      There are three steps to take in order to refund a donation. The first is to refund the payment, second the tax receipt needs to be removed and finally the donation itself needs to be deleted.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

      3. Select the donation to be refunded.

        Single click on the donation to select it.

      4. Click the Open button.

        The Donation Detail window will open.

      5. Click the Payment button.

        A Payment Warning opens, indicating there is no payment required for this order.

      6. Click the Yes button.
      7. Enter a negative payment for the value of the donation.

        Use the Prior Payments tab to review how the original payment was made.

      8. Click the Accept Payment button.

        A Payment Warning will appear indicating the payment made does not complete the order.

      9. Click the Yes button.

        The Process Another Payment window opens.

      10. Click the No button.

        The Donation Detail window opens.

      11. Click the Receipts tab.

      12. Click the Open button.

        The Edit Manual Receipt Detail window will open.

      13. Delete the Receipt #.
      14. Close the Edit Manual Receipt Detail window.
      15. Click the Delete button.

        The Delete A Record confirmation window opens.

      16. Click the Delete button.

        The receipt will be removed from the Donation Detail window.

      17. Close the Donation Detail window.

        The Patron Record will displaying the Donation tab.

      18. Click the Delete button.

        The Delete A Record confirmation window will appear.

      19. Click the Delete button.

        The Donation is now deleted from the Patron Record.

      For quick reference information in Deleting and Refunding Donations you can access the following:

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      Diataxis: 

      Donation Receipt Printing

      Theatre Manager manages donation receipts for all donation campaigns and adheres to the strict guidelines put forth by government agencies.

      If you choose to print tax receipts from within Theatre Manager you may need to arrange for customized tax receipt paper. Theatre Manager prints the Recipients Name and Address, the name of the Organization issuing the receipt, the Date of the Donation, the Date of Receipt, the Donation Amount and the Donation Campaign. If Federal or State law requires your receipt to include your organizations address or a government website you may wish to include these on your preprinted tax receipt paper. Please ensure you are aware of all necessary requirements for your tax receipts prior to printing receipts in Theatre Manager.

      Follow the links below to learn more about managing donation receipts within Theatre Manager.

      Canadian tax law allows that if the date of payment and date of printing the receipt are the same, you can print one date on the tax receipt.

      However, if the payment date is different than the date the receipt is printed, then you must print

      • date of payment for donation
      • date that the receipt was issued (printed)
      This only applies of the patron's primary address is Canada and handles clearly identifying delayed receipts, reprinting of receipts, or those that occure near year end.

      Addresses in other countries do not print the 'Date Receipt Issued' on a tax receipt.

      Diataxis: 

      Manually Reprinting or Printing a One-Off Donation Receipt

      Sometimes it may be necessary to:
      • reprint a donation receipt, or
      • manually print a one-off receipt (as opposed to using the Batch Print function) -or-
      • backdate the receipt date if the payment for the donation is entered after year end and you need it to be for the prior calendar year
      When editing donation receipts, you CANNOT:
      • date a receipt earlier than the donation date
      • remove the receipt printed date without removing the receipt number
      • have a receipt printed date and no receipt number
      • have a receipt number and no receipt printed date
      YOU CAN date a receipt earlier than the payment date. This allows a small leeway for
      • post dated payments that are processed after calendar year end
      • checks received in the mail after year end but are dated prior to year end so the donation is really for the prior calendar year

       

      Reprinting a Receipt

      1. From the Donation tab in the Patron Record, open the receipt that requires a reprint.

      2. Inside the Donation Detail window click the Receipt tab. Select the donation and click the Open button.

      3. Inside of the Edit Manual Receipt window, click Set Reprint to reprint the receipt

        You can
        • click the Set Reprint button -or-
        • clear the reprint date
          • The reprint date will default to the payment date on the donation.

            You may change it to match the donation date in some cases. For example if the donation comes in right at calendar year end and can be entered for the prior year

            This process has un-printed the receipt, setting up the donation to be printed again. Now we can either run a Batch Print for the next set of receipts (and this donation will be included), or, we can manually print the receipt (described below).

       

      Manually Printing a Receipt

      1. Enter and receive payment for the donation

        For further information on this topic refer to Inserting a Donation.

      2. In the Donation Detail window, click the Receipt tab.

      3. Select the donation that requires a manual receipt.
      4. Click the Open button.

        The Edit Manual Receipt window opens.

        Theatre Manager will fill the date fields with the current date and will set the receipt number to the next number as set up in the Donation Receipts tab of Company Preferences. This can be changed to match the manual receipt if it has not been set up.

      Click the Set Reprint button if you want to unprint the receipt - so you can then reprrint it using the batch receipt printing. You can also unprint a batch of receipts through another window.
      An unprinted donation receipt generates a DU transaction with the old receipt number on it - which you can see in any transaction report or transaction window.
      Diataxis: 

      Printing Receipts from Batch Functions

      Donation receipt can be printed from the Donation Detail window individually or on mass through Batch Functions.

      The actual process of printing the receipts is quite similar between the three locations. The main difference is that the Donation Receipts in the Reports Window and the Donation Receipts in Batch Functions print all receipts that have the number Zero as the receipt number. Whereas the Receipts that print from Donation List Window are only printed for selected donations. Creating a manual receipt for a patron can be accomplished using the Recording a Manual Receipt. Many of the data defaults for receipt printing are defined in Default Data.

      If you choose to print tax receipts from within Theatre Manager you may need to arrange for customized tax receipt paper. Theatre Manager prints the Recipients Name and Address, the name of the Organization issuing the receipt, the Date of the Donation, the Date of Receipt, the Donation Amount and the Donation Campaign. If Federal or State law requires your receipt to include your organizations address or a government website you may wish to include these on your preprinted tax receipt paper. Please ensure you are aware of all necessary requirements for your tax receipts prior to printing receipts in Theatre Manager.

      1. Open Setup >> Batch Functions.

      2. Select Print Charitable Receipts for Donor.

        The Print Charitable Receipts for Donor Criteria window opens.

      3. Adjust the Next Receipt number if necessary.

        Next Receipt # defaults to the next receipt number that is set up in the Donation Tab of Company Preferences. You can set this number to any value you desire. If you override this value, it will not update the next available receipt number in Company Preferences.

      4. Select the campaign you wish to print receipts for - if necessary.

        By default, this is set to All Campaigns. However, if you wish to only batch print receipts for a specific campaign, you may choose it here.

      5. Select Name Between search parameters.

        Select the last name of the patron to search the data base. Left blank, Theatre Manager assumes all records.

      6. Select the Fiscal Year (optional).

        Enter the fiscal year that you wish to print the Donation Receipts for.

      7. Select your print options.
        Print Receipt number on Forms Checking this box will print the receipt number on the receipt.
        Regular Name with Company Checking this box will print either the Patron name if the donation is made by a Corporation and the patron record does NOT include a Company name, or the Company name and the patron name if the donation is made by a corporation and the patron record DOES contain a Company name.
        'Campaign:' prompt Checking this box will print the prompt
      8. Select the number of copies you wish to print..

        You may wish to print one for the donor and one for your files.

      9. Include Receipt Comments.

        When printing donation receipts you have the option to include a personalized messaged from your organization / company to all of your receipt recipients. All you have to do is type a message into the Comments box and the message will print on the receipt.

      10. Click the Next button.
      11. Review the Sort option.
      12. Click the Next button.
      13. Edit any of the default report titles or 'printed by' options.
      14. Click the Done button.
      15. The receipts will now begin to print to the default printer. Clicking the Cancel button will cancel the receipt printing process.

      Diataxis: 

      Printing a Receipt from the Donation Detail Window

      Use this method if the donation has multiple receipts, i.e. in a post dated donation, and you wish to print only selected receipts.

      If you choose to print tax receipts from within Theatre Manager you may need to arrange for customized tax receipt paper. Theatre Manager prints the Recipients Name and Address, the name of the Organization issuing the receipt, the Date of the Donation, the Date of Receipt, the Donation Amount and the Donation Campaign. If Federal or State law requires your receipt to include your organizations address or a government website you may wish to include these on your preprinted tax receipt paper. Please ensure you are aware of all necessary requirements for your tax receipts prior to printing receipts in Theatre Manager.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

        The Patron's Donation history is displayed.

      3. Select the donation needing a receipt printed.
      4. click the Open button.

        The Donation Detail window opens.

      5. Click the Receipts tab.

      6. Select the receipts to be printer.
      7. Click the Receipt button.
      8. The Print Charitable Receipts for Donor Criteria window opens.

      9. Adjust the Next Receipt number if necessary.

        Next Receipt # defaults to the next receipt number that is set up in the Donation Tab of Company Preferences. You can set this number to any value you desire. If you override this value, it will not update the next available receipt number in Company Preferences.

      10. Select the campaign you wish to print receipts for - if necessary.

        By default, this is set to All Campaigns. However, if you wish to only batch print receipts for a specific campaign, you may choose it here.

      11. Select Name Between search parameters.

        Select the last name of the patron to search the data base. Left blank, Theatre Manager assumes all records.

      12. Select the Fiscal Year (optional).

        Enter the fiscal year that you wish to print the Donation Receipts for.

      13. Select your print options.
        Print Receipt number on Forms Checking this box will print the receipt number on the receipt.
        Regular Name with Company Checking this box will print either the Patron name if the donation is made by a Corporation and the patron record does NOT include a Company name, or the Company name and the patron name if the donation is made by a corporation and the patron record DOES contain a Company name.
        'Campaign:' prompt Checking this box will print the prompt
      14. Select the number of copies you wish to print..

        You may wish to print one for the donor and one for your files.

      15. Include Receipt Comments.

        When printing donation receipts you have the option to include a personalized messaged from your organization / company to all of your receipt recipients. All you have to do is type a message into the Comments box and the message will print on the receipt.

      16. Click the Next button.
      17. Choose and Sort options..

        You may choose to sort the donation receipts by some other method than the default 'Last Name'.

      18. Click the Next button.
      19. Edit any of the default report titles or 'printed by' options.
      20. Click the Done button.
      21. The receipts will now begin to print to the default printer. Clicking the Cancel button will cancel the receipt printing process.

      Diataxis: 

      Unprinting a Donation Receipt

      If donation receipts have been printed by mistake or the wrong receipts have been printed, Theatre Manager will allow you to un-print those receipts. Theatre Manager will actually allow you to un-print any printed donation receipts, but it is recommended that receipts are only un-printed if necessary. If you need to reprint a donation receipt you must first un-print the receipt if it has already been printed then it can be printed again.

      You can also manually un-print and reprint donation receipts from the donation receipt tab on the donation window.
      An unprinted donation receipt generates a DU transaction with the old receipt number on it - which you can see in any transaction report or transaction window.
      1. Click Setup >> Batch Functions.

      2. Select Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts.

        The Donation List window opens.

      3. Enter the Range of Donations Receipt # to search for.

        Use the drop down list to select the Donation Receipt #. For more detailed information about this window click here.

      4. Click the Search button.

        For the purpose of this example receipt numbers between 1000 and 3000 have been searched for. A list of donation receipts matching the criteria will be displayed in the list window.

      5. Highlight the Receipts to Un-print

        Click on a receipt to highlight it. To select multiple receipts hold the Ctrl or Appel key while clicking each receipt.

      6. Click the Un-Print button.

        The following dialogue box will display.

      7. Click the Yes button.

        The Donation Receipts have now been un-printed. The Donation Receipt Number will reset to zero. The Receipt can now be reprinted if required using the steps in Printing a Donation Receipt.

      Diataxis: 

      Unprinting a Donation Receipt from the Donation List Window

      This window opens when the "Un-print Batch of Charitable Receipts" batch function is selected. You can also search for a specific donation or range of donations using the search function on the top of the window.

      To unprint some receipts:

      • Select the receipts you want to unprint
      • Right click on the lines and use the context menu to unprint the selected receipts
      • Confirm that you want to unprint them. note a DU transaction ('donation unprint') will be created that to track that they were unprinted.

      Parts of the Donation Receipt List Window

      Last Name The patron's last name.
      First Name The patron's first name.
      Company The patron's company name.
      Campaign The campaign the patron's donation was given to.
      Receipt # This column displays the official charitable tax receipt number of the donation receipt. If the receipt number is zero, then no receipt has been created for the donation, or the receipt has been Un-printed.
      Receipt Amt This column displays the amount of the donation the has been receipted to date.
      Receipt Printed This column displays the date that the donation receipt was printed.
      Diataxis: 

      Donation from Agency that is really for Individuals.

      There are some agencies (like United Way or what have you) that collect money and give you a donation that is really from a number of people. If those people's donations need to be individually receipted then you have to:
      • Sell a Gift Certificate to the main agency and pay for it using their check


      • Selling a Gift Certificate to the Agency


      1. Locate the Patron Record for the Agency who sent a check for donors
      2. Select the Pass/GC tab and click the BUY button

      3. Sell the Agency a new Dolar Value Gift Certificate.
        • Edit the Issued Passes Amount to the full value of the Agency check
        • Click Save

    • Find each of the individuals making donations covered by the Agency's check:
      • Enter a donation in their name for the amount they gave
      • Pay for the donation using the gift certificate from the main agency


      Applying Gift Certificate to Pay for Donation


      1. When processing the payment for the donation, choose PASS as the payment method

      2. Locate and apply Agency Gift Certifiacte



    • Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations

      Recurring donations, once set up, are created during end of day automatically on the date that they are next due.

      If somebody is supposed to give their next gift today, End-Of-Day Deposit process will create the donation, the payment and queue up the next one.

      A Recurring Donation is a series of gifts given repeatedly on an open-ended schedule with no specific commitment from the donor. The fundraising is based on encouraging its donors to donate at least on a monthly basis. The donor can decide to end the arrangement at any time or pay indefinitely.

      Gift vs. Pledge vs. Recurring Donation

      Although similar in nature, there is a difference between these three common donation types.

      • Gift - a one time gift given with no expectation of the donor to give again in the future. These can be paid for:
        • Single payment at time of gift
        • Using post dated payments that spread the payments over a a specified period of time to complete the donation
        • Put on account and paid for later when a check arrives.
      • Pledge - a promise to pay a specified amount over a predetermined time period. You may (or may not) wish:
      • Recurring Donation - a series of gifts given repeatedly on an open-ended schedule.
        • Each gift is created as a separate donation with a separate payment.
        • The gift can be stopped at any time.
      The main differences in the donation concepts are:
      • once the gift has been received, there is no expectation of another gift until perhaps another year goes by.
      • After the pledge has been fulfilled, the donor has completed their commitment and another pledge or request for donations starts the process with the donor again.
      • For a recurring donation with no specific end date, the donor could continue to donate indefinitely.

       

      Setup Available Through Box Office and Online Donations

      Recurring donations can be setup both in the Box Office or via an Online Donation initiated by the patron. In both situations, the ability exists to review Recurring Donation Details and alter the information at anytime.

       

      Reporting of Recurring Donation Revenue for Accounting

      Recurring donations are treated as earned revenue when they are received - just as if a normal cash donation was received. There are no Accounts Receivable as each gift has a pre-defined payment method that will be used for each occurrence of the gift.

       

      Employee Permissions Set Up

      You must enable a permission under the Users & Access->Employee List for each employee in the Data Tab called Manage recurring donations for a patron.

      Theatre Manager does not require any additional setup to maintain Recurring Donations within the Donation Campaigns. The existing accounting setup is able to be used.
      Diataxis: 

      Recurring DonationTemplate List Window

      A recurring donation template contains all the data required to create future donations on an ongoing basis. When a template is processed, the future donation will contain a new order, donation and payment based on the template.

      A donation template is NOT a donation per se. A process is run to create a donation and payment from the template.

      There are three ways a recurring donation can be created. Please read about all of them.

      To access the Recurring Donation Templates window:

      1. Choose Setup >> System Tables >> Recurring Donation Templates

        Recurring Donations Menu Selection

        The Recurring Donation Template List window opens.

        Recurring Donation Templates List
      2. Parts of the Recurring Donation Template List Window

        Accesses the Help section for this window.
        Inserts a New recurring donation template through the Recurring Donation Template window. For more information on inserting recurring donations click here.
        Opens a window to edit a recurring donation through the Recurring Donation Detail window. For more information on editing recurring donations click here.
        Duplicates an existing recurring donation. For more information on duplicating an existing recurring donation click here.
        Deletes a recurring donation. For more information on deleting recurring donations click here.
        Generates a report of recurring donations to the screen or default print location.
        Exports out a recurring donation template list in a tab-delimited format.
        The patron record opens. For more information on the patron window click here.
        Recurring Donation Button Creates the next scheduled gift for each of the recurring donation templates. For more information on the creating scheduled gifts for recurring donations click here.
        Recurring # Unique number assigned to the recurring donation for tracking within Theatre Manager.
        Patron # Unique number assigned to the patron for tracking within Theatre Manager.
        Type The patron's selected category type. For more information on defining patron types click here.
        First Name The patron's first name that has the recurring donation.
        Last Name The patron's last name that has the recurring donation.
        Company The patron's company name that has the recurring donation.
        Campaign Name (Internal) The internal campaign name that receives the recurring donation. For more information on Donation Campaigns click here.
        Campaign Name (External) The external campaign name that receives the recurring donation. For more information on Donation Campaigns click here.
        Start Date The date the recurring donation was requested to be started.
        Next Date The date the next recurring donation is scheduled to be created.
        End Date The date that will stop all further gifts from being created by the recurring donation. Once this date has past, no donations will be created. An empty End Date will allow donations to be created into perpetuity.
        Amount The amount each gift will be created for each scheduled frequency.
        Recurring Frequency How often the donation will be created.
        Donation Field#1 The Donation Field #1 value to assign for each gift created by the recurring donation. For more information on defining the Donor#1 Popup Field click here.
        Donation Field#2 The Donation Field #2 value to assign for each gift created by the recurring donation. For more information on defining the Donor#2 Popup Field click here.
        Donation Field#3 The Donation Field #3 value to assign for each gift created by the recurring donation. For more information on defining the Donor#3 Popup Field click here.
        Solicitor The main solicitor for this recurring donation. For more information on defining solicitors click here.
        Solicitor # The main solicitor # for this recurring donation.
        Active Indicates if the recurring donation is active and will create gifts on the scheduled frequency.
      Diataxis: 

      Creating a Recurring Donation

      There are 3 ways to create a Recurring Donation.

      1. Through the Setup->System Tables->Recurring Donations setup menu. This method is extremely helpful if the patron is a first time donor and hasn't made a previous donation.
      2. Using an existing donation for a patron, which will define the starting values for the Recurring Donation.
      3. Using online web sales, the patron can indicate that they wish to setup and start a Recurring Donation.


      How to Start A First Time Recurring Donation

      To setup a new Recurring Donation for a patron, there are three steps to follow:

      1. Enter a NEW donation for the amount of the monthly gift and click on the Payment button
      2. Charge the credit card. This will be the FIRST donation of their Recurring Donation
      3. With the First Donation charged to the patron's credit card, now use the Recurring Donation Template button to setup the future payment amounts and frequency.

      Using the System Tables Setup menu

      1. Open the Recurring Donation window.

        Click here to learn how to access this window.

        Recurring Donations List

      2. Click on the recurring donation you want to edit.
      3. Click the New button.

        The recurring donation detail window will open. Click here to learn more about this window.



      Using an Existing Donation for a Patron

      Refer to Creating a Recurring Donation from an Existing Gift for more information.



      Using Web Sales to Setup a Recurring Donation

      Refer to Creating a Recurring Donation for an Online Donation for more information.

      A recurring donation template contains all the data required to create future donations on an ongoing basis. When a template is processed, the future donation will contain a new order, donation and payment based on the template.

      A donation template is NOT a donation per se. A donation must be created from it.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Create From Existing Gift

      Using an existing donation as a starting point to populate the Recurring Donation's fields is an easy process. In a situation where the patron may have made a donation and realizes that they wish to become a recurring donor, you're able to transfer the donation information along with the payment information over to the recurring donation.

      If the donation being used has a donation date of today, it will be automatically linked to the Recurring Donation as the 1st gift. The 'Next Gift Date' will be set in the future based on the 'Frequency'.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

        Patron Donations

      3. Select the Donation to edit.

        Single click on a donation to select it.

      4. Click the Open button.

        Patron Donation Detail

      5. Click the Recurring Recurring Gift Button button in the top toolbar.

        A confirmation window will open to confirming the creation of a Recurring Donation from the existing donation.

        Recurring Donations Create From Existing Gift

      6. Click Recurring button.

        The Recurring Donation will now be created and the Recurring Donation Detail Window will open to allow for any additional changes to the setup.

        The payment method for the recurring donation will be the same payment method applied to the originating donation. Only payment methods of type Credit Card and EFT will be applicable; all others will be assigned as 'On Account'.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Create From Existing Gift - Already Exists Warning Message

      When creating a Recurring Donation from an Existing Gift, if the donation selected is associated to an existing recurring donation previously created for the patron, a warning message will appear. In most cases this message will appear when the originating donation selected is of type 'Recurring Gift'.

      Recurring Donations Create From Existing Gift Already Exists

      This message is only a warning and will not stop the creation of another Recurring Donation based on this donation. The message is to provide an indicator that a recurring donation already exists for this patron based on the exact same gift information selected. The message is there to prevent a secondary recurring donation from being created by mistake.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab.

        Patron Donations

      3. Select the Donation to edit.

        Single click on a donation to select it.

      4. Click the Open button.

        Donation Donation Detail

      5. Click the Recurring Recurring Gift Button button in the top toolbar.

        A confirmation window will open to confirming the creation of a Recurring Donation from the existing donation.

        Recurring Donations Create From Existing Gift Already Exists

      6. Click Make More button.

        The Recurring Donation will now be created and the Recurring Donation Detail Window will open to allow for any additional changes to the setup.

        The payment method for the recurring donation will be the same payment method applied to the originating donation. Only payment methods of type Credit Card and EFT will be applicable; all others will be assigned as 'On Account'.

        The originating donation will not be associated with the new recurring donation that was just created. It will remain associated with the original recurring donation series.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Create for an Online Donation

      A Recurring Donation can be initiated by the patron during an online donation submission. When the patron fills in the required fields to complete the online donation, the patron selects a recurring frequency from the "How often do you want to make this donation?" pop-up list. During the checkout process, Theatre Manager will automatically create the Recurring Donation based on the information provided with the online donation.

      1. The Patron accesses online sales.

        For further information on Web Page Documentation click here.

      2. Click the Donation tab in the top toolbar.

        Recurring Donation Web Sales

      3. Fill in the required donation fields.

        The Donation Amount within the online donation will be used as the Recurring Amount for each future recurring occurrence.

      4. Choose a recurring option for the "How often do you want to make this donation?" choice.

      5. Click Add Donation to Shopping Cart button.

        The Recurring Donation request has now be added to the shopping cart along with the originating donation. At this stage in the process, the Recurring Donation has not been created. It has only been requested to be setup by the patron. It will only be created upon successful checkout of the shopping cart.

      6. If the originating donation is removed from the shopping cart prior to the checkout process, the Recurring Donation will not be created for the patron.

        A donation must be added to shopping cart along with the request to initiate the Recurring Donation, before a Recurring Donation will be created for the patron. Upon successful checkout of the shopping cart, this originating donation will be associated as the 1st gift within the series. The Next Gift Date will be set with a future date based on the recurring occurrence chosen by the patron.

      7. Complete the checkout process of the Shopping Cart

        The payment method for the recurring donation will be the same payment method used to complete the purchase of the shopping cart. Only payment methods of type Credit Card and EFT will be applicable; all others will be assigned as 'On Account'.

      8. After a successful checkout has occurred, the Recurring Donation is created.

        For reference information to assist the box office in determining the Shopping Cart in which the online patron initiated the request for the recurring donation, the Shopping Cart Number is provided on the Statistics tab of the Recurring Donation Detail Window.

      Diataxis: 

      Editing a Recurring Donation

      Editing a Recurring Donation will not update previously created gifts associated to the recurring donation with those edits being made. Only the future gifts created from the recurring donation will contain the edits. If the edits being made within the recurring donation are required to be made retro-active to the existing gifts, those edits will need to be made directly within each gift's donation record.

      1. Open the Recurring Donation window.

        Click here to learn how to access this window.

        Recurring Donation Templates List

      2. Click on the recurring donation you want to edit.
      3. Click the Open button.

        The recurring donation detail window will open. Click here to learn more about this window.

      Diataxis: 

      Duplicate a Recurring Donation

      Duplicating a Recurring Donation will not duplicate previously created gifts associated to the recurring donation. Only the Recurring Donation itself will be duplicated.

      1. Open the Recurring Donation window.

        Click here to learn how to access this window.

        Recurring Donation Templates List

      2. Click on the recurring donation you want to duplicate.
      3. Click the Duplicate button.

        The recurring donation has now been duplicated.

      Diataxis: 

      Delete a Recurring Donation

      1. Open the Recurring Donation window.

        Click here to learn how to access this window.

        Recurring Donation Templates List

      2. Click on the recurring donation you want to delete.

        The recurring donation must not be tied to a previously created donation in order to be deleted.

      3. Click the Delete button.

        A delete confirmation dialog opens.

      4. Click the Delete button.

        The recurring donation has now been deleted.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Detail Window

      All the details of a recurring donation can be entered, edited and kept track of in the Recurring Donation Detail window. This page explains the details of the window and its tabs.

      Recurring Donation Detail Window

      Parts of the Recurring Donation Detail Window

      Opens a new Recurring Donation Detail window to enter a new recurring donation.
      Saves the currently open recurring donation.
      Creates a duplicate of the currently open recurring donation.
      Can be clicked while editing to revert back to the last time the open recurring donation was saved.
      Deletes the recurring donation currently open.
      Checks the spelling in the appropriate fields.
      The Details tab is where you enter the descriptive information about the recurring donation. Click here for more information about the Details tab.
      The Notes tab is where you enter default values and notes for the recurring donation. Click here for more information about the Notes tab.
      The Matching Gift tab is where you define the matching gift profile of the company who will match this recurring donation. Click here for more information about the Matching Gift tab.
      The Statistics tab shows the various total amounts for the selected recurring donation. Click here for more information about the Statistics tab.
      The Donations tab displays the list of gifts and matching gifts associated with this recurring donation. From here, you can open the selected donation. Click here for more information about the Donation tab.
      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Detail Window - Detail Tab

      Recurring Donation Details

      Parts of the Recurring Donation Detail Window - Detail Tab

      Active Indicates if the recurring donation is enabled and currently active to create scheduled gifts.
      Patron The patron's account making the recurring donation.
      Campaign The drop down list containing the possible donation campaigns to give the donation to.
      Start Gift Date The start date for the recurring donation.
      Next Gift Date The date for the first recurring donation to occur.
      Solicitor Select the person responsible for receiving the donation from the drop down. This person must exist in the Employee table.
      Recurring Amount The amount for each recurring donation.
      Recurring Frequency The frequency for when a gift will be created for the recurring donation.
      Matching Gift Select the Matching Gift if you wish to link this donation to another patron who will also donate as a result of this patron giving a new donation. Click Here for more information.
      Tax Receipt Type Indicates if this recurring donation was given by the patron or by the patron's company.

      Parts of the Recurring Donation Detail Window - Payment Information

      Payment Method Choose the method of payment that will be used for each recurring donation.
      Credit Card

      Recurring Donation Payment Method Credit Card

      1. Select the Credit Card type from the Payment Method drop down.

        If the patron has made a previous credit card payment, the previous credit card type, number, and expire date will display as the default. Refer to the Payment Methods section of the Code Tables for defining the credit card types.

      2. Enter the credit card number.

        Theatre Manager checks the credit card number entered to ensure it is a valid sequence of numbers. This helps prevents card numbers from being typed in wrong.

        If your Workstation is equipped with a credit card swipe device, swipe the card and Theatre Manager will insert the number, card type and expiry date automatically.

      3. Enter the credit card expire date in the mm/yy format.

        If a credit card number is recorded in the patron record, it may automatically be displayed. If the Patron wishes to use an alternative credit card, the card number can be entered at this time. Click Here for more information on changing credit card information.

      4. Enter the name as shown on the credit card.
      EFT

      Recurring Donation Payment Method EFT

      1. Select the EFT payment type from the Payment Method drop down.

        If the patron has made a previous EFT payment, the previous EFT type, bank, branch, and account will display as the default. Refer to the Payment Methods section of the Code Tables for defining the EFT payment types.

      2. Enter the Bank Account's owners name.

        The Bank Account Holder's Name should match exactly as to what the bank account was created with. The Bank Account Holder Name may be used by the banking system as part of the verification process prior to accepting and authorizing transactions. This name does not need to match exactly as to the patron's name.

      3. Enter the Bank Account Information.

        If an EFT payment method was previously recorded in the patron record, it may automatically be displayed. If the Patron wishes to use an alternative Bank Account, the banking information can be entered at this time.

      On Account

      Recurring Donation Payment Method On Account

      1. Select On Account from the Payment Method drop down.

        No payment will be received at this time, so the amount due on the order will be placed as an outstanding balance due on the patron's account. You will still need to deal with the non-zero order balance later in order to clear your books.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Detail Window - Notes Tab

      The Notes Tab allows you to define specific fields for each gift created by the Recurring Donation.

      Recurring Donation Details

      Parts of the Recurring Donation Detail Window - Notes Tab

      Donor #1 (pop-up) A customizable pop-up field edited through the code tables. This pop-up can be made a mandatory field in Company Preferences.
      Donor #2 (pop-up) A customizable pop-up field edited through the code tables. This pop-up can be made a mandatory field in Company Preferences.
      Donor #3 (pop-up) A customizable pop-up field edited through the code tables. This pop-up can be made a mandatory field in Company Preferences.
      Donor #4 (char) A customizable character field. This field can be made a mandatory in Company Preferences.
      Donor #5 (flag) A customizable Check Box.
      Donor #6 (flag) A customizable Check Box.
      Donor #7 (flag) A customizable Check Box.
      Recurring Notes Additional important information or general background information about this recurring donation.

      Recurring Notes will not be transferred over to gifts created from the recurring donation. These notes are kept separate and are to reflect information specific to the recurring donation itself.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Detail Window - Matching Gift Tab

      Recurring Donation Details

      Parts of the Recurring Donation Detail Window - Matching Gift Tab

      Campaign The drop down list containing the possible donation campaigns to give the donation to.
      Solicitor Select the person responsible for receiving the donation from the drop down. This person must exist in the Employee table.
      Patron The matching gift company account making the recurring donation.

      The patron account selected must be setup as a Matching Gift Company before it will be accepted for the recurring donation.

      Matching Gift Ratio The percentage the matching gift patron's donation is in relation to the original donation.
      Match Amount Value of the donation the matching gift patron will make.

      This value is for reference only. When the gift is created, the Matching Gift Ratio will be used when setting the Matching Gift Amount.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Detail Window - Statistics Tab

      Recurring Donation Details

      Parts of the Recurring Donation Detail Window - Statistics Tab

      Annual Summaries/Projections

      Contains a backward look at actual amounts and a forward look at projections over a 6 year period.

      Actual 2021 This is the total recurring donations from TWO years ago based on this template. (the 2021 refers to the year and will change as time moves forward.
      Actual 2022 This is the total recurring donations from ONE years ago based on this template. (the 2022 refers to the year and will change as time moves forward.
      Estimate 2023 This is a combination of the actual recurring donations created this year plus an estimate of the future recurring donations not yet created. For example:
      • if it is march and only one monthly recurring donation has been created,
      • this attempts to predict that the future might only be 9 months worth of recurring donations.
      (the 2023 will change as time moves forward).
      Projected 2024 This is the projected total donations ONE year in the future based on this recurring donation template.
      • If the the template is inactive, the value will be zero.
      • If the recurring donation is slated to end in the year, that is taken into account as well.
      • If the recurring donation is not scheduled to start in the future, that is taken into account as well
      (2024 will change as time moves forward).
      Projected 2025 This is the projected total donations TWO years in the future based on this recurring donation template.
      • If the the template is inactive, the value will be zero.
      • If the recurring donation is slated to end in the year, that is taken into account as well.
      • If the recurring donation is not scheduled to start in the future, that is taken into account as well
      (2025 will change as time moves forward).
      Projected 2026 This is the projected total donations TWO years in the future based on this recurring donation template.
      • If the the template is inactive, the value will be zero.
      • If the recurring donation is slated to end in the year, that is taken into account as well.
      • If the recurring donation is not scheduled to start in the future, that is taken into account as well
      (2026 will change as time moves forward).
      Overal Actual Amounts

      contains the summary of every donation that has been created because of this recurring donation template.

      Total Amount Total amount of gifts created for the recurring donation.
      Total Donations Number of gifts created for the recurring donation.
      Matching Gifts Total amount of matching gifts created for the recurring Donation.
      # Gifts Matched Number of matching gifts created for the recurring donation.
      Source Information
      Transaction Source The source location where the recurring donation was entered.
      Shopping Cart The websales shopping cart number in which the patron confirmed their request to create this recurring donation.

      This value is for reference only. The shopping cart number is automatically assigned upon confirmation of the websales order containing the request to create this recurring donation.

      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Detail Window - Donations Tab

      Recurring Donation Details

      Parts of the Recurring Donation Detail Window - Donations Tab

      Status Icon based indicators on the various aspects of the donation.
      Order # The order number is a reference number for the order.
      Prog Yr Program Year.
      Use Indicates the source detailing hose the donation was received.
      First / Last & Company Name Name of the patron making the donation.
      Campaign Name Name of the campaign the donation was applied to.
      Fiscal Year The accounting Fiscal Year the donation was made.
      Donation Date Date the donation was made.
      Pledge Amount The amount the patron pledged to this donation.
      Actual Amount The actual amount the patron has confirmed they will donate towards their original pledged amount.
      Giving Level What level of giving the donation is at.
      Balance Outstanding balance of the pledged amount remaining to the paid.
      Total Receipted The amount of the donation that has been issued paayment/receipts.
      Soft Credit The total amount of Soft Credits that have been applied to the donation.
      Program Name How the patron would like to be recognized on the program.
      Diataxis: 

      Recurring Donations Create Scheduled Gifts from Templates

      This process will process the Recurring Donation Templates and create gifts/donations for each recurring donation template whose 'Next Gift Date' is up-to or equal to the date the process is run.

      If the 'Next Gift Date' spans a timeline where multiple gifts are to be created based on the combination of 'Next Gift Date, 'Frequency', and the 'date the process is run'; each gift created will have the appropriate Donation Date as if the process was run on the date it was scheduled to be created.

      Scheduled Gifts for Recurring Donations are reviewed and created in the following areas:

      1. Choose Setup >> System Tables >> Recurring Donations from the Main Menu.

        Recurring Donations Menu Selection

        The Recurring Donations List window opens.

        Recurring Donation Templates List

        Click here for information about the recurring donation window.

      2. Click the Recurring button Recurring Gift Button.

        The confirmation window will open confirming the request to create gifts from the recurring donations.

        Recurring Donations Create Scheduled Gifts

      3. Click Create Gifts

        The gifts will now be created.

      4. Click OK after reviewing the completion message.

      Diataxis: 

      Restricting Access To Donor Information

      This function is used to restrict employee access to the donor tab within the patron window. For details on setting access within Employee Setup click here.

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donor tab.

      3. Check the Private box.

        If the Publication Name is left blank a warning screen will appear.

      4. If the preferred Publication Name is to be Anonymous click the Yes button.

        Anonymous will be entered in the Publication Name field.

        If the patron Publication Name needs to be entered click the No button.

        Enter the patron Publication Name.

        The donor's General Donor Notes are now restricted to employees with security clearance to this tab. It is important to note that the actual donation history in the lower part of the screen is not restricted with this option, but rather in Employee Setup on the Data tab.

      To allow viewing of the donor's information

      1. Open the Patron Record.

        For details on locating a Patron Record click here.

      2. Click the Donor tab.
      3. Uncheck the Private box.

        A warning screen will appear asking if you are sure you wish to allow access to there information.

      4. Click the Yes button to allow access to all users or the No button to keep the information restricted.
      Diataxis: 

      Reducing a Donation or splitting an existing donation into multiple donations

      Occasionally, you may need to reduce the amount of a specific donation. Examples might be:

      • the donor may have donated with a subscription and a change in the subscription might mean a slight reduction in the donation -or-
      • you need to split an existing donation amount into two or more donations if the donor decides that they want to give to multiple separate campaigns instead of the one campaign they originally indicated.
      In either case, you can edit the existing donation without having to re-charge the patron's credit card or process a new payment of any kind.
      A donation amount cannot be reduced if receipts have been printed already for the patron.

      You would need to un-print some receipts to create the audit trail before reducing it in value.

      Splitting a donation consists of reducing the donation first followed by adding another donation to the existing order.

       

      Reducing the amount of an donation:

      1. Locate the patron's record.
      2. Go to the Donation tab.

      3. Double click on the donation you wish to reduce in amount.

        The donation record opens.

      4. Reduce the amount of the donation.

        There are two things that can happen when you reduce the amount of the donation and click save.

        • If the unprinted receipts amount allows a reduction, then you'll see a message below that indicates it is ok to reduce the donation.
        • If too many receipts have already been printed, then you will need to un-print some before reducing the amount. See the next step
      5. Un-print sufficient donation receipts

        If you cannot reduce the amount of a donation, you will need to un-print enough receipts to allow for the reduction in the donation. To do this:

        • Go to the 'receipts' tab
        • Select some receipts that are printed. There may only be one. In the case of post dated payments, there may be more.
        • Right click and select unprint receipts for selected donation for later printing
        • Confirm any dialog that appears

       

      Making the split donation

      After reducing the amount of the original donation and saving it, you can thne make a new donation to the same order for the amount that you reduced it.

      1. Click the New button on the donation that you just reduced in amount.

        This adds a new donation to the existing order.

      2. Set the donation amount, campaign, solicitor, notes, etc for the split/second portion of the donation.
      3. Click the button.
      4. Close the window.

        The first donation detail window will still be open. Close it too.

      5. In the end, there will be no new payments required if the split donation makes up the difference for the old donation.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Analytics

      Take the guesswork out of fundraising. Convert patrons into donors.

      DonorSearch can help you convert your patrons into members and donors, motivate smaller donors to increase their support, and strengthen your relationships with important supporters.

      Using wealth, philanthropy and other databases, along with their proprietary algorithms and manual oversight, DonorSearch can offer you:

      • Where your alumni are and what they're doing
      • Their wealth levels and capacity to give
      • Philanthropic history and the causes they support
      • Connections they have with others who support you

      Prospect with confidence.

      DonorSearch can help you evaluate, with a high degree of confidence, your prospects’ wealth (whether they can donate) and their past philanthropy, which is a strong indicator of whether they will donate.

      You'll have the critical information you need about your prospects to:

      • Boost attendance
      • Improve personal communications
      • Decrease your daily workload
      • Build valuable relationships

      Theatre Manager has integrated an interface directly with DonorSearch allowing easy interaction between your existing Theatre Manager patron and donor information to the analytic analysis warehouse of information.

      Theatre Manager provides an interface directly to DonorSearch. Accessing DonorSearch's wealth of information and analytic analysis of potential donor profiles requires an account be set up and maintained directly with DonorSearch.

      To contact DonorSearch about your prospect research needs, please contact Donor Search at info@donorsearch.net or call (410) 670-7880 or visit their website at http://www.donorsearch.net for further information.

      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch API Key

      The DonorSearch API Key is a unique identifier used with all transactions between DonorSearch and Theatre Manager. It acts as the place holder for a "Username" and "Password" that the end user would enter into the DonorSearch Web Portal directly if not accessing the data via Theatre Manager.

      This process will return the API Key. You will only be able to return the API Key once. After an API Key is created for your account, it is not retrievable this way again. Attempting to run this same process will report "Error". There are two reasons for the "Error" message will occur:

      1. The username and password are an invalid combination.
      2. The API Key has already been generated.

      If this message occurs please reach out to your DonorSearch contact after ensuring you have entered the appropriate required fields.

      If you have previously generated your API Key and know exactly what the API Key is, you can enter it directly into the API Key field.

      Retrieving API Key

      1. Use the Setup menu and clicking on Company/Outlet Preferences.
      2. Click the Donation tab.
      3. Click the DonorSearch API Settings button.

        The DonorSearch API Setup window opens.

        Username The account name provided by DonorSearch to access your organization's account.
        Password The password provided by DonorSearch to access your organization's account.
        API Key DonorSearch's unique identifier used with all transactions between the DonorSearch API and other outside parties.
      4. Enter the "Username" provided by DonorSearch for your account setup.
      5. Enter the "Password" provided by DonorSearch for your account setup.
      6. Click the Get API Key button.
      7. Click OK.
      8. Click Save in the window toolbar.

      The DonorSearch API Key has now been updated and saved within Theatre Manager.

      Theatre Manager provides an interface directly to DonorSearch. Accessing DonorSearch's wealth of information and analytic analysis of potential donor profiles requires an account be set up and maintained directly with DonorSearch. To contact DonorSearch about your prospect research needs, please contact Annette Zakuto at annette@donorsearch.net or call 401-988-4978 or visit their website at http://www.donorsearch.net for further information.

      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Submitting New Searches

      There are 2 methods of sending in requests to DonorSearch for analysis on your donors. An exported Text File Submission and Direct Submission. The exported file offers more information to match on and generates a more higher degree of successful data matching, however a direct submission offers a more quick turnaround on immediate information about your donor. Regardless of your choice of submitting new searches, the steps to complete the process are virtually the same.

      To begin with a search, you will need to determine which patrons you wish to submit for analysis on. This could be from:

      Once you have determined the patrons you wish to submit, proceed wth one of the following submission choices:

      1. Direct Submission - offers a more quick turnaround on immediate information about your donor.
      2. Text File Submission - generates a more higher degree of successful data matching and additional information about your prospect.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Direct Submission

      To begin with a search, you will need to determine which patrons you wish to submit for analysis on. This could be from:

      Submitting a New Search Request

      1. Select the patrons to request a new search for.

        If your submitting a request from the Patron window Donor's tab, there is no patron selection required. Proceed with the next step by Right-Clicking anywhere on the donation listing.

      2. Right-click on the selected patrons

        A context menu will pop-up

      3. Choose menu option DonorSearch Analytics >> Request Analysis

        The Export Donor Information for DonorSearch Analytics window opens

        Choose Patron Locations

        DonorSearch will use the addresses submitted to provide a better quality match the exact patron you are requesting analysis on.

        Home Address Select the location code that best matches the patron's home address.
        Home Phone Select the location code that best matches the patron's home phone.
        Home Email Select the location code that best matches the patron's home email.
        Cell/Mobile Phone Select the location code that best matches the patron's cell or mobile phone.
        Seasonal Address Select the location code that best matches the patron's seasonal/vacation address.
        Work Address Select the location code that best matches the patron's work address.
        Choose Patron Relationships

        DonorSearch will also use relationships between patrons to determine a better quality match during the analysis process.

        Spouse Select the relationship code that best matches the patron's spouse.
        Current Employer Select the relationship code that best matches the patron's current employer or the location where they currently work.
        Choose Export Format

        DonorSearch can receive a direct submission or an exported text file to their system as the source of information for the patron.

        Direct Submission Select this option to send information immediately for a more quick turnaround immediate response for a high-level analysis.
        Text File Select this option to create a text file to send to DonorSearch can for an in-depth analysis.
      4. Make the selections within the submission window.
      5. Choose "Direct Submission" for the Choose Export Format choice.
      6. Click the Create button.
      7. Review the response message to confirm the patron information has been submitted for analysis.

      8. Click OK
      9. Proceed to the steps on how to Retrieve Analytic Results from DonorSearch.
      Diataxis: 

      Direct Submission Data Sent

      The DonorSearch Direct Submission sends a portion of the patron's information as part of the analysis process. The more information Theatre Manager has about the patron, the better the results and experience using DonorSearch will be. Below are the list of fields sent when processing a request.

      Information Sent During Direct Submission Request

      The asterisk (*) denotes minimum required information for a Direct Submission. Patron's not meeting the minimum requirements will be excluded from the submission.

      NOTE: DonorSearch is only able to match on addresses within the USA, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Marshall Islands. Addresses outside of these locations will be excluded from the submission. If a patron's address is excluded resulting in the patron not meeting the minimum requirements, the patron will be excluded from the submission.

      • *Patron #
      • *Patron First Name
      • Patron Middle Name
      • *Patron Last Name
      • Patron Suffix
      • Patron Age (Current)
      • *Patron Address Line 1
      • Patron Address Line 2
      • *Patron City
      • *Patron State
      • *Patron Zip Code
      • Spouse First Name
      • Spouse Middle Name
      • Spouse Last Name
      • Employer Name
      • Business Address Line 1
      • Business Address Line 2
      • Business City
      • Business State
      • Business Zip Code
      • Seasonal Address Line 1
      • Seasonal Address Line 2
      • Seasonal City
      • Seasonal State
      • Seasonal Zip Code
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Text File Submission

      To begin with a search, you will need to determine which patrons you wish to submit for analysis on. This could be from:

      Submitting a New Search Request

      1. Select the patrons to request a new search for.

        If your submitting a request from the Patron window Donor's tab, there is no patron selection required. Proceed with the next step by Right-Clicking anywhere on the donation listing.

      2. Right-click on the selected patrons

        A context menu will pop-up

      3. Choose menu option DonorSearch Analytics >> Request Analysis

        The Export Donor Information for DonorSearch Analytics window opens

        Choose Patron Locations

        DonorSearch will use the addresses submitted to provide a better quality match the exact patron you are requesting analysis on.

        Home Address Select the location code that best matches the patron's home address.
        Home Phone Select the location code that best matches the patron's home phone.
        Home Email Select the location code that best matches the patron's home email.
        Cell/Mobile Phone Select the location code that best matches the patron's cell or mobile phone.
        Seasonal Address Select the location code that best matches the patron's seasonal/vacation address.
        Work Address Select the location code that best matches the patron's work address.
        Choose Patron Relationships

        DonorSearch will also use relationships between patrons to determine a better quality match during the analysis process.

        Spouse Select the relationship code that best matches the patron's spouse.
        Current Employer Select the relationship code that best matches the patron's current employer or the location where they currently work.
        Choose Export Format

        DonorSearch can receive a direct submission or an exported text file to their system as the source of information for the patron.

        Direct Submission Select this option to send information immediately for a more quick turnaround immediate response for a high-level analysis.
        Text File Select this option to create a text file to send to DonorSearch can for an in-depth analysis.
      4. Make the selections within the submission window.
      5. Choose "Text File" for the Choose Export Format choice.
      6. Click the Create button.
      7. Choose the name and location of where the export text file should be placed.

      8. Click Save
      9. Review the response message to confirm the location where the file was saved.

      10. Click OK
      11. Proceed to the steps Upload the Text File to DonorSearch.

      The export text file is already formatted and prepared based on data submission requirements from DonorSearch.

      After you have received back the analytic results on the patrons you uploaded to DonorSearch, proceed to the steps on how to Import Analytic Results from DonorSearch.

      Diataxis: 

      Text File Data Provided

      The DonorSearch Text File Submission sends additional patron's information then the Direct Submission process to allow a more in-depth analysis of the patron. This allows for a higher degree of accuracy during the patron matching process and provides the opportunity for a further detailed analytic result. The more information Theatre Manager has about the patron, the better the results and experience using DonorSearch will be. Below are the list of fields sent when processing a request.

      Information Sent During Text File Submission Request

      The asterisk (*) denotes minimum required information for a Direct Submission. Patron's not meeting the minimum requirements will be excluded from the submission.

      NOTE: DonorSearch is only able to match on addresses within the USA, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Marshall Islands. Addresses outside of these locations will be excluded from the submission. If a patron's address is excluded resulting in the patron not meeting the minimum requirements, the patron will be excluded from the submission.

      • *Patron #
      • Patron Salutation
      • *Patron First Name
      • Patron Middle Name
      • *Patron Last Name
      • Patron Suffix
      • Patron Age (Current)
      • Patron Date of Birth
      • Patron Home Phone
      • Patron Email Address
      • *Patron Address Line 1
      • Patron Address Line 2
      • *Patron City
      • *Patron State
      • *Patron Zip Code
      • Spouse First Name
      • Spouse Middle Name
      • Spouse Last Name
      • Spouse Age (Current)
      • Spouse Date of Birth
      • Employer Name
      • Business Address Line 1
      • Business Address Line 2
      • Business City
      • Business State
      • Business Zip Code
      • Seasonal Address Line 1
      • Seasonal Address Line 2
      • Seasonal City
      • Seasonal State
      • Seasonal Zip Code
      • Patron First Gift Date (in Theatre Manager)
      • Patron First Gift Amount
      • Patron Last Gift Date (in Theatre Manager)
      • Patron Last Gift Amount
      • Patron Largest Gift Date (in Theatre Manager)
      • Patron Largest Gift Amount
      • Patron Total Gift Count (in Theatre Manager)
      • Patron Total Gift Amount
      • Custom Field 1 - Patron #
      • Custom Field 2 (not used)
      • Custom Field 3 (not used)
      • Custom Field 4 (not used)
      • Custom Field 5 (not used)
      • Custom Field 6 (not used)
      • Custom Field 9 (not used)
      • Custom Field 10 (not used)
      • Custom Field 11 (not used)
      • Custom Field 12 (not used)
      • Custom Field 13 (not used)
      • Custom Field 14 (not used)
      • Custom Field 15 (not used)
      • Custom Field 16 (not used)
      • Custom Field 17 (not used)
      • Custom Field 18 (not used)
      • Custom Field 19 (not used)
      • Custom Field 20 (not used)
      Diataxis: 

      Upload Text File to DonorSearch

      The Theatre Manager export text file is already formatted and prepared based on data submission requirements from DonorSearch. This step transfers the patron prospects exported from Theatre Manager to DonorSearch for processing.

      1. Log into the DonorSearch Web Portal.
      2. Click the Tab.

        The Upload File section will appear.

      3. Click to select the Theatre Manager export text file.
      4. Enter your first and last name into the "Your Name" field.
      5. Enter your Email address into the "Your Email" field.
      6. Select Production File = Current Client Users for the "File Type".
      7. Enter a File Description to describe the type of prospects being uploaded.
      8. Enter Any Special Instructions you may have for the file being uploaded.
      9. Click to upload the Theatre Manager export text file.

        The file will be uploaded to DonorSearch for processing. It may take a few moments to complete the upload process depending on the filesize and speed of your internet access.

      It is recommended that you send a direct email to your DonorSearch Contact to notify them that a prospect file has been uploaded. This will enable them to follow the process on their side to get the results back to you as quickly as possible. Your DonorSearch Contact will be able to provide an estimated time when the results will be ready.

      After you have received back the analytic results on the patrons you have just uploaded, proceed to the steps on how to Import Analytic Results from DonorSearch..

      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Retrieve Analytic Results

      The following process is for retrieving the analytic results from requests to DonorSearch that were perform through the Direct Submission option.

      If your submitted a Text File for processing and are wanting to import those results into Theatre Manager, you will need to follow the steps at Importing DonorSearch Analytic Results.

      Before beginning with the retrieval process, you will need to determine which patrons you wish to retrieve the analysis on. This could be from:

      Retrieving Analytic Results

      1. Select the patrons that you requested a new search for.

        If your retrieving a request from the patron window donor's tab, there is no patron selection required. Proceed with the next step by Right-Clicking anywhere on the donation listing.

      2. Hint: If your unable to remember exactly which patrons you need to retrieve analytic results for, proceed directly to the DonorSearch Analytic Results window. From there, you're able to easily determine which patrons require retrieval of results and download them too.

      3. Right-click on the selected patrons

        A context menu will pop-up

      4. Choose menu option DonorSearch Analytics >> Retrieve Analysis
      5. Review the response message confirming the analytic results information has been downloaded into Theatre Manager.

      6. Click OK
      7. Proceed to the steps on how to View Analytic Results window from DonorSearch.

      Note: The results returned from DonorSearch during a direct submission are limited compared to the detailed information provided within the DonorSearch Web Portal. The returned results are intended to offer a quick turnaround on immediate information about your donor:

      • DS Rating
      • Overall Rating / Quality Score
      • Largest Gift High
      • Largest Gift Low
      • Capacity Range Based On Wealth
      • Estimated Capacity
      • Real Estate Total
      • Real Estate Count
      • Total Likely Charitable Count
      • Total Likely Charitable Matches
      • Foundation Board
      • GuideStar Board
      • Political Likely Count
      • Political Likely Total
      • Business Reveue
      • SEC Stock Value
      • SEC Stock Insider
      • IRS 990PF
      • Real Estate Trust
      • Market Guide
      • Market Guide Compensation
      • Market Guide Options
      • Business Affiliation
      • Pension
      • Pension Assets
      • CorpTech Match
      • FAA Pilot License
      • Airplane Owner
      • Boat Owner

      If your looking for additional information to be maintained in Theatre Manager, you can export the data results from the DonorSearch Web Portal and import those results into Theatre Manager following the steps at Importing DonorSearch Analytic Results.

      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Importing Analytic Results

      The following process is for importing the analytic results from DonorSearch that were through the Text File option.

      If your submitted a Direct Submission for processing and are wanting to retrieve those results into Theatre Manager, you will need to follow the steps at Retrieving DonorSearch Analytic Results.

      The access to import DonorSearch menu option, an employee must have either Insert or Edit access to the "Donor - Manage DonorSearch Analytic Analysis Results" Data Security functions. in their employee profile.

      Importing Analytic Results

      1. Goto menu options File >> Import/Export >> Donation >> DonorSearch Analytic Results.

        This will open the Import Data Window.

      2. Click Select button.
      3. Select the file that was provided from DonorSearch containing the analytic results.

      4. Click Open button.
      5. Match Fields to the Database.

      6. Click Match Keys button.
      7. Select Key Field to Match On.

        In most cases, select "DS_PROFILE_LINK - DonorSearch-Profile Link"

      8. Click Set Options button.
      9. Select Data Import Options.

        In most cases, select "Import all data as new records"

      10. Click Import button.
      11. Click Import to proceed with the import process.

      12. Proceed to the steps on how to View Analytic Results in Theatre Manager from DonorSearch.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch View Analytic List Window

      The DonorSearch Analytic Results List window displays the retrieved/downloaded analytic analysis for your organization. From this window your able to continue your analysis of your potential and existing donors as you manage their movements through your donation campaigns.

       

      Opening the DonorSearch Analytic Results List Window

       

      Parts of the DonorSearch Analytic Results List Window

      Not available in this window.
      Opens the selected DonorSearch Analytic Result for the selected patron.
      Not available in this window.
      Deletes the selected analytic results. This only deletes the result from Theatre Manager. DonorSearch retains the record until it has been deleted manually through the DonorSearch Web Portal.
      Generates a report of all listed analytic results to the screen or default print location.
      Exports the data from the analytic results list into a selected file format and saves it to a selected location.
      Opens the Contact Card for the selected patrons in the list.
      Assigns a donor solicitor to the selected patrons in the list.
      Requests a New DonorSearch Analysis for the selected patrons in the list.
      Retrieves the DonorSearch Analytic Results for the selected patrons in the list.
      Go directly to the DonorSearch Web Portal and view the DonorSearch Analytic Results for the selected patrons in the list.

       

      Analytic Results Search

      Search options require parameters to search within. The most common search parameter is From/To. This option allows for a start and end range to be entered for the search. It can limit down the list quickly and can be as specific as needed. The second most common search parameter is Like. Like returns results containing the value entered for the search.

      All View all analytic results.
      Submit Time Searches for the date that the DonorSearch record was processed.
      DS-Rating Searches for the ranking of a prospect's ability and propensity to make $5,000+ donations.
      Overall Rating Searches for the confidence level of name matching to donor records. Anything over 17 indicates a high degree of confidence.
      PGID-Rating Searches for the prospect's likelihood to be a planned gift donor based upon a combination of internal giving history and age. 0 = no info found; 1 = least likely; 7 = most likely. If there is no internal giving history, the rating will be based on external giving (to other nonprofits), and will not be as accurate.
      Largest Gift-High Searches for the largest gift found when the exact amount and/or a range of giving are reported.
      Largest Gift-Low Searches for the lowest gift found when the exact amount and/or a range of giving are reported.
      Capacity Range Searches for the amount a donor can give as a "stretch" gift over a five-year period, based on his/her wealth.
      Real Estate Total Searches for the estimated value of all real estate owned by the patron.
      Patron # A patron number starting from one number to another. If the exact number is know this can be entered in both fields. The patron assigned that number will appear as the result.
      Name/Company Enter a part of the patron's first name, last name or company. All three fields in the database will be searched for a record containing like information. i.e. "Ab" returns Blaine Abel, Julie Abel and Lauren MacIntosh of ABC Book Store.
      First Name The first letter, part of or all of the patron's first name. The more entered the more accurate the results will be. This field only searches the first name field within the database.
      Last Name The first letter, part of or all of the patron's last name. The more entered the more accurate the result will be. This field only searches the last name field within the database.
      Company The first letter, part of or all of the patron's company name. The more entered the more accurate the result will be. This field only searches the company name field within the database.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Analytic Results Detail Window

      The DonorSearch Analytic Results Detail Window displays all of the analysis results from DonorSearch on your patron.

      Parts of the DonorSearch Analytic Results Detail Window

      Opens the Contact Card for the selected patrons in the list.
      Requests a New DonorSearch Analysis for the selected patrons in the list.
      Retrieves the DonorSearch Analytic Results for the selected patrons in the list.
      Go directly to the DonorSearch Web Portal and view the DonorSearch Analytic Results for the selected patrons in the list.
      Primary Tier displays the essential results to be used in reviewing the donor's analysis. This information is suggested be referenced when building mail lists for prospects for your donation campaigns.
      Second Tier displays the important information about the donor.
      Third Tier displays information of significance about the donor.
      Batch Screening displays the group of fields used to house batch screen information created during the batch processing (Text File) submission. The values on this tab represent analysis results comparing to the other patrons submitted within the same batch processes.
      Miscellaneous displays the counts and total amounts for various areas of interest found for this patron during the analysis.
      Profile displays the additional information provided by Theatre Manager to DonorSearch during the batch processing (Text File) submission.
      Submitted displays the statistical information of actual gifts made by this donor that was exported by Theatre Manager to DonorSearch during the batch processing (Text File) submission. The statistical information of actual gifts shown is based on the exact information contained within Theatre Manager at the time the export occurred. Any donation activity within Theatre Manager after the submission, may alter the current and up-to-date statistical information shown on the patron window statistics tab.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Results Primary Tier

      Primary Tier displays the essential results to be used in reviewing the donor's analysis. This information is suggested be referenced when building mail lists for prospects for your donation campaigns.

      Parts of the Primary Tier Tab

      DS Rating A ranking of a prospect's ability and propensity to make $5,000+ donations.
      Quality Score Confidence level of name matching to donor records. Anything over 17 indicates a high degree of confidence. Note that in the comprehensive Profile, each piece of data is individually scored for confidence.
      High Range This indicates the largest gift found when the exact amount and/or a range of giving are reported.
      Low Range This indicates the lowest gift found when the exact amount and/or a range of giving are reported.
      Capacity Range The amount a donor can give as a "stretch" gift over a five-year period, based on his/her wealth. The individual philanthropy and wealth report on each prospect includes two capacity ranges: one based on wealth and one based on previous philanthropy.
      Real Estate Count Number of properties owned by the donor.
      Real Estate Total Estimated value of all real estate owned by the donor.
      Submit Date The date that the DonorSearch record was processed.
      Profile Link A link to the prospect's complete wealth and philanthropic profile on the DonorSearch web portal.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Results Second Tier

      Second Tier displays the important information about the donor.

      Parts of the Second Tier Tab

      Gift Matches Count Number of unique positive matches to outside giving history found for the record. This quantity does not include "maybe" donations.
      Gift Matches Total The dollar amount of all positive matches to outside giving history found for the record. This total does not include "maybe" donations.
      Foundation Board Identifies whether the prospect is on the board of a foundation. M = maybe, Y = yes, and a Blank = no data match found.
      GuideStar Board Indicates whether the prospect is on the board of a grant-seeking foundation.
      Political Total Count Number of federal and state political gifts found (note that not all states report political giving).
      Political Total Total amount of political giving found; Maybe indicates gifts that may not be tied to that donor. This is a strong philanthropy indicator: 15K in 15 political gifts typically indicates a 5-7 figure charitable gift elsewhere.
      Business Revenue Dollar value of revenues at a Dun & Bradstreet firm at which the prospect is an executive-level employee. These revenues are reported by the company or estimated by Dun & Bradstreet, and thus may be distorted.
      SEC Stock Value Dollar value of any SEC reported stock options.
      SEC Stock Insider Identifies whether the prospect has stock options related to being a company insider or high-ranking employee who must report stock transactions to the SEC. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = no data match found.
      Market Guide Identifies whether the prospect has been matched to the Reuters Market Guide database on company insiders. M = Maybe, Y = Yes, and Blank = no data match found.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Results Third Tier

      Third Tier displays information of significance about the donor.

      Parts of the Third Tier Tab

      IRS 990PF Identifies whether the prospect is associated with a namesake grant-giving foundation. M = maybe, Y = yes, and Blank = no data match found.
      Real Estate Trust Real Estate Trust owned by the donor. Y = yes, M = maybe, Blank = no information found.
      Market Guide Dollar value of any Market Guide reported company compensation for a given year.
      Market Guide Options Dollar value of any Market Guide reported stock options executed.
      Business Affiliation Identifies whether the prospect has been matched to a Dun & Bradstreet firm at an executive level position. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = no data match found.
      Pension Administration Identifies whether the prospect has been matched to the Larkspur SEP/Keogh Pensions database as having deferred income or a qualified pension plan. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = no data match found.
      Pension Assets Dollar value of Larkspur/Keogh pension plan or deferred income; not all assets may belong to the prospect.
      CorpTech Match Indicates if the prospect is profiled in the CorpTech database, a database of business executives in high technology manufacturing, development and service companies. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = No.
      FAA Pilot License Identifies if the prospect has a pilot's license and is in the FAA database. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = No.
      Airplane Owner Identifies if the prospect is an airplane owner. Note that corporate aircraft will not be listed, nor will fractional or timeshare ownership. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = No.
      Boat Owner Identifies if the prospect is a boat owner and is in the Coast Guard database. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = No.
      Estimated Capacity Estimated 5-year gift capacity for the prospect based on wealth and external philanthropy.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Results Batch Screening

      Batch Screening displays the group of fields used to house batch screen information created during the batch processing (Text File) submission. The values on this tab represents an internal analysis of the relationship you have with each of your prospects within the same batch processes. It does not compare your donors to other organizations in creating the ratings shown.

      Parts of the Batch Screening Tab

      Major Gift Likelihood Prospect's likelihood to be an major gift donor based upon a combination of external giving and giving history to the client's organization (if available). 300 = most likely; 0 = least likely.
      Annual Gift Likelihood Prospect's likelihood to be an annual fund donor based upon a combination of external giving and giving history to the client's organization (if available). 300 = most likely; 0 = least likely.
      RFM Total An internal analysis of the relationship you have with each of your prospects, using a formula that includes how RECENTLY your prospect has given to you, how FREQUENTLY your prospect has given to you, and the total amount of MONEY given. Scale of 1-300. 300 is the highest rating and indicates the greatest likelihood of donating. This analysis is only available if an organization has supplied giving data on a particular donor; prospects who are non-donors will not have an RFM score. RFM is calculated using your donor data only; it does not compare your donors to other organizations.
      RFM Recent An internal analysis of the relationship you have with each of your prospects, using a formula that includes how RECENTLY your prospect has given to you. RFM is calculated using your donor data only; it does not compare your donors to other organizations.
      RFM Frequency DonorSearch analytics show that RFM Frequency is the best indicator of future philanthropy. A donor whos given a gift annually for 15 years is much more likely to donate again than someone whos given one large gift one time.
      RFM Money The donor whos given you the most amount of money, for example, will be scored 100 in the RFM Money category, regardless of how much he/she has given. The top 1% of all your donors, in terms of amount, will receive a score of 100, the next most generous donors will receive an RFM Money score of 99, etc. RFM is calculated using your donor data only; it does not compare your donors to other organizations.
      Planned Gift Rating Prospect's likelihood to be a planned gift donor based upon a combination of internal giving history and age. 0 = no info found; 1 = least likely; 7 = most likely. If there is no internal giving history, the rating will be based on external giving (to other nonprofits), and will not be as accurate.
      Assessed DonorSearch manually assesses the top 200 prospects in your database as quality assurance that all data is correct to an 85-90% level at no extra charge. Additional assessments may be purchased.
      Questions Questions DonorSearch had when manually processing the profile’s assessment.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Results Miscellaneous

      Miscellaneous displays the counts and total amounts for various areas of interest found for this patron during the analysis.

      Parts of the Miscellaneous Tab

      VIP Used only for Daily Patient Screening; identifies most potentially philanthropic patients.
      RW Sports A list of professional athletes from many of the premier professional U.S. sports leagues. Information includes birthplace, age, team, position, and salary for athletes from MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, ATP, WTA and the Sprint Cup NASCAR Series. Compiled from various sources, it is one of the most diverse collections of data on athletes available. M = Maybe Match. Y = Match.
      Marquis Who's Who Identifies if the prospect is in the Marquis' Who's Who, which offers biographical and professional information to help you create a more complete profile on your prospect. Who's Who information is contained in the complete philanthropic and wealth profile of each donor. Y = Yes, M = Maybe, Blank = No.
      Donor Notes about the donor from DonorSearch.
      Notes Custom notes manually entered into DonorSearch about this profile. These notes are entered by the organization via the DonorSearch Web Portal.
      M Total The total dollars donated that are not positive matches to the individual.

      It is the total dollars donated by someone with the name of the individual where DonorSearch does not believe it to be a tight match.

      # States Real Estate Number of states where donor owns property.
      Inner Circle Helps you find connections between your current board of directors/executives/supporters and potential donors. This shows the number of inner circle matches the individual/prospect has. Inner Circle will compare your list to the thousands of board affiliations found in Who Knows Who, and highlight the matches in the section labeled Inner Circle in each prospective donor's detailed profile.
      Avg. Home Value Average property value for the zip code in which the prospect resides.
      Household Income Median household income for the zip code in which the prospect resides.
      LexisNexis Property Count Number of properties owned according to LexisNexis.
      LexisNexis Property Total Value of real estate according to LexisNexis.
      Zillow Property Count Number of properties owned according to Zillow.
      Zillow Property Total Value of real estate according to Zillow.
      Higher Education Count Number of gifts found to universities, colleges and two-year colleges.
      Higher Education Total Dollar amount of gifts found to universities, colleges and two-year colleges.
      Private Schools Count Number of gifts found to private schools, academies, and other educational institutions that aren't included in the Higher Education Count.
      Private Schools Total Dollar amount of gifts found to private schools, academies, and other educational institutions that aren't included in the Higher Education Count.
      Philanthropic Count Number of gifts found to philanthropic and grant-making organizations.
      Philanthropic Total Dollar amount of gifts found to philanthropic and grant-making organizations.
      Healthcare Count Number of gifts found to healthcare agencies.
      Healthcare Total Dollar amount of gifts found to healthcare agencies.
      Arts Count Number of gifts found to organizations whose main mission is related to the arts, culture or humanities.
      Arts Total Dollar amount of gifts found to organizations whose main mission is related to the arts, culture or humanities.
      Republican Count Number of gifts found to Republican candidates for federal and state offices. Due to reporting requirements, contributions to PACs and other political organizations are not included. Note that not all states report political contributions.
      Republican Total Dollar amount of gifts found to Republican candidates for federal and state offices. Due to reporting requirements, contributions to PACs and other political organizations are not included. Note that not all states report political contributions.
      Democratic Count Number of gifts found to Democratic candidates for federal and state offices. Due to reporting requirements, contributions to PACs and other political organizations are not included. Note that not all states report political contributions.
      Democratic Total Dollar amount of gifts found to Democratic candidates for federal and state offices. Due to reporting requirements, contributions to PACs and other political organizations are not included. Note that not all states report political contributions.
      Political Likely Count Total count of political giving found that are most likely by this prospect.
      Political Likely Total Total amount of political giving found that are most likely by this prospect.
      Other Political Count Number of gifts found to candidates for federal and state offices who are not Republicans or Democrats. Due to reporting requirements, contributions to PACs and other political organizations are not included. Note that not all states report political contributions.
      Other Political Total Dollar amount of gifts found to candidates for federal and state offices who are not Republicans or Democrats. Due to reporting requirements, contributions to PACs and other political organizations are not included. Note that not all states report political contributions.
      Society Count Number of gifts found to organizations whose main mission is related to a society benefit; these are organizations whose mission doesn't fit other philanthropic categories.
      Society Total Dollar amount of gifts found to organizations whose main mission is related to a society benefit; these are organizations whose mission doesn't fit other philanthropic categories.
      Religion Count Number of gifts found to religious organizations.
      Religion Total Dollar amount of gifts found to religious organizations.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Results Profile

      Profile displays the additional information provided by Theatre Manager to DonorSearch during the batch processing (Text File) submission.

      Parts of the Profile Tab

      Field 1 User Field #1 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process. This field represents the SEARCH ID used to link this patron account to the information in the DonorSearch Web Portal.
      Field 2 User Field #2 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 3 User Field #3 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 4 User Field #4 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 5 User Field #5 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 6 User Field #6 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 7 User Field #7 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 8 User Field #8 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 9 User Field #9 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 10 User Field #10 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 11 User Field #11 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 12 User Field #12 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 13 User Field #13 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 14 User Field #14 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 15 User Field #15 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 16 User Field #16 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 17 User Field #17 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 18 User Field #18 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 19 User Field #19 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Field 20 User Field #20 supplied by Theatre Manager; they are included for your convenience when submitting your file(s) for screening. Values in User Fields are not used in the analytic process.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Results Submitted

      Submitted displays the statistical information of actual gifts made by this donor that was exported by Theatre Manager to DonorSearch during the batch processing (Text File) submission. The statistical information of actual gifts shown is based on the exact information contained within Theatre Manager at the time the export occurred. Any donation activity within Theatre Manager after the submission, may alter the current and up-to-date statistical information shown on the patron window statistics tab.

      Parts of the Submitted Tab

      Total Gifts Count Total Gift Count supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      Total Gifts Total Gift Amount supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      First Gift Date First Gift Date supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      First Gift Amount First Gift Date supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      Last Gift Date Last Gift Date supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      Last Gift Amount Last Gift Amount supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      Largest Gift Date Largest Gift Amount supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      Largest Gift Amount Largest Gift Date supplied by Theatre Manager; used to calculate RFM.
      Diataxis: 

      DonorSearch Web Portal

      DonorSearch offers a direct web portal to the ProspectView Plus web serviced database. ProspectView Plus is designed as a visual, interactive display of the generated detailed profiles containing philanthropic and wealth information.

      This visual portion will only work via a web browser.

      Parts of the DonorSearch Web Portal Login Window

      Username The account name provided by DonorSearch to access your organization's account.
      Password The password provided by DonorSearch to access your organization's account.
      Login After entering in the Username and Password, click the "Login" button to access your organization's account.

      For access to the web portal's user manuals, screening manuals, training manuals, other resources materials related to DonorSearch, or for information on how to use the DonorSearch Web Portal, log into the web portal website at https://www.donorlead.net and visit the "Customer Resources" tab.

      Theatre Manager provides an interface directly to DonorSearch. Accessing DonorSearch's wealth of information and analytic analysis of potential donor profiles requires an account be set up and maintained directly with DonorSearch. To contact DonorSearch about your prospect research needs, please contact Annette Zakuto at annette@donorsearch.net or call 410-988-4978 or visit their website at http://www.donorsearch.net for further information.

      Diataxis: 

      Hot Seat Analyzer

      The hot seat analyzer tool can be used to:
      • Determine the usage frequency of seats in a venue and/or the revenue capacity of a particular seat and provide a heat map
      • Find out if the current price zones in the venue are appropriate or if they should be allocated differently to accommodate customer preferences in your venue.

      Using the tool, you may replace the typical bands of seats with different pricing on aisles or zones in the venue.

      How to Start the Hot Seat Analyser

      to use the hot seat analyzer, you perform the following steps:

      1. From the main menus, choose Patron Sales -> Hot Seat Analyzer

        The Hot Seat Analyzer opens.

      2. Choose a Venue/Theatre from the drop down list.
      3. Choose a Pricing Map from the drop down list.

        Theatre Manager shows the reserved seating events in the venue that are active.

      4. Choose a summary method from the drop down list.

        Select if you want the seat display to:

        • Include comps - which are tickets that had a value, but were discounted to zero using a promotion
        • Include free tickets - which are tickets that started off at a zero price
        • Include patrons that are part of a mail list. You could limit the patrons displayed on the hot seat analyzer to include:
          • only a certain list of donors. eg: if you wanted to see where people who gave between $200 and $250 tended to sit
          • last years purchasers or prior year purchases. eg: if you made a zone change in the venue for this year, did it change prior patrons buying habits
          • people who bought 3 or more tickets. eg: do multiple ticket buyers have a preferences for are in the venue?
          • people who are both donors and volunteers. eg: are the volunteers telling you something about best view in the house?
          • any kind of grouping you wish. If no mail list is provided, then all patrons with tickets are included.
      5. Select a range of performances in the list on the left that you want to analyze.

        Theatre Manager aggregates information based on the seats that are sold in the map, and adjusts the legend.

      6. As the performances and options are changed, Theatre Manager automatically adjusts the legend and colour scaling. That means a colour on one analysis does not necessarily mean the same as the same colour on another seat analysis.

      Seating Quantity Example

      Each range shows:
      • the range of tickets sold into each seat across an event called 'High School Musical'.

        Most times, the range will show something like 10 - 23 (999) which means tickets in this range were sold to individual seats between 10 and 23 times.

      • total number of tickets sold within that range. In the example above, the 999 means the total number of tickets sold i for seats in that range.
      To get this, each performance of the run was selected.

      What does it show?

      • Even on an 10 day run, the balcony had at least 5 seats sold. It gives a measure of desirability of the seat.
      • the centre was sold out most nights, seemingly being more popular.

      This tells you where people wanted to sit (sometimes its something you already know, but this proves it). In this case, it also proves that people didn't really like the second row in the front, despite that the seats are close to the stage.

      Average Price Example

      The legend is colour coded and shows 10 ranges where each contains:
      • The average ticket price in the range. In the first grouping, tickets in the range cost between $5.00 and $10.00.
      • The average value of seats sold in this group is in parenthesis. If all tickets are added up and an average calculated, it shows as $9.57 in the example.

      This helps show price sensitivity. In a range of prices, if the average is towards the lower end, then the higher end price ls not as desirable (in that range). If its towards the higher end it may indicate less price sensitivity - but you have to examine the reason for prices in that area.

      Gross Revenue Example

      Looking at which seats brought in the most revenue, the front row R1 shows that there is $434+ for the seats.

      Yet a row back, the seats were realizing $336-$377. The implication is that being nice and discounting a prime area was a $100 hit for the run of the show per seat. For 10 seats, that is $1000.

      Opening Night Example

      This example shows picking some arbitrary events. In this case, opening friday was selected for a couple of years.

      You can see that people like the front, but nobody wants the sides. This might have been something you know, but it might also be something that you want to quantify and move unpaid tickets to less desirable areas so that donors can have the better seats.

      Importing Data to TM

      Theatre Manager supports the importing of Patron information and Theatre Map Seat Names. This section describes how to prepare a file and import information into the Patron files.

      For Patron data, you can import demographic data only (names, address, phone numbers, email address, etc.). Transactional data, such as ticket history, donation history or other purchases must be imported by Arts Management Systems.

      The Import Process

      Importing a file consists of a number of steps:

      1. Obtaining a data file either by purchasing one or exporting the data fields from another program.
      2. Preparing the data file in tab-delimited format by reviewing it, correcting it and aligning columns.
      3. Making a backup of the database before an import is strongly recommended. The effect of an import cannot be reversed - the only recourse is to restore to a backup.
      4. Deciding which data to include in the import.
      5. Deciding which fields should be used to match with existing patron data and merged versus adding data.
      Diataxis: 

      Preparation

      Data needs to be prepared before it is imported. You need to:
      • Look at the data to import in a tool (like Excel) and adjust the data so columns are consistent.
      • Add column headers for each data item.
      • Use special names for those column headers, especially if the column can be used to match records during the import and replace data in the database.
      • Fill down columns with missing data, if you want a default for a particular column (e.g. if there is no Country listed for some records, and you want a default, then entering a country in the empty fields in that column).
      • Add some fields of your own, if appropriate, to create defaults for imported data.
      • You can import the Excel spreadsheet in a number of formats. You can
        • Import the columns you want from the Excel spreadsheet in either .XLS or .XLSX format, even with calculations in it. TM only looks at the content of the column and ignores the actual calculation.
        • Save the Excel document as a TEXT file in either TAB or COMMA delimited format. (TAB delimited is recommended - it seems easier to use).
        • Other tools that will be help are Text editors like BBedit. Opening the prepared text file with an editor can help with hidden formatting like columns, carriage returns, and more. See View, Text Display, Show Invisibles.

      Sometimes MS Excel documents have unwanted extra lines and formatting that can increase the record count when imported. To prevent this from happening,
      • Excel Format: Make sure there are no empty lines or columns by using the 'clear' command in excel to ensure no additional empry rows or columns in the spreadsheet. They are hidden and not easy to see
      • TEXT Format: Open the TEXT document in a text reader program like NotePad++ or BBedit. The text reader program will expose the additional unwanted lines. Delete the blank lines. Save the TEXT file. Now it's ready for a clean import.
        Diataxis: 

        Preparing the Import File

        Patron data imported into Theatre Manager must be in either the industry standard Tab Delimited or Comma Delimited format. This format is supported by most applications. If it is not, a tool like Microsoft Excel or Word is very useful for helping massage data before importing into Theatre Manager.

        Tab delimited format means that each field in the database is separated by a tab and the last field in each record has a carriage return after it. The first record in the data may be the title of the fields for clarity, although this is not necessary.

        Patron Import Sample

        Company Address Line 1 Address Line 2 City State Postal Code gPhoneWork
        Elk Whistle 18032-C Lemon Drive F Street Yorba Linda CA 92886 (714) 695-0994
        Namah Dance and Music Ensemble 5756 Wallis Lane Woodland Hills CA 91367 626) 576-8730
        L.A. SYMPHONIC WINDS 23309 Mariano Woodland Hills CA 91367 818,348-2990

        Notes about the Import File

        • The first row in this import file contains a description of the fields, or columns of data. Examples are 'Company' and 'City'. The only benefit of using descriptive names for the column headers is to assist the column matching process. Because of the change where there can be many email accounts, phone numbers, addresses, etc. for a patron, we needed to create some special column titles that refer to columns that have special use for convenient importing or matching data.
        • There are some spaces at the beginning of some fields. Work Phone in the second row has some spaces before the (714) area code. Theatre Manager will remove all extra spaces at the start and end of each field.
        • Some columns have blank entries. In this case, a value for 'Address Line 2' is only present in the second row. The last two rows will be imported as blanks.
        • Theatre Manager will attempt to fix data problems during import. On the last line, 'L.A. SYMPHONIC WINDS' will be converted to 'L.A. Symphonic Winds' and '818,348-2990' will be corrected to '(818) 348-2990'. The conversion will occur depending on the parameters set in System Preferences for auto-capitalization.
        Diataxis: 

        Cleaning Up Data

        It is very important that each column of data contains the same type of data, otherwise importing the data file would provide disastrous results. The import process will simply import whatever is in that column into that field in the database. For example, the 'Company' column should only contain Company names. If it does not, the import may end up with last names in the first name or addresses in a company name. Each patron would have to be deleted and the import would have to be started again.

        When data importing, you should 'clean up the data' prior to importing. This can be done by creating separate columns for:

        • patron salutation
        • patron name-first (if the first and last are in the same field, the import will auto-split them)
        • patron name-last
        • address line 1
        • address line 2
        • city
        • province
        • postal code/Zip Code
        • country (Optional)
        Diataxis: 

        Special Import Column Names

        Most data can be imported regardless of the name on the column. However, Theatre Manager is a relational database which makes it difficult to import some types of fields, especially if there are multiple for a patron (like phone numbers).

        There are also some fields that can be used for matching fields - which allow data to be replaced in current records.

        Diataxis: 

        Import Fields with Special Meaning

        You can use any of the special fields below when you do your import process. They will match up with fields in the database such as lookup data or phone numbers.

        The import routines will automatically create new values into Code Tables for the special meaning fields during the import process. In most cases, there is no need to prepopulate code table values that will be used.

        The exception is gPaymentMethod - all payment methods must be created prior to using them.

        Patron Information
        • gPatronType - patron type - individual, company, staff, etc. Code Table "Patron Type".
        Patron Contact Information
        • gPhoneHome - patron home phone number
        • gPhoneWork - patron work phone number
        • gPhoneCell - patron mobile phone number
        • gPhoneFax - patron fax phone number
        • gEmailHome - patron home email address
        • gEmailWork - patron work email address
        • gWebsite - patron work website URL

        Some special fields that will "update" the field, rather then add new contact information to the patron account

        • gPrimaryPhone - Patron primary phone number
        • gPrimaryEmail - Patron primary email address
        • gPrimaryFax - Patron primary fax number
        • gPrimaryWeb - Patron primary web site URL
        Patron Marketing Information
        • MKT_C_SEQ - REFER to special field for matching patron numbers on import
        • gC_AGE_CODEresult - Marketing age code
        • gC_MKT6result - Marketing field #6
        • gC_MKT7result - Marketing field #7
        • gC_MKT8result - Marketing field #8
        Volunteer/Personnel Information
        • gC_ACTIVEresult - Marketing Volunteer Status
        • gMktVol1Result - Volunteer Popup field #1
        • gMktVol2Result - Volunteer Popup field #2
        • gMktVol3Result - Volunteer Popup field #3
        • gMktVol4Result - Volunteer Popup field #4
        • gMktVol5Result - Volunteer Popup field #5
        • gMktVol6Result - Volunteer Popup field #6
        • gMktVol7Result - Volunteer Popup field #7
        • gMktVol8Result - Volunteer Popup field #8
        • gMktVol9Result - Volunteer Popup field #9
        • gMktVol10Result - Volunteer Popup field #10
        Patron Donor Information
        • gDonorGivingCapacity - Marketing Donor Giving Capacity
        • gDonorMovesStatus - Marketing Donor Moves Management Status
        Patron Mail Lists
        • PM_SHORT_NAME and gName1 through gName15 - are up to 16 mail list columns. If you want to import any mail list, then you must have ONE column called PM_SHORT_NAME.
          • The contents of the field indicate which mail list to which the patron will be added.
          • You can comma separate the mail lists to add to a patron such as list1,list2,list3 and/or
          • You can have multiple columns in your import file named 'gName1' through 'gName15'. In those columns, you can have blanks or mail lists to which you want people added (eg list1 or list2, etc.)
          • In this way, you can use up to 16 columns to specify a lot of mail lists to add a patron to, either many in one column separated by commas, or in separate columns if that is more clear for you.
        Ticket/Donation/Member Data - Orders
        • I_ORD_REASON_BUY_RESULT - Order reason "Why did Patron Buy?", Code Table "Order Reason to Buy".
        • gSource - Delivery Method - ticket handling status.
          • 0 = Hold for Pickup/Taken
          • 1 = Mail to Patron
          • 2 = Hold for WillCall
          • 3 = Hold @ Door for Coupon
        Ticket Data - Tickets
        • gTixUsed - Patron Attended - flag to indicate if patron attended the performance.
          • attended = indicate that patron attended the performance
        • gAttendedReason - description for the Patron Attended or Not Attended Reason. Code Table "Course Attendance Reasons".
        Donation Data - Donations
        • gDonor1Field - Donor Popup field #1
        • gDonor2Field - Donor Popup field #2
        • gDonor3Field - Donor Popup field #3
        Donation Data - Campaigns
        • gAccount - Account number to assign to new donation campaigns
        Member Data - Memberships/Passes
        • gMember1Field - Member Popup field #1
        • gMember2Field - Member Popup field #2
        • gMember3Field - Member Popup field #3
        Member Data - Member/Pass Types
        • gAccount - Account number to assign to new member/pass type
        Ticket/Donation/Member Data - Payments
        • gPaymentMethod - Payment Method. Matching "Payment Code" in code table "Payment Methods". All payment methods must be created prior to using them.
        • gOrigin - Payment Source - location of where the payment originated.
          • 0 = Internet/Web Sales
          • 1 = Telephone Order
          • 2 = Mail Order
          • 3 = Patron Present
        Diataxis: 

        Matching Fields

        The following fields could be used as unique identifiers to import and match records to data that exists in Theatre Manager, or they could just be used to import data. The meaning changes depending on how you use them for matching data during the import process.

        MKT_C_SEQ

        This is a special field that is allows you to match imported data with existing patrons based on the patron number. This should only be used if the data file originated from Theatre Manager in the first place, such as for address correction, and you are sure the Patron number matches the one in Theatre Manager (otherwise the results will be overwritten and jumbled data). If you are going to match on patron number, be sure to make a backup of the database first and verify the success of the results after the import.

        If you plan to Export patron names for address correction purposes through a Mail House or other verification service, be sure to include the Patron number on the export, so that when you reimport the corrections back in, you have the patron number to link the corrected address with the correct patron record. In addition, be sure not to merge any patron records while the list is at the Mail House, or else the patron numbers may not align when you reimport the data.
        Helpful Link: Canada Post address correction web site

        MKT_FIELD_1 through MKT_FIELD_5

        These are the marketing fields on the patron record. If they are unique within your database, and you specify them as a column header in the import file, they will also be presented as 'matching field' options. Only do this is you have used these fields to reference unique keys from another system (such as prior ticketing systems).

        Diataxis: 

        What to Import

        The data file may have a lot of information and many types of fields. We suggest that you make an evaluative judgment on the quality of the data. For example, first name, last name and address fields are usually of good quality. Often work and home phone numbers are reasonable. Other phone numbers, marketing information, etc. may be poor quality. Sometimes it is better not to import poor quality data. If it is missing, nobody can make a decision based on poor data.

        During the import, the program will try to match data with an existing patron based on fields you select. If a match is found, only the fields in the import file will be replaced. The remaining patron information will remain untouched. This may be useful when importing an address correction from the post office. The user may not want to update the patrons first name or last name, just their address, city and postal/zip code fields. If so, only include those columns in the import file.

        Here are some general guide lines:

        Patron Number
        • If you are using patron number to import to match to existing ones in Theatre Manager (say for address correction purposes), then you must include the patron number with each record and the field heading must be MKT_C_SEQ
        Salutations
        • Ensure all have a period where appropriate. For example, Mr. Mrs.
        • Ensure all are either 'and' or '&'. For example Mr. & Mrs.
        • Ensure all are set to the proper mixed case.
        First Name
        • Ensure all are either 'and' or '&'. For example John & Mary
        • Move all salutations out of the first name field and move them to the Salutation field
        Last Name
        • Move all company names into the company name field.
        • Move all suffixes out of the last name field and move them to the Suffix field
        Suffix
        • Ensure all have a period where appropriate. For example, Jr.
        • Ensure all are set to the proper mixed case.
        Address
        • Update address information to contain the Post Office address guidelines for mailing address. For example, using PO BOX, RR
        • Update address information to be contained on 2 address lines. If you have more then 2 address lines, they will need to be either combined into 2 lines, or have data contained within the address lines moved to different fields within the patron information record.
        State/Province
        • Ensure all are consistent with a 2 letter state/province code
        Country
        • All contries must match those that are in the codetables. For example, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Japan. Those that do not match will be ignored.
        Phone Numbers
        • Best ability to ensure that phone numbers are properly indicated into separate columns as Home, Work, Fax or Other
        • Depending on time availability, telephone number extensions to be standardized to be starting with a 'x'. For example x111
        • If area codes are missing from phone numbers and you wish to have all 'missing' area codes be set to something, please let us know prior to the data being imported.
        • If the phone number being imported is to be the primary phone number, use the correct column name in the import file.
        Diataxis: 

        1. Importing Data

        At this time Theatre Manager allows organizations to import patron demographic data only (name, address, phone number, email, etc.) from another program. All other data (for example ticket history, donations or other transactional data) should be handled by the Arts Management staff to ensure the data is properly imported.

        1. From the main menu bar, go to File >> Import/Export >> Patron >> Patron.

          This will open the Import Data window.

        Diataxis: 

        2. Match Fields to Database

        Step 2 of the data import process is to match the spreadsheet columns up with the Theatre Manager data fields.

        Parts of the Import Data Window

        The first step in the data import process.
        Opens the user's operating system dialog for opening a file.
        Delimiter Select the type of delimiter used in the import file. The two possible types are Tab Delimited and Comma Separated.
        The second step in the data import process.
        # A numerical order to the fields found in the data import file.
        Column The column headers found in the data import file.
        Database Column A list of the database columns in Theatre Manager to which the data import can be matched.
        Size The size in pixels of the width of the column
        Matches When a data import column header is matched to a TM database field, it is placed here.
        Cancels the data import process.
        Moves to the next step in the data import process of matching keys.
        Diataxis: 

        3. Select Key Field to Match On

        Step 3 of the process is to select the Theatre Manager database field used to locate the existing patron account.

        Parts of the Import Data Window

        The first step in the data import process.
        Opens the user's operating system dialog for opening a file.
        Delimiter Select the type of delimiter used in the import file. The two possible types are Tab Delimited and Comma Separated.
        The third step in the data import process.
        Database Field Name If you are importing a field that is considered a matching field (such as MKT_C_SEQ for the patron number), then they will appear here. If you select one of the matching fields, Theatre Manger will replace data in the database if it finds the record on the database. If not, TM can insert records (depending on the options you select).
        Database Column Description describes the meaning of the column
        Cancels the data import process.
        Moves to the match keys step in the data import process.
        Moves to the Set Options step in the data import process of setting options.
        Diataxis: 

        4. Data Import Options

        Step 4 is the options available when importing the data into Theatre Manager.

        Parts of the Import Data Window

        The first step in the data import process.
        Opens the user's operating system dialog for opening a file.
        Delimiter Select the type of delimiter used in the import file. The two possible types are Tab Delimited and Comma Separated.
        The fourth step in the data import process.
        Include Header Record If the first row of the data import file contains information that needs to be imported, then check this box to include the data. Otherwise the information will not be included as TM assumes that it is header information.
        Delete existing data and import as new records
        Import all data as new records A new patron record will be created for each row of the data that is imported.
        Import only data that does not exist During the import, TM will look for duplicates and only import new data.
        Replace existing data only During the import, TM will look for matching records and replace the existing information contained in the record.
        Replace existing data and import new data During the import, TM will look for matching records to update, and if records aren't found, it will create new records.
        Cancels the data import process.
        Moves to the previous step in the data import process. Click here for more information on the previous step of the data import process.
        Moves to the next step in the data import process of importing the data.
        Diataxis: 

        Sample Imports

        This shows the setup for some sample imports for various types of data in Theatre Manager.

        Importing Existing Patron To A Mail List

        There are times when a group of patrons from the Theatre Manager database may need to be exported and imported back into Theatre Manager in order to create a new mail list. This might be required:

        • to recover and old Mail List that was deleted and needs to be recovered -or-
        • when an excel document containing patron numbers is manipulated in some way to further identify patrons (eg donors where their 6 year trend shoes each years donations increased by 10% every year -or-
        • a list of people is passed to another department for selection for marketing purposes or to have their content altered in some way
        Before using the import features, we suggest making a backup of the database - just in case.

         

        Prepare the list of patrons

        1. Clean up data file.
        2. Open the file in Excel.
        3. Remove all column except the Patron # column.
        4. Change the first line in the column from Patron # to MKT_C_SEQ.
        5. Make the first line in the next column read PM_SHORT_NAME.
        6. Fill in the PM_SHORT_NAME column with:
          • to add to an existing mail list: the exact name of the Mail List from Theatre Manager.
          • to create a new mail list: the name of a non-existent mail list in Theatre Manager. Theatre Manager will create that new mail list for you
          • Note: patrons cannot exist in a mail list twice, so they will be automatically de-duplicated
        7. Save the document as a tab-delimited file.

         

        Import Patrons To A Mail List

        1. Click File >> Import/Export >> Patron >> Mail Lists.

          This will open the Import Data window.

          For more information on the Import Data window, click here.

        2. Set the Delimiter format of the file and use the Select button to pick the file that contains the data to be imported.

          An Open File dialog for the user's operating system will appear.

          Once the file has been selected, the column headers will appear in Step 2 of the window. Scroll through the list to ensure MKT_C_SEQ appears next to Patron # For Marketing Record and PM_SHORT_NAME appears next to Mail List Name. If a column header from the import file does not automatically match, drag the column from the left to the matching line on the right.

        3. Once all fields have been matched, click on the Match Keys button to move to Step 3.

          The MKT_C_SEQ should be listed in Step 3 next to Patron # For Marketing Record. This line should be highlighted by default.

        4. Click the Set Options button to move to Step 4.

        5. The bullet in Step 4 defaults to Import only data that does not exist.
        6. Click the Import button to begin the import process.

          A warning message will appear.

        7. Click the Import button to confirm the importing of data.

          At the bottom of the Data Import window, a message will appear to show the import has started.

          Depending on how much data is being imported, the import routine can take some time to run.

          When the import is complete, a final dialog will appear.

        8. Review the information on the dialog window, and then click the Close button to finish.

        The Patrons have now been added to the Mail List. The Mail List can be opened and reviewed for details.

        Diataxis: 

        Importing Patron Data

        At this time Theatre Manager allows organizations to import patron data only from another program. All other data importing should be handled by the Arts Management staff to ensure the data is properly imported. Before beginning the import process, please click here to read the tips on importing data.

        1. From the main menu bar, go to File >> Import/Export >> Patron >> Patron.

          This will open the Import Data window.

          For more information on the Import Data window, click here.

        2. Set the Delimiter format of the file and use the Select button to pick the file that contains the data to be imported.

          An Open File dialog for the user's operating system will appear.

          Once the file has been selected, the column headers will appear in Step 2 of the window.

        3. From the box on the left hand side, match the fields with fields in Theatre Manager.

          To match fields, click on a field and drag it to the right hand side to match it.

        4. Once all fields have been matched, click on the Match Keys button to move to Step 3.

        5. If the data has any unique keys, they can be established here.
        6. Click the Set Options button to move to Step 4.

        7. Set any additional options before beginning the data import.
        8. Once everything is set, click the Import button to begin the import process.

          A warning message will appear.

          Ensure that a backup of the database has been done.
        9. Click the Import button to confirm the importing of data.

          At the bottom of the Data Import window, a message will appear to show the import has started.

          Depending on how much data is being imported, the import routine can take some time to run.

          When the import is complete, a final dialog will appear.

        10. Review the information on the dialog window, and then click the Close button to finish.
        Diataxis: 

        Code Tables - Awards Code

        Awards

        Volunteer Awards are awarded to certain volunteers or personnel that have worked a minimum number of hours.

        Awards are not automatically given - they need to be manually assigned based on merit, not just hours worked.

        Code Tables - Personnel Codes

        Personnel Codes

        The Personnel module "Personnel Position" window has a "code" field to record the various positions personnel or volunteers are interested in. The Result Values are the full names of positions that can be held by personnel. The Lookup Values are the abbreviated codes for the result values.

        refer to for more detail

        Exporting Data From TM

        You can export data from Theatre Manager in several formats.
        • Theatre Manager (Workstation) export options include:
          • tab-delimited
          • comma-delimited
          • Excel 97-2004 and
          • Excel Format (for Excel 2008 and later).
          • Specialty data interchange format for things like maps
        • The REST API allows a number of other output format options, some of which may be more suitable for programmers and automating interfaces.

         

        Parts of Theatre Manager you can Export From

        Any list on any window
        • Just select some lines in a list (or all lines), right click, and export the selected data to a text file or in excel format.
        Reports
        • Export Tab - Available in some reports
        • generalized Export Reports where you can export from almost any table in the database.
        Export Data
        Export Event Information
        Venue Management
        G/L
        Mail Lists
        Tickets
        Form Letters
        Calendar
        Diataxis: 

        Introduction to Invoices

        Invoices are often used to send to groups, companies or individuals as a record of their ticket purchase. In Theatre Manager there are two parts to the invoice. The default invoice style that is set in Theatre Manager, and the adjustable comments fields that can be adjusted by the user.

        For information on accessing and printing invoices, click here.

        For information on adjusting the comments fields for the invoice, click here.

        Diataxis: 

        Creating Invoices

        Invoices are often used to send to groups, companies or individuals as a record of their ticket purchase. In Theatre Manager there are two parts to the invoice. The default invoice style that is set in Theatre Manager, and the adjustable comments fields that can be adjusted by the user.

        In Theatre Manager there are multiple ways to create invoices for an order. Select the appropriate type of invoice to be created below for more information.

        • For information on creating and printing a single invoice, click here.
        • For information on creating invoices at the time payment is received for an order, click here.
        • For information on creating invoices based on criteria, click here.
        Diataxis: 

        Creating an Invoice through the Patron Window

        After placing an order for a patron, an invoice for the order can be created and printed from the patron window.

        1. Open the patron's record and click on the Order tab.

        2. Select the order to be invoiced, and click the Invoice button.

          This will open the Print Invoice Criteria window.

          The Search criteria has defaulted to this specific invoice. For more information on the Print Invoices Criteria window, click here.

        3. Either adjust the options on the tabs, or click the Done button to display the invoice.

          The invoice will be printed to the screen before being routed to the printer.

        4. Click the Print button to print the invoice.

          Alternatively the Invoice can be emailed directly to the patron. To learn more about emailing invoices click here.

        Diataxis: 

        Creating an Invoice through the Payment Window

        While taking the payment for an order it is easy to create an invoice. All invoices can then be printed as a batch at the end of the day.

        1. In the Payment Tab of the Order window, check the Send Invoice box.

          This places the invoice in the Print Ticket Invoices batch.

        2. When a batch of invoices is ready to be printed, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Print Ticket Invoices.

          The Print Invoice Criteria window opens.

          For more information on the Print Invoice Criteria window, click here.

        3. Use the criteria of 'Order Flag - Send Invoice' equals Yes.

          This will finds all unprinted invoices that have been listed as 'Send Invoice' in the Payment window.

        4. Either adjust the options on the tabs, or click the Done button to display all invoices to be printed.

          The invoices are printed to the screen before being routed to the printer.

        5. Click the Print button to print the invoices.
        Diataxis: 

        Emailing Invoices

        You must globally enable Email an Invoice in company preferences to use this feature.

        An Invoice for an Order can be emailed direct to a patron from within Theatre Manager. Invoices can be generated in four different locations

        • On the payment tab of the order window at the end of the sales process, there is an invoice button at the top of the window. Click it to see the invoice on screen. You can then print the invoice or email it. Note:
          • you can set this up so its an automatic preference for an employee for all orders by turning on the Email PDF confirmation to patron -or-
          • simply click the invoice button at the top of the payment window to do it on demand.
        • on the Patron Window
        • through the Batch Functions process (but only if you select one patron), or
        • from the Reports window )but only if you select one patron).
        The invoice is sent to the primary email address in the patrons record. If the patron does not have an email address on file in Theatre Manager this feature cannot be used.

        This feature is available for those clients currently using the web sales module of Theatre Manager. The invoice is sent from either the web listener's email address or the Employee's email address as it appears in their employee Patron Record (your choice). To use the employees email address, the employee must have their SMTP set correctly before they can email. This information is found in the Email tab of the employees Preferences located at the top of the window in Theatre Manager. Please consult your IT person for the correct SMTP information.

        1. Generate the Invoice.

        2. Click the Email button at the top of the window.

          Follow the instructions for emailing any report
        Diataxis: 

        Season Subscriptions - Creating a Control House

        Creating a Control House

        A control house is used in conjunction with a season package to set the favorite seats of your subscribers. Each season must have a control house for each year the season package is used.

        1. Click on the Events button on the main toolbar.

          This will open the Event Lookup List window.

          Click here for more information on the Event List Lookup window.

        2. Click on the New button to begin the creation of a new event.

          This will open the Event Detail window.

          Click here for more information on the Event Detail window.

        3. Enter the appropriate information on the Event and Accounting tabs.

          For more detailed information about creating an event, click here.

        4. Click the Save button.

          The other tabs will now become available.

        5. Click on the Performance tab.
        6. Click the New button at the bottom of the tab.

          This will open the New Performance wizard.

          Click here for more information on the New Performance wizard.

        7. Enter the appropriate information into Step 1. Make sure to check the box for 'Use In a Control House'.

          A performance needs to be created for each performance code in the season package. For example, if the season package contains performances on 1-FRI and 1-SAT, then control house performances need to be created to match those.

        8. Complete the rest of the steps in the wizard.

          For more detailed information about using the New Performance wizard, click here.

        9. Once the performance has been created, select it on the Performance tab, and turn off the options to sell the event.

          This will prevent tickets to the event from being sold.

        10. Copy the pricing and promotion structure from one of the events in the package to the control house.

          If all performances in the event are the same price as the control house, one performance can be copied. If there is different pricing for each performance, then the control house events will need to match that pricing.

          For more information on copying prices and promotions from one performance to another, click here.

        11. The event can now be closed and used as a control house in a season package.

          For more information on creating a season package, click here.

        Mail Lists - what are they?

        In Theatre Manager, a Mail List is a collection of patrons that fit a particular criteria that you define. Mail Lists can be used to create Mail Labels, merged with Form Letters or executed to gather statistical data. Mail lists are different from reports.
        Mail Lists are always about WHO. If your question is WHO has purchased tickets or WHO has made a donation your answer is likely to be found in a Mail List.
        However, if you are looking for WHAT they donated, or WHEN they volunteered, or WHY they bought tickets, then your answer will be in a report - not a Mail List.

        A mailing list can be directed at a certain group of patrons based on some attribute they share, such as age, location or a viewing choice. Many mail lists can be created and a patron can belong to numerous lists. Several lists can be combined to create one list. Mail lists are easily deleted when no longer required. A mailing list has a number of applications, particularly in marketing. By targeting a mailing list to specific patrons information is aimed at those most likely to be interested while saving money by avoiding those who are not. For example:

        A Musicals mail list can be created for all patrons who have attended musical productions, or manually added to the list because they have shown an interest in purchasing a ticket to a future musical. You can then use this list to send personalized letters, print labels, or create reports.

        This list can also be used to create another mail list. For example:

        You can use the Musicals mail list to create another mail list that includes everyone on the musicals mail list but exclude patrons who have purchased tickets to the current musical.

        Theatre Manager's reporting capabilities also create lists. For example, mailing labels for patrons who bought tickets today can be created using reports. Similarly lists of patrons with tickets to a particular play, lists of personnel, a general mail list, and lists of donors can be created from reports.

        The difference between lists generated from Theatre Manager's report module and lists generated from mail lists are:

        • A patron must be added to a mail list to be included in a report.

        • The patron record remains attached to a mail list until it is removed.

        • Mail Lists can include patrons selected at random.

        • A list generated from reports requires the included patrons must meet the specified criteria.

        • The reporting module's search capabilities locates records that meet the search criteria entered. If the criteria changes, or the data recorded on the patron record changes, the patron may no longer be included on the list the next time a report is generated.

        Mail lists should be avoided for things that Theatre Manager does for you automatically such as general mail lists, ticket purchases, and actual donors.

        Mail Lists can be accessed in the menu through Setup >> Mail Lists.

        You can download the Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration) by clicking on the icon.

        Cheatsheet (pdf)

        Flash ScreenCast

        MP4 ScreenCast

        Create a Mail List

        Creating a Query

        Deleting Mail Lists

        Merging Mail Lists

        Conditions Cheatsheet

        Diataxis: 

        Mail Lists - List Window

        To access the list of mail lists, you perform the following steps:
        1. Click Setup >> Mail Lists from the main Theatre Manager menu.

          Alternatively, you can select the Mail List button from the Main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.


          The Mail List search window opens.


        2. Select a Mail List search option.

        3. Enter a search range.
        4. Click the Search button.

          The list of Mail Lists fitting the search opens.

          From this window two or more Mail Lists can be merged into one. Click here to learn how to merge mail lists.

        Diataxis: 

        Creating a Mail List

        You can download quick reference information for Creating a Mail List by clicking on the icon.

        Cheatsheet (pdf)

        Flash ScreenCast

        MP4 ScreenCast

        To create a new mail list, you perform the following steps:

        1. Open the Mail List - List window.

          For more information on accessing the Mail List window, click here.

        2. Click the New button.

          The Mail List Criteria (inserting) window opens.

        3. In the Name field, enter a short name for the Mail List.
        4. Make a selection for the names to be included on the list.

        5. In the Description tab, select the appropriate flags and in the description field, enter a detailed description for the Mail List.

          This is extremely important for other users who may use the mail list. If the description of the list is good it will not need to be deciphered to understand the reason for the list.

        6. Click the Save button.
        7. You can now add the criteria for your mail list.

          Click here to learn how to add your criteria.

          Patrons can now be added to the list. There are several techniques for adding patrons to the mail list. You can:

        Diataxis: 

        Deleting Mail Lists

        You can download quick reference information for Deleting Mail Lists by clicking on the icon.

        Flash ScreenCast

        MP4 ScreenCast

        Deleting a mail list will remove the reference in the patrons file prior to deleting the mail list.

        Deleting a mail list will not delete the patron information, it will only delete the patron's reference to the mail list.

        1. Open the Mail List - List window.

          For more information on accessing the Mail List window, click here.

        2. Search for the mail list(s) you want to delete.

          The mail lists matching your criteria are displayed.

        3. Highlight the Mail List(s) you want to delete.
        4. Click the Delete button.

          A Delete Confirmation dialog opens.

        5. Click the Delete button.

          A second warning message opens.

        6. Click the Delete button.

          A message displays at the bottom of the Mail List window verifying the list(s) are deleted. All associations between the patrons and the mail list will be removed.

        Diataxis: 

        Merging Mail Lists

        You can download quick reference information for Merging Mail Lists by clicking on the icon.

        Flash Screencast

        MP4 Screencast

        Merging mail lists allows you to merge the data of many mail lists into one large list. Merging mail lists will only copy the data of the patrons belonging to the list. The criteria for the merged list will be the same as that of the list you select in step # 4.

        1. Open the Mail List - List window.

          For more information on accessing the Mail List window, click here.

        2. Search for the mail list(s) you want to delete.

          The mail lists matching your criteria are displayed.

        3. Select the lists you wish to merge by holding down the Ctrl (PC) or Command/Apple (Mac) key.

        4. Click the Merge button.

          The Merge Mail Lists window opens.

        5. Select the mail list you want to merge all the lists into.
        6. Click the Merge button.

          The following warning dialog opens.

        7. Click the Merge button.

          The Mail Lists are now merged together. All patrons belonging to the selected Mail Lists will be merged into the chosen list. Patrons will only appear on the combined list once.

        Diataxis: 

        Parts of the Mail List - Lists Window

        The Mail List Lists window allows you to:

        • Access the mail lists already on your system to edit, duplicate, delete, export, create labels and merge one or more lists.
        • Add new mail lists
        • and Execute a selected individual mail list.
        • Parts of the Mail Lists List Window

          Opens the Mail List Criteria window. Click here for more information on creating a Mail List Query.
          Opens the selected Mail List.
          Creates a copy of the selected Mail List(s).
          Deletes the selected Mail List(s).
          Generates a report to the screen or default print location displaying the details of the Mail List Listing. Choices are all lists or with the specific flags and search criteria selected.
          Exports the selected record(s).
          Opens the mailing label window to create mailing labels. Click here for more information on Address Labels.
          Opens the Merge Mail Lists window to merge two (or more) selected mail lists. Click here for more information on merging mail lists.
          Rebuilds and executes the criteria in the selected mail list(s).
          Icon Displays icons of the flags enabled in the mail list
          List # Computer generated number for the mail list.
          Mail List Name Brief name of the mail list
          Count Number of times the mail list has been executed
          Web If patrons can add or remove themselves from the mail list via the web site
          Act If the mail list is active or inactive
          Mail List Description Description of the mail list as entered on the description tab of the mail list window.
        Diataxis: 

        Mail List Queries

        You can download quick reference information for Creating a Query by clicking on the icon

        Flash ScreenCast

        MP4 ScreenCast

        Creating the query requires some planning and foresight. To start, you must decide what criteria you want the patrons to meet. If you are looking for very specific patrons, you must know what makes them unique from the rest. You may also narrow down your search by removing certain data from a returned query.

        There are rules around creating a list of deceased patrons. The names and information of deceased patrons can never be emailed to or have mailing labels printed - ever.

        If you require a listing of deceased patrons, you can create a mail list of those patrons and print or export the completed listing. Theatre Manager will ask if you want to export deceased patron data when it notices you trying to do that.

        Diataxis: 

        Creating a Database Query

        You can download quick reference information for Creating a Query by clicking on the icon

        Cheatsheet

        Creating the query requires some planning and foresight. To start, you must decide what criteria you want the patrons to meet. If you are looking for very specific patrons, you must know what makes them unique from the rest. You may also narrow down your search by removing certain data from a returned query. Click here for information on complex criteria.

        To create a Query, you would perform the following steps:

          1. Open the Mail List - List window.

            For more information on accessing the Mail List window, click here.

          2. Click the New button.

            The Mail List Criteria (inserting) window opens.

          3. In the Name field, enter a short name for the Mail List.
          4. Make a selection for the names to be included on the list.
          5. In the Description tab, select the appropriate flags and in the description field, enter a detailed description for the Mail List.

            This is extremely important for other users who may use the mail list. If the description of the list is good it will not need to be deciphered to understand the reason for the list.

          6. Click the Save button.
          7. You can now enter the Criteria.

          8. Click the Criteria Groups Tab.

          9. Click the Create Group button.

          10. Choose To Add Patrons To The Mail List.

            The Mail List Data Selection window opens. To search for data, you must select a file for the primary source of information for the mail list. Theatre Manager will include information in related parent files.

            Patron Data is the PARENT for most data stored in Theatre Manager. When defining criteria, if you select any file as the main file, you can also set criteria for the patron record.

            However, the converse is NOT true. Selecting the patron file as the Merge File, it does not include the child information - such as donor inormation.

            Select a file that contains the data you are searching for. As the example list is searching for patrons who have made donations; the file to use would be "Patron Address Link". Click here for more information on selecting the file.

          11. Select the "Patron Address Link" file..
          12. Click the Next button.

            The Parameter window opens.

            Click here for more information on this window. This tab displays the added criteria for the query on the database.

          13. Click the New button.

            The Add/Edit Parameter window opens.

            The list contains all the possible searchable fields available in your selected file. The selections on the top left side of the window (and, or, not) are used for searching multiple fields when more then one line of criteria is added within the same file. Click Here for an overview of conditions and search criteria.

          14. Select the field to search.

            In this example "Patron Addresses>>Address Line 1", will be the selected search field criteria.

          15. Select a condition, in this example "is not empty".

            The condition displayed above will find any patron has aan entry in the street address section of the Patron Record.

          16. Click either:
            1. Add / Continue if adding another search criteria to the file.

              The Criteria window remains open until save or cancel is clicked.

            2. Save if the search criteria for this file is complete.

              The Parameter window will return and the entered criteria will appear in the list.

            3. Under Exclude Records, enable the "Don't Mail-Theatre Requested" and the "Don't Mail-Patron Requested" flags, and click the Done button.

              Now the group and its criteria have been added to the main query. For this example, another group needs to be added to include the patrons who have email addresses.

            4. Click the Create Group button.
            5. Choose To Add Patrons To The Mail List.

              Choose a file containing the required data. This example requires the "Patron Contact Link" file.

            6. Click the Next button.
            7. Click the New button in the Parameters window.

              In the Edit/Add Parameters window, leave the And button selected. The field for this example would be "Patron Contact Data>>Contact Data (eg Phone/email/website)" while the condition would be "contains" and parameter would be "@" (to search for an email address).

            8. Click the Save button.

            9. You are returned to the Parameters window.

            10. Click the Done button.

              Both of the Search Criteria are added to the query. The group criteria says add any patron who has volunteered their time as well as any patron who has made a donation to the list.

              Now, all the criteria have been added to satisfy the description, the database can be searched.

            11. If you have criteria that you'd like to print and save, while on the tab, click the PRINT button at the top of the window. You will get a report that you can then print or save to PDF. This can be handy when you:

              • Want to keep a printed format of your Mail List criteria
              • Want to share your criteria with others in the office who may not use Theatre Manager
              • Want to email the precise criteria you have been working on to support@artsman.com to ask for help. Emailing a PDF is preferred as it shows all of the criteria, the Description (so we know what you are trying to accomplish), the conjunctions (AND, OR, NOT) and operators (is between, is greater than, is equal to, etc.) used in the criteria. This is the preferred method for Support to receive your criteria help request.

            12. Click the Execute button to begin the Query.

              The patrons satisfying the first criteria will be found and added to the list. Once complete, the second criteria will be performed and any patrons matching the second criteria will be added. Any patron matching both criteria will only be displayed once. The Mail List will default to the Who's In tab displaying all patrons who match the criteria and are in the list.

        Diataxis: 

        Complex Query Criteria

        If you are designing a very specific mail list you will need to use some complex criteria to ensure you receive the desired data. Complex criteria uses brackets combined with operators and conditions to find specific groups of data. Click Here to view the different types of operators and conditions along with a description of their function.

        Diataxis: 

        Mail list of Patrons in a Household With More than One Member

        Mail Lists can answer many different "Who" questions.

        To create a Mail List that answers the question of the number of Patron Households that have more than one patron, you perform the following steps:

        1. Click the Mail List button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

          The Mail Lists window opens.

        2. Click the New button.

          The Mail List Criteria window opens.

        3. Enter a descriptive name in the Mail List Name field and enter a description int the Description tab.
        4. Click the Save button.

        5. Change the select drop down to All Patrons In Household and Save .
        6. Click the Criteria Groups tab.

        7. Click the Create Group button and chose To ADD Patrons To The Mail List.

        8. The Mail List Search window opens.

        9. Chose Patron Data from the drop down list, then click the Next button.

          The The Parameters Search window opens.

        10. Click the New button.

          The Edit Report Parameters window opens.

        11. Choose Patron # and select the condition - is greater than or equal to 1.
        12. Click the Save button.

          You are returned to the Parameters window, Search. Note your selected criteria Patron # is greater than or equal to 1.

          button.

          You are returned to the Mail List Criteria window. Your final criteria should look EXACTLY like below.

          You now have a list of all patrons in the database who are part of a TM household with at least one primary member and one tertiary member.

        Diataxis: 

        Mail Lists - Rebuilding a Mail List

        After creating mail list criteria and building the mail list, over time some of the patrons on the mail list may no longer meet the criteria to belong to the mail list. The most effective way to remove the patron that no longer meet the criteria is to rebuild the list.

        1. Open the Mail List Window.

          Click Here to learn how to access this window.

        2. Find the mail list you would like to rebuild.
        3. Click the Execute button.

          The following warning screen will open.

        4. Click the Rebuild button.
        5. Click the Yes button.

          This will remove the current patrons from the list and perform the query again on the new data. Clicking Proceed would have left all current patrons in the list, added patrons who fit the entered criteria and only remove patrons who fit within any "remove" criteria.

        Diataxis: 

        Parameters for Mail Lists Window

        Parts of the Criteria for Group from Mailing List Window

        Default search or sort order for the selected Parameters.
        Inserts the last used criteria for the merge field selected.
        Displays saved criteria options within the selected merge field.
        Saves selected criteria.
        Saves the entered criteria to be used again.
        Opens the criteria window to insert new criteria.
        Opens the criteria window and allow for modifications.
        Removes the selected line of criteria.
        Removes all lines of criteria in the parameters window.
        Inserts brackets around lines of criteria.
        Removes brackets around lines of criteria.
        Searches the database for patrons who "have" a specified line of criteria. Having criteria is criteria that is based on aggrigate values within the search. Click here for more information on using Having.
        Cancels the entry of criteria.
        Completes the entry of criteria.
        Diataxis: 

        Having Criteria

        The Having button allows you to add the having criteria to the search. Having criteria is criteria based on aggrigate values within the search. Examples are:
        • find donors HAVING a total of all donations over xxx
        • find ticket buyers having purchased to multiple distinct events for the current season
        • find subscribers that have a subscriber package set up for all of the last 10 years
        • find gift certificate purchasers with an average gift certificate purchase over $25
        • find auction item buyers with a maximum purchase over $1000 for all items bought
        Having is an SQL action that re-examines records for an aggregate (average, minimum, maximum, sum, count, distinct count) based on the record found and then keeps or discards the data.

        For example: if you used criteria to find all subscriber records in the past 5 years, you would get 1, 2 ,3 4 or 5 records - depending on how many years the person has been a subscriber. Since we know each subscription package has a year associated with it, if you make a having criteria that is having a unique count of subscription year >= 4, you would find people who were 4 or 5 year subscribers.

        To create the query, you need two things:

        • A normal query that finds all the records you want to aggregate in some way. eg: tickets with date sold since 2004 and price paid > 0
        • An additional having clause that uses one field for the aggregation. eg
          • sum price paid >500 -or-
          • count ticket #> 50 -or-
          • distinct count event # > 4

        1. Open the Mail List you want to add the criteria to.

          The Mail List Criteria window opens.

        2. Click the Criteria Groups tab.

        3. Click the create Group button.

        4. Make your selection to Add or Remove Patrons from the listing.

          The Mail List dialog opens.

        5. Select the file for the primary source of information for your list. Then click the Next button.

          The Parameters window opens.

        6. Click the Having button.

          The Edit Report Parameters window opens.

          Note the criteria for selection on the left side of the window gives yous different options to choose from.

        7. Make your selections for the Criteria, and when complete, click the Save button.

          You are returned to the Parameters window and your criteria selection appears in the search.

        8. Click the Done button.

          You are returned to the Mail List window.

        9. Click the Execute to execute your search.
        Diataxis: 

        Donations HAVING given in more than xx years

        How to find people who have given:

        • between xx times in the past number of years
        • more than a xx times in the past number of years
        the trick is that you need a combination of normal criteria to limit the donations you are looking for and a having clause to count what you have found and eliminate those that don't meet the count.

         

        Normal Criteria

        The normal criteria is optional. If you don't specify anything, you will retrieve all donations. Some things you might want to include in criteria are one or more of:

        • criteria to eliminate soft credits, prospects, and hard pledges which are not real money - unless you want to count those amounts towards the patrons giving
        • donation date range - if you only want to look at a range of years, or only every second year, or only leap years, or anything you want ...
        • Donation Campaigns - if you want to limit search to certain campaigns
        • Donation actual amount - if you want to limit search to individual donations between a certain range, over a certain range, or anything you want
        • belongs to mail list - if you want to find subscribers in your list, or volunteers, or people who bought giver certificates, or people who returned tickets for donations - anything simple or complex that you want relating to the patron

        In short, you can limit the donations selected to ANY criteria you could enter (or select all donations)

         

        Having Criteria

        The HAVING clause re-examines the set of data is found using the normal criteria. It then imposes a further restriction on the aggregate set of data. Examples could be:

        • the data must HAVE a UNIQUE number of fiscal years donated >=2 per patron (the example above) -or-
        • the total count of donations must be >6
        • the average donation across the number of years selected must be between x and y
        • the distinct number of campaigns given to must between x and y
        • and much more
        Diataxis: 

        Having - Patrons with count of tickets

        The sample below shows the basis for finding patrons who have purchased more than a specified number of tickets.

        The query is based on ticket data for a patron and you can add other criteria such as:

        • Only specific shows in the past
        • A certain fiscal year, season or range of seasons
        • People who have donated money in the past and are large purchasers
        • patrons who paid for their tickets (eg total cost > 0)

        The example below shows the user of Ticket Quantity from the ticket data per performance in the having clause to obtain people who bought more than 20 tickets (in all time). The first line of criteria was added to make sure that they were Paid tickets and not comps.

        Diataxis: 

        Removing Patrons Through a Query

        If you wish to remove a large number of patrons from a list and they all have a common feature, using a query is the best technique. It is the same procedure as adding a new group except for selecting the Remove function. To ensure that you are removing the correct patrons, place the remove criteria group as the last group to be performed. Click here to learn how to rearrange groups.

        1. Open the Mail List Window.

          Click Here to learn how to open the window.

        2. Find the mail list you want to remove the patrons from.
        3. Click the Criteria Groups tab.

          The Criteria Groups for the selected mail list are displayed.

        4. Click the Create Group button.
        5. Choose "To Remove Patrons From The Mail List".

          The group selection dialog opens.

          Select a file which contains data all patrons to be removed from the list have in common.

          Using the Example List created in Adding Patrons to a Mail List Through a Database Query patrons with last names starting with the letter A will be removed.

          The "Patron Data" file will be used for this example.

        6. Select "Patron Data" from the drop-down list and click the Next button.

          The Parameters window opens.

          Click Here for a detailed description of the window.

        7. Click the New button.

          The Add/Edit Parameters window opens.

        8. Select the field to search by.

          For this example the "Patron Name-Last " field.

        9. Fill the search parameters with the information to search by.

          For the example use "begins with A".

        10. Click the Save button.

          The Parameters window returns and the selected criteria will appear in the window.

        11. Click the Done button.

          The Mail List Criteria window returns.

        12. Click the Execute button.

          An Options dialog opens.

        13. Click the Rebuild button.

          A confirmation dialog is displayed.

        14. Click the Yes button.

          Theatre Manager will highlight each group as it is executed.

          The Mail List Criteria window opens to the Who's In tab. Patrons with last names starting with the letter A will now be removed from the list.

        Diataxis: 

        Methods to Add Patrons to a Mail List

        There are 7 methods where a patron can be added to a mail list.

        6 of these are described on the following pages. The additional method is to randomize an existing mail list:

        Diataxis: 

        Adding Patrons to a Mail List Through a Database Query

        If you wish to add a large number of patrons from a list and they all have a common feature, using a query is the best technique. It is the same procedure as adding a new group.

        To add a patron to a mail list throgh a database query, you perform the following steps:

        1. Open the Mail List Window.

          Click here to learn how to open the window.

        2. Click the New button in the Mail List Criteria window toolbar / ribbon bar.

        3. Enter a Name for the new list.

          This should be a short, but descriptive name for quick reference.

        4. Enter a detailed description of the mail list.

          This is extremely important for other users who may use your mail list. If you describe the criteria of the list well, they will not need to attempt to decipher the code.

        5. Click the Save button.

          You can now begin to enter your groups of criteria.

        6. Click the Criteria Groups Tab.

        7. Click the Create Group button.
        8. Choose "To Add Patrons To The Mail List".

          The data selection window opens.

          Select a file containing data all of the patrons required on the list will have in common. Using the Example List created in Creating a Database Query we want to add all of the patrons born in 1966 or greater.

          The "Patron Data" file will be used for this example.
        9. Select a file which contains the required data and click the Next button.

          The Parameters window opens.

          Click Here for a detailed description of the window.

        10. Click the New button.

          The Add/Edit Parameters window opens.

        11. Select the field to search by.

          For the example you would use the "Patron Date of Birth" field.

        12. Fill the search parameters with the information to search by.

          For the example, use "is greater than or equal to" and the date December 31 1965.

        13. Click the Save button.

          The Parameters window returns and the selected criteria is displayed in the window.

        14. Click the Done button.

          The Mail List Criteria window returns.

        15. Click the Execute button.

          If this is the first time the list has been executed, Theatre Manager will highlight each group as it is executed, then the Mail List Criteria window will open to the Who's In tab. Only patrons whose birthdays fall after December 31st 1965 will be added to the list.

          If the mail list has been executed previously, the Previously Executed dialog opens.

        16. Click the Proceed button.

          If the mail list has not been updated for some time, click the Rebuild button. This ensures all data is current.

        Diataxis: 

        Adding Patrons to a Mail List Through a Ticket Purchase

        This method of adding patrons to mail lists, can capture all of the patrons who purchased a ticket(s) for a play. When you set up a play in the Plays and Dates window, there is an option to apply a default mail list. For every ticket bought for that play, Theatre Manager will add the patron to the default mailing list, if the patron is not currently already associated with it.

        For example, there may be a general mail list for musicals and many musical productions over the year. If a patron is attending their first musical they will be automatically added to the default mail list. This is an excellent tool to market for a specific genre of productions.

        To add patrons to a mail list through a ticket purchase, you perform the following steps:

        1. Click Setup from the menu and click Plays.

          The Play List window opens.

        2. Enter the search criteria and click the Search button.
        3. Select the Play and click the Open button.
        4. Click the Marketing tab.

          Locate the Default Mailing List field.

        5. Click the Search For A Value button.

          The Mail Lists window opens.

        6. Enter the search criteria at the top of the Mail List Lookup window and click the Search button.

          Mail Lists marked with a have search criteria implemented for them. That is, patrons could be added to those lists by searching the database for the specified criteria.

        7. Click a Mail list to highlight and click the Select button.

          Every patron who buys a ticket for the production will be added to the "Musicals" mail list.

          For more information on setting up Plays and Dates refer to the System Setup section and click on Events and Dates.

        Diataxis: 

        Adding Patrons to a Mail List Through the Batch Function

        To add patrons to a mail list through the batch functions, you perform the following steps:

        From the Mail List Window, you can quickly add patrons manually, if you have their patron number. Occasionally, the patrons you want to add to a mail list may belong to a report you have just printed, and you wish to add them to a list. Using the batch function you can quickly add the patrons manually by their patron number.

        1. Open the Mail List Window.

          Click Here to learn how to access the window.

        2. Find the Mail List to add the patron to.

        3. Click the Who's In tab.
        4. Click the New Button.

          The Contact List opens.

        5. Enter the search criteria for the patron and click the Search button.

          Highlight patrons in the contact list who belong in the Mail List by single clicking on them.

        6. Click the Select button.

          The patron has now been added to the list. If the patron is already a member of the mail list you will hear a beep and receive the message that the patron is already on the list. Repeat this step until all the patrons have been entered.

        Diataxis: 

        Adding Patrons to a Mail List Through the Patron Window

        Adding a single patron to a mail list is accomplished thought the Patron Window. To add more than one patron see Adding patrons through a ticket purchase or Adding patrons through a database query. Patrons may also choose to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to a list via the internet.

        To add patrons to a mail list through the Patron window, you perform the following steps:

        1. Click the Mail List Tab tab in the Patron window.

          To learn more about accessing the patron window click here. You can now view all mail lists the patron belongs to.

        2. Click the Add button to add the patron to mail lists.

          The Mail Lists Lookup window will open.

        3. Enter the search criteria and click the search button.

          Mail lists within the criteria will appear in the list. The mail lists which contain criteria are marked with a bullet.

        4. Select the mail list(s) to which you would like to add the patron.
        5. Click the Select Button.


        You may also double click the mail list in the Mail Lists Window to add the Patron.
        Diataxis: 

        Allowing Patrons to Subscribe or Unsubscribe Via the Internet

        Patrons can subscribe to or unsubscribe themselves from mail lists that you choose to make visible online as part of the web sales module. To allow patrons to subscribe or unsubscribe from a mail list via the internet, you perform the following steps:

        In order to subscribe to a Mail List online, a patron must be logged in to their online account - OR - you must have enabled the limited profile patron feature for web sales and mail list addition.

         

        1. Find the mail list you want to allow patrons to subscribe to or unsubscribe from.

          The example shows wording you might use for setting up ticket sales by lottery. This can be used for many purposes requiring patron consent like:

          • Tell me about audtions
          • Keep me informed about musicals
          • Special Events interest me
          • Tell me about last minute deals
          • etc.

        2. Click the Allow patron to subscribe/unsubscribe via internet flag.

          A check mark will appear in the box. Patrons logged into the database through the web sales module can now subscribe/unsubscribe to this mail list.

        3. Optionally, click on double opt in email

          If double opt in is set, the patron will get an email asking them to confirm they opted in. This feature
          • tracks explicit consent per CASL anti spam laws -and/or-
          • can be used to verify accuracy of email addresses submitted online since the patron must confirm them. It might be wise to do this for some mail lists to confirm that the patrons are real.
        4. Repeat for each mail list needing access via the internet.
        Diataxis: 

        Mail Lists - adding patrons through drag and drop

        You can drag people from the patron list, from another mail list or drag an entire mail list from the list of mail lists to add those people to a mail list manually
        Diataxis: 

        Editing data on the Mail List Window

        Accessing the Mail List Window

        To access the Mail List window you perform the following steps:

        To access the list of mail lists, you perform the following steps:
        1. Click Setup >> Mail Lists from the main Theatre Manager menu.

          Alternatively, you can select the Mail List button from the Main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.


          The Mail List search window opens.


        2. Select a Mail List search option.

        3. Enter a search range.
        4. Click the Search button.

          The list of Mail Lists fitting the search opens.

        5. Select a Mail List and click the Open button.

          The Mail List Criteria window will open. Alternatively, you can simply double click on the Mail List name.

          For more information on the Mail List window click here.

        Diataxis: 

        Parts of the Mail List Window

        Opens a new Mail List window.
        Saves changes made to the Mail List.
        Creates a copy of the open Mail List.
        Reverts back to the last save point.
        Deletes the open Mail List.
        Generates a report to the screen or default print location displaying the details of the Mail List.
        Checks the spelling of typed items within the current tab.
        Opens the mailing label window to create mailing labels for patrons included in the Mail List.
        Provides a report by zip code of all patrons in the Mail List.
        Mail List # Computer generated number for the Mail List.
        Mail List Name Brief name of the Mail List
        Select Drop Down List:
        • Patron who matches criteria
        • Primary household patron instread
        • All patrons in household
        Active Active / Inactive Flag
        Outlet Outlet that created the Mail List.
        Access Groups Specify which groups of people can access the data
        # in List Number of patrons currently in the list.
        Information about the Mail List and its behaviors. Click here for more information.
        The criteria groups for building the mail list. Click here for more information.
        List of Patrons who are in the mail list. Click here for more information
        List of who may change this mail list. Click here for more information.
        List of the dates and times the mail list was executed. Click here for more information.
        Diataxis: 

        Description Tab

        The Description tab of the Mail List window displays information about the mail list and its behaviours.

        VIP List Alert Employee if patron is on the mail list. If a patron is marked on a list as a VIP, the employee will be reminded that the patron is on the list via a popup-dialog window each time they open the particular patron's record.
        External List Allow Patrons to subscribe/unsubscribe via the internet. For most mail lists, this is never checked. However, if it is checked, this flag allows patrons to add (or remove) themselves to the mail list using the online sales module.

        Possible uses for this setting on mail lists are where the customer can elect to belong (or remove themselves) such as:

        • Send me a season brochure
        • Tell me about auditions
        • I'm interested in 'Dance' performances
        Refer to a sample web page with external mail lists to see what the patron would see online.
        Patrons must be logged in to subscribe If this is:
        • checked - the patron cannot add themselves to this mail list unless they are logged in. This mail lists are intended for the patron's 'account' page online.
        • NOT checked - then the patron can add themselves to this mail list through the mail list quick add web link. This option is intended for letting people subscribe to lists with a minimum of data. (Name and email address).
        Double Opt in Emails This feature is only valid for mail lists that are 'external'. If enabled, then patron who is added to the mail list (manually or automatically) will be sent an email asking them to confirm that they want to be on the list. If the patron:
        • does not respond to the email within 24 hours, they will be removed from the list.
        • responds within 24 hours (or even at a much later date), they will be placed on the mail list with a status of 'double-opt-in confirmed' and the date that they confirmed opting in.

        This feature is very useful

        • for implementing CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Law -and/or-
        • to improve accuracy of email addresses in the system because it requires the patron to confirm the email address, automatically improving the accuracy of the data.
        Description Detailed description of the purpose of the mail list (in 'descriptive plain language') so that others will understand its purpose or suggested usages.
        Diataxis: 

        Criteria Groups Tab

        Displays the selected Criteria for the mail list and allows you to add others to the Mail List.

        Inserts criteria for a Mail List. Click here for more information on adding new criteria.
        Removes the selected criteria.
        Opens the parameter window for the selected criteria.
        Rebuilds the mail list based on the selected criteria.
        Verifies the number of patrons in the Mail List.
        Duplicate will take the criteria group that you have selected and make a duplicate of it at the end of the list of criteria. By way of example, this is useful when you need to
        • Generate a list of people for a time period and are using the having clause feature to get a total of donations, or count of events, perhaps by year
        • Need to repeat that for a number of years to find, for example, the people who gave more than $1000 in a number of specific time periods so you can find those that are lapsed, or are giving more or buying more.
        • The easiest way is to make one group of criteria
        • Then duplicate it and edit the date parameters
        You can reorder groups of criteria on a window by clicking on one and dragging it.
        You can also drag a group of criteria from one mail list window to another. If you have built some criteria that you like and want to use portions of them in another mail list, just highlight the group and drag it to this window on another mail list.
        Diataxis: 

        Draging Criteria Groups to Another Mail List

        If you have some criteria on one mail list that you want to add to another, you can:
        • Select the group you like (see left window)
        • Drag it to another criteria group window

        Diataxis: 

        Re-Arranging Grouping of Criteria

        Complex groups/criteria adds and removes patrons from a list. Criteria within the query may need to be repositioned. This is easily done by dragging and dropping the grouping.

        • Click the line of criteria to be moved to select it.
        • Click and hold the mouse button to "pick up" the group.
        • Drag the criteria up or down the list and release the mouse button where it should be placed.
        Diataxis: 

        Who's In Tab

        This window displays a list of the patrons in the mail list. There are a number of things you can do with these patrons like:
        • generate mail labels
        • determine distance from your venue
        • export them
        • use them in criteria for reports or other mail lists
        • drag individuals from one mail list to another to place them into two lists
        • use the list to allow people to subscribe and unsubscribe to marketing lists online
        • drag them onto tasks to indicate who is invited.
        Tracking unsubscribes: If a patron unsubscribes from the mail list online, they are not removed from the mail list. Their record gets marked with an unsubscribed date. This tracks who no longer wants information from your venue for a specific purpose.

        This can be very useful for CASL purposes to track explicit opt outs and when the patron opted out.

        You may alter the subscribe status using the add and remove buttons as described below.

        Type Customizable field that allows for classification of patrons by type (Individual, Student, Staff, etc.)
        Patron # Unique number assigned to a patron.
        Patron Name Patrons first, last name and business.
        Source How the patron came to be in the mail list:
        • Added Manually - an employee selected the mail list and added to the patron's record.
        • Ticket Purchase (Box Office) - The patron was automatically added to the default mail list for an event by purchasing a ticket to an event at the box office
        • Mail List Build - The patron satisfied the criteria for the mail list and was added when the Execute was pressed
        • Added During Data Import - The patron was associated with one or more mail lists due to a data import. This could have been done when converting to theatre manager or by using the patron import feature
        • Internet (Patron Self Added) - The patron placed themselves on the mail list online either on mail list screen or on the patron account window after logging in online
        • Internet (Plug In) - You have a custom plugin that may have added the patron to the mail list as part of the processing.
        • Ticket Purchase (Internet) - The patron was automatically added to the default mail list for an event by purchasing a ticket to an event at online
        • Double Opt-In Pending (Box Office) - An employee added a patron to a mail list that requires double opt-in to satisfy CASL or to simply have the patron confirm that want to be on the mail list. The patron is automatically sent an email. If they:
          • confirm - the status will be changed to Double Opt-in Confirmed
          • don't reply - the patron will be removed from the mail list within 24 hours. However, if they subsequently confirm, they will be added to the mail list again as Double Opt-in Confirmed
        • Randomly Assigned - You can build a mail list for marketing purposes and find it too large for our purposes or that you want to try an A-B marketing strategy. if so, you can use the Mail List Randomization feature to randomly assign people to a smaller list or to a number of other lists.
        • Double Opt-in Confirmed - This means that the patron has received the email request to confirm participation in a mail list and confirmed it. This has two main benefits:
          • it confirms the accuracy of the email address because the patron had to respond to it
          • it provided a record of explicit consent as per CASL (Canada's anti-spam laws) or equivalent in other countries.
        • Pass/Gift Certificate Purchase (Box Office) - The patron was automatically added to the default mail list for a Pass/Gift Certificate by purchasing one at the box office
        • Pass/Gift Certificate Purchase (Internet) - The patron was automatically added to the default mail list for a Pass/Gift Certificate by purchasing one online
        • Patron Unsubscribed (Internet) - The patron removed them selves from the mail list online. Theatre Manager actually retains this record as an indication of WHEN they removed themselves. You cannot pick these people for other mail lists.
        • Double Opt-In Pending (Internet) - An employee added a patron to a mail list that requires double opt-in to satisfy CASL or to simply have the patron confirm that want to be on the mail list. The patron is automatically sent an email. If they:
          • confirm - the status will be changed to Double Opt-in Confirmed
          • don't reply - the patron will be removed from the mail list within 24 hours. However, if they subsequently confirm, they will be added to the mail list again as Double Opt-in Confirmed
        Primary Phone Patron primary contact telephone number.
        Clicking on the New button causes a pop up to be shown that lets you:
        • Manually add a patron to the list.
        • -or- if some patrons are selected that are unsubscribed, you can resubscribe them to the list. Note that the subscribe feature is intended for patrons to manage themselves for mail lists that they can access online. However, if you have a large mail list that is not public, you might find this useful to track who was on the list, and now wishes to be corresponded with by subscribing them.
        Opens the patron window of the selected patron.
        Clicking on the Remove button causes a pop up to be shown that lets you:
        • Manually remove a patron from the list.
        • -or- if some patrons are selected that are subscribed, you can unsubscribe them from the list instead of deleting them. Note that the unsubscribe feature is intended for patrons to manage themselves for mail lists that they can access online. However, if you have a large mail list that is not public, you might find this useful to track who was on the list and no longer wishes to be by unsubscribing them.
        Export the selected rows of contact information from a Mail List. If you want everybody in the list, select all the rows (or click on a line and the Ctrl-A or Cmd-A select them all) before clicking the export button.

        • You will be give a choice of export format: tab delimited, comma delimited, xls, or xlsx format.
        • Then you will be asked where you want to put the file
        Add Pass Can be used to add a pass or gift certificate to a number of patrons at the same time.
        Unsub Email Can be used to process an unsub/bounce file from an external emailer program and remove patrons from a mail list or remove their email addresses permanently.
        Search options for finding patrons within the selected Mail List.
        Search's the selected Mail List for patrons matching the selected search criteria.
        Diataxis: 

        Using the Unsubscribe feature

        In the sample list above, one patron is marked as unsubscribed online. One of the columns in the list contains the unsubscribe date, so you know when people no longer wanted to be part of the mail list.

        When building other mail lists or running reports, there are two key selection criteria that lets you select these people:

        • Marketing Patron Belongs to Mail List - Subscribed to

          When used, this will find all the people in the mail list - except those patrons who unsubscribe themselves online. This makes selecting people on a public mail list easy. You don't need to worry about who doesn't want email since they are automatically ignored.

        • Marketing Patron Belongs to Mail List - Unsubscribed from

          This search criteria only picks people who have unsubscribed. Its best use might be for an eblast mail list where people say they no longer want a specific type of eblasts.

          You can include patrons in your normal way and then use this list to eliminate people in the unsubscribed list using something like the criteria below.

        Diataxis: 

        Access Restriction Tab

        Displays a listing of who can change the contents of the selected mail list.
        • If you are on the access restriction list, you can add, rebuild and remove people from the list - and you can delete the mail list in entirety.
        • If the list of employees is empty, anybody can add, rebuild or remove people from the list
        If you want to hide this list from some people, use the Access Feature at the top part of the window.
        Preventing employees from altering the contents of the mail list does not prevent them from deleting the entire mail list unless you implement data permissions on the employee record (prevent delete of mail lists) or hide the mail list (as above)

        First First name of the employee.
        Last Last name of the employee.
        E-mail E-mail address for the employee.
        Grants an employee access to the Mail List.
        Removes an employee from having access to a Mail List.
        Opens the employee data window for the selected employee.
        Diataxis: 

        Emails associated with Mail List

        This window shows which emails are associated to this mail list for the purposes of allowing the user to unsubscribe from the mail list.
        For mails to appear in this list, they MUST have been sent out using and unsubscribe list in the form letter merge.

        You can:

        • Search by date sent to see what went out on a particular day or for a time period
        • Search by letter to see who got a particular bit of correspondence.
          • You can see who opened it the letter
          • Highlight a number of the lines based on status to see how many were sent and how many were opened
        • Have a look to see what is due the future
        • Select a number of emails and:
          • change their status to Not Done to resend them -or-
          • mark them done if you need to have them on the patron's file but never intended to send them, -or-
          • delete them - which means that the patron could no longer unsubscribe from the email.
        Diataxis: 

        Execution Log Tab

        List of the dates and times the mail list was executed.

        First First name of the employee who ran the mail list.
        Last Last name of the employee who ran the mail list.
        Start Count Number of patrons in the list before the list is executed.
        Stop Count Number of patrons in the list after the list is executed.
        Time (Sec) Amount of time in seconds the mail list took to populate.
        Status The method chosen to populate the mail list. This will be one of:
        • Duplicated - which means the mail list was original create from a duplicate of another one. The starting and ending counts will be the same and the time indicates how long it took to duplicate.
        • Proceed - the mail list was built without clearing it first. It may mean there are patrons in the mail list that may not match the criteria. (eg if they were manually added prior to the rebuild>
        • Rebuild - the mail list was cleared of app patrons prior to applying the criteria.
        Start The date and time at which the instance of the mail list was begun.
        Finish The date and time at which the instance of the mail list finished running.
        Diataxis: 

        Remove Patrons using External Email Unsub/Bounce file

        It is possible to remove patrons from a mail list using an external file containing unsubscribes and/or bounces - which is typically created by exporting that data from an external mailing tool like Bronto, Mail Chimp, or the like. This feature has two functions:
        • Remove people from a mail list based on patron number -and/or-
        • Remove email addresses completely from the database

        This process will remove people from mail lists and (optionally) email addresses from the database.

        Please ensure you have a recent backup in case you delete data you do not want to delete. The only remedy is to restore a backup database, export the data and then use the patron import processes to bring it back in.

         

        Preparation of Data

        Most email services external to Theatre Manager have a feature to export patrons who unsubscribed from the emailer, or whose emails bounced. You will need to create a file that:

        • has (at minimum) a patron number, email address and status. All other fields are ignored. You do not need to get the field names correct as they are matched later.
        • The status must either be:
          • unsub to indicate that the patron has unsubscribed from the mail list. Theatre Manager only looks at the first 5 characters, so you can use unsubscribe or any other variation.
          • bounce to indicate that the email was not deliverable. Theatre Manager only looks at the first 5 characters, so you can use bounc, bounce, bounced or any variation.
        • It can be in excel format, tab delimited or comma delimited

         

        Importing the file to remove patrons from a mail list

        To begin the process, open up a mail list window to the Whos In Tab. You can either:

        • Click the Unsub Email button which will ask you for the file you prepared above -or-
        • Drag the file you prepared above on top of the list of patrons.

         

        Match up the following fields:
        • Patron Number - note, any row with no patron number, or a patron number not found in the database will be ignored. This means:
          • if you merged people together and then they unsubscribed, TM cannot will not find them in the database and they cannot be unsubscribed from the mail list.
          • It will also not unsubscribe people who are only in the mail list program database and not in Theatre Manager since they don't have a Theatre Manager Patron Number
        • Email Address - the email address from the mail list program
        • Status - which contains the first 5 letters of either unsub or bounce. Any other status codes are ignored.

         

        There are two functions that the unsubscribe process can support which are indicated on this screen. You can:
        • Remove People from a mail list. The patron's email address is retained in Theatre Manager - they are simply deleted from the mail list based on patron number matching. Since there are two status codes in the import file, you can elect to remove based on:
          • unsub - the patron has indicated that they don't want emails from you by actively unsubscribing from an eblast you sent out. This option reflects the patron's intent
          • bounce - The external email package does not know if the patron got the email from you. A bounce could mean many things such as: an invalid email address, the patron's email sever is not currently working, or their email server is rejecting your email as spam. A bounce does not necessarily mean bad email. Multiple bounces from many emails increases the likely hood of the email address being bad, so you may need to track the bounces for a while before using this option.
        • Completely delete the email address from the database - if you get a lot of bounces, you can elect to DELETE the email address from the database. This option should be used sparingly because it will DELETE the email address from the database and disassociate it from ALL PATRONS IN A HOUSEHOLD that are sharing the email address.

         

        The final step is to confirm what you want to do. It suggests a backup be made since the process cannot be undone without going to a backup.

        Diataxis: 

        Removing a Patron Through the Mail List Window

        This method is useful for removing multiple patrons from a mail list when they do not have common information. If the patrons all have common information (e.g. they all are non-donors) use the Mail List Database Query method of removal.

        To remove a patron through the mail list window, you perform the following steps:

        1. Open the Mail List Window.

          Click Here to learn how to open the window.

        2. Find the mail list to remove patrons from.
        3. Click the Who's In tab.
        4. Select the patrons you want to remove from the mail list.

          Single click on a patron to select them or use the Ctrl key (PC) or the Command/Apple key (Mac) to select multiple patrons.

        5. Click the Remove Button.
        6. The patron has been removed from the list.

        Diataxis: 

        Selling Passes/Gift Certificates to a number of Patrons

        There are occasions where you want to give passes to certain groups of volunteers, staff, subsets of donors, subscribers. An example might be to give people working on an event free passes, or to give staff passes for a predetermined number of shows during the year. Once they have the passes or gift certificates, they can obtain their tickets online and/or manage their own tickets without the need to contact the box office.

        You can add those passes to the patron record one at a time, or you can add them EN MASSE to selected people in a mail list.

        This process can sell a lot of passes or gift certificates quickly. It does not provide a process to pay for any that generate a balance owing by the customer.

        If passes are sold that require payment, you may find it easier to pay for them on the Patron Tab in the pass setup window.

         

        Process of selling a Pass/Gift Certificate to Multiple Patrons

        Open up a mail list that contains the people that you want to sell the passes/gift certificates to and go to the Whos In tab on the mail list window. The start of the process is:

        • Select the patrons who you want to give the pass to

         

        Then do one of the following two steps:
        • Click the Add Pass button (above window) and then pick a pass/gift certificate type from the pop up list -or-
        • Open the pass type list and drag one of them onto the selected patrons

         

        Once you have picked a pass to sell to the selected patrons, you will see a confirmation message.

        Diataxis: 

        Who is on the Mail List

        Once a mail list has been created or found you may wish to view the patrons belonging to the list. By viewing the Who's In tab of the Mail List,

        • patrons can be viewed or removed from the list
        • you can export the data
        • you can print labels for the patrons in the list using the mail lable button
        • do maps of where selected people live (context menu)
        • and more

        To view a patron on the mail list, you perform the following steps:

        1. Open the Mail List widow.

          Click here for more information on opening the window.

        2. Find the mail list required.

          Currently there are 30 patrons attached to this mail list as seen by the # in List to the right of the window.

        3. Click the Who’s In tab.

          The Who's In information will be displayed.

          For more information on this window click here.

        Diataxis: 

        Removing Patrons from a Mail List

        Removing the patron through the Mail List Window or Mail List Query methods are useful if you need to remove more than one patron from a mail list. Removing patrons throughout the Patron Window is useful if specific information is known about the patron you can use to locate their record (e.g. patron #).

        To remove a patron from the mail list, you perform the following steps:

        1. Click the Mail List Tab tab in the Patron window.

          To learn more about accessing the patron window click here. You can now view all mail lists the patron belongs to.

        2. Single click on the Mail List the patron should be removed from.
        3. Click the Remove button.

          The patron is now removed from the list.

        Diataxis: 

        Exporting Patrons from a Mail List

        You can export patron data from a mail list into:

        • Text, Tab Delimited (.txt)
        • Text, Comma Delimited (.csv)
        • Excel 97-2004 Workbook (.xls)
        • Excel 2008 Workbook (.xlsx)
        These files can be opened with Microsoft Excel or other suitable programs to be displayed as a spreadsheet. To export patrons from a mail list, you perform the following steps:

        Exporting data from a Mail List means you export the names, addresses, phone numbers, and other general marketing data from the results of the Mail List. It is important to remember the Mail List results, for example, of a criteria set to "All Donors of $5,000 or more" does not list their donations. Rather, the results are a list of patrons who match the criteria. Similarly, a Mail List of Patrons who "Subscribe to the 2011 Main Stage Season" does not list their seats - only their names, addresses, phone number, etc. To obtain data on donations, subscriptions, ticket purchases, etc., you must use the results of the Mail List as criteria in a report. Mail Lists provide a list of patrons - not a list of data regarding the criteria that was used.

        1. Open the mail list you want to export patron data from.

          For more information on accessing the mail list window click here.

        2. Click on the Whos In tab.

          For more information on the Whos In and other mail list tabs click here.

          During the export process, all of the columns displayed in the Whos In window will be exported. Click here, for information on how to change the displayed columns.

        3. Highlight all the records you want to export. If you want the entire list, highlight the top record, then SHIFT+click on the bottom record.
        4. Click the export button.

          Your operating system's Save dialog wil open.

        5. Enter the name and the location of where you wish to save the file and click "Save".
          The file will now be saved in the location you specified.
          1. To view the file, you can use a program, such as Excel.

        Diataxis: 

        Mail List Double opt in

        CASL (Canada's Anti-Spam Law) has 3 basic mechanisms to provide permission to email your patrons:
        • Explicit Consent which is implemented using a mail list that is set up as either Double opt-in is the preferred choice if you wish to have the patron explicitly confirm their email address and/or permission to be emailed
        • Implied consent which occurs if a client initiated activity with you (any sales or phone contact) where you have up to two years to contact them via email without asking their permission

         

        Explicit Consent is implemented in Theatre Manager using:
        • Single opt in mail list -- simply means if the person marks the checkbox online and they are added to the mail list. No further interaction is required on their part.
        • Double opt-in mail list which means that the patron has to indicate their intent twice to being on the mail list. The patron:
          • Clicks to indicate they want to be on the mail list (on the web site form)
          • Receives an email from the system informing them that they signed up
          • Responds to the email by clicking a link to complete the confirmation. This has the added benefit of double checking the email address.

          THIS MEANS that if a patron does not respond:

          • they are removed from the mail list automatically during the sales posting process based on the retention period in company preferences.
          • Generally that means people will be on the opt-in mail list for 24 hours or more and then removed automatically when the next create sales entry process is run at EOD
          • If they are taken off automatically:
            • the user can still activate the link in the email and they will be added again in confirmed status automatically.
            • but since the patrons are removed from the mail list (until such time as they opt-in), they will not be included in an eblast if that mail list is subsequently used as form letter criteria (i.e. 'belongs to mail list') to identify people for eblasting
        Implied Consent:
        • means that if a client initiates a contact with you.
        • You then have up to two years of implied consent to contact them in any way you wish via email regarding the transaction. This includes:
          • confirmation of record updates, password changes, purchases, surveys etc.
          • up to two years from date of purchase for other forms of email (please get your own legal opinion on this).
        • You would create a mail list and use criteria such as purchased a ticket in the past two years, had an order dated in the past two years, donated in the past two years, volunteered in the past two years, (or one or more in combination that might be specific to your needs).

        What does an Explicit Consent mail list look like on the Web for the end user?

        When one or more email notification lists are set up to allow people to sign in, they will look like this on the patrons account page. (they also show on the mail lists window).

        Setting up a double opt-in mail list that will appear on the web

        A double opt in mail list has two key settings on the mail list setup window:

        • The mail list must be marked that the patron can subscribe to it via the internet (i.e. they can add or remove themselves from the list membership)
        • It has the 'double opt in' flag checked.
        If both these settings are made, then any patron gets added to the mail list will be sent an email requesting an email requesting confirmation that they consented to be on the list. If the patron
        • confirms the addition by clicking on a link, then they will be confirmed on the mail list with a 'double opt in' status. This also confirms the email address and records when the patron gave consent.
        • does not confirm the addition to the mail list, then they will be removed from the list in approximately 24 hours (based on the value for 'keep unconfirmed mail list').

        1. Open the mail list you want to use for the subscribe online with double opt-in.

          For more information on accessing the mail list window click here.

        2. Click on the Description tab.

          The screen should look like the one below.

          A best practice is to make sure that the 'Double Opt-In' option that is highlighted IS NOT CHECKED when building the list for the first time. If it is, then any patron added to the mail list in any manner will receive an email instantly.

        3. Add Patrons to the mail list in any manner you wish.

          You can use any of the standard ways to get people added to the mail list such as:

          • Using criteria to build a list of patrons of interest (see the picture below for a simple example)
          • dragging another mail list onto the who's in window to add all people in the mail list
          • dragging people from the patron list
          • Using the 'new' button on the who's in window to add a patron

        4. On the Description Tab, click the 'double-opt in' option

          Theatre Manager will tell you that there are people in the mail list that have not received a notification per the image below. It will only consider those that have the mail list source status codes of

          • Added Manually (meaning you dragged and dropped them into the list)
          • Added via a mail list build (meaning criteria was executed to find people)
          • Added during some sort of data import exercise
          The other status codes are ignored. That is because they are considered 'implied consent to email' - like 'added because they bought a show online'.

          Click the opt-in button if you want to start generating an email for the patrons in the list with the 3 status codes above. If you click cancel, then you can still do it again by un-clicking the double opt in' button and saving, then clicking the double opt in button again to repeat the process.

        5. Confirm you want to email to people using the 'double-opt in' option

          You are given a second chance to confirm you want emails to go to patrons having the mail list status codes above. This question is asked ONCE after opening the mail list detail window as a WARNING. After that, the message no longer displayed to you. After getting this once, you can continue to drag and drop other people only the list quickly and emails will be sent without a message.

        6. On the 'Whos's In' tab, view the status of patrons.

          If the patron has an email address, the status of the patron will be 'Internet (opt -in'). That means and email has been sent to the patron and they have not responded to the email to confirm them being part of the mail list.

          Patrons who do not have an email address will retain their original mail list source. If you find an email for them, you can add it to the patron address, and then change the opt in status again to send out the remainder of the emails. People with pending opt-in status will NOT receive a second email.

        7. What the Patron sees in their inbox

          An email will be sent to the patron that looks like below and is from the tmPatronUpdateEmailBoxOfficeOptIn.html web page. It will have your background and CSS stylings. The difference is that if there are 'double-opt-in' mail lists as part of the update, then the patron will see the new text highlighted in red. That is the link they will need to click to confirm the opt-in.

          When they click the link, they will be taken to your web site and see the confirmation page below (tmMaillistVerifyOptin.html)

        8. What the Venue sees in the mail list

          After the patron confirms participation in the mail list through double opt-in, the status of that person's mail list entry will change to 'Double Opt-in'. It also records the date of the opt-in.

          Diataxis: 

          Randomizing Mail Lists

          There are situations where we don't want everybody in the mail list - only a random selection. This could be used for things like:
          • Creating a number of random lists for a lottery based on sale system. The resultant mail lists can be used with different on sale coupon/pre-access codes to distribute times to patrons to buy online
          • Generate a random subset of the people in a mail list for marketing purposes like surveys or invitations to special events
          • Taking a general mail list that is slightly bigger than a mail out budget and deciding (randomly) who should get mailers.
          • Breaking up a larger list of patrons into a few random groupings if you want to distribute the e-blast across a number of multiple sendings.

          The steps below indicate how to create a random list of patrons. A few thoughts about these lists.

          Please make sure to remove the lists when you no longer need them.

          Steps to Create Random Lists

          Before creating a random list, you must already have found the patrons you want and placed them into an existing list. For example, if you have a list of members, or new donors, or volunteers, start with that list by opening it up to display it as below.

          Click on the 'Random' Icon in the toolbar and you will see a window similar to below. There are two options that you can select:

          • Randomly distribute ALL patrons into new lists. Type in the number of new lists you wish to create. Theatre Manager will automatically create those mail lists for you and then assign the patrons in the original list to ONE OF the new lists at random. Patrons will not appear in more than one list and the number of people in each list should be more or less approximately equal. Some lists will have more (or less) patrons due to the random nature of the process.
          • Randomly Select a Percentage of Patrons for ONE list take a different approach. Type in the percentage of people you would like in the new list that will be created. Theatre Manager will select them at random from the existing mail list and put them into the new list (up to the specified percentage of patrons). It will never place more than the specified percentage of patrons into the list.

          Confirm whether you want to continue creating the mail lists containing random people.

          When you are done, if you look at the list of mail lists, you will see the appropriate number of new mail lists. The titles of those lists will start with the same name as the one you used to randomize. They will end with a comment indicating which of the random lists it was.

          There is a new status on any window that shows who is in a mail list (or the mail lists that a patron belongs to. If you look at the 'source' column, it indicates that the patron was 'Randomly Assigned' to the list (instead of added at box office, or self added on internet, etc.). This is one way to know how the people got on this list.

          Diataxis: 

          Selling tickets by Lottery (how to)

          Lottery based ticket sales are a way to fairly and equitably sell tickets to a large number of people by spreading out ticket sales across a longer period of time - so that an instantaneous free-for-all on your web site will not overwhelm your hardware.
          Lottery based ticket on-sales can be used in a situation where:
          • many more people want tickets than are available
          • you expect the tickets to go like hotcakes and, most likely, vastly overwhelm your hardware's capabilities
          • you want the patrons to sign up in advance to say that they are interested in having a chance to buy the tickets
          • and then you randomly decide:
            • which of those people will actually get a shot to buy the tickets -and-
            • the unlucky ones do not get a chance during the onsale because they lost the lottery - but might be able to buy later when the tickets are placed onsale, unannounced.

           

          General Steps to do a lottery based Onsale

          How, you ask? There are a few things that need to be set up as summaried below and explained in detail afterwards. You will need:

          1. A self subscribing double opt-in mail list to track the above patrons who want to be in the lottery
          2. These patrons will need to sign in and create a full account (if they don't have one already)
          3. A merge process to look for duplicate patrons in the mail list - eg same person, multiple emails - so that they can't game the system.
          4. Extract a random group of patrons from the mail list and organize into presales groups
          5. One or more coupons that allow presales access to the event
          6. Set up auto-release holds that release in waves
          7. An eblast to winning patrons telling them when their access time to the tickets are
          8. An eblast to losing patrons to tell them they are not in the lottery.
          The key is that each coupon's access time range corresponds to when some tickets are released - so each group will have access to fresh tickets and the prior lottery winners will no longer be able to buy, since they lost their time slot. At the end, of all lottery sales time slots, you might allow all lottery winners to have acess to anything left before opening to the public.

          Note: this intentionally spreads out web sales across time so that your servers have less load at any given time. eg, if there are 10 lottery slots, hardware/servers required to handle a single onsale need only be 1/10th as powerful to handle a lottery spread out over time (which becomes 10 mini-onsales).

           

          Step 1: Make a mail list that people can self subscribe to

          You will need to make a mail list that lets patrons to add or remove themselves online.

          • Give it an external name of Lottery Sales sign up for 'the event' or what ever seems obvious to the patrons.
          • The description should describe the purpose of the list, when the date range of the actual onsales occur and a link to your marketing page that describes how the lottery system will work and that not everybody is guaranteed a spot, but that it is random
          • Make sure the mail list is double opt-in which will ensure that the email addresses are real since the patron needs to confirm it (it prevents people creating dummy emails).
          • Refer to the instructions to make a mail list patrons can self subscribe to
          • If patrons call the box office to be part of the lottery, you can manually add them to this list, just make sure you:
            • Make sure that they have an email address on their account
            • If you have to add an email address for the patron, use the reset password feature to send them an email to indicate its better to make a password right away (i.e. well before before the onsale)
            • Merge any duplicate records together for the patron that may exist

           

          Step 2: Send an email to patrons asking them to sign up

          You can use the form letter feature to send an email to patrons asking that they sign up to the lottery mail list. You will need to:

           

          Step 3: De-duplicate and merge people

          Now that you've collected a lot of people in to the 'Lottery' mail list, you may still need to de-duplicate entries before the actual onsale. Why is that? One of the tenets of mail lists is that patrons can only be in the list once. Very true, but if a patron signed up multiple times using different email addresses, you may want to do some merging by:

          • Open the 'lottery' mail list
          • Go to the Whos in tab
          • Right click on the list to see the context menu and pick find duplicates
          • This will limit the search for duplicates to people within the list. Try a few broad brush searches like:
            • Combined name
            • Last Name and First Name
            • Name and phone number
          • You may also want to sort the list by various fields and see if you can identify and merge duplicates that way. eg:
            • Sort by phone and see what you can find
            • Or sort by email

           

          Step 4: Randomize the mail list

          As the date of the lottery nears, you need to look at:

          • the total number of people in the list,
          • the number of available tickets,
          • and match to approximate load that your servers can manage
          For example, if there are 90,000 people, 10,000 available tickets and your servers can sell 1,000 tickets per time period easily, then you need to make 10 random lists (10,000 tickets/1,000 tickets per time period = number of lottery slots). To do this, we need to do two randomizations of the mail list:
          • The first randomization is used to extract approximately 10,000 out of 90,000, or 12% of the patrons into a new mail list to identify the people who you are eligible for ticket sales by lottery (option 2 in the randomization image to the right)
          • The second randomization will take the new list and break it into 10 more or less equal groups of people in 10 new mail lists. It is these last 10 mail lists that we'll use for emailing and coupons in the next steps (option 1 in the randomization image to the right)

           

          Step 5: Make Pre-access Coupons

          Per the example above, if we have 10 lottery sales groups, then we will need to make 10 preaccess coupons with the following characteristics:

          • Internal Descriptions might be 'Lottery Group 1' through 'Lottery Group 10'
          • Internal Description is displayed to the patron on the shopping cart and should be simply something like 'Pre Sales access to the Greatest Event time xx:xx to yy:yy'
          • Make each one restricted to ONE OF the final 10 random lists created in step 4
          • Set the coupon to be Auto Add in Web and for Any household member
          • Make the coupon usage type Presales access via internet
          • For the Redeemable From and Redeemable to dates, set up distinct sales times on each coupon such as
            • Monday 10:00am to noon
            • Monday noon to 2:00pm
            • Monday 2:00pm to 4:00pm
            • Tuesday 10:00am to noon
            • etc.
              Make the time periods suitable to how your patrons buy online, although for an onsale like this, they will probably just come to your web site.
          • In the Performance tab, select the performances that the lottery presales are for
          • In the Notes tab, you can create html links that will show the event as a convenience for the patron. Contact ArtsMan support and we can help with the link and button names. These will appear on the cart window as an aid to the Patron

           

          Step 6: Create auto release holds

          This step can be done at any time but needs to be ready before the onsale. The idea is to select and hold an equal proportion of tickets for the performance and auto release them at the same time just prior to the onsales time slot - eg. a couple of minutes or so. To do this:

          • Go to the Maps Tab for the event that you are going to sell
          • If there are 10 onsales slots, you want to:
            • hold 10% of the tickets in each performance
            • for a specific patron - you may want to make a specific before-event-sales patron for this onsale that you can merge into the standard before-event-sales patron later
            • and coordinate the release time to match the coupon access time in step 5 above

          At this point, the Lottery is set up. You have:
          • 10% of the tickets ready to be released in each of 10 waves.
          • 10% of the patrons who applied for the lottery enabled to purchase in each wave

           

          Step 7: Inform each patron of their lottery time

          This uses Theatre Manager's Eblast capability to merge and send a letter to each of the winning lottery participants informing them of their time slot.

          • Create a different form letter for each of the winning lottery groups
          • Put the access time range for that lottery group into the letter
          • Into the letter, add a
          • Eblast that letter to the patrons that won

           

          Step 8: Inform those Patrons that did not win the lottery to buy tickets

          You'll also need to create a mail list of those that did not win in the lottery to let them know that they mighrt get some singles after the onsale is over

          • Create a letter to send to the patrons that did not win.
          • Make another mail list of all people in that applied and remove those that won
          • eblast those in this final mail list of people not selected

          Sample Mail List Queries

          The following section gives illustrations of some sample queries that people find useful. Please adapt them to your circumstances.
          Diataxis: 

          Mail Lists explained through a Venn Diagram

          A Venn Diagram is a great way to illustrate criteria for more complex mail lists. Most people find building criteria for a simple mail list fairly straight forward. For example:
          • find all patrons who donated money this year
          • find all patrons who donated money last year
          • find all patrons who donated money any year before this year
          • find all Patrons who donated in a specific period to certain campaigns
          The examples above need exactly one mail list - since the criteria needs only to be applied to each record when it is considered for inclusion in the result. If the record matches the criteria, it is selected.

          The above concept also applies to any data in Theatre Manager such as ticket buyers last year, subscribers this year, gift certificate users in the past 3 years, volunteers since the beginning of time, etc.

          There are 4 combinations that seem a little harder that might require either 'Add' and 'Remove' groups or more than one mail list as illustrated in the Venn Diagram above. These slightly more complex groups are:

          1. Blue group but not in Pink - or in the example above Patrons who did something last year but not this year. This type of group describes two very common data base search needs:
            • per the example above LYBUNT - last year but not this
            • SYBUNT - some year but not this
          2. Pink group but not in Blue - or using the example above Patrons who did something this year but not last year
          3. in both Blue and Pink groups - or per the example above Patrons who did something in both years
          4. in neither Blue and Pink groups - or Patrons who did not do anything in either year
          The key difference in the above searches is that multiple data records must be considered before the patron is selected. In the simple example of gave last year but not this, Theatre Manager needs to consider two DISPARATE SETS of data records to find the difference.
          Multiple criteria are represented by add/remove groups .. which you can think of as combining multiple Venn Diagrams together.
          Individual criteria groups can use the having clause to create very powerful queries that find very targeted groups of patrons.

          eg: you can find all donors that gave 3 or more times last year and didn't give 5 or more times the year before.

           

          Last year but not this

          (Blue group but not in Pink)

          One way of thinking of this is people who are in one group, but not the other. There are two ways to accomplish this:

          • You can build your entire query in one mail list using:
            • an 'add group' with some inline criteria -and-
            • a 'remove group' with some inline criteria
            -or-
          • a mail list that refers to two other mail lists that have been previously built to identify patrons.

            -or-

          • A combination of inline criteria and/or mail lists to identify the different SETS of data

          The above example shows:

          • An add group that finds tickets for patrons where the season is 2019
          • A remove group that then eliminates those patrons who have a ticket for the 2020 season
          The criteria in each group can be multiple lines to be as restrictive as you wish. The important thing is that each group represents a different SET of patrons that must be found first before they can be compared.

          This is similar to the above since it has both add and remove groups. The criteria within the group just happens to refer to previous mail lists that have been built to identify the SETS of patrons.

          This year but not last

          (Pink group but not in Blue)

          This is similar to the case for 'last year but not this'. The criteria is simply reversed - since in both cases you are taking one SET (group) of patrons and removing the second SET (group) of patrons.

          Again, you can:

          • build your entire query in one mail list using:
            • an 'add group' with some inline criteria -and-
            • a 'remove group' with some inline criteria
            -or-
          • a mail list that refers to two other mail lists that have been previously built to identify patrons.

            -or-

          • A combination of inline criteria and/or mail lists to identify the different SETS of data

          This example shows the use of two mail lists to find the difference in the groups of people.

          You could use the add and remove group approach as per the previous example.

          In both groups

          (in both Blue and Pink)

          Something that must be in two groups is called the intersection set. To find patrons like this in theatre manager, you need to do it be creating two temporary lists. eg:

          • Build a mail list of people representing group A. In the example above, that would be the 'blue circle' or people who are in 'last year' mail list.
          • Build a mail list of people representing group B. In the example above, that would be the 'pink circle' or people who are in 'this year' mail list.
          • Build the the mail list that uses is all of to find people in all of last year and this year per the image to the right
          Finding the intersection of two SETS (i.e. patrons in both groups) can only be done by pre-building two lists that represent each individual group and using a third list to find people in both lists.

          In neither group

          NOT in Blue and NOT in Pink)

          Finding people in neither group is a little tricky. You need to find the group of everybody you are considering and then remove group 'A' and then remove group 'B'. You can do it in one of three ways:

          • You can build your entire query in one mail list using:
            • an 'add group' with some inline criteria -and-
            • a 'remove group' with some inline criteria -and-
            • a second 'remove group' with some different inline criteria
            -or-
            • An 'add' group with inline criteria or one that refers to a prebuilt mail list of all people.
            • A 'remove' group with a mail list that refers to two other mail lists that have been previously built to identify patrons.

              -or-

          • The use of NOT in an 'add' group that finds people in both mail lists (see previous example) in order to NEGATE the search. This approach is useful if the set of everybody really means everybody in the database.

            -or-

          • A combination of inline criteria and/or mail lists to identify the different SETS of data

          Note: finding people not in a group starts with the premise that you need to define everybody and then remove patrons from that list. For example:
          • Everybody could literally mean everybody in the database -or-
          • all donors forever, -or-
          • all ticket buyers who paid money for tickets in the past two years (ignoring comps) -or-
          • all subscribers who bough their subscription using the promotion 'early bird renewal'
          If your meaning of everybody is a limited set of patrons, you will need an 'add' group at the beginning of the criteria to specify the meaning of 'everybody'

          In this example, everybody is explicitly defined as all patrons with a patron number greater than zero and the remove group says patrons belongs to mail lists 'is all of' last year or thins year.

          They means remove patrons who are on both prebuilt mail lists (or all people who are not in last year or this year)

          In this sample, everybody is patrons who are subscribers and part of the control house for dinner theatre. It then removes all donors and them removes all volunteers.

          This results in subscribers who have never donated or volunteered.

          In this example, we are looking for everybody who does not belong to any of the two prebuilt mail lists. Everybody is implied since Theatre Manager scans for all data, unless explicitly told not to.

          In this case, Theatre Manager was told to only include people 'in none of' the mail lists.

          Diataxis: 

          Combining Mail Lists

          By combining mail lists you can gain access to the data of many lists and from that data form a new list. Unlike merging the mail lists, you are able to keep the original mail lists and their data intact and unchanged.

          To combine mail lists, you perform the following steps:

          1. Open the Mail List Window.

            Click Here to learn how to open the window.

          2. Click the New button.

            The Mail List Inserting window opens.

          3. Enter a Name and Description for the list.
          4. Click the Save button.
          5. Click the Criteria Groups tab.

          6. Click the Create Group button and select To Add Patrons to a Mail List.
          7. Select Mail Lists Associated with a Patron.

          8. Click the Next button.

            The Parameter window opens.

          9. Click the New button.

            The Add/Edit Parameter window opens.

          10.  Select a field and condition.

            For this example the field will be "Mail List #" found under Mail List Setup and the condition will be "is one of"

          11. Select the mailing lists to be combined.

            Hold the Ctrl (PC) or Command (Mac) key to select multiple lists at a time.

          12. Click the Save button.

            You are returned to the Parameters window.

          13. Click the Done button.

            You are returned to the Mail List Criteria window.

          14. Click the Execute button.

            The data from the selected mail lists will be combined.

            If the criteria is changed in one of the combined mail lists the combined mail list must be executed again to update the information.

          Diataxis: 

          LYBUNT - Last Year but not this year

          LYBUNT is an acronym for 'last year but unfortunately not this year'. I have no idea where it came from - yet it is prevalent in fundraising circles.

          You can apply it in many ways to ANY DATA in the database. For example, Patrons who:

          • volunteered the past 3 years, but not this year
          • Donated every even year, but not this year
          • Subscribed 4 years ago but not 3 years ago
          • Lapsed donors who donated last year but did not buy a ticket this year
            • This example is interesting because it was applied to different types of data -- the data file for the second criteria (tickets) is not the same as the data for the first (donations)

          In Theatre Manager, to identify WHO falls into this category, we use a mail list with two groups.

          • The first group adds people to the mail list using criteria from the past
          • The second group removes people from the mail list using criteria from the present

          In the the example below, a very simple data range has been used for both criteria. You can make the criteria as complex as possible, by including items such as:

          • date range
          • Multiple Campaigns
          • Certain Giving Levels
          • Address where the patron lives
          • and more

          IN ALL CASES, THE CONCEPT IS THE SAME -- add people matching data, then remove people matching other data to find out who used to be part of the group and is now not part of the group. Refer to editing mail lists to create your query to find what you want.

           

          Variation: Removing all household members

          Variation: Sometimes you may want to remove people if anybody in the household gave the second year. This means you must remove primary and non-primary members of the household (in two steps)

          This is possible, but involved a small nuance to the remove steps.:

          • Create an add step to add patron who donated, volunteered, purchased tickets, or what have you.
          • Create the first remove step and indicate to remove Primary patrons only.
          • Create the second remove step with similar criteria, except this time, indicate to remove Non-Primary patrons only.

          When removing Primary FOLLOWED BY removing Non-Primary patrons, you will end up removing all patrons in the household.

          Diataxis: 

          Mail List of Attendees to Multiple Events

          A question that has been asked many times is "How do we find people who bought multiple events?". Just by changing the data you select from, you can use the technique described below to find people who:
          • donated multiple times
          • volunteered multiple times
          • received multiple mailings or eblasts
          • bought multiple gift certificates

          The general steps to find purchasers to multiple events are:

          1. Open the Mail List Window.

            Click here to learn how to open the window.

          2. Click the New button.

            The Mail List Inserting window opens.

          3. Enter a Name and Description for the list.
          4. Click the Save button.
          5. In the Criteria Groups tab, click the Create Group button.
          6. Choose To Add Patrons to the Mail List.
          7. The Mail List Data Selection dialog opens.

          8. In the drop down list, choose ticket data per performance.
          9. Click the Next button.

            The Edit Report Parameters window opens.

          10. Select the criteria 'Play #' or 'Event #' (depending on what your venue calls it) and then select multiple events from the pick list
          11. After you have completed making your selections, click Save.

            You are returned to the Parameters window.

          12. Click the Having button on the Parameters window.
          13. The having criteria should be the 'Event #'.

            Pick Unique count on the left.

            On the right, enter the range of unique events such as between 3 and 6.

          14. Click Save.

          When you execute the mail list, you will get people who have bought 'distinct' events out of the criteria you selected.

          You can make the first part of the criteria as complicated as you wish, such as 'all regular tickets' that were 'sold by user xxx' and were 'sold on a thursday afternoon' just by adding more lines to the regular criteria as you've done before.

          Diataxis: 

          Mail List of Patrons Attending an Event

          In this example, of creating a mail list of Patron Attending an Event, the event name will be "Rolling Lego Concert". This mail list will only function if the Confirm Attendance function is being used.

          1. Open the Mail List Window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click the New button.
          3. Enter a detailed name for the list.
          4. Enter a detailed description of the mail list.

            This mail list is comprised of patrons who attended the recent Rolling Lego Concert.

          5. Click the Save button.

            Once this information has been entered you can now begin to enter your criteria.

          6. Click the Criteria Groups tab.
          7. Click the Create Group button.
          8. Choose To Add Patrons to the Mail List.

            The Mail List Data Selection dialog opens.

          9. Choose "Ticket data per Performance" file.
          10. Click the Next button.

            The Parameter window opens.

          11. Click the New button.

            The Add/Edit Parameter window opens.

          12. Choose "Play #", "is one of", select "Rolling Lego Concert".
          13. Click the Save button.

            You are returned to the Parameter window.

          14. Click the Done button.

            You are returned to the Mail List Criteria Groups tab.

          15. Click the Execute button.
          Diataxis: 

          Mail List of Patrons Whose Combined Payments in a Year total XXXX Plus

          One list we are asked regularly about is - "I need a list of patrons whose combined payments a Year total XXXX Plus." In the following example, we are going to use;
          • Add Group: Choose Donation Receipts for a payment to a donation
          • Criteria: Donation Date is between January 1, 2012 and Dec 31, 2012
          • and Donation Receipt date is between January 1, 2012 and Dec 31, 2012
          • Having The sum of Donation Receipt Amount is greater than or equal to $1200

          This will give you a list of donors who have donated between the time frame where the sum of the receipts ( payments ) is $1,200 +

          If you want to know donors who have donated in the past whose sum of their receipts during this time span is greater than or equal to $1,200 - do not use Donation Date is between XX and YY.

          The steps to find Patrons Whose Combined Payments in a Fiscal Year total $####+ are:

          1. Open the Mail List Window.

            Click here to learn how to open the window.

          2. Click the New button.

            The Mail List Inserting window opens.

          3. Enter a Name and Description for the list.
          4. Click the Save button.
          5. In the Criteria Groups tab, click the Create Group button.
          6. Choose To Add Patrons to the Mail List.
          7. The Mail List Data Selection dialog opens.

          8. In the drop down list, choose Donation Receipts for a Payment.
          9. Click the Next button.

            The Edit Report Parameters window opens.

          10. Click the New button to open the Edit Report Parameters window.
          11. Select the criteria Donation Date is between (Date Start of desired span) and (Date End of desired span).

          12. Click the Add/Continue button.
          13. Select the criteria Donation Receipt Date is between (Date Start of desired span) and (Date End of desired span).

          14. Click the Save button.

            You are returned to the parameters window.

          15. Click the Having button.

            The Add Parameters window opens.

          16. Select Level All, the Choose the Category Donation Receipts for a Payment >> Donation Receipt Amount. Then entyer the Condition is greater than and enter the amount.

            This will restrict the list to all donors whose combined PAYMENTS in the date range specified totals the amount you want plus.

            For example: A list of donors whose combined payments in the fiscal year totalled $1200+.

          17. Click the Save button.

            You are returned to the parameters window.

          18. Click the Done button.

            You are returned to the Criteria Groups tab.

          19. You can now execute your querry.
          Diataxis: 

          Mail List of all Current Subscribers

          To create a mail list of all of your current subscribers, you perform the following steps:

          1. Open the Mail List Window.

            Click Here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click the New button.
          3. Enter a detailed name for the list.

            2012 Subscribers.

          4. Enter a detailed description of the mail list.

            This is a list of patrons who are season subscribers for the year.

          5. Click the Save button.
          6. Click the Criteria Groups tab.

          7. Click the Create Group button.
          8. Choose To Add Patrons to the Mail List.

            The Mail List Data Selection dialog opens.

          9. Choose the "Ticket Data per Performance" file.
          10. Click the Next button.

            The Parameter window opens.

          11. Click the New button.

            The Add/Edit Parameter window opens.

          12. Choose the Play Number, is one of, select the plays which are in the season subscription package.
          13. Click the Add / Continue button.

          14. Choose Promotion. is one of, select the promotion codes for all of the subscription types.
          15. Click the Save button.

            You are returned to the Parameters window.

            Order of Criteria is very important. If we had selected the Promotion FIRST, The query would search for the Subscription promotions in ALL performances, then search for the matching performance codes. To optimize searching, you would search for the performances and then the matching promotions. Click here to learn how to re-arrange criteria.

          16. Click the Done button.

            You are returned to the Mail List, Criteria Groups tab.

          17. Click the Execute button.
          Diataxis: 

          Patrons With/Without Primary Email Address

          You can build mail lists for people that have primary email, phone, fax or web addresses. Or conversely, you can build mail lists of patrons that do not have any email, phone, fax, or web addresses.

          In the sample picture below, the criteria shows 'Primary Email Address'. You can just as easily search for the other 'primary' fields when adding them to the criteria. So you can use primary email address, primary fax, etc in any query.

          The trick is that if somebody:

          • has an email address, then the primary email address unique # will be non-zero. If that is the case, use criteria like the picture below, but change it to

            Marketing Primary Email Unique # 0

          • does NOT have any email address, then the primary email address unique # will be ZERO. The picture shows the criteria to find people without emails.

          This criteria can be combined with just about any other criteria.

          Diataxis: 

          File Selection for Queries - Considerations

          The most important step in mail list building, exporting data, or creating form letters is the selection of the correct 'file' to be used on order to point Theatre Manager off in the right direction to retrieve the data you want.

          When you select a file, you are able to access all data in that file and all data in the database relating to that file which is above it in the database relationship hierarchy. This is a mouthful, so what does it mean?

          You start by picking the data you want to see and most times is it not 'Partron' -- as patrons are almost always connected to any file you select. Here are some examples:

          • If you want your form letter to contain information about a donation, then you select the 'donor data for a patron' (refer to selecting the file for letters). This means: You can put the date of donation and donation amount on the letter. You have access to any data related to the donation such as campaign/fund, patron, marketing information, order and primary address.
          • If you were to open a donation window, this corresponds to the data you see on the screen, plus the patron data comes along because the donation is for a person.
          • If you want the export to contain information about a gift certificate, then you pick the 'gift certificate data' file (it might be called pass/GC data, depending on what your venue named this part of Theatre Manager). With that, you are also able to access patron, order, marketing data, and Pass/GC setup information because it is all connected to the record.
          • if you want the mail list to find patrons that came to events, you need to look at their tickets to know that they attended a show. Think of this LIKE looking at the ticket stubs. Doing this means you get all related information such as the price, promotion, event, performance, venue, order, marketing data, patron and address that the ticket was mailed to.
          • If you wished to access the schedule for a volunteer (or personnel), you would access the 'Volunteer activity history for a patron'. This lets you see when you have scheduled them, along with the position, marketing data, patron and their address - all data that is automatically associated with each volunteer activity.

          The words letter, export and mail list can be used interchangeably in the examples above because the process is the same for all three - depending on what you are doing.

          In each case, the file selected was the actual data you wanted to see not the patron record. It just happens that all the data is related to patron, so you can have that data as part of the export as well.

          If you have previously built a mail list that contains data from a different part of the database, you can use the patron belongs to a mail list field as part of the query for any data selection -- because this data is actually stored on the patron marketing record and is available in all queries.
          Theatre Manager also has a REST API for those wishing to automate certain data extractions for reports or transfer to another system.
          Diataxis: 

          Media Management

          Theatre Manager accommodates media management. This feature can be used to track members of the media and various attributes about them as patrons. The attribute information is found under the 'Media' or 'Press' tab. Correspondence with the media should be place under the Letters tab.

          Media Management can be found under the Media tab in the Patron window.

          For more information on this tab click here.

          Adding a Media Member

          A current patron can be a media member or a media member can be added as patron then media information added to the record.

          1. Find the patron to make a media member.

            Click here to learn how to search for a patron

            If the media member is not a current patron, enter them as a new patron to add them to the database. Click here for more information on adding a patron.

            Once they have been added the following steps can be taken to add media information.

          2. Click the Media tab.

            Click here for a detailed description of the Media Tab.

          3. Select a Media Type.

            This list is customizable in the code tables menu. Click here for more information on changing media types.

          4. Fill in the fields with the information as needed.

            If the complimentary ticket box is checked the number of tickets will be required. This field is for reference only and does not reserve or sell tickets. Click here for descriptions of the different fields.

          5. Click the Save button.

            This will save the media information entered. If information should not be saved click the Revert button.

          Media Management - Deleting a Media Member

          To delete a Media Member, you perform the following steps:
          1. Find the Media Member to delete.

            Click here to learn how to find a patron or media members.

          2. Click the Media tab.

          3. Click the Delete button in the lower left corner of the tab.

            The following confirmation window will appear.

          4. Click the Delete button.

            This deletes the media information only. For information on deleting the patron click here.

          Memberships, Passes, G/Cs

          "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."

          The Membership tab can be used to purchase passes, memberships, vouchers, coupons or other non ticket/donation related items. Membership types can be added under setup.

          • For more information on setting up Member Types click here.
          • For information on locating a membership using the Control Number click here.

          Parts of the Membership Tab

          Order The unique number for this order.
          Fiscal Year Fiscal year the membership belongs to.
          Description The type of membership purchased. Membership types are setup in Code Tables. Click here for more information.
          Redemption Method What type of membership this is. For more information on membership types, click here.
          Control # The control number for this membership used for redemption purposes.
          Purchase $ The original purchase amount of the membership.
          Issued Pass Amount The value of the pass when issued.
          Issued Quantity The number of admissions on the pass when originally issued.
          Remaining $ The remaining dollar amount on the membership.
          Remaining Qty. The number of remaining admissions let on the membership.
          Date Renewed Date the membership can be renewed on or till.
          Expire Date Date that the membership will expire on.
          Notes This column displays any notes that are pertinent to the membership.
          Clicking this button allows buying a new membership. For more information on buying memberships click here.
          Clicking this button allows viewing the membership detail window. For more information on membership details click here.
          Clicking this button allows refunding a membership. For more information on refunding memberships click here.
          Adds a payment to the membership.
          When the membership preferences define, prints the selected membership. For more information on Print Memberships, Click here. For more information on setting up membership types click here.
          When the membership preferences define the ability to unprint, unprints the selected membership. For more information on setting up membership types click here.
          Use the Valid/Invalid filter to search for current or expired Memberships.
          Use the Date Filter to search for Memberships in specific years. Use this in conjunction with the Valid/Invalid filter.
          Diataxis: 

          Membership, Pass, G/C Detail Window

          "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."

          The following links contain specifics about the various tabs in a patron's Membership Detail Window.

          Diataxis: 

          Membership, Pass, G/C Details Tab

          Most information in the Membership, Pass, G/C Details tab is predetermined during the setup of the Member Type. For more information on:

          Parts of the Membership Details Tab

          Membership Details

          Type Drop down menu allowing the selection of the pass type to be sold. Click here for more information on setting member types.
          Clicking the button brings up any sales notes about this type of pass.
          Purchase Amount Total purchase cost of the membership.
          Issue Date Date the membership was purchased or last renewed.
          Expiry Date Date the membership is no longer valid.
          Control # Unique number used to define the membership.
          Pass Use Method The method of redemption for the pass type.
          Fiscal Year Fiscal year the membership is associated with.
          Pass recognition status indicating if the pass was purchased by the individual or the company associated with the file.
          Source Editable text field defining why the pass was purchased.
          Member Since The date that the pass was purchased.
          Printed Date Date the pass was printed.
          Printed By Employee initial of who printed the pass.

          Play Pass Information

          Full Issued Amount Cost of the pass including expenses.
          Issued Passes Number of admissions issued at time of purchase.
          Used Passes Passes previously redeemed.
          In Cart Passes Passes currently in carts online.
          Remaining Passes Number of admissions still to be redeemed.
          City Dollar value of the city tax.
          State/PST Dollar value of the State tax or PST.
          Federal/GST Dollar value of the Federal tax or GST.
          Total Total cost of the membership including expenses and taxes.
          Accesses the Order Payment window.
          Diataxis: 

          Notes Tab

          The Notes Tab contains any information which is relevant to the member type. This information can be accessed by clicking the Notes tab in the Membership Detail window.

          Parts of the Notes Tab

          G/L Account #

          General ledger account the money from this member type is posted to.
          Manual Redemption Dollar value of the redeemed portion of the membership.
          Takes the unredeemed portion of the Pass G.C. and puts it in an unearned revenue account. Click here to learn more on writing off unused balances.
          Date Last Redeemed Date the membership was lasted used.
          Date Fully Redeemed Date the membership was fully used.
          Membership Notes Notes or details about this membership.
          Diataxis: 

          Redemptions Tab

          The Redemptions Tab contains a list of redemptions that have occurred for this membership. It is useful for identifying who - if other than the purchaser - has redeemed admissions or used a portion of this gift certificate. This information can be accessed by clicking the Redemptions tab in the Membership Detail window.

          Click here to learn how to Redeem a Membership, Pass, G/C.

          Parts of the Redemptions Tab

          Patron # Unique number associated to the patron.
          First Name First name of the patron who redeemed the Membership, Pass, G/C.
          Last Name Last name of the patron who redeemed the Membership, Pass, G/C.
          Company Company name for the patron who redeemed the Membership, Pass, G/C.
          Order # The order number in which the Membership, Pass, G/C was redeemed.
          Date Received Date the Membership, Pass, G/C was redeemed.
          Dep. # Department number the Membership, Pass, G/C was redeemed in.
          Total Paid Value of the Membership, Pass, G/C redeemed within indicated order.
          Pass Used Qty Shows the total number of passes used as assigned to the payment. Is is only set if the pass is of the type that limits redemptions by quantity.
          Count Shows the total number of passes assigned to tickets for any type that limits redemptions by quantity. If this does not match the Pass Used Qty, is means that tickets have been refunded or exchanged for others tickets some time after the pass payment was deposited.

          In other words, a discrepancy is ok with the understanding that it is because tickets were refunded or exchanged that were formerly paid for by a pass - and the pass cannot be refunded.

          Order Notes Shows any specific internal order notes that were entered at time of the pass redemption.
          Diataxis: 

          Write Off Unused Balance

          Writing off an unused balance takes the unredeemed portion of the pass g/c and puts it in an unearned revenue account.

          Click here for more information on the set up of the Accounts for Membership, Pass G/Cs.

          To write off Unused Balances, you perform the following steps:

          1. Open the Pass G/C you want to write off.
          2. In the Pass G/C Detail window, click on the Redemption tab.

          3. Click the Write Off Unused Balance button.

            The Write Off Confirtmation dialog opens.

          4. Click the Yes

            The amount remaining on the Patron's Membership Pass G/C will be transfered to the GL Account specified in the Membership Pass G/C setup.

          Diataxis: 

          Renewal History Tab

          For details on Renewing a Membership, Pass, G/C click here.

          Parts of the Renewal History Tab

          Description Name of the Membership, Pass, G/C that was renewed.
          Date Renewed Date the Membership, Pass, G/C was renewed.
          Expiry Date The new expiry date for the Membership, Pass, G/C.
          Purchase Amount Amount paid for the renewal.
          Patron # Patron number that the Membership, Pass, G/C is associated with.
          Household Household number that the patron belongs to.
          Diataxis: 

          Letters Tab

          For instructions to create, edit and manage form letters Click here.

          The Letter Tab displays a list of letters or emails that have been sent or are scheduled to be sent to the patron.

          Parts of the Letters Tab

          Status Status of the letter/email. See the key at the bottom of the Membership Detail window.
          Seq # Internal Sequence number of the letter/email.
          Status Not Done/In Progress/Done status of the letter/email.
          Type How the letter/email was added to the membership record.
          Requested By The User who requested that the letter/email be sent.
          Notes Title of the letter/email.
          RecordsFile Connection The data file the letter/email was drawn from.
          Date Begin Date and Time the letter/email was requested.
          Date End The Date and Time the letter/email task status was set to 'Done.'
          Date Printed If different than the date/time the task was completed, the Date and Time the letter was actually printed.
          Diataxis: 

          Valid Play List

          The Valid Plays tab allows you to indicate which events this specific pass/gift certificate can be redeemed for. Leave the list blank to restrict the events to anything specified on the pass type.

          Note the following general rules:

          • You cannot select events lays here if the pass type does not allow them to be over-ridden for the individual passes/GC's
          • If the pass setup has
            • no events specified, you can select any events for each specific pass
            • specific events in its list, them you can only choose from that subset for the individual passes

          Parts of the Valid Plays tab for Individual Pass/GC


          Play # Sequence number of the event within Theatre Manager.
          Year Season year of the event.
          Play Code The Event Code as defined in the Event Setup.
          Play Title The title of the event as defined in the Event Setup.
          # Perf. Total number of performances for this event.
          Allows you to add an event / play to the list.
          Deleted the selected play/event from the list.


          To Add an Event / Play to the list, you perform the following steps:

          1. Click the button.

            The Event List (lookup) opens.

          2. Click the icon to generate a list of events.

          3. Highlight the events you want to allow for this membership.
          4. Click the button.
          5. Continue adding events as appropriate.
          Diataxis: 

          Transactions Tab

          The Transaction Tab displays a listing of transactions that have been created because of the current patron's actions.

          Parts of the Transactions Tab

          Seq # Unique number associated to with this transaction line.
          Trans Date Date the transaction took place.
          Journal No Journal number assigned to this transaction.
          Code Theatre Manager defined code for transaction tracking.
          Transaction Desc A brief description of the transaction.
          Order # Order number the transaction took place in.
          Play Code Play code associated with the redemption of the membership.
          Performance Code Performance code associated with the redemption of the membership.
          Type Membership type.
          Description of Entry A short description in regards to the transaction generated by Theatre Manager
          Debit The amount debited.
          Credit The amount credited.
          User The user who handled the transaction.
          Qty The quantity purchased.
          Total The total amount of the transaction.
          First Name The first name of the patron associated with the transaction.
          Last Name The last name of the patron associated with the transaction.
          Company The company name associated with the transaction.
          Patron # The patron number associated with the transaction.
          Campaign The donation campaign the transaction was assigned to.
          Member Type The Membership type associate with the transaction.
          Promotion The promotion used in conjunction to the transaction.
          Merchant Credit Card Merchant associated with this transaction.
          Play Title The play title associated with the transaction.
          Play Code The play code associated with the transaction.
          Outlet Owner The name of primary outlet.
          Outlet - Other The name of the outlet the transaction was handled at.
          G/L # The G/L number the transaction was associated with.
          Fee The fee charged in conjunction to the transaction.
          Diataxis: 

          Editing Membership, Pass, G/C

          The following describes how you can insert or edit a pass, membership or gift certificate.
          1. Open the Patron Window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Membership tab.

            Click here for more information on this tab.

          3. Select the Membership, Pass, G/C to be edited.

            Single click on a Membership, Pass, G/C to select it.

          4. Click the Open button.

            This will open the Membership Detail window.

          5. Edit the data as needed.

            Click here to view a description of all the data options under each tab.

          6. Click the Save button when changes are complete.

            The changes are saved and the Membership, Pass, G/C window can be closed. Clicking the Revert button will abort any changes made to the membership.

          Diataxis: 

          Purchasing a Membership, Pass or G/C in the Orders Window

          "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."
          1. In the order window click the Membership button.

          2. Click the New button.

            The Membership Detail window for the current patron window opens.

          3. Select the type of membership to be purchased.

            The details of the member type will be displayed in the window. Click here to learn more about adding Member Types.

          4. Edit the membership data as needed.
          5. Click the Save button.
          6. Close the Membership Detail window.

            The Membership has now been added to the order and will appear in the Membership section of the Order Detail window.

          7. Click the Payments button.
          8. Enter the payment information.

            For more information on accepting payments click here.

          9. Click the Accept Payment or Print Tickets button.

            The membership sale and the sale of any other items that have been purchased in this order is now complete. The screen will return to the Patron window.

          Diataxis: 

          Purchasing a Membership, Pass, G/C in the Patron Window

          "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."

          1. Find the patron purchasing a Membership, Pass, G/C.

            Click here to learn how to find patrons.

          2. Click the Member tab.

            Click here for more details on this tab.

          3. Click the Buy button.

            For more information on this window click here.

          4. Select the Member Type from the drop down.

            The details of the member type will be displayed in the window. Click here to learn more about adding Member Types.

          5. Edit the Membership, Pass, G/C data as needed.
          6. Click the Payment button.

            The Payment for Order window opens.

          7. Enter the payment information.

            For more information on accepting payments click here.

          8. Click the Accept Payment button.

            The Membership, Pass, G/C has been purchased and the Member Detail window will return. Additional functions can now be performed.

            Click here to learn how to assign a pass holder card for the Membership, Pass, G/C using the Cards button.

            Click here to learn how a letter can be merged with the Membership, Pass, G/C using the Letter button .

          Diataxis: 

          Finding a Membership, Pass,G/C using the Control Number

          A Membership, Pass,G/C can be located using the Control Number in the Contact List window. A Control Number is a number associated with a Membership, Pass,G/C that Theatre Manager uses to identify and track the specific membership within the system. A control number must be assigned with each membership, and is defined in the EDITS tab of the Membership Setup. For more information on Control Number setup click here.

          1. Click the Contact List button in the toolbar.

            The Contact List window opens.

          2. Change the search option to Control Number.

          3. Enter the Control Number to search for.
          4. Click the Search button.

            The results fitting the parameters are displayed.

            To access the Membership, Pass,G/C double-click on the patron and click the Membership, Pass,G/C tab.

          Diataxis: 

          Redeeming Memberships, Passes, G/Cs

          "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms.

          Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."

          A Membership, Pass,G/C can be redeemed when a ticket for a performance is ready to be purchased. There are a few different methods to redeeming memberships. These include the method below, redeeming multiple Memberships, Passes, G/Cs as payment for an order - described here, and writing off the unused balance - described here.

          1. Find the Patron who wishes to use their Membership, Pass,G/C to purchase tickets.

            Click here to learn how to find Patrons using the patron lookup.

            Click here to learn how to find Patrons using the Control Number on the Membership.

          2. Click the Ticket tab.

          3. Click the Tickets button.
          4. Book seats for the intended events.

            For information on booking seats click here.

          5. Click the Payment button.
          6. Select Pass as the Payment Method.

            The Membership Payment window opens.

          7. Enter the patron's membership number or
            • use the Search button to bring up a gift certificate lookup window.
            • Use lookup to search for the membership via the patron's name (or other such criteria) or to look up a different patron if the membership was received as a gift.
            • When a membership is selected and the Select button clicked or the control number is manually entered it's details will appear in the Membership Payment window.

          8. Click the Accept button to purchase the tickets and add the tickets to the batch print or click the Accept & Print Tickets button to purchase and print the tickets.

            If the Accept button is selected the tickets will be added to the printed batch and the Patron Window will return. If the Accept & Print Tickets button was clicked the tickets will be bought and printed to the default ticket printer.

          Diataxis: 

          How Patrons Can Redeem a Gift Certificate Online

          Redeeming a Gift Certificate (or membership/pass) Online

          If a Gift Certificate has been setup to allow online redemption, patrons can use the online web sales system to redeem any available balances. This assumes the patron has purchased (or been gifted) the Gift Certificate or Pass/Membership and it has been fully paid for. Please see Redemption Rules for further details on setting up Passes/Gift Certificates for online redemption.

          Option 1 - Logging Into Their Online Patron Account

          1. Have the patron log into their online account
          2. Click on the My Passes/Gift Certificates button under the My Patron Services column

          Option 2 - From Their Shopping Cart

          1. During the ticket review, have the patron select Redeem My Passes/Gift Certificates
          2. Click the Apply button for any available Pass/Gift Certificate with a balance

          Option 3 - From the Payment Window

          1. During the Payment process, click Redeem My Passes/Gift Certificates
          2. Click the Apply button for any available Pass/Gift Certificate with a balance

          How Theatre Manager Displays the use of the Pass/Gift Certificate

          Once the Apply has been click, the system will take the patron back to the Ticket Review page and reduce the Amount of the Order by the value of the Pass/Gift Certificate.

          Diataxis: 

          Redeeming Multiple Memberships, Passes, G/Cs In a Single Order

          A pass/gift certificate can be redeemed if all the following are true:
          1. there are still redemptions available on the pass or gift certificate. (eg there is money on a dollar value pass or an admission on other passes)
          2. the pass has not yet expired
          3. the pass is marked active in the pass/gc setup window (making a pass type inactive stops all sales and redemptions immediately)
          4. the patron redeeming it is allowed to do as per the pass redemption rules (eg patron only, household or any patron)
          5. the pass/gift certificate must be fully paid for prior to redemption at the box office (unless user is permitted to use unpaid passes). All passes must be fully paid for before online redemption is allowed
          6. (optionally) for online redemption only, the pass/gc type is marked as redeem via the internet
          More than one pass can be redeemed for tickets in one order. For example, a patron may have two Memberships, Passes, G/Cs good for 6 tickets each but will order 8 tickets at once. Or a patron may one have one redemption left on one pass, and another pass that has not yet been used.

          To redeem multiple Memberships, Passes, G/Cs as payment for an order, you perform the following steps:

          1. Select tickets for the order.
          2. On the Payment screen, select Pass as the payment method.

          3. You are prompted to enter or lookup the patron's pass control number.

          4. Enter the patron's membership control number.
            • use the Search button to bring up a gift certificate lookup window.
            • Use lookup to search for the membership via the patron's name (or other such criteria) or to look up a different patron if the membership was received as a gift.
            • When a membership is selected and the Select button clicked or the control number is manually entered it's details will appear in the Membership Payment window.

            By default, Theatre Manager will populate the total number of tickets in the order in the "Redeem" text box. You can change that number to reflect the quantity of tickets to redeem using the selected pass.

          5. Click the Accept Button to accept the pass payment and put the tickets in the print batch or click the Accept & Print Tickets Button to accept the pass payment and print the tickets.

            No matter which Accept option you choose, Theatre Manager will prompt you that you have changed the quantity and will need to select which tickets to redeem with the selected pass.

            A window opens showing all of the tickets in the order which have not been selected for payment.

          6. Select the tickets to redeem using the selected pass and click either Accept or Accept & Print.

          7. Theatre Manager will prompt you to enter another payment for the remaining tickets in the order.

          8. Click the button.
          9. Enter Pass as the payment method again.

          10. You will again be prompted to either enter or lookup the patron's pass control number.

            Once the pass is entered, you'll notice the quantity to redeem has been reduced by the quantity paid for in the initial payment (there were 4, we paid for 2 with the first pass, there are only 2 left to redeem).

            In cases where more passes are being used than there are tickets purchased that qualify, you can change the quantity and select from the remaining tickets the ones to redeem with the second pass just as above.

          Diataxis: 

          Using the Pass/Gift Certificate lookup

          Use the patron lookup to search for the membership by the patron's name or to look up a different patron if the membership was received as a gift.

          When a membership is selected and the Select button clicked or the control number is manually entered it's details will appear in the Membership Payment window.

          Rules for showing anything in the lookup list

          • Show expired passes for grace period of 1 month (unless the employee can use expired passes, in which case show 6 months). Even if the pass is fully redeemed, let it show for the grace period to assist with problem resolution
          • Cannot have 'cant buy a thing' type pass in the lookup list
          • Cannot have the historical renewed memberships in the list
          • Do not include written off passes as conscious decision made to get rid of them, regardless of age or expiry date
          • Exclude passes in orders that have order balances. They can'y be used anyway, so no point in showing them
          • Exclude those that are currently in a cart for checkout so user can't call in while shopping online and try to use them simultaneously

          How to change the limit between 1 month and 6 months on a per-employee basis???

          Search for the employee preference indicated below on the Employee Access->Functions tab. If the item is not checked, then Theatre Manger only shows the current ones. The user can go to the actual patron window if they want to see more and resolve a dispute.

          Diataxis: 

          Redeeming Pass Errors (and correcting)

          it is possible that you can get errors redeeming passes and gift certificates. In general, the message looks like the one to the right. It often means that there is some other ticket that has the pass number on it.

          The general cause of errors are

          :
          • You have no passes left to use
          • You have used the maximum redemptions of passes on each event
          • You have used the maximum number of redemptions on each performance
          • The price codes are excluded from use on the tickets
          • In some cases, PASSES (average dollar per admission), the pass was used as a payment previously and then the pass payment was deleted before depositing it. In this case, Theatre Manager:
            • does not take the pass redemption number off the tickets that the pass was used for
            • This is because it has already reduced the price of the tickets - making it an error that the pass cold be used again.
            • The only way to use the pass again is to Exchange or Reprice the tickets containing the pass back to the original price .. and then use the pass

           

          Fixing tickets used on passes where the pass payment was deleted

          If

          • you are told that deleting a pass means that you need to reprice tickets, or
          • you find out that you cannot use the pass on tickets because it has been used already and you are sure it has not because the pass payment was deleted.
          Then, find the order containing the tickets, select them, and then change the price of the tickets to put them to what you want them to be... and then use the pass.

          You must fix the price of these old tickets otherwise yo'll find that you gave the discount twice to a patron and Theatre Manager will not let you do that.

          Diataxis: 

          Printing Memberships, Passes, G/Cs

          Once a Membership has been purchased it can be printed through the Membership tab. Only memberships with a ticket face association will print, and the ticket face must be based on the Member Data file.

          • For more information on Member Type setup click here.

          • For more information on creating ticket faces click here.
          1. Find the patron who's membership is to be printed.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Member tab.

          3. Locate the membership to print.

            Use the filters in the lower right corner to adjust for

            Valid/Invalid/All Memberships, and

            All Years/Specific Year/Future to locate a specific pass.

          4. Select the membership to print.

            Single click on a membership to select it.

          5. Click the Print button.

            The membership will be printed to the default printer.

          6. You can also print a Membership, Pass or G/C as a form letter, through the Detail window. Click here for more information.

          Diataxis: 

          Printing Updated Memberships Passes and G/Cs

          When a patron has redeemed part of a Membership, Pass or G/C and still has an outstand amount to their credit, you may wish to print an update. To print an update, you perform the following steps:

            Click here to learn how to sell a membership.

            Once a Membership has been purchased it can be printed through the Membership tab. Only memberships with a ticket face association will print, and the ticket face must be based on the Member Data file.

            1. Find the patron who's membership is to be printed.

              Click here to learn how to access this window.

            2. Click on the Member tab.

            3. Locate the membership to print.
            4. Select the membership to print.

              Single click on a membership to select it.

            5. Click the Print button.

              A new ticket will print with updated values to the default printer.

            Alternatively, you can print to a Form Letter.

            1. In the Membership, Pass, G/C tab, open the selected Membership, Pass, G/C.

              The Pass G/C Details window opens.

            2. Click the Letter tab.
            3. Open the selected Membership by clicking the Open button.

            4. To View the selected updated letter, click the Document button.
            5. To print the letter, click the Print Letter button.

              The updated Form letter is printed.

          Diataxis: 

          Duplicating Passes / G.C.s

          To issue a number of Passes you can duplicate an existing Pass.

          The rules for duplication to be allowed are:
          • It CANNOT be of a type that allows renewal. Passes that can be renewed at their expiry date just cannot be duplicated.
          • It must be a valid pass type. For example:
            • the start and end availability date on the pass setup must either be blank or within the current range.
          • Most importantly - the creation of the PASS CONTROL NUMBER cannot be DEFINED BY THE USER. It must be system assigned or next available number starting at...

            ( we always suggest making all passes have the control number defined by theatre manager)

          • You must save the pass you sold before you duplicate it.

          To duplicate a Pass, Gift Certificate, you perform the following steps:

          1. In the order window click the Membership button.

          2. Click the New button.

            The Membership Detail window for the current patron window opens.

          3. Enter the details for the donation.

            The details of the member type will be displayed in the window. Click here to learn more about adding Member Types.

          4. Edit the membership data as needed.
          5. Click the Save button.

            At this point, you can continue and take a payment.

          6. At a future date, or before you take the payment in the current order, from the Pass/G.C. details window, you:

          7. Click the Duplicate button.

            The Duplicate dialog opens.

            Here you can enter the number of new pass/g.c.s to be created when the order is duplicated. All will be added to the same order and the total owing is adjusted accordingly.

          8. Enter the number of duplicates and click the Duplicate button.

            The Pass is duplicated the number of times specified.

          9. Click the Payment button.
          10. Enter the payment information.

            For more information on accepting payments click here.

          11. Click the Accept Payment or Print Tickets button.

            The membership sale and the sale of any other items that have been purchased in this order is now complete. The screen will return to the Patron window.

          Diataxis: 

          Refunding a Pass or Membership

          Refunding a Pass or Membership

          A Pass or Membership is defined by it's setup. The setup determines how the Pass should behave and how it can be refunded. If there are financial transactions associated with a Pass the process for refunded required honouring the financial transactions created at the time of redemption.

          Diataxis: 

          Refunding Membership

          Occasionally, you may need to refund membership. If a membership was purchased incorrectly, or for the incorrect amount, it may be refunded. Memberships can only be refunded if they have not been used to purchase tickets.

          1. Open the Patron window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Member tab.

            Click here for more details on this tab.

          3. Select a member type to refund.

            Single click on the membership to select it.

          4. Note the Order Number.
          5. Click the Refund button.

            If the record cannot be refunded the following window will appear.

            The following confirmation window will appear if the membership can be refunded.

          6. Click the Delete button.

            The membership will be deleted. A refund for the value of the Membership needs to be processed.

          7. Click the Order tab.
          8. Select the Order corresponding to the membership based on the Order Number.

            Single click on the Order to select it.

          9. Click the Payment button.

            The Payment for Order window will open. Ensure all data is correct before processing.

          10. Click the Accept Payment button.

            This refund may also be converted into a donation or ticket sale by clicking the Open button rather than the Payment button in step 9.

          Diataxis: 

          Refunding A Previously Redeemed Pass

          Sometimes it becomes important to refund a previously redeemed pass in order to keep the audit trail consistent and allow easier tracking of funds within the transaction history. In order to accomplish this we will need to perform the following steps


          First - void the pass used to purchase tickets with so we zero out the balance owing on the pass
          Second - Edit the pass to enable Sold for Zero Dollars & Pass Can Be Edited At Time Of Sale
          Third - Apply the donation or value of the pass on the Order to reallocate the funds.

          1. Void the Pass payment
            Open the patron record and go to the Payments tab. Select the payment that has the partially used pass and click the Void button in the lower toolbar.A confirmation window will appear, click Delete/Void to move on to the next step.
          2. Edit the Pass

          3. Go to Setup -> System Tables -> Pass Types, then go to the Edits tab. On the Edits tab we want to make sure the following 3 check boxes are enabled:
          • Value can be changed during purchase
          • Sell in even multiples of original value
          • Can be sold for a zero value

          Once the check boxes are checked, click save and close out of the Pass Type setup. Now that the pass is "editable" (as we've turned on "Can be changed during purchase" we are ready to go back to the patron record and edit the value of the previously redeemed pass to zero.

        9. Apply the donation or value of the pass

        10. Open the pass in question and on the Pass GC Details tab, change the purchase amount to zero. When you do this, the Issued Passes and Quantity will reset to zero as well.

        11. Use the Balance for other purproses
          Now that the pass has been "zero'd out" yoou will notice the balance of the pass is available for other uses such as a donation or gift certificate.
        12. Diataxis: 

          Renewing Memberships, Passes and G/Cs

          This feature is used when a member type has been set as renewable. Once the membership has expired the patron can renew it and Theatre Manager will maintain the same control number. Once a membership has been renewed, the History Tab in the Membership Detail Window will be accessible. The tab contains the history of membership.

          In most cases of Flex Passes and Gift Certificates, Memberships should not be renewed. A new Flex Pass or Gift Certificate is simply sold to the patron.

          In cases where there is an ongoing membership, such as a guild, league, or other membership for a special designation (generally "Can't Buy A Thing" or "Use Promotion" memberships), then renewing an existing membership is a viable option.

          1. Locate the patron who's membership needs to be renewed.

            For details on how to locate a patron click here.

          2. Click the Membership tab.
          3. Select the Membership you want to renew.
          4. Click the Open button.

            The Membership Detail window opens.

          5. Click the Renew button.

            The renewal confirmation window opens.

          6. Click the Renew button.

            The renewal reminder window opens.

          7. Click the Ok button.
          8. Click the Payment button.

            Process the payment. For more information on processing payments click here.

          Diataxis: 

          Access Cards

          Membership Cards can be used to grant access to a membership by multiple people for a period of time. Each patron would have their own access number. A couple of non-theatre examples might be:

          • A Costco family pass - something that you would buy and gives you and another family member access to the story for a year (until the pass expires - when it can be renewed).
          • or when checking into a hotel, the clerk asks how many keys you want. The room keys allow use of a particular room for the length of your stay.

          Cards can be printed on ticket stock, or can be magnetic swipe cards - which offer an even speedier payment method.

          Originally conceived as a movie pass, Membership Cards have applications for all venues and patron types including Group Sales, Corporate Sales, Student body (campus) payments, and other marketing options.

          Card assignment is available by clicking the button in the Membership Detail.


          When set up appropriately, this can be used to control or manage ongoing access to a facility such as for swimming lessons, gym use, family member discount access to repertory film theatre, etc.

          Examples of Card Use


          As a "Film pass"

          If the membership is a pass type (for example an "Average Dollar Per Admission") then the card can be used to simply pay for a ticket and will deduct one admission off the pass. If you have a "Family Pass" for a cinema, each member of the family can have their own access card to the Family Pass. A 20-pack of movies can then be accessed by anyone in the family who wants to go see a movie that night, using the card as a payment method.


          As a group Gift Certificate

          Say for example, a grandmother gives a $1,000 gift certificate to her 3 grandchildren. She tells them "You each have an access card to this account - use it as you will." Each membership card is then tied to the gift certificate, and each time any of the grandchildren use their membership card, the amount of the sale is deducted from the $1,000 gift certificate. The same can be true for Corporate Gift Certificates for employees.

          Diataxis: 

          Cards List Window

          Membership, Pass/G.C. Cards can be used to grant access to a membership by multiple people. Much like checking into a hotel, when the clerk asks how many keys you want, Membership Cards (room keys) allow use of a particular membership (or memberships) by a group of people.

          Passes are created and access from the patron window, Pass/GC tab

          You can only assign a pass card to a pass/gc/membership that has use of cards enabled in the edit tab of pass/cg setup

          Parts of the Membership Cards Window

          Ribbon Bar

          Adds a card. For more information on adding new cards click here.
          Opens the Member Card window allowing for the details of the card to be edited. For more information on editing cards click here.
          This function is not currently available.
          Deletes the currently selected card. For more information on deleting cards click here.
          Generates a report displaying the information in the membership card list.
          Exports out the data seen in the membership card list.
          Assigns the currently selected card to the membership.
          Removes the selected card to the current membership.

          Card Detail

          Card Association Icon Whether the card is Assigned (green checkmark) or Unassigned (no checkmark).
          Card Number Number for the card.
          Name on Card Name to be printed on the card.
          Description The status of the card (active or inactive).
          Diataxis: 

          Member Card Window

          Parts of the Member Card Window

          Card Number The number to be printed on the card. This number identifies the properties of the memberships the card is assigned to. This number is assigned by the user and must be unique.
          Name on Card Patron name to appear on the card.
          Card Status The status of the card. Click here for more information on the Card Status code table.on Card Status Types.
          Member Type Type of membership the card is assigned.
          Control # Number of the memberships the card is assigned to.
          Expire Date Date the membership will expire.
          Description The status of the membership associated with the card.
          Removes a membership from the card.
          Cancels any changes made to the card details.
          Saves changes made to the member card and closes the window.
          Diataxis: 

          Adding Cards

          Pass holder cards allow access to different memberships which have been purchased by one patron. For example - the Smith family may have purchased adult memberships for Mr. & Mrs. Smith and student memberships for their children Billy and Sally. Each member of the family can have their own card printed for their individual memberships. This will allow Mr. & Mrs. Smith access to their adult memberships but not the student memberships of Billy and Sally and visa versa.

          1. Open the Patron Window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Pass/G.C. tab.

            Click here for more information on this tab.

          3. Select a Pass/G.C..

            Single click on a Pass/G.C. to select it.

          4. Click the Open button.

            The Membership Detail window opens.

          5. Click the Cards button.

            The Membership Cards Window opens.

            For a detailed description of this window and its functions click here.

          6. Click the New button.

            The Pass/G.C. Card Window opens.

            Click here for a detailed description of this window and its functions

          7. Enter the card number.
          8. Enter the name on the card.

            If the membership is being bought for another person, their name can be printed on the card.

          9. Select the card status using the pull down menu.

            The entries in this drop down menu are set in Member Card Status in the Code Tables. For more information on setting Member Card Status click here.

          10. Click the OK button.

            The new card information will be added to the member card window. Clicking the Cancel button aborts the card insertion.

          Diataxis: 

          Editing Cards

          To edit Mebership Cards, you perform the following steps:

          1. Open the Patron Window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Pass/G.C. tab.

            Click here for more information on this tab.

          3. Select a Pass/G.C. or membership.

            Single click to select it.

          4. Click the Open button.

            The Pass/G.C. Detail window opens.

          5. Click the Cards button.

            The Membership Cards Window will open.

            For a detailed description of this window and its functions click here.

          6. Select the card to edit.

            Single click a card to select it or double click and the Pass/G.C. Card window opens.

          7. Change the data as needed.

          8. Click the OK button.

            The changes to the member card are now saved. Clicking Cancel button will abort the editing of the card.

          Diataxis: 

          Assigning Cards

          Once a card has been added to a patron, the card can be assigned to one or more memberships, Passes or G.C.s.

          1. Open the Patron Window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Membership tab.

            Click here for more information on this tab.

          3. Select a membership or Pass GC.

            Single click to select it.

          4. Click the Open button.

            The will open the Pass/G.C. Detail window.

          5. Click the Cards button.

            The List window opens.

            For a detailed description of this window and its functions click here.

          6. Select the card to assign to the membership.

            Single click on a card to select it.

          7. Click the Assign button.

            The card has now been assigned to the membership.

          Diataxis: 

          Deassigning Cards

          To deassign a card, you perform the following steps:
          1. Open the Patron Window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Pass/G.C. tab.

            Click here for more information on this tab.

          3. Select a Pass/G.C.

            Single click to select it.

          4. Click the Open button.

            The Pass/G.C. Detail window.

          5. Click the Cards button.

            The Cards List opens.

            For a detailed description of this window and it's functions click here.

          6. Select the card to Deassign to the membership.

            Single click on a card to select it.

          7. Click the Deassign button.

            The card will be deassigned from the membership. Click here for more information about Assigning Cards to a Membership.

          Diataxis: 

          Deleting Cards

          Deleting cards is preformed through the Pass/G.C. Cards window. Card deletion is usually be preformed when a card is no longer being used by a patron or if the renewal period for the membership has been exceeded.

          1. Open the Patron Window.

            Click here to learn how to access this window.

          2. Click on the Pass/G.C. tab.

            Click here for more information on this tab.

          3. Select a membership, or Pass or G.C.

            Single click to select it.

          4. Click the Open button.

            The Pass/G.C. Detail window opens.

          5. Click the Cards button.

            The Cards List opens.

            For a detailed description of this window and its functions click here.

          6. Select the card to delete.

            Single click on the card to select it.

          7. Click the Delete button.

            A Delete confirmation dialog opens.

          8. Click the Delete button.

            The card is deleted and removed from the Membership Card List window. Clicking Cancel button aborts the deletion of the card.

          Diataxis: 

          Scanning Cards for Admission

          If you have created cards, associated them with membership/pass types that allow admission, then you can scan patrons into a venue. To do so, you will need to:
          • have already assigned a 'pass' to a membership for that patron (or family).
          • Open the pass scanning window using Accounting-> Scan Pass/GC (see to the right) which will open a window that you see below
          • When patron walks in and presents their bar-coded access pass, either they (or you) can scan the pass using a scanner (or type the pass number in)
          • The system will respond with their picture and some details about the status of their access card, remaining uses (or what have you) so that you can decide if they are permitted to enter.
          Diataxis: 

          Why gift certificates only need to be given to the purchaser (not the recipient)

          How does one approach the problem of selling gift certificates to a patron that will eventually end up in the hands of another patron (after deing given as a gift by the purchaser to the recipient)?

          There is a common misconception that a gift certificate must some how be moved:

          • FROM the patron account who purchased it
          • TO the patron account of the person who the patron wants to gift it to - in order to be valid
          In Theatre Manager, this is not true.

          Simply sell the Gift Certificate to the purchaser and give them a printed gift certificate with two specific fields on it. There is nothing further that you need to do. One person can buy many gift certificates and give them away to whom they choose. The venue does not need to know who got them in order to allow redemption.

          Separation of Purposes

          Theatre Manager conveniently separates the dual functions of selling and redemption. In the end:

          • The venue will know who likes buying them (to market to them again) and
          • who likes using them (so you can see if they want to buy some in the future).

          It is not the venue's responsibility to transfer gift certificates from one patron to the recipient; since the purchaser of the gift certificate might change their mind as to who they want to give them to long after they have purchased them.

           

          A common analogy for buying gift cards

          Most of us have seen banks of gift cards in grocery stores for many companies like Apple, The Keg, Lowes, any supermarket card, Chapters, etc.. The process is that:

          • The Purchaser
            • Buys a dozen apple gift cards at the grocery store checkout, which activates them
            • Gives them to friends (the grocery store never is part of who they go to)
          • The Friend/Recipient
            • Rubs something off the back of the card to get the secret redemption code
            • Redeems the gift card at the store or online as if it was cash.

          The grocery store is never responsible for the distribution of the cards to the friends of the purchaser.

          Similarly, the box office is never responsible for assigning gift certificates to recipients, only the production of the actual gift certificate.

           

          Setting this up in Theatre Manager

          You need to make a gift certificate that can be used by anybody. Refer to the image below and the two areas highlighted

          • Redeemable by - which is who can redeem it. For gift certificates that can be used by others, the last option is generally the best.
          • Internet Redemption Options - make the settings as below if you want to allow the recipient to use them online

           

          Printing/Emailing the gift certificate (as a form letter)

          The next step is to email (or print) the gift certificates to the patron using a form letter merge. It is easy to make the gift certificate as fancy as you want. You must include include both of the following fields:

          • the control number
          • the secret redemption password

           

          The Redemption Process

          After the patron gives the gift certificates to whom they want, the gift certificates can be redeemed by the recipient:

          • At the box office - the box office staff just need to ask the patron for the control number
          • Online - refer to the help page that shows the entire online process.
          A image of the key screen for online redemption explained in the above process relies on one of two conditions:
          • Patrons will either have a list of passes they own and just need to Apply it -OR-
          • They will need to indicate that they have been give one and click the Use a Pass or Gift Certificate I've been Given. To use some from somebody else, the receipient will need both of:
            • the control number
            • the secret redemption password
            • and once they enter that, it will remain associated to them till they have used the entire amount on the gift certificate.
          Diataxis: 

          Order Management

          Orders and payments occur whenever revenue is recieved. Orders can be comprised of tickets, donations, memberships and fees.

          Clicking the Orders Tab on the Patron Window opens the Patron Orders Tab.

          Click Here for a detailed description of the tab and it's functions.

          Clicking on the New or Open button opens the Order Window. Click here for more information on the Order Window.

          Recent Orders

          There is a feature on the Patron Sales menu that can show you the list of recent orders that have been done.

          Diataxis: 

          Order Window

          The Order window displays all information about an Order. The buttons on the left of the window change the view. When a button is clicked the view changes but the order stays the same. This allows for the purchase of tickets, donations and memberships in one order. Once an order is complete it can be opened to view, edit or add payments, purchases, taxes and more.

          Parts of the Order Window

          To go to Season Subscription Management, click here.
          Ribbon Bar. The selection icons in the ribbon bar change depending on the button selected on the left side of the order window. See each section for more information on the buttons available.
          Buy, exchange or refund tickets in the order. For more information on the Orders Tickets window, click here. To Add tickets to an existing order, click here. For more information on Ticket Management, click here.
          Makes payments for the balance of the order. For more information on the Payments window, click here.
          Edit any pass or gift certificate in the order. For more information on the Orders Passes G.C. window, click here.
          Edit any fees associated with the order. For more information on the Orders Fees window, click here. To Add fees to an existing order, click here. For more information on the Fees Tables, click here.
          Edit any donation in the order. For more information on the Orders Donation window, click here. To go to Donation Management, click here.
          Allows you to enter the labor portion of any order.
          Edit any resource in the order. Click here for more information on Resources.
          Edit and or book tickets for any subscription packages in the order. For more information on the Orders Season window, click here. To go to Subscription Management, click here.
          View the notes and letters associated with the order. Click here for more information on form letters.
          View any transaction history of the order. Click here for more information on the Transaction History window.
          Displays the current balance on the order.

          Tickets Window

          This section describes the general features of the order window that includes ticket sales. If you would like more specific information about ticketing, please refer to ticket sales/management.
            To open the Orders Window to the tickets tab, you can either:
            1. Click the New button or the Open button in the Orders tab, or
            2. The Tickets button in the Ticket tab. Clicking the Tickets button opens a flyout menu. Click here for more information.

            The Order window opens:

            Parts of the Order Tickets window are

            Ribbon Bar

            Switch to Calendar View.
            Transfer the order to another patron.
            Adds the currently selected play to the 'buy' list.
            Removes the currently selected play from the 'buy' list.
            Clears all plays from the 'buy' list.
            Shows the sales notes for the currently selected plays.
            Goes to the next phase of reserving tickets for the selected performance.
            Releases all the held tickets on the selected performance.
            Select a performance and then click "New Performance" to create a new performance date.

            Tabs

            The Tabs portion of the window is where you add or edit tickets. It consists of:

            Performance Selection Performances are displayed in the Performance Selection tab of the Order window. Once a patron is selected and the buy button clicked, the performances to be purchased can be selected. Once a performance is selected, it appears in the bottom portion of the selection pane. Click here for more information on this tab.
            Seat Selection For performances, the seat selection window displays a map of the venue. Click here for more information. For Courses, a different window is displayed. Click here for more information on Courses.
            Ticket Review The ticket review tab displays the ticket(s) selected in the seat selection and gives you a number of options. These are:
            This opens the ticket detail window and its functions. Click here for more information.
            Click the button to reset the ticket status back to its original state.
            Allows you to exchange tickets for the patron. Click here for more information.
            This button indicates that the selected ticket(s) will be refunded.
            Clicking this button confirms and processes imediately the indicated ticket sales, excahnges or refunds.
            Exports the higlighted records.

            Payment Window

            The payment window is used to record the payment method, enter a reason why the patron purchased the tickets, initiate invoicing, print tickets, and record detailed order notes. Each time tickets are sold, a donation is made or a membership purchase a unique Order Number is created. This number is displayed on the title bar of the Payment Window.

            • You can make make payments on this window by clicking the Payment Button

            Pass G.C. or Membership Window

            "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."

            In the order window click the Membership button.

            • For more information on setting up Pass, G.C. and Member Types click here.
            • For more information on buying Passes, G.C.s and Memberships click here.
            • For more information on Passes, G.C.s and Memberships details click here.
            • For more information on refunding Passes, G.C.s and Memberships click here.
            • Parts of the Pass / Gift Certificates Window

              Open the online help for Passes.
              Transfers the order to another Patron. Click here for more information on transferring an order.
              Adds a new pass to the order. Click here for more information on adding a Pass or Membership to an order.
              Opens an existing Pass /G.C. Click here for more information.
              Deletes the selected Pass / G.C.
              Prints the selected Pass / G.C.
              Exports the selected Pass /G.C.

            Fee Window

            Fees are are extra costs that can be added to (or removed from) each Order in various stages in its lifecycle. There can be 'order', 'exchange'. 'mailing', subscription', etc. fees. Usually fees are in the form of service charges or taxes.

            Clicking the Fee button opens the fee page in the Order Window.

            Parts of the Fee Window

            Transfer the order to another patron.
            Opens the Fee Detail dialog to determine how a fee will be calculated or applied to the selected item. To add a new fees to an order, click here.
            Opens the Fee Detail dialog to determine how a fee will be calculated or applied to the selected item. To add a new fees to an order, click here.
            Deletes the selected order fee. To delete a fee from an order, click here.
            Exports the selected record.

            Donation Window

            Donations can be added to any order and they can be added, modified or removed depending on the need.

            For more information on Theatre Manager's Donation module, click here.

            Clicking the Donation button opens the Donation page in the Order Window.

            Parts of the Donations Window

            Open the online help for Donations.
            Transfers the order to another Patron. Click here for more information on transfering an order.
            Adds a new donation to the order. Click here for more information on adding a Donation to an order.
            Opens an existing donation. Click here for more information on Donations.
            Deletes the selected donation.
            Prints the selected Donation.
            Exports the selected donation.
            You can download the Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration) by clicking on the icon.

            Cheatsheet
            pdf format

            Flash ScreenCast

            MP4 ScreenCast

            Donations Overview

             

             

            Add a Donation thru the Order Window

             

             

            Refund a Ticket to a Donation

            How to Toggle Between Individual & Corporate Donations

            draft

             

            How to Make a Donation Anonymous

             

            Deleting and Refunding Donations

             

             

            Diataxis: 

            Inventory and Resources Window

            you can sell merchandise (and any other inventory such as room rentals, custom rentals, or things your venue tracks) to a patron out side of a Facility project.

            This can be:

            • merchandise you buy for resale (like t-shirts, CD's etc)
            • items that you rent for a time period such as costumes or rooms. If the item is a rental, you'll be asked for the time it will be rented - and TM will check to see that it is available (think old fashioned video rentals)
            • etc

            Start by clicking on the 'resources' button on the order window. as per the image below

            Selling The Item

            Click 'New' to add an inventory item to the order. There are 3 parts of the inventory/resource sales detail window.

            • Item & Quantity
              • Resource enter the resource or merchandise number that you want to sell or rent.
              • Quantity Indicate how many of the items you want to sell or rent to the customer
            • Financial
              • Fiscal year enter a value if you want to for this - it is used to track the totals inventory sales on the patron's sales statistics record for that year - normally, you leave it as is
              • Per Unit the price of each item, if you allowed it to be changes on the inventory setup. If not, then this is the fixed price of the item.
              • Discount is you want to discount the item prior to sale
            • Associations to display on Calendars

              For merchandise, you would not enter anything here. if you were renting something that is associated with an event, venue or performance and you want to have this item show up a being used for a certain time frame, you can select the calendars here. For example, if somebody is renting the grand piano, you can enter the venue it will be in.

              • Venue the venue that the rental item will be located in
              • Event the event that the rental item is associated with
              • Performance the actual performacne that the rental item will be used for, if not for an entire event.

            Season Window

            When working in the Order window, it is possible to subscribe a patron to a Season Package, and book the seats for the patron on the same order along with other purchases.

            Clicking the Season button, opens the Season page in the Order window.

            • To subscribe a patron to a season package through the order window, click here.
            • For more information on the Subscription Management module, click here.

            For Quick Reference Information on buying a Season Subscription from the Order Window, You can download a Quick Reference Guide, Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration) by clicking on the icons.

            Buy a Season Subscription (from the order window)

            Quick Reference Guide

            Cheatsheet

            Flash Screencast

            MP4 Screencast

            History Tab

            The History window displays details of the transactions. These include the date the transaction was create or updated, journal numbers, transaction descriptions and a Theatre Manager code representing the type of transaction.

            In the order window click the History button.

            Use the search drop down to specify the type of transactions to display. Uncheck the include boxes to limit the view of the transaction.

            Adding a Ticket to an Order

            To add tickets to an order, you perform the following steps:

            1. Find the Patron wishing to add tickets to an already existing order.

              Click Here to learn how to find Patrons.

            2. Click the Ticket tab.

              Locate a ticket already in the order. Click on the ticket to highlight it.

            3. Click the Tickets button and choose the Add New Tickets to Slected Order option.

              The Order window opens.

            4. Choose the event to add tickets, and click the Seat Selection tab.

              The Seat Selection window opens. The seats already a part of the order will appear in red.

            5. Select any additional seats, as needed.
            6. Click the Payment button.

              Process the payment and complete the transaction. The new tickets are purchased and added to the existing order.

            The following are available for quick reference information on adding Tickets to an Existing Order

            Cheatsheet

            Flash Screencast

            Mp4 Screencast

            Diataxis: 

            Adding a Fee to an Order

            To add a fee to an order, you perform the following steps:

              li>Find the Order you want to add the fee to.
            1. Click on the Orders Tab in the Patron Window.

              Select the order single clicking on it.

            2. Click the Open button.

              The Order Window for the selected order opens.

            3. Click the Fee button.

              The Fee window opens with the selected order.

            4. Click the New button.

              The Fee Detail window opens.

            5. Make the fee type selection from the drop down list.

              To add a new fees to your fee table or edit the existing fee in your fees table, click here.

              Each Fee Type is associated with an existing calculation, however you can make additions and changes.

            6. When you have completed your additions and changes, click the Save button.
            7. Click the close button. The fee you have just entered will be added to the Fee window.
            Diataxis: 

            Adding a Payment to an Order

            1. Find the Patron with an outstanding balance.

              Click Here to learn how to find Patrons.

            2. Click the Orders Tab in the Patron Window.

              Select the order with the outstanding balance by single clicking on it.

            3. Click the Payment button.
            4. The Payment Window will open allowing you to make a full or partial payment.

              Click here for more information on the different payment options.

            Diataxis: 

            Transferring an Order to Another Patron

            If an order has been made through the wrong patron you can transfer the order and all payments to the correct patron through the Orders Window.

            To transfer an order to another patron, you perform the following steps:

            1. Find the Patron with the order to be transferred.

              Click Here to learn how to find Patrons.

            2. Click on the Orders Tab on the Patron Window.

            3. Find the order(s) which you would like to transfer and highlight it.

              Do this by single clicking the order for multiple orders hold the <ctrl> key while clicking the orders.

            4. Click the Transfer button.

              The Transfer Order window opens.

            5. Click the Patron button.

              Use the Contact List to locate the patron to transfer the order to. Single click on the patron the order will be transferred to.

            6. Click the Select button.

              The selected patron information will now appear in the transfer order window.

            7. Click the Transfer button.

              A Confirmation Window opens.

            8. Click the Yes button.

              The order is now transferred to the selected patron.

            Diataxis: 

            Outlet Management

            The advantage of the Outlet Edition is that it allows the linking of independent companies into a cohesive consortium to co-promote the sale of individual events. Based on the underpinnings of Theatre Manager's Enterprise Edition, each Outlet will contribute Patron contact information into a single Theatre Manager database. The care and responsibility of the database will be the responsibility of a consortium Master Administrator, and both Outlets must follow specific cross-outlet rules.

            All Outlets will have remote access to the common database via Citrix, Windows Terminal Server or some other similar technology. Only limited data is sell tickets for another Outlet, charge commissions of a dollar amount or percentage for those ticket sales, and use common hardware such as an Apache server to minimize investments in duplicate assets.

            Examples of who might make use of the Outlet Edition include:

            • A University theatre and the Campus Athletic Centre
            • A major Ticket Centre and a smaller local venue without a full time box office
            • A group of performance venues in a geographic area, serving different genres of events (an opera company, a symphony, a community theatre, a ballet troupe, etc.)
            • Two (or more) organizations sharing a single venue (summer theatre/winter theatre)
            • A dinner theatre with multiple locations
            • And many many more

            Outlet Preferences

            To access Outlet Preferences, click the menu item Setup >> Outlet Preferences.

            If you have Master User privileges,the Outlet List Window opens. Each company that has been created as an outlet will be displayed. Choose the appropriate company from this list to edit that outlet's preferences.

            If you are not a Master User, the Company Preferences window for your venue opens. Click here for more information on Company Preferences.

            Selection of an Outlet will lead to the main Outlet Preferences Window for that Outlet.

            At this point, setting up Outlet Preferences is the same as setting up Company Preferences for sites not using the Outlet Edition of Theatre Manager.

            Cross Outlet Policies and Rules

            The following are basic "rules" regarding Outlets in Theatre Manager:
            • There should only be one Master User account. The Master User is a "know all/sell all" account - that account can see all data, regardless of Outlet or "allow to sell at other Outlets" flag settings for performances. The Master User password should only be known by the Primary Outlet, and within the primary Outlet provided only to employees who are authorized to see potentially sensitive data for every Outlet (in other words - not many people should have this password).
            • Only the Master User can add a new Outlet up to the license count.
            • The Master User will be used to setup an Outlet Administrator to complete the main setup options for each respective Outlet. It is expected that Outlet sites will rarely need to use the Master User account after the initial setup of the following options, except to edit or change the Outlet Administrator accounts when necessary.
            • Each Outlet requires an Outlet Administrator account.
            • It is recommended that the Master User account is never used for selling tickets/donations/memberships or altering data (other than Outlet setup and new Outlet Administrator employees). If a high access level is required to alter/setup data, use the Outlet Administrator employee for that Outlet.
            • Outlet Administrator accounts should be used to create employee accounts for his/her respective Outlet and to edit choices and setup preferences via Outlet Preferences for each outlet.

              'Outlet Preferences' is the same as 'Company Preferences' in a single-outlet environment. Outlet Preferences are accessed through the Setup Menu

            • If an employee works for multiple Outlets, then that employee should have an employee record (still only one patron account) created for each Outlet.
            • That employee will be required to log into the proper Outlet's employee record to have their activity and transactions recorded correctly.
            • Only certain data is visible across Outlets (patron name and address, but not marketing data) to Outlet Administrator or Normal employee accounts. Click here for a specific list of which data is shared.
            • A commission structure must be assigned to the sales promotions (even if the commission is set to $0.00) that are to be used for other Outlets selling the owning Outlet's tickets.
            • Selling tickets for another Outlet requires the use of 'allow to sell at other outlet' on the Performance setup on an Event.
            • Selling cross Outlets requires setup of some A/R accounts in the Default Posting Accounts in the Code Tables for 'Payments due from other Outlets', and various income accounts for other Outlets.
            • Selling cross Outlets requires periodic reconciliation of sales from other Outlets.
            • We recommend that a Refund or Exchange be done from the outlet where the ticket was originally purchased. Meaning that if a ticket for an event at Outlet A is sold by Outlet B, Only Outlet B should Exchange or Refund that ticket to avoid discrepancies across outlets (EOD Imbalance).
            • An Outlet is able to Exchange or Refund the tickets that it sold for another Outlet - it is unable to Exchange or Refund a ticket that another Outlet sold.
            • If a ticket sold by a Outlet A for an event owned by Outlet B is returned by Outlet B, any commission payable is cleared from the transaction and is no longer owed by Outlet B to Outlet A.
            • Outlet A can refund any ticket it sold (for other outlets) and outlet B can refund any tickets that it owns
            • Outlet A can sell an Outlet B ticket and take a payment. Outlet B can return the ticket but MUST USE THEIR OWN MONEY to do so. Only the Outlet's own money is in the their own till. That means you should use cash, check or credit card for payments to items that are for another Outlet. Using your own gift in kinds (contra, swag, pass or other non-physical cash), to pay for tickets for another Outlet isn't a suggested business practice.

              For example, 'Sure, we'll give you a ticket to the Outlet B -- and yes, we will let you use your Outlet A credit from your gift certificate.' This really means, however, that Outlet A will be 'out' the contra amount because, in the end, they will owe Outlet B real money for tickets they just gave away.

            • Outlets cannot sell tickets and put them On Account for another Outlet. Either outlet must make sure outlet sales are completely paid for each time tickets are added or refunded.
            • Theatre Maps are shared. They CAN be used among the various Outlets. But only the "owning" Outlet is allowed to change the setup (price codes, seat names, zone pricing, etc.). However, the Master User can duplicate a Theatre Map and re-assign the duplicated map to another Outlet. This will save the other Outlet from having to re-create an existing map that another Outlet has already created. This will then allow the other Outlet to alter the map for their own purposes.
            • Tickets Faces are not shared, but the Master User account can be used to duplicate the ticket face and assign the duplicate to the other Outlet (just like with Theatre Maps, above). Then the other Outlet can alter the duplicated ticket face if they wish.

            Shared Data Among Outlets

            The Outlet Edition was written with privacy in mind; privacy from the point of view of the customer and each of the Outlets. Guiding principles are things like:

            • Another Outlet should not be able to figure out how important a patron is to you or what they've paid you. Another Outlet has no business knowing anything about a patron's interaction with you for any reason unless the other Outlet sold the ticket to them, in which case it is reasonable that they should be able to return it. This rule exists because it is to the customer's convenience to return the ticket at the place of purchase. For details on what information is available to cross-outlet sales (and how you can find tickets sold to your events by other Outlets), click here.
            • Everything is biased in favor of the customer and privacy. Laws are reasonably strict in Canada and are progressing that way in a number of states in the U.S., so Arts Management Systems wanted to make sure that we were on the right side of reasonable, not the wrong side.

            The following is a list of data that is shared among Outlets:

            Patron Data

            • The data on the Patron contact information window which is basically:
              • Patron names
              • Phone numbers
              • Address
            • Note: primary contact settings like (phone, address, fax, email) are unique to each outlet.
              • For example: if a patron tells Outlet A that their home address is their primary address, then it is their primary address for ONLY for Outlet A. Outlet B may know the same person, but the nature of their relationship says that the primary address is a work address for that patron. It doesn't have to match.
              • If there is only one address for the patron, it is the primary address in both outlets.

                So if you are Outlet B, for example, and Outlet A has put the patron in first, or it is in their database already and has two addresses, you get Outlet A's primary address as your primary address until you change it to be different for you. Changing the primary address selection in your Outlet will not change Outlet A's selection.

            • Changing the primary address setting can be done on the tab of the patron record or by opening the patron Contact Card.

              The same goes for phone numbers. You can have different primary phone, web, fax and email addresses for a patron than another Outlet does. Changing the patron's primary contact information in your Outlet does not affect the primary contact information choices set by the another Outlet.


              System Setup Data


            All other data is unique to each Outlet and needs to be maintained by each Outlet independently of the Primary Outlet.

            Data that is not shared among Outlets

            For privacy and security reasons, some data and functions cannot be shared among outlets. These include:
            • Donations, Memberships, Mail lists, and Patron marketing data
            • Orders cannot be seen by other Outlets unless those orders contain tickets sold to performances flagged as 'allow to be sold to other Outlets'.
            • An Outlet cannot edit another Outlet's order.
            • An Outlet cannot edit/delete another Outlet's payments.
            • An Outlet is only able to sell 'Regular' type, priced tickets for another Outlet (i.e. no season subscriptions, no comps)
            • An Outlet is able to Exchange or Refund the tickets that it sold for another Outlet - it is unable to Exchange or Refund a ticket that another Outlet sold. Another Outlet has no business knowing anything about a patron's interaction with you for any reason unless the other Outlet sold the ticket to them, in which case it is reasonable that they should be able to return it. This rule exists because it is to the customer's convenience to return the ticket at their place of purchase.
            • Each Outlet can manage the permissions and privileges (Data and Functions within the Employee Profile) of their own employees, but cannot manage employees of other Outlets. If an employee works for multiple Outlets, then that employee should have an employee record (still only one patron account) created for each Outlet.
            • Another Outlet cannot search for your events in the Event List window. Therefore they cannot see the Sales or Revenues tab (or any tab for that matter) in the Event setup for your events.

            Allow Ticket Selling at Other Outlets

            The Outlet Edition was written with privacy in mind; privacy from the point of view of the customer and each of the outlets. Everything is biased in favor of the customer and privacy. Laws are reasonably strict in Canada and are progressing that way in a number of states in the U.S., so Arts Management Systems wanted to make sure that we were on the right side of reasonable, not the wrong side.

            Having said that, as an Outlet sharing a database with another outlet, you have access to some of the information during the sales process. Examples include:

            • If an outlet can sell tickets for another outlet, then they can see the sales map. This is required as sales agents need to know what is available to seat the person.

            • Design your seat letters in a way that makes sense -- for instance, S for subscriber or G for group. For more information on Map Display Letters, click here.
            • Tooltips work across outlets. As you run your cursor across the seats, the tooltip will display which patron is seated where. Alternatively, you can right click on the seats and 'find all other seats in the order' highlighting where the person and their party are seated. This is more helpful for large groups.
            • In the Outlet version of Theatre Manager, occasionally you may need to locate a patron's seat, sold by another outlet to accommodate a seating request for a new buyer.

            While another outlet can sell tickets to your events (if you allow them to), they do not have access to the financial data for that event. They cannot search for your events in the Event List window, and cannot view Revenues, Sales or any of the Event setup tabs.

            Allowing sales at other outlets

            1. Setup a commission table (even if it's $0.00) that will be applied to sales promotions used at other Outlets.
            2. Apply the newly created commission table to the sales promotions being used at other Outlets on the Calculation Tab.

            3. The 'At Another Outlet' checkbox on the tab, allows the Sales Promotion to be used at another Outlet must be checked.

            4. Setup the new event.

              Click here to follow the steps.

            5. In step one of Adding a Performance, enable the check box to allow selling At Other Outlets.

              (Step 9. - Decide where you want the performance available for sale. You can sell the performance at the Box Office, on the Internet, or at an Outlet.)

            6. On the Promotions Tab, enable the promotions you set up with the commission table created in Steps 1 and 2 above.

              Optionally, you may also want to edit the 'on-sale' date for other Outlets. This lets you change the date tickets go on sale at other Outlets to be different from yours. You can use this to your advantage by restricting the best seats to your venue, and setting a 'public' on sale date for sometime after you have had a chance to handle your members and other customers of your venue.

              By opening the performance after it is built, you can edit the Sales Management dates for your Box Office, the Internet and Other Outlets.

            Web Sales in Outlet

            In an Outlet environment, some Outlets may choose to have web sales, while others may choose not to. In addition, Outlets share a TM server set up with different domains and TLS Certificates to reduce costs for hardware assets.

            Each Outlet has their own web pages to give their ticket sales site their own look and feel so that the branding of their ticket sales web pages matches their home website.

            Scanner Setup for Outlet

            Scanners use the same URL as ticket sales. If you have web sales set up for an Outlet, they will be able to scan tickets.

            Refer to scanner setup for the URL

            Patron Management

            Quick reference information for Adding a New Patron

            Reference Guide(pdf)

            CheatSheet (pdf)

            Flash Screencast

            MP4 Screencast

            Find a Patron using the Patron List

            1. Click the Patron button in the main toolbar / ribbon bar.

              The Contact List window opens.

              For more information on the Contact List window click here.

            2. Select a search option.

              In this example the Name / Company search option was selected. The Name / Company search option searchs for what you type in the First Name, Last Name or Company fields. This search option is special because it will search anywhere in the field, meaning the name or company does not need to start with what you type in, it can be in the start, middle or end. For example, if you search for Don, the search will return Don, Macdonald and Mastadon.

            3. Type the last name into the "Like" field.

              Theatre Manager allows the use of the '%' wildcard when searching. The % wildcard substitutes for normal characters in a search string. For example, to search for people that sound like 'Smith', you could use 'Sm%th'. To search for all people who live on Main, you could use '% main' (this could find 123 Main Street, 895 Main Avenue, etc).

            4. Click the Search button.

              The results of the search will appear in the contact list.

            5. Click the Patron # column header.

              This button is located at the top left hand corner of the patron list window. When it is selected the list of patrons will sort by patron number. Clicking other column headers will sort the list by that column. An underlined column header indicates the column that the list is sorted by. Sorting in reverse order is also possible. Hold down the <CTRL> key (Windows) or the <OPTION> key (Mac) while clicking the column header. You can also sort by more than one column at once by holding down the SHIFT key (Windows and Mac) and clicking on the additional column(s) you wish to sort by. You can sort by up to nine columns.

            6. Single click on the patron searched for.
            7. Click the Open button.

              The patron record opens. For more information on the patron window click here.

            Diataxis: 

            Finding a Patron using Quick Find

            Quick find uses a database feature called text search to look for partial words almost anywhere in text string in the database. Quick find:
            • searches for words in any order, regardless of the order you typed them
            • searches for words that start with what you type
            • generally ignores plurality - so that a search for actors will find actor and vice versa
            • may not find words you typed that are called stop words when they are in fields other than name. Stop words are those that occur too frequently to be useful in searching - such as a, and, it.

            To find a Patron using Quick Find, you perform the following steps:

            1. Click the button in the toolbar.
            2. The Quick Search window opens.
            3. Enter a key search item for the patron.

              This can be the patron number, patron name, company name, words in notes - anything.

            4. Click the enter key on the keyboard.

              The Quick Search window will populate with all records where part or all of the key search can be found.

            5. Double click on the desired record

              The patron record will open.

            Diataxis: 

            Finding Duplicate Patrons and Merging Them

            You can ask Theatre Manager to find duplicate patrons from two places:
            • Patron List window - which allows scanning of the currently displayed list -or- will scan the entire database to suggest duplicate patrons
            • Mail List Detail window - the whos' in tab allows searching of the patrons within the list (which is really patrons in the mail list) to see if any of them are duplicates. This can be helpful if Arts Management has built a list of patrons with duplicate email addresses for you.

            On these two windows, there is a button called 'duplicates'. Clicking on that will show some fields that can be used to find possible duplicate patrons in the database that can be used to merge patrons together. This is helpful if:

            • You have done a recent import of patrons and have a number of duplicates
            • You need to identify people who have added themselves multiple times online using different email addresses and need consolidated into one patron record

            The find duplicate process also has a feature to auto-merge the patrons that are found according to various criteria. Because merging patrons cannot be reversed, the merge feature should only be used if you really know what you are doing and are:

            • Planning on merging a lot of patrons -and-
            • Have made a backup of the database for contingency sake

             

            Find Duplicate/Merge Process

            If you are going to merge patrons, we recommend doing it in a two step process as follows:

            1. Use the duplicate finding routine to identify possible duplicates (but not merge)
            2. Look at the list of patrons manually. If there are any obvious patrons that need removed (which duplicate process found), then 'remove' them manually from the list by selecting the rows and right-clicking and picking 'remove from list'.
            3. The run the duplicates process a second time and search the list (not the database) and merge from the names in the list. This is a lot safer
            4. Alternately, if you only have a handful to merge, you can use the 'prompt' feature in the auto-merge to identify up to 25 matches at one time.

             

            Search the database using fields, duplicate email addresses or the List

            You have a choice of searching the:

            • current contents of the patron list for duplicates using fields you specify.
            • database for duplicate patrons, also using fields you specify
            • database for patrons that are using the same email address but are in different households. Two patrons with the same email address is not allowed, but could have occurred if data was imported from multiple systems and that still needs reconciling.
            You might want to search the database to generate a preliminary list of all people with first, last and address that matches.

            After that, you may want to search the list and add more fields to hone the matching criteria. You cold also search the list if you have just pulled up a large range of people such as all those whose last name starts with 'S', for example.

            Select the option you wish and then click 'Step 2'

             

             

            Select Fields to Match

            The next step is to pick some database fields that you want to use to actually match patrons. You can use one, or more than one. For example, you could use Last Name, First Name and Address to create matches -- and ignore company if you do not consider the company field important for this particular search.

            The fields above are used to IDENTIFY possible groups of patrons. They will appear in the list as highlighted.

            When done, click step 3.

             

            Indicate if You Want to Merge (or Not)

            If you do not wish to merge, then click 'Manual'. You might choose this option the first time to identify records that might be possible duplicates and review them. Even if you only identify the possible duplicates, you can use the 'merge' button on the patron list to manually merge them.

            However, if you wish to automatically merge patrons that are IDENTIFIED as matching using the fields in step 3, you can click the 'Automatic Merge after Records Identified'. If you select this option, the lower part of the screen changes so that you can specify other options to use for matching records before a merge is possible.

            The important thing is that step 2 IDENTIFIES records that MIGHT match (say using last name and address) and Step 3 indicates from those in step that a merge can only occur if last, first, address, zip, patron type and phone number match. Step 3 should generally indicate MORE fields than step 2.

            After selecting fields to match on (or ignore), then at the bottom indicate if you want TM to

            • prompt you for each match (this process can only open up to 23 windows) due to memory constraints) -or-
            • you can have Theatre Manager automatically merge data that matches and it could do a lot of records. Use this option if you have fairly conservative matching criteria (i.e. use a lot of fields) and you have a lot of data that you might have just imported.

            If you want TM to automatically merge, then indicate how you want TM to pick the patron number to merge into. The general rules for merging a group of possible duplicates are:

            • TM will always merge into an employee if one is in the group -or-
            • If no employee exists, then TM will look for any patron that is marked as 'do not delete' and try to merge into that patron
            • If neither scenario above exists, then TM will merge into the lowest, highest, or patron with the most recent change, depending on what you selected.

             

            Review the Actions You've Requested

            Finally, TM will show you a description of exactly what it its going to do including:

            • If you are searching the database or the list
            • The last known backup date
            • The fields used to IDENTIFY possible duplicate records
            • What fields are used for merging patrons together -and-
            • How TM will decide which patron to use to merge into

             

            Review the Actual Results

            The results of a duplicate search may differ depending if you searched:

             

            Errors during the merge process

            Occasionally, you may get some errors during the merge process that prevent the merge from finishing. Please review the message closely and see if it compares to some of those below.
            • You receive an error that the cart cannot be merged because there is a problem with a past shopping cart that did not complete correctly. Refer to closing carts to reset the status and then remerge.
            Diataxis: 

            Merge Results-Duplicate Patron Search

            After initiating the process of merging, the patron list will show records that match and alternate the colours if the record indicating which groups it thinks match. They are shown in dark red and dark cyan - colours that are different from normal colours used on the patron list.

            It is suggested that you only show the possible duplicates in the list. If you chose to leave others within the list, they will show between the groups in their original colours.

            Merge the resulting list according to:

            Diataxis: 

            Merge Results-Email Search

            When searching for duplicate email addresses, there are two possible conditions that can occur. Neither of them are permissible and must be fixed before those patrons can log in online.
            1. Two (or more) patrons in different households could have the same primary email address.
            2. Patrons in the same household could have the same email address twice in their contact record, possibly as a result of a part merge.
            3. Two (or more) patrons in different households could have the same secondary email address, a less obvious situation

            If any of the conditions above are found, then you will get an advisory message like the one below indicating how many records of each type were found.

            Viewing the Result Window

            On the result window, they are shown differently

             

            Interpreting the results - which of three actions to take to correct the problem

            Examples of:

            1. A red '-' icon at the beginning of the line indicates:

              two (or more) patrons in different households that have the same email address is indicated with the red square in the image above. Follow the link to see the suggested course of action when this condition occurs.

            2. A triangle at the beginning of the line usually indicates one of three sub-conditions.

              1. a single patron with the same email address twice in their contact record.
              2. A single patron with multiple links to the same email address. Simply opening the patron window will fix this.
              3. Patrons in different households with duplicate SECONDARY email addresses in their contact record.

                These patrons are harder to identify because they have multiple email addresses and need a secondary search to find the other patron (who may also have a triangle in their record in the list). If you also include the column 'All Email Addresses' in the list (see image below), you may be able to see who has duplicate secondary addresses with other patrons.

                Hint: use * to find a name within the list, then '+' to see the next match

             

            What if customers or patrons complain that they didn't get emails?

            The first place to look is the Manage Pending/Unsent Emails screen to look at the error messages behind the emails that did not get sent. You can look at the error message column, or double click on individual emails to look at the error message tab.

            The second possibility is that they requested a password reset for an email that does not exist or exists twice.

            Refer to patrons who request password resets and claim they didn't get an email.

            Diataxis: 

            Same Primary Email-Different Patrons

             

            Two (or more) patrons in different households with same PRIMARY email

            If the example is two (or more) patrons in different households that have the same primary email address, it is indicated with the red square in the image above. They will have a red '-' icon at the beginning of the line. Suggested course of action when this condition occurs is to do one of:

            • If a colour coded group of patrons are really the same person or should be in the same household, merge them
            • if the patrons are very different people, then edit one of the patrons and remove the email address from their contact record. If the patron is limited profile, then you will need to do it from the contact tab on the patron record if you need to avoid providing all data for a full patron.
            Diataxis: 

            Same Patron/Household-Same Email

             

            A single patron household with the same email address twice

             

            If the list shows a Caution icon at the beginning of the row, the most likely cause is a single patron (or household) with the same email address twice in their contact record.

             

            The first course of action for these patrons is to:
            • edit their contact information in the contact card
            • Use the Add button to add an existing email to a patron. Only continue if you see the duplicate email in the popup list under add email address.
            • Once the duplicate email has been added to their account:
              • Change that email address to be obviously different. eg, if the email you just added was 'doug@abc.com', edit it to be 'xxxdoug@abc.com' - something visually and obviously different.
              • The patron will now have both 'doug@abc.com' and 'xxxdoug@abc.com' on their patron contact card.
              • note: This is the only time you will type over top of an existing email address to as you try to fix the problem.
            • remove the email 'xxxdoug@abc.com' from the patron's contact card.
            • If there are other patrons in the household
              • look at the emails on their account and remove any that now say 'xxxdoug@abc.com'.
              • If you do remove the one called 'xxxdoug@abc.com' from that patron, then use add and select the one from the list that says 'doug@abc.com' using the add button.
              • Note: The reason to do this is because the patron previously had the old (duplicated) copy of the email address that is no longer desired.
            • If the above:
              • worked perfectly, then run the duplicate search by email again to see if the duplicate email still exists.
              • did not work, then try:
                • looking at other household members to see if they have the duplicate email address -or-
                • Looking to see if another patron has the same secondary email address as this patron, especially if the patron you are looking at has two email addresses
                • contact support and we will help you find it.

            If you do not see duplicated email addresses in the patron contact window

            look at all emails addressess associated with the household and follow the procedure below to make both emails visible.

            Diataxis: 

            Same Secondary Email-Different Patrons

             

            Multiple Patrons with the same SECONDARY email address

             

            Examples of: If the list shows a Caution icon at the beginning of the row, a second probable cause cause is multiple patrons with the same SECONDARY email address twice in their contact record.

            They patrons will have more than one email address associated with their record and the duplicated one is the non-primary.

             

            If the cause of the duplicate is non-obvious, the course of action for these patrons is to do one of he following:

            Option 1: show secondary address

            If you also include the column 'All Email Addresses' in the list (see image below), you may be able to see who has duplicate secondary addresses with other patrons.

            • Hint: use * to find a name within the list, then '+' to see the next match.
            • then follow the some of the suggestions below for merging patrons or remove an email address from the patron it doesn't belong to.

            Option 2: Search by email address from duplicate list

            1. Copy the secondary email address in the account to the clipboard
            2. Click the patron button on the toolbar
            3. Change the search to be by Phone/Email/Web
            4. Paste in the email address from step 1 and click search.
            5. If this yields two or more patrons, the solution can be one of the following:
              • Merge people with somewhat similar names and emails into same patron -OR-
              • Merge people with similar last names or a known relationship to each other into same household -OR-
              • If the patrons have no known relationship to each other, then remove the email from one of the patrons - the one who is most likely not to own it. If it is unclear who might own the email adddress, contact the patrons to get clarification.
            You may have to do some analysis and contact patrons to find out who should rightfully have the email address, or to find out if patrons are the same or related before choosing an action.
            Diataxis: 

            Merging Patrons Into Same Person

            The Merge button on the patron list window gives you the option of combining the highlighted patrons:

            • Into a single patron when the majority of the information indicates that the two records are for the same person -or-
            • Into a common household (for example you searched for the same address and are merging patrons into a household record)
            Employees cannot be merged together as patrons (see image) unless you have previously merged their employee records first.

             

            Rules that prevent patrons from being merged are:

            • They are marked 'do not delete'
            • They are an employee in any outlet
            • They have an order in the middle of being sold
            • They have shopping carts that have one or more of the following status codes
              • Active
              • Auth button clicked
              • Processing a payment
              • Filling the order after payment accepted -or-
              • The cart has a partially completed checkout with some error condition that must be fixed before the patron can be merged.
            • You cannot merge a patron with complete information into a limited profile patron record - but you can merge as many limited profile patrons into each other or into a full patron record.

            Limited profile patrons are not recommended - but you can enable the feature
            Setup->System Preferences->Mandatory Data if desired

             

            Merge into a single patron

            When the 'merge' button (above) is clicked and into a single patron is selected, you will see a dialog similar to below asking you to confirm the merge. In the example below, it looks like Jim and James are the same person.

            1. Select the Patron to which appears to have the most correct information and click the Merge button.

              The Merge Records dialog opens.

            2. The dialog asks you to confirm your choice.

              Click the Merge button.

              You are returned to the Contact List window and the Primary patron remains In our example, there is now a single patron record for Jim Smith, containing the data added and tickets purchased with the other Patron number.

             

            Diataxis: 

            Merging Patrons into One Household

            Theatre Manager is designed to keep all information about a patron on one record. You can merge patrons into the same household. To merge two patrons into the same household, you perfrom the following steps:

            1. Open the Patron List and find the patrons to be merged into the same household.
            2. Highlight the patrons to be merged and click the Merge button.

            3. Click Into Common Household.

              The Combine Patrons into a Single Household window opens.

            4. Select the Patron to be the Primary Patron you would like all of the other patrons to be merged into.
            5. Click the Merge button.

              The Merge Records confirmation dialog opens.

            6. Confirm you indeed want to combine the patrons into a single houslehold by clicking the Combine button.

              The two patrons are combined into the same household.

            Diataxis: 

            The Patron Window

            The Patron window is the main interface used in Theatre Manager. The patron window can be opened in the following two ways:

            1. Clicking on the Patron button in the main Theatre manager toolbar / ribbon bar.
            2. Use the Patron Sales menu and clicking on Patron.

            The main sections are listed below. Click on a link to learn more about the features.

            Patron Window Buttons

            Inserts a new Patron. Click here to learn more about inserting new patrons.
            Saves changed made in the patron window.
            Unavailable in the Patron List window.
            Reverts the patron window data back to the last save point.
            Deletes the patron. For more information click here.
            Prints the selected record.
            Completes a spell check of the patron record.
            Inserts a new member of the current household. Click here to learn more about inserting new household members.
            Deletes a member of the current household. Click here to learn more about deleting household members.
            Changes the current view or layout in the household portion of the patron window.
            Opens the volunteer history for the selected patron. To learn more about this feature click here.
            Clicking the Employee button, makes the current patron and employee. To learn more about adding employees click here.

            Patron Data

            For more information on Patron Data click here.

            Patron Window Tabs

            There are two different sets of tabs on the patron window. There are the Patron Detail Tabs which harvest information about the actual patron, their personal details, and other information that relates to them as a person. Whereas the Patron Account Tabs carry information significant to the patrons account, their tickets, orders, contact history, and transactions.

            Patron Detail and Account Tabs

            There are two different sets of tabs on the patron window. There are the Patron Detail Tabs which harvest information about the actual patron, their personal details, and other information that relates to them as a person. Whereas the Patron Account Tabs carry information significant to the patrons account, their tickets, orders, contact history, and transactions.

            Click here for more information on the tabs.

            Diataxis: 

            Changing the View of Patron Window

            There are 3 distinct views of the patron window.

            Option 1

            (standard – popular view)

            Full view includes patron personal information - contact card, patron detail tabs - marketing tabs and patron account tabs – ticket, donation and pass purchases, orders, relationships, season packages, online shopping carts and more.

            Option 2

            View includes only the top half of the patron record, which includes patron detail tabs – marketing tabs.

            Option 3

            (good when just selling items to patrons)

            View includes only the bottom half of the patron record, which includes patron account tabs – ticket, donation and pass purchases, orders, relationships, season packages, online shopping carts and more.

            To change the view of the patron record click on the ‘Change View’ button located in the toolbar of the patron window. This button toggles; keep clicking until you find a view you like.

            Diataxis: 

            Detail and Account Tabs

            There are two different sets of tabs on the patron window.
            • The Patron Detail Tabs on the upper right contain marketing information about the patron, which can include personal details, birthdays, key address and contact info. Data in the details tab is considered optional - to be enhanced as you get to know the patron. This data can be used as criteria for mail lists and reports.
            • The Patron Account History Tabs at the lower part of the screen generally contains transactional information significant to the patrons account such as their tickets, orders, correspondence history, meetings, donations and transactions.

            Patron Detail Tabs

            The patron detail tabs are located in the upper right hand corner of the Patron window. The Marketing Tab is automatically selected when a patron window is opened unless the VIP checkbox is clicked on the patron tab. If it checked, the window will default to the patron tab to show the patron notes.

            In some instances, one of the tabs may have a bullet prior to its name. The bullet lets the user knows that there is information stored in the tabbed field. For example, entering information in the donor module causes a bullet to appear in the Donor Tab.

             

            Patron Account Tabs

            The account tabs are at the lower part of the patron window.

            In some instances, one of the tabs may have a bullet prior to its name. The bullet lets the user knows that there is information available in that tab. For example, the 'Trans' Tab in the above picture has a bullet prior to its name meaning there is information contained in that section.

            Diataxis: 

            Detail Marketing Tabs

            The detail and marketing tabs are the top of the patron screen are used to manage additional information about the patron. This might include birthdays, net worth for wealth management, past donation totals and volunteer summaries.
            Diataxis: 

            Marketing Tab

            The Marketing Tab displays the marketing details for the current patron. These fields are useful in capturing additional ‘specific’ yet common information about patrons that can be used in the future to create a target market group. Often these fields are used to record information about a patron origin to the database, status, programming preferences, organization affiliations etc. Note that the same data appears on the Volunteer window

            This information can be used in a query to collect this group of patrons for a direct marketing purpose.

            Parts of the Marketing Tab

            Personalized Marketing Fields

            There are restrictions on the content of the marketing fields. This is not customizable. These fields are not intended to capturing large amount of information on any given patron but rather short “common denominators”.

            It is necessary to restrict these fields to that data collected is consistent throughout each patron file. The following list details the restrictions of each marketing field.

            Marketing Field One This field is a numeric field, restricted to 30 numbers and is searchable.
            Marketing Field Two This field is a numeric field, restricted to 30 numbers and is searchable.
            Marketing Field Three This field is an alphanumeric field, restricted to 10 letter/digit combination and is searchable.
            Marketing Field Four This field is an alphanumeric field, restricted to 10 letter/digit combination and is searchable.
            Marketing Field Five This field is an alphanumeric field, restricted to 60 letters/digit (including spaces) and is not are readily searchable.
            Age Code This field contains a pull down menu, which can be edited in the Age Codes tab in Code Tables. Click here for more information on Age Code Code Table..
            Marketing Field Six (Pop-up) This field contains a pull down menu. This menu is created in the Marketing #6 tab in Code Tables. Click here for more information on Marketing Field #6 Code Table.
            Marketing Field Seven (Pop-up) This field contains a pull down menu, which can be edited in the Marketing #7 tab in Code Tables. Click here for more information the Marketing Field #7 Code Table.
            Marketing Field Eight (Pop-up) This field contains a pull down menu, which can be edited in the Marketing #8 tab in Code Tables. Click here for more information on the Marketing Field #8 Code Table.

            Patron Contact Flags

            Do Not Mail - Theatre Requested Used when the company decides it will not mail particular patrons. That is, the company may have lost contact with a patron or it is not necessary to mail board members.
            Do Not Mail - Patron Requested Used when a patron asks the company not to mail them.
            Do Not Telemarket Used when a patron requests not to be Telemarketed.
            Do Not E-mail Used when a patron does not want to be contacted via E-mail.
            Do Not Delete Used when the patron is never to be removed from the database. This also prevents the patron from being merged with other patrons.
            Deceased Used if the patron has passed away. These patrons cannot be printed on labels or emailed to
            Not in Household Used if the patron has left a company but there is a lot of data that should remain with the company. In a sense, acts like deceased, but is clearly marked different. These patrons cannot be printed on labels or emailed to
            Do Not Trade Used when the patron does not want their contact information traded with other sources.
            Cash Only Used when the ONLY payment method accepted for patron is cash. Credit cards or checks are no longer accepted. If the patron attempts to buy online using their account, any credit card they enter as a payment will respond back as if it were declined - effectively preventing them from buying online. If the patron calls in, you can still take over their shopping cart and complete the sale.

            Employee functions settings, have permissions to indicate who can

            • SET the cash only flag
            • CLEAR the cash only flag
            • Use a credit card or check, even if the person is cash only. Normally reserved for a supervisor.
            Gender Used to allocate a patron's gender as being one Male, Female or Unknown. The gender can be manually flagged here or automatically flagged when a salutation is applied to a patron's record. The setup of salutations in the codes allows for a gender to be allocated. Gender can be used in search criteria for reports, exporting and mail lists.
            Patron Photo You can drag and drop an image of the patron onto the patron's record. For more information on image size and types click here.
            Tags You can add any number of tags to the patron.
            Diataxis: 

            Uses for custom Marketing Fields

            There are 9 marketing fields, plus tags, 8 of which are customizable. Of these 8 fields:
            • 2 are alphabetic
            • 2 are alpha/numeric
            • 1 is a Text field
            • 3 are drop-down lists
            • one field, Age Code, is predefined in Theatre Manager.

            These fields can be custom labeled to reflect the information chosen to record. For more information on customizing the marketing field label please click here.

            It is not always easy to initially define a use for these marketing fields. The following examples come from practical uses that our customers have made of them.

            Source: Most users will set aside one field for 'source'. Specifically, a code that indicates how the customer first came to be in the database. This can be useful when analyzing marketing efforts. For example; if the local paper is called 'The Rag' and the organization advertises in it weekly, number the ads as 9701, 9702, etc. for each ad in 1997. If the customer first came to be in the database because of ad #4, their source would be TR9704. This allows examination of the effectiveness of different media, ad placement, size, etc.

            Year Youngest/Year Oldest: For our children's theatre venues, some keep track of the year when the youngest was born. This allows them to manage the transition of their 'little' customers through the theatre seasons. There comes a point when children feel they are to old to come to shows and would rather be with their friends ... until they have children of their own and the cycle begins again and the organization can now market to Grandma!

            Government Officials: City/municipal, Provincial/State, Federal. This could be a marketing field to record the patron’s political affiliation. At a glance the system can produce a list of all patrons who are Federal Officials. Create a mail list of these patrons for special invite purposes etc.

            Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical - useful to record a patron overall preferences or type of performance they generally like to attend. However, using a Mail List to maintain this information is more beneficial.

            County/Township: A marketing field used to record the county for patrons. Information that is not readily recorded in the address section and could be useful for grouping patrons based on their location.

            Patron Type: A marketing field used to record the type of patron account. For example, corporation, foundation, granting agency, individual, school, etc.

            School District: A marketing field used to record the school district and age category for patrons. Information that is not readily recorded in the address section and could be useful for grouping patrons based on their location and age category.

            This is really general but certainly there is no limit to the types of marketing fields that can be created.

            Diataxis: 

            Marketing Ideas

            Marketing to the Customer

            Marketing really depends on the buying habits of the customers. Good things to assist the process are:

            • Sell the next season during the last show of the previous year. If the organization had a good show/season , it is easy to pick up 20% or more subscribers for the next year. Make sure that the price that the subscriber can buy for is the lowest possible (e.g. do not invent a discount to be used later in the year that makes the early subscriber think that they should have waited). Typical discounts for early season subscriptions is 20-25% or 5 shows for the price of 4. Something that will enhance those sales is a deadline where regular subscription prices are only 10-15% discounts.

            • There is usually a local paper section that everybody reads for movie listings, entertainment guides, upcoming events. Choose that paper and advertise in it. A suggestion for a season that starts in the fall is to put something in the paper that coincides with early renewals -- it can usually be included with advertising for the last show of the previous year.

            • Decima Research (A Canadian study in the arts industry in the early 1990's) indicated that 50% of the people make their buying decision 4 weeks in advance of the show. So for a 4 week run, start advertising 4-5 weeks in advance and throughout the show. Also, most people read a specific days newspaper. In Calgary, the 'Scene' comes out on Friday - so Friday is an extremely good day to advertise; followed by a Tuesday advertisement.

            • People listen to radio on the way to work; so a contract deal with a local radio station for a few free tickets for a caller as long as the giveaway is done during the morning driving hour is a good thing. Depending on the type of theatre, give away a show package that is less than the average number of attendees - so that they will be compelled to buy one or more tickets. (e.g. For children's theatre, the average attendance is 3.5 (one adult and 1-3 children, so give away only two tickets).

            Getting names in the database is very important for direct mail. Good 'guerrilla' tactics are:

            • Have a draw for a meal for two at a local restaurant - but the patron must provide name, address, telephone number, etc. Drawing is done on the last performance. Now the names can go into the database. Chances are the local restaurant will give the organization the meal in exchange for some tickets.

            • Use a 2 for 1 coupon book and make the coupons valid for slow performances (e.g. Wednesdays or Thursday). Some people will do anything for a discount and the organization gets their name.

            • Do some co-op advertising with a local business and use their mail list. A clothing store or electronics place where they record names is a good thing - ideas may include 10% off a tie with purchase of a ticket or 10% of a ticket with purchase of a tie -- they do the mailer with the theatre's flyer and everybody wins.

            Organize some special days where the people get to interact with the production people. Examples are:

            • Talk back to the director day.

            • Special award night.

            • Autograph day for the kids where actors sign for the kids in the lobby.

            • Sleep-overs in the theatre (the organization can charge a bundle for the tickets).

            • Theatre Tour and wine tasting night.

            Remember to use a mail list. Once people buy, target them for similar shows and they will buy again. They just need to be asked. A telemarketing campaign to people on the list who have not yet bought subscriptions during the last show and before the early discount arrives is a very good thing. Best time to get people is between 5:00-8:00pm. And the caller needs to have a good script like:

            • Noticed you came to our show for the first (or second) time...

            • How did you like it...

            • Anything that would have improved your experience and made it more enjoyable...

            • Would you like to be our partner next year and come to all shows...

            • etc., etc., etc.,

            It's all about building a personal relationship with the customer.

             

            Determining When the Customer will Buy

            The ideal time to sell tickets is dependent on the customer base purchasing habits. Evaluate if the customer base plans out their activities, or whether they wait until the last minute to make a purchase decision. Once the organization determines the purchasing habits, then determine the most effective time to advertise the event, at which time, be prepared to start selling tickets. There is no need to advertise unless the customers are in a situation to buy.

            The organization may find that people typically buy tickets first thing in the morning (e.g. 9:00 am), over an extended lunch hour (11:30 am - 2:00 pm) and there is always a rush before 5:00 pm. In the hour before the event, there will be walk up sales so plan on having the box office open at least an hour and a half before the event starts.

            For a large community or city where there is competition with other events, start advertising and selling tickets 6 to 8 weeks in advance to insure that they purchase the organization's tickets first before another organizations tickets. For a smaller community or town where there is less competition with other events, start advertising and selling tickets 3 to 4 weeks in advance.

            If the event adverting is focused for children, the organization may find that many tickets will be purchased at the last minute, as children get sick; go to birthday parties; have recreational activities (soccer, hockey, baseball) and the parents may not make a decision to go until the event is within the next few days. With events focused on adults, the organization normally can count on them more, so the organization may see that they will purchase tickets more in advance as they plan what they will be doing in the upcoming weeks.

            Again, the key to determining when the best time to sell tickets has to start with knowing the purchasing habits of the potential customers and knowing the audience that the organization is trying to attract.

            And remember to use Theatre Manager to assist in finding out purchasing trends. Theatre Manager's cash flow report tells when people buy for a show. It's very important because the organization should see two or three major humps. One at early season renewal, one in the fall when the season subscription campaign occurs, and sales start to rise about 4 weeks in advance of the show. There should be mini spikes after a prior day's advertising. (e.g. Friday should see some extra Saturday sales, or a Tuesday advertising should see some Wednesday sales). If not, move around the advertising to different days, or move around to different advertisers.

            Profile Tab

            This tab provides a place to save some more personal information about the patron

            Parts of the Profile Tab

            Formal Name The patrons formal name. The formal name is a combination of the Salutation, the First name, the Initial and the Last name.
            Greeting Displays the name the patron likes being called in every day life. It is quite often the patron's first name or a version of it.
            Birthday Date of the Patrons Birth. Use the Calendar button to select a date or type a date in the field provided.
            Anniversary Patrons Anniversary date. Use the Calendar button to select a date or type a date in the field provided.
            Spouse Patrons Spouses birthday. Use the Calendar button to select a date or type a date in the field provided.
            Notification Select an electronic notification from the drop down. This will send an electronically generated letter to a designated employee alerting that employee of activity in the patrons record.
            Diataxis: 

            Resizing images to fit into Theatre Manager

            Pictures require a lot of disk space to store them, and todays cameras have ever increasing 'mexapixel' ratings. Similarly, snapshots of a desktop with millions of colours results in large sized images. While images with high resolution are ideal for printing beautiful snapshots, they are not practical for storage in database applications for the following reasons:

            • Placing full resolution pictures into a database rapidly increases the size of the database and affects backup times. For example: a single 5 magapixel picture takes as much room as approximately 5000 patrons in the database.
            • Sending emails or eblasts with large images affects the delivery of the eblast to customers with slow internet connections or who like to receive their emails on mobile devices.
            • Sending high resolution screenshots to our support team was filling our database and affecting support

            We've chosen to assist you in managing your database size by limiting the size of images that can be put into the Theatre Manager database. In order to fit pictures into the image space on the PROFILE tab of the patron record, they need to reduced to under 500kb in size. Ideally, 100kb is a good target size for most images. The question is how to change a high resolution picture or screenshot into a lower resolution and then place it in a Theatre Manager database or send it as an e-blast or email attachment.

            Using Image Converters

            There are tools available for you to use and a fairly common shareware application is GIMP. The following describes how to use gimp on Windows. GIMP on the Mac OS requires xWindows to be installed. However, on the Mac, you can use Apple-Shift-4 to capture a specific area of the screen or use a tool like Snapz Pro (not free) which we use for our documentation.

            GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)

            GIMP is a free download from the internet and the web site contains information about downloading, installing, using, and enhancing it. This site also serves as a distribution point for the latest releases. To use GIMP to capture a screen image and reduce its overall memory size:

            In the Main Palette:

            1. Go to the FILE menu
            2. Choose CREATE, and then Screen Shot
            3. Click the GRAB A SINGLE WINDOW
            4. Use the +hand tool to grab the active window where your image resides (you will crop the window in the next step
            To crop the image, you will use the Toolbox Palette
            1. Use the selection tools (the dotted rectangle or dotted lasso) to highlight the desired area.
            2. You can also manipulate the image in any way you see fit, including flipping, rotating, or airbrushing.

            Back in the Main Palette
            1. Go to the IMAGE menu
            2. Click CROP TO SELECTION
            3. Proceed to the FILE menu
            4. Choose SAVE AS
            5. Use the SELECT FILE TYPE to change the file format to JPG. JPGs are the only file format that will import into the PROFILE tab in Theatre Manager.
            6. Click SAVE
            7. A window will pop up that allows you to change the Image Quality. Quite simply:
              High Quality = More KB and more storage space
              Low Quality - Fewer KB and soemthing that is better for storage in databases or use in eblasts
            8. Use the slider to adjust the image quality so that the final image is under 500KB.
            9. Click SAVE
            Diataxis: 

            Household Patron Tab

            This tab is used to view all members of the household.

            Parts of the Household Patrons Tab

            Patron # Unique number used as reference for the patron.
            First Name First name of the patron.
            Last Name Last name of the patron.
            Household # Unique number used as reference for the household.
            Adds a new member to the household. For more information on adding a member to a household click here.
            Opens the patron contact card. For more information on the patron contact card click here.
            Deletes a member of the household.
            Changes the primary contact person for the household. The primary household person is recognized by the symbol. To set a patron as the primary of the household, highlight the patron in this window, click Set Primary button.
            Diataxis: 

            Contact Info Tab

            This tab is used to show all the contact information for a patron or phone, fax, email and web links. You can alter key preferences from the list or you can go to the patron contact card to add, edit or delete any of the contact information.

            Parts of the Contact Info Tab

            Type An image representing the type of contact information represented on this line. Contact data can be one of:
            • Email addresses - a patron can have multiple, each of which logs into the same account online
            • Phone numbers - home, work, cell, emergency, or others
            • Fax numbers - multiple area allowed
            • Web sites - wiuch could be personal or work related
            Location The location for the patron information. This is a customizable field and the values are defined in Code Tables
            Phone/Email/Website The detailed contact information.
            Opens the patron's Contact Card so that you can edit their contact information, including:
            Adds a piece of contact information to the patrons record. Each selection opens another flyout to select. When you make your selection, the patron's Contact Card opens to the field selected.
            Removes the highlighted piece of contact information from the patron record.
            Changes the highlighted information to the primary contact information for the patron. The primary information is recognized by the symbol.
            You will be asked if you want to reset the patron's email password for the email you selected.

            If you continue, this causes:

            • the patron's current password to be reset and render it un-usable - as a safety measure.
            • a 'password reset' email to be queued up. It is exactly the same email that the patron would receive if they had initiated the password reset themselves online

              This email will contain a time-limited link that takes the user to the web site where they can log in.

            • the TM Server will send the email to the email address informing them that they have 48 hours in which to log in and create a personal password
            If the patron does not make a new password within 48 hours, you (or they) will need to reset the password again and get a new email. The instructions are in the email they are sent and the approach is for their own internet safety.
            If you get an error message that the email address cannot be found in the outgoing message, there are a few things to look at:
            • The tags CI_CONTENTS must be within the web page
            • You need to be able to reach the web site tickets.xxxxx.org which may mean you need to have an entry in the HOSTS file, especially if you have a windows computer.
              An email will not be sent it there are two patrons in separate households with the same email address. If this is the case, you will need to de-dup the email addresses before it can be sent.
              Diataxis: 

              Patron Contact Card

              The patron Contact Card is accessible without opening a Patron Record from the Contact List window by clicking on the Contact Card icon in the toolbar. It can also be opened once on the Patron Record by double-clicking on any patron name in the Household Member List window

              Parts of the Contact Card

              The patron contact card has three parts to it, Patron Details, Address and Contact Info.

              The Patron Details area stores information on the Type of patron, their Company and Title, their proper Salutation, Formal and Greeting Names. Some of these fields maybe marked as Mandatory Data Fields and require data to be entered and can not be left blank. Mandatory Data Fields are located in Company Preferences.

              The Address area stores patron mailing information; their Address, City, State/Province, Country and Zip/Postal Code. A Patron can have many different addresses stored here as need. Some examples: a patron may have a winter home, summer home and several work addresses. Some of these fields maybe marked as Mandatory Data Fields and require data to be entered and can not be left blank. Mandatory Data Fields are located in Company Preferences.

              The Contact Info area stores information on how to reach a patron by Home Phone, Work Phone, Mobile/Cell, Home Fax, Work Fax, Home Email or Work Email. There can be as many lines of contact information as needed.

              Diataxis: 

              Patron Contact Card - Tool Bar

              Parts of the Contact Card Tool Bar

              The Tool Bar has many helpful function buttons.

              Connects to Theatre Manager Online Help for the Patron Contact Card.
              Inserts a New patron contact card for another patron in the same household.
              Allows Contact Card to be saved.
              Not applicable.
              Returns the content/text back to the saved content/text prior to any recent changes.
              Removes the patron record providing there is no financial transactions associated with the patron.
              For future development.
              Spell check.
              Displays a list of the Scheduled Changes for the patron.
              Diataxis: 

              Patron Contact Card - Scheduled Changes

              Scheduled Changes Window

              This window displays a list of address and contact change schedules. A patron may have more than one address where they reside during different times of the year. For example they may have a summer home and would like to receive mailings at their summer home from June to September. An address can be schedule to change from their permanent to their summer address and then back to their permanent address in September.

              Parts of the Scheduled Changes Window

              Connects to Theatre Manager Online Help for the Scheduled Changes.
              Inserts a New address for patron.
              Allows an existing scheduled change from the list in the window to be opened for viewing or editing.
              For future development.
              Removes the scheduled change record.
              For future development.
              Allows for the list of Scheduled Changes to be exported to a tab delimited or MS Excel workbook file.
              Rather than waiting until it's scheduled date, the contact information can be change now.
              Search criteria for Schedule Change window can be set by Date range, by All Schedule Changes, Future or Applied.
              Diataxis: 

              Editing Scheduled Change

              The Schedule Change window opens displaying a list of existing scheduled changes that can be opened for viewing or editing. Use the magnifying glass to search for a current listing. The search criteria can be modified by selecting Date, All Scheduled Changes, Future or Applied.

              When you make a scheduled address or phone change , you likely need yo make TWO scheduled changes. For example:

              • If a person is moving in the future, you would set up a ONE-TIME change for:
                • The new address and the specific date in the future when you want it to be effective -and-
                • some time beyond that (say a couple of months), a scheduled deletion of the old address so that it is no longer in the patron record
              • If the patron is a snowbird and is regularly changing addresses, you would indicate a RECURRING change:
                • for the month/day that address 1 becomes effective each year
                • for the month/day that address 2 should become effective each year
              A process runs each morning that finds any changes that should become effective and implements them.

              This feature can also be reached by using the "gear" icon next to the contact on the Contact Card

              1. Use the Schedule Change button to open the Schedule Change window.

              2. Double click on a Scheduled Change to the selected line in the display window.

              3. Address or Contact Change wizard will pop up.

              4. Make required changes to any step(s)and save.

                Note: In each of the 4 steps only one item within each step can be selected for change. If you need to make another change to a different contact information, simply create another New record to schedule the next change.

              Diataxis: 

              Apply Schedule Change Now

              Rather than waiting until it's scheduled date for an automactic change, the contact information can be manually changed by using the Schedule Apply button from the toolbar.

              1. Use the Schedule Change button to open the Schedule Change window.

              2. Highlight the contact information line in the Schedule Change window.

              3. Click the button.

                Clicking Schedule Apply button changes the effective date to be today's date. The 'Set Recurring' function will continue to exist for future scheduled effective dates, even though the contact information has been updated through this process.

              Diataxis: 

              Exporting A List of Schedule Changes

              Allows for individual or groupings of Scheduled Changes to be exported to a tab delimited or MS Excel workbook file.

              1. Use the Schedule Change button to open the Schedule Change window.

              2. Highlight one or all Scheduled Change lines.

              3. Click Export button.

              4. Select a Tab Delimited or MS Excel workbook file and save.
              Diataxis: 

              Patron Contact Card - Details

              Patron Details

              In this area, some Patron Detail data fields may be marked as Mandatory Data fields within the Company Preferences. These pieces of information must be entered in order to save changes to the contact card.

              Type The Type of patron record that is being entered. For example: Individual, Company, or School. The Type of patron field is apart of the Code Tables and can be edited and customized.
              Salutation Formal Salutation for the patron. The Salutation field is apart of the Code Tables and can be edited and customized.
              Name First First Name of the patron. This is a Mandatory Data field.
              Name Init Middle Initial of the patron.
              Name Last Last Name of the patron. This is a Mandatory Data field.
              Suffix Suffix for the patron if applicable. The Suffix field is apart of the Code Tables and can be edited and customized.
              Company Company the patron is associated with. This is a Mandatory Data field.
              Title Title within the company the patron is associated with.
              Formal The Formal Name of the patron (including salutation) usually used for donation requests. This field provides the patron donor name for program listing unless the name is altered in the Publication Name found under the Donor Tab.

              The Formal Name is auto populated by the First and Last Name fields. The auto populate can be manually over written by highlighting the text in this field and typing over it.
              Greeting A Greeting (or familiar name - such as first name or nickname) for the patron. The Greeting preference is set in System Preferences under the Edits Tab.

              The Greeting is auto populated by the First Name field. The auto populate can be manually over written by highlighting the text in this field and typing over it.
              Patron A custom 30 character identification field. Designated for an external number for a patron that can also be used to find patron. Possible usage are for student/faculty numbers or a number in any other external system that you may need to communicate with.
              Diataxis: 

              Patron Contact Card - Address

              Address

              There can be many different address locations for one patron stored within the Address. Some address information may be marked as Mandatory Data within the Company Preferences. If a field is marked as Mandatory Data it must be entered in order to save changes to the contact card.


              Location Location of the patron's address. The patron Location field is apart of the Code Tables and is used to categorizes addresses, phone numbers, emails and web site addresses. In the Location drop down there are three default options Home, Work and Other available.
              Address Address of the location. There are two Address lines available for more complex addresses. When a second address line is used, check formatting when printing address labels and ticket face.
              Theatre Manager does not allow # (the number sign) in addresses. Its use is:
              City The City or town for the address provided. To assist in quickly adding a patron, a default City can be displayed when adding new patrons. The default City is set through Mandatory Data in Company Preferences under default values on patron insert. The default City comes from the City field under the Company tab in Company Preferences.
              Province/State The Province or State where the city is located. The Province or State field is apart of the Code Tables. To assist in quickly adding a patron, a default province or state can be displayed. The default Province or State is set through Mandatory Data in Company Preferences under default values on patron insert. The default Province or State comes from the Province or State field under the Company Tab in Company Preferences.

              The screen is able to display either "Province" or "State". The tab name "Province" or "State" may be renamed in the Appearance tab under Company Perfrences.

              Country The Country where the province or state is located. The Country field is apart of the Code Tables. To assist in quickly adding a patron, a default Country can be displayed. The default Country comes from the Country field under the Company tab in Company Preferences.
              Postal Code/Zip Code The Postal Code or Zip Code field records the patron's postal identification number. Postal Codes format automatically to capital letters. Zip Codes format automatically to add hyphens when 9 numbers are entered. Edit checks warn if numbers or letters are entered incorrectly. The screen is able to display either 'Postal Code' or 'Zip Code'. The tab name "Postal Code" or "Zip Code" may be renamed in the Appearance tab under the Company Preferences.
              Adds another address to the Patron.
              Removes a location from the address area. Click here for more information on removing.
              Provides several options related a patron's address. For example, you can schedule future address changes.
              Diataxis: 

              Link Another Address

              1. Open the Patron Window.

                Click here for information on opening the Patron Window.

              2. Click the Address in the patron window.
              3. Click the Contact Card button.

                The contact card window opens.

              4. Click the Add button in the lower left corner.

                An address location drop opens. Select the new address location.

              5. Enter the new address information.

              6. Close the contact card to save the information ot the patron record.

                The new address is now added to the contact card.

              Diataxis: 

              Remove Linked Address

              1. Open the Patron Window.

                Click here for information on opening the Patron Window.

              2. Click the Address in the patron window.
              3. Click the Contact Card button.

                The contact card opens.

              4. Click the Remove button in the lower left corner.
              5. Select the address to remove.

                A warning dialog opens.

              6. Click the Yes button.

                A confirmation dialog opens.

              7. Click the Delete button.

                The contact information is now removed from the contact card.

              Diataxis: 

              Patron Contact Card - Contacts

              Contact Info

              There can be as many lines of contact information within the contact area as are needed. Location types can be customized to meet needs.

              Type of contact information for the patron.
              Location of the contact. For information on how to edit this drop down field click here.
              Contact Contact information for the patron.
              Adds a piece of contact information to the patrons record. Each selection opens another flyout to select. When you make your selection, the patron's Contact Card opens to the field selected.
              Removes the highlighted piece of contact information from the patron record.
              Diataxis: 

              Add Contact Information

              A patron may have as many contact types such as phone numbers, email addresses, fax numbers or websites as are needed.

              1. To Add a new contact type to patron's record, click on the ADD button at the bottom of the the Contact window.

              2. Select the type of contact to add Phone, Email, Website or Fax. A sub menu will populate off of each of these contact types. Mouse over or roll over the contact type and end by clicking the contact type and the location in the sub menu.

              3. Enter the patron contact information in the new line provided and SAVE.

              Diataxis: 

              Remove Contact Information

              When a patron's contact type(s) changes or becomes no longer valid, the phone number, email address, fax number or website can be remove as long as it NOT the primary contact.

              1. To Remove a contact type from the patron's record, click on the REMOVE button at the bottom of the Contact window.

              2. Select the type of contact to remove Phone, Email, Website or Fax. A sub menu will populate off of each of these contact types. Mouse over or rollover the contact type and end by clicking the contact type and the location in the sub menu.

              3. Confirm the contact to remove.

              Diataxis: 

              Alternate Way To Remove A Contact

              1. Click on the "Gear" next to the contact. A sub window appear. Mouse over or rollover the Remove Now and end by clicking.

              2. Confirm the contact to remove.

              Diataxis: 

              Using the "Gear" Buttons

              The "Gear" button on the Contact Card can be used for several functions depending on the contact field the gear button is next to. For example, with these buttons you can:
              • Schedule the removal of a phone, fax, email, website or address.
              • Schedule a change to the primary phone, fax, email, website or address as a one-time occurrence (and then change it back again at a later date).
              • Show a map of the patron's address.
              • Show the weather at the patron's address.
              • Send an email to the patron.
              • Reset the web sales password for the patron's account and send a one-time login email.
              • If its an email address, then you can ask the system to display a Forgotten Password Reset Log which shows effort around the patron trying to login, forget their password, their success and checkouts
              Diataxis: 

              Sending a Patron an online password reset email

              If a Patron calls and asks for their online password because they have either forgotten it, or don't know that they have one, you can send them a one-time password reset email so they can reset the password themselves.

              For security reasons, you cannot send the patron their actual current password.

              You can only:

              • cause the password to be reset (which means nobody can use it)
              • cause an email to be sent to them which they can use to change their password. (A password can only be known to the account owner).

              1. Locate their Patron Record
              2. Open their Contact Card
              3. On the Contact Details panel, click the next to their email address
              4. Choose the option for Reset web sales password and send one-time login email

              The email will go out immediately. Have the Patron check their inbox for a new email. They can then follow the prompts in the email to change their password.

              It is exactly the same email that the patron would receive if they had initiated the password reset themselves online

              If the email does not appear in the Patron's inbox within a few minutes, it may have gone to their "SPAM" or "Junk" folder. Have them check those folders. If it is there, they should also adjust their Mail Settings so that future emails from you are not also placed there.
              An email will not be sent it there are two patrons in separate households with the same email address. If this is the case, you will need to de-dup the email addresses before it can be sent.

              Diataxis: 

              Address Tab

              This tab is used to store address information for a patron.

              Parts of the Address Tab

              Location The location for the patron information. This is a customizable field. Click here to edit the options.
              Addr-Line 1 Patrons street address or P.O. Box.
              Addr-Line 2 Additional line for patron address details if needed.
              Addr-City City of the address.
              Province Province or state of the address.
              Postal Code Postal code or zip code of the address.
              Country Country of the address.
              Opens the patron contact card. Click here to learn more about the contact card.
              Clicking Add, opens a flyout to select the address type you want to add (Home, Others, Summer, Winter, Work). Making a selection, opens the Contact Card with the correct tab for that address added for data entry. Click here to learn more about the contact card.
              Removes an address from the patrons record.
              Changes the primary address for the patron. The primary address is recognized by the symbol.
              Highlighting a patron's address in the window changes the display to show the number of miles/kilometers from the patron's home to the address set in Company Preferences. The calculated distance will replace the existing text and now display like this:
              Diataxis: 

              Address Functions

              When a Patron's address is highlighted from the Address Tab several additional functions are available setting column Preferences, Add, Open or delete a patron address, Export, Get Google Map and Geocode Address.

              Additional Address Features

              changing-column-preferences
              Preferences These Preferences pertain to the Patron window Toolbar allowing the Toolbar to be customized. Customizations include Hide and Show Toolbar or Text Under icons. Icon size can also be customized Small Icons.
              New Adds a new address to patron's record.
              Open Opens a selected address from patron's record.
              Delete Removes an address from patron's record, unless it is the primary address for the patron. If the primary address needs to be removed, set another address on the account to the primary address.
              Duplicate For future development.
              Print For future development.
              Import For future development.
              Export Allows for the patron address record to be exported to text or MSExcel document. Exported data includes: Patron number, address lines 1 and 2, city, Province/State, country, first and last names household number and title.
              Hide Selected Lines For future development.
              Get Allows the patron's address to copy patron name and address to the clipboard, Show map of address using MapQuest through a Web browser, and show weather at patron address using WeatherUnderground through a Web browser.
              Google Map Allows the patron's address to link directly to Google Map through a Web browser.
              Geocode Addresses Allows for the patron's address(es) be converted a into a geographic location using latitude and longitude.
              Diataxis: 

              Delete or Remove A Patron Address

              A Patron's address can only be removed or deleted when the address is not the primary address on the patron's account.

              There are two methods to Remove or Delete a patron address.

              Select the patron address. Use the Remove button at the bottom of the Address Tab window. OR Right click on the address will bring up a flyout menu. Click on Delete.

              This brings up a dialog box to delete the address selected. Click Delete

              If the address is the primary address, it can not be deleted.

              This dialog box will appear when attempting to delete a primary address.

              Diataxis: 

              Export Patron Address

              Patron's name and address can be exported to a spreadsheet through the Address Tab. Exporting multiple patron's name and addresses at once and can be done by highlighting multiple different patron records from the Patron Contact List Window.

            • Select the address and right click on the address this will bring up a flyout menu
            • Left click on Export will provide a sub menu with a list of file types to choose from

            • Mouse over the Export file type and save the file to a designed location
            • Open exported file in designed spreadsheet program




            • If the patron has more than one address, all or selected addresses can be exported to the same file.

              Diataxis: 

              Geocode Addresses

              Theatre Manager will geocode all patron's addresses listed in the Address Tab of the patron recorder. There is a setting in System Preferences (edit Tab) that determines where Theatre Manager will get geo-location data for addresses. Choices are:
              • to get generalized information from the zip code/postal code table (zip codes are accurate only to a fairly large area and Postal Code may ba accurate to street (for cities) or area (for rural postal codes)
              • or use Google Maps to obtain data - which is generally more accurate to the buildings actual location.
              Click here for more information about System Preferences.

              The database will display a message like the one below in the bottom left corner of the Patron Address Tab indicating that geocoding of addresses can not be performed because Google look up for Addresses has not been set in System Preferences. No database error message indicates Google has been enabled in System Preferences.



              Google may limit the number of addresses being geocoded in a given day.

              Geocoding an address makes use of data from a street geographic information system where the street network is already mapped within the geographic coordinate space. Each street segment is attributed with address ranges (e.g. house numbers from one segment to the next). Geocoding takes an address, matches it to a street and specific segment (such as a block, in towns that use the "block" convention). Geocoding then interpolates the position of the address, within the range along the segment. More can be found on the Web by searching geocoding addresses.


              Distance Patron Address is from Venue

              Theatre Manager uses the geocode of the patron's address to determine the patron's distances from your venue. The distance from your venue is determined by the address listed in Default Company Information in Company Preferences.


              Mail List with Address Latitude and Longitude

              Mail Lists will display the patron's address latitude and longitude. Adjusting the column header Preferences will allow the latitude and longitude to display in the Mail List under the Who's In Tab Column headers may need to be added to view latitude and longitude in the Who's in Tab.
              Diataxis: 

              Get Function

              There are three Get functions related to a patron's address from the Address Tab. The Get function can also be used through the Patron Contact List Window. These are helpful actions within Theatre Manager related to patron data that is commonly used.

              • Copy patron name and address to the clipboard.
              • Show map of patron address using MapQuest.
              • Show weather at patron address using Weather Underground.



              • Copy Patron Name and Address to the Clipboard

                Theatre Manager allows the patron name and address to be copied the clipboard. Then the name and address can then be pasted into any document by using the Edit >> Paste menu.

                For more information on how to Copy Patron Name and Address to the Clipboard Click here.

                Show Map of Address using MapQuest through a Web Browser

                Theatre Manager takes the patron address and opens MapQuest through a web browser. This will display an interactive map showing the patron's address. From here MapQuest, provides directions to or from the patron address.



                Show Weather at Patron Address using WeatherUnderground through a Web browser

                Theatre Manager takes the patron address and opens WeatherUnderground in a web browser. WeatherUnderground web site provides real-time information surrounding the patron's address.

              Diataxis: 

              Copy Patron Name and Address to the Clipboard

              The Get function of the Address Tab allows a patron's address(es) to be copied to the clipboard for use outside of Theatre Manager.

            • Select the address and right click on the address this will bring up a flyout menu
            • Left click on Get will provide a sub menu with a list to choose from
            • Mouse over the option Copy Patron Name and Address to the Clipboard.
            • Open any word processor or spreadsheet program or document.
            • Paste the patron name and address information using the Edit >>Paste Menu.

            • If the patron has more than one address, all or selected addresses can be copied to the clipboard to the same time.

              Diataxis: 

              Show Map of Address using MapQuest through a Web Browser

              The Get function of the Address Tab allows a patron's address be used in MapQuest to pin point where the patron lives. Show Map of Address using MapQuest through a Web Browser will display an interactive map showing the patron's address. MapQuest provides directions to or from the patron address.

              This feature can also be reached by using the "gear" icon next to the contact on the Contact Card

            • Select the address and right click on the address this will bring up a flyout menu
            • Left click on Get will provide a sub menu with a list to choose from
            • Mouse over and click on the option Show Map of Address using MapQuest through a Web Browser
            • Theatre Manager automatically opens MapQuest in a web browser

            • Diataxis: 

              Show Weather at Patron Address using WeatherUnderground through a Web browser

              The Get function of the Address Tab allows a patron's address be used to pin point the current weather where the patron lives. Show Weather at Patron Address using WeatherUnderground through a Web browser will display an interactive map showing real-time weather information surrounding the patron's address.

              This feature can also be reached by using the "gear" icon next to the contact on the Contact Card

            • Select the address and right click on the address this will bring up a flyout menu
            • Left click on Get will provide a sub menu with a list to choose from
            • Mouse over and click on the option Show Weather at Patron Address using WeatherUnderground through a Web browser
            • Theatre Manager automatically opens WeatherUnderground website in a web browser

            • Diataxis: 

              Google Map

              The Google Map function allows Theatre Manager to use the patron's single or multiple address(es) to plot the patron's address on a Google Map. The web browser displays a static map of the patron's address(es). Google Maps is also available through Patron Contact List, the WHO's IN Tab of a Mail List of Patrons, or anywhere a listing of patrons are generated.

            • Select and right click on the address to bring up a flyout menu
            • Left click on Google Map will launch your web browser and place the patron's address on a static map image.
            • If there is more than one address for the patron, several addresses can be selected and displayed on the same static map. This is helpful if you wish to see a graphic representation of where your patron, subscribers or donors live.

              Needing an interactive map to get directions to a patron's address use the Show Map Address Using MapQuest Through Web Browser

              Diataxis: 

              Web Tab

              The web tab is used to keep track of a patron's history of purchases over the internet.

              Parts of the Web Tab

              Total Web Sales Total value of sales over the web.
              Pages Accessed Number of pages accessed by the patron.
              First Login Date The first time the patron logged into the website.
              Last Login Date The last time the patron logged into the website.
              Diataxis: 

              Patron Tab

              This tab gives a brief overview of the patrons financial history with the company.

              Parts of the Patron Tab

              Patron Special Needs A high priority note employees need to be aware of during sales. For example: Patron requires wheelchair seating. This note appears in the orders window during purchasing.
              Tax number If this patron has a Tax Exempt number, you may enter it here. This field is only for reference, however. To automatically remove the taxes, be sure to add the Tax Exempt number to the Household tab.
              Default Sales Promotion An option to select a default sales promotion when this patron purchases tickets (if the sales promotion is available).
              • If the Sales Promotion is not available, the default sales promotion on the performance will be used.
              • If neither promotion is available, the default for the Sales Promotion window will be used.
              • If none of these are available, the employee must manually select a Sales Promotion to use for the sale.
              Allowed Sales Promotions If the patron is a tour operator, reseller, or school where you want them to receive specific pricing at the box office, you can enter one or more sales promotions on their record. By doing so, only those sales promotions can be used to sell tickets for the patron- none of the others that the box office normally has access to will be seen.

              For example, you might associate a group price and a bus driver comp with the patron - and thats the only price that they can be charged. If those promotions are not available on a performance, you cant sell a ticket to them.

              Note: patron restrictions apply to both box office sales and web sales since this is considered a contractual price agreement for a patron. if you make a new household patron, the selected promotions from the primary contact will be copied to the new household member. However, if you change one of the household members, it does not change the others, so you can customize each person.
              Sales promotions restrictions can also be applied to certain employees should you wish the employee to only sell something like group sales. Patron restrictions (if any) always over-ride any employee restrictions (if any).
              Remind Employee of Notes When checked and you open the patron window, it makes a audible beep and opens to the patron tab instead of the default marketing tab.

              There is no pop up displayed to keep movement during a sale process faster - it allows you to read the notes and move on without having to acknowledge a confirmation message.

              General Patron Notes Notes about the individual patron.
              Ticket Balance Amount of money due from or to the patron. A red number means the patron owes the company, a blue number means the company owes the patron.
              Total Tickets Total amount of money spent on tickets by the patron.
              Total Memberships Total amount of money spent on membership items by the patron.
              Last Ticket Last year the patron purchased tickets.
              Diataxis: 

              Donor Tab

              The donation tab provides a brief look at the donation defaults for a patron.

              Parts of the Donor Tab

              Publication Name This is how the patron generally wishes to be recognized.

              Normally this is left blank for most patrons, but if patron has a specific request for all donations, enter something here. It was intended for foundations, granting agencies, and matching gift corporations that have specific recognition needs. However, it can be used for any patron. Refer to the actual entry of a donation to see how the program name is populated.

              Giving Capacity Expectation of the patrons giving range within a specific time frame.
              Don't solicit by: The options are:
              • Mail If flagged the patron does not wish to receive mail. This flag can be used to remove the patron from mail campaigns.
              • Phone If flagged the patron does not wishing to receive phone calls. This flag can be used to remove the patron from phone lists.
              • Email If flagged, the patron does not want to recieve emails. This flag can be used to remove the patron from email lists.
              In many instances, it may better to use one or more mail lists than these quick flags to decide how to communicated with Donors.
              Solicitor Assigns a specific employee as solicitor for this patron.
              Donor Tab #2 Donor Date field.
              Moves Mgt Date Use to track the date a patron reached a selected level within the moves management structure. The calendar button can be used to select a date.
              Donor level. Allows you to choose a donation selections level.
              Last Match Co.   The company and individual who last matched the donors gift.
              General Donor Notes Any general notes about the donor that are not related to a specific donation.
              Private Restricts the view of the patron's donation info from general users of Theatre Manager. For more information on restricting access to donor information click here .
              Asset Tracking If you wish to track key assets for a donor, you can enter them into the list on the upper left. This allows you to identify high net worth individuals.

              This is described in more detail in donor asset tracking

              Diataxis: 

              Donor Asset Tracking

              If you are tracking planned giving, a list of assets owned by the patron can be displayed. This allows employees (with permission) to see and/or edit a list of assets (and optionally, the value) for a patron for major gift prospecting. There are separate permissions for this feature and the window will not be shown if an employee does not have permission to see the data.

              Click the new, edit or delete buttons under the asset list to edit various aspects of the assets, including the value and when it was valued. A total of all assets is displayed to the right at the bottom of the statistical information column.

              Refer to the Donor Assets Code Table to create or edit code table values used in this window.
              A user must have access to the asset tracking data in their employee permissions, otherwise this list is not displayed in the window. You can choose to have only key development staff members see this information.

              Diataxis: 

              Stats Tab

              This tab displays some summary statistics on the donations the patron has made. The data is separated into:

              • Fiscal year - past 6 and future
              • Program year - past 6 and future
              • Balance, and totals for soft credits and pledge amounts
              • An indication of minimum, maximum gifts and when they were given

              Meaning of Fiscal and Program Year

              The Fiscal Year for a donation is displayed using the current fiscal year from company preferences, accounting tab. All accounting is done based on fiscal year.

              The Program Year for a donation generally tracks the fiscal year - meaning it is the same. However, you can make the program year an arbitrary year in the future or in the past -- so that you can track totals differently than fiscal year. Changing program year has no effect on financial data. It can be used as selection criteria for creating the program listing.

              Calendar Year is derived from the date of the donation for tax receipt purposes.

               

              The totals are displayed on mail lists and a few other places within the system. They are handy for quickly finding people based on total donations.

              However, if you want to distinguish based on campaigns or other donation fields, you may need to use mail lists to identify and contact people.

              Diataxis: 

              Media Tab

              The Media Tab is used to keep track of patron's who are member's of the media and the marketing materials they could best but to use.

              Parts of the Media Tab

              Media Information

              Media Type Record the type of media that the patron works with. To select a media type, open the drop down list and click on the desired choice. The list of media type can be altered in the Media Types Code Table. Click here for more information.
              Community The area in which the media type spans. Television for example would span the entire city, so the user might put a city name in the community field, or the media could be a community paper and it only spans one or two communities, so the user would put the community name(s) in the field. The Community defaults to the City entered in the patron window.
              Last Contact Last time the media member was contacted.
              Lead Time Number of days (in advance) the media members need to be aware of an event in order to advertise it.
              Priority Rating media contacts for accurate distribution of limited advertising materials.
              Notes Relevant notes about the media contact.

              Send Following

              This is what the media member requires in order to properly advertise the event. Add a check mark by clicking in the box next to the required items.
              Media Release Does the Media Member require a Press Release?
              Invitation Does the Media Member receive an Invitation?
              Poster Does the Media Member receive a Poster to display?
              PSA Does the Media Member require a Public Service Announcement?
              Photo Call Does the Media Member receive Photo opportunities?
              Media Kit Does the Media Member receive a Media Kit?
              Brochure Does the Media Member receive a Brochure?
              Calendar of Events Does the Media Member receive a Calendar of the Theatre's Events?
              Comp. Tickets Does the Media Member receive Complimentary Tickets? By placing a check mark in the Comp Tickets box another field will appear alongside Comp. Tickets which allows room to define the number of tickets the media member is to receive. Enter the standard number of complimentary tickets for this contact. This is a security feature. When the media member calls to request their complimentary tickets, check this field to see how many tickets they are to receive.

              An entry in this field does not actually reserve complimentary tickets for the media patron.

              Diataxis: 

              Volunteer Tab

              The Volunteer Tab is used to show which patrons are volunteering for an play. Click Here for more information on setting volunteers.

              Parts of the Volunteer Tab

              Status Select the appropriate one of the following:
              • Status-Active
              • Status-Inactive
              • Status-Unknown
              Passport # The Passport number of the individual
              Equity # The equity number of the individual
              Height The height of the individual
              Weight The weight of the individual
              General Volunteer Notes General notes about the volunteer
              Last Activity Displays the year the individual last volunteered
              Total History The number of times the individual has volunteered
              Awarded Hours Number of hours the volunteer has worked that have been awareded
              Total Hours The total number of hours the individual has worked as a volunteer
              Diataxis: 

              Credit Card Tab

              This tab stores the patrons credit card history for records and auditing purposes. Data in this tab is visible to an employee if they have been granted access under Employee Setup.

              If you want to black list the card and prevent it from being used in Theatre Manager, edit the card and click the black list checkbox

              Parts of the Credit Card Tab

              Type Credit card type. e.g. Visa, Master Card, American Express.
              Name on Card Name printed on the credit card used for added security when processing the card.
              Credit Card The credit card number
              Expiry Date Date the card will expire.
              Uses Once a card has been used, a count of the number of times it is used is retained. This is the number of payments records with this credit card number on it.
              Adds a new credit card to the patrons file. Click here for more information on Adding New Credit Cards.
              Opens the credit card detail window for editing. Click here for more information on Editting a Credit Cards.
              Deletes a credit card from the patron file. Once credit cards without transaction history can be deleted from the patron record. Click here for more information on Deleting a Credit Card.
              Shred the selected credit card records if they exceed the minimum retention policy of # days. Theatre Manager can implement either Schedule "C" or "D" for the SAC. You can define a retention period for credit card information. Click here for more information.
              Determines the state of the card and if it can be selected to process credit card transactions. Expired, lost or stolen cards can be set to an inactive state.
              Diataxis: 

              Add New Credit Card

              Credit Cards can be used for a number of purposes., including thise designated by the patron. These can include 'Subscription Auto Renewal' or 'Keep Forever'. Once a card has been used, a count of the number of times it is used is retained. This is the number of payments records with this credit card number on it.
              1. Open the Credit Card tab.
              2. Click the New button.

                The Credit Card detail window opens.

              3. Enter the credit card number.

                Theatre Manager will determine the card type and populate the type into the Card Type field.

              4. Enter the Expiry Date for the credit card.
              5. Type the name from the card exactly how it appears.

                This is an optional process all though it allows for stronger security when processing the card.

              6. Enter any comments about the card as needed.

                The Use Count will increase as the patron uses the card over and over.

              7. Click the Save button.
              8. Close the Credit Card detail window.

                The card information now appears in the Credit Card tab.

              Diataxis: 

              Changing a Credit Card Expiry or Purpose

              On the credit card detail, you can change a number of settings about the card such as changing the:
              • Expiry Date for an existing card. A change will affect all future authorizations for post dated payments.
              • Name on the card if it was swiped incorrectly.
              • Blacklist status - you can black list a card which can be used to prevent this card from being used again.
                • If the same card number is in use by other patrons, you may be prompted to also blacklist those patrons.
                • Only employees with permissions in functions tab can clear the blacklist status.
              If you need to change the card number used on future post dated credit cards, please refer to changing post dated credit card. You could change the expiry date using this process.

               

              1. Open the Credit Card tab.

                The Credit Card tab is located on the Patron Window.

              2. Select the Credit Card to be edited.
              3. Click the Open button.

                The Credit Card detail window opens.

              4. Make changes as needed.
              5. Click the Save button.
              6. Close the Credit Card detail window.

                The card information is now updated in the Credit Card tab.

              Diataxis: 

              Delete a Credit Card

              1. Open the Credit Card tab.

                The Credit Card tab is located on the Patron Window.

              2. Select a credit card.

                Select a credit card by single clicking on it.

              3. Click the Delete button. One of two messages will open:

                The message below indicates the card has been used for previous transactions within Theatre Manger. For record and auditing purposes the card can not be removed from the patrons record.

                This message indicates the card has no previous transactions history within Theatre Manger.It can deleted from the system.

              4. Click the Delete button.

                The credit card is now removed from the patrons file.

              Diataxis: 

              Household Tab

              This tab stores information related to all members of the household. Changes to this tab will effect all members of the household.

              Parts of the Household Tab

              Tax Exempt Certificate When entered Theatre Manager will not charge taxes to the patron.
              Household General Notes Notes about the household. Notes entered in this field will be viable in the household tab of each household member. Notes changed in one record will effect all records.
              Diataxis: 

              Match Tab

              The Match tab allows you to indicate that a particular patron record is that of a Matching Gift Company.

              Parts of the Match Tab

              Matching gift company A checkmark indicates that this patron record is of a Matching Gift Company.
              Match gift ratio The ratio of the donor's gift that the company will match.
              Minimum amount The minimum threshold below which the company will not match (if applicable). This field is optional.
              Maximum amount The maximum threshold above which the company will not match (if applicable). This field is optional.
              Diataxis: 

              Account History Tabs

              The account history tabs at the bottom of the patron window and used to display the history of the patron such as ticket purchased, donations, past orders, emails that they've received, meetings and todo's associated with the patron, statistical purchase history and more.
              Diataxis: 

              Ticket Tab

              The tickets tab shows a summary of all tickets bought by the patron. They may be shown by different types and years using the pull down bar in the bottom left corner.

              • Refer to Examining Purchases if the user cannot view patron tickets.
              • For a description of the buttons on this window and the procedure to sell a ticket are described in Selling Tickets.

              Parts of the Ticket Tab

              Order # The order number is a reference number for the order.
              Play Code A unique code used to define the event.
              Performance Code A code which describes which day the event took place on.
              Section/Row/Seat Section/Row/Seat provides the location of the Patron's seat.
              Qty The number of admissions the ticket allows. Theatre Manager allows "Group Tickets" for festival seating events.
              Total Cost Displays the amount paid for the ticket. The price includes markups, discounts, and taxes.
              Pc Pc pertains to the "Price Code" selected when the ticket was purchased.
              Promotion Displays the "Sales Promotion" used when the ticket was purchased.
              Date Printed Date the ticket was printed on.
              Performance Date The date the performance will take place.
              Performance Time Time the performance will take place.
              Play Title The name of the event the ticket was purchased to.
              Used? The status of the ticket can be marked as used if attendance is tracked within Theatre Manager.
              Clicking the Tickets button opens a popup that allows you to:
              • Purchase New Tickets for the Patron, Click here for more information.
              • Add new tickets to the selected order, Click here for more information.
              • Exchange the selected tickets. Click here for more information.
              • Change the selected tickets price or promotion. Click here for more information.
              • Return the selected tickets to the box office for resale. Click here for more information.
              • Pay for tickets in the first selected order. Click here for more information.
              • Assign ticket as a gift too... - opens a sub menu. Click here for more information.
              • Release the selected tickets that are held specifically for the patron
              • Open a new order, ready to buy the selected held tickets. Tickets are not sold automatically since you will need to select a price code and sales promotion manually. It will show you which tickets are held for the patron.
              • If the held tickets are part of a shopping cart, you can open the cart directly from this window which gives you options like taking over the cart and checking the cart out on behalf of the patron.
              Detail opens the ticket transaction. Click here for more information.
              Returns tickets back to a sales state and allows a refund or transfer of patrons funds to another form. For more information click here.
              Prints or emails the selected tickets if they are not yet printed.
              Unprints tickets that already have a printed date. For more information click here.
              Same as the Attandance by House and Calendar Report - Print Graphic Map by Ticket report. Maps the patron's highlighted tickets to their seats in the venue. For more information on printing a graphic map by ticket, click here.
              Controls which tickets are visible in the ticket tab of the patron window. Typically you wanto to show holds for all tickets in the future, but the search can be limited. Click here for more details.
              Diataxis: 

              Patron Ticket Purchases

              The tickets a patron has purchased are displayed using the Tickets Tab in the Patron Account. Refer to the appropriate links for more in depth descriptions.

              To display tickets, you perform the following steps:

              1. Select the Tickets Tab in the Patron record.

                Theatre Manager displays a summary of all the non-archived tickets which fall under the parameters set using the two pull down menus on the bottom left of the tab.

              2. To view the Detailed Ticket Information

              3. Double click on a line of ticket information

                The ticket detail window opens and displays detailed ticket information. There are four tabs within the Ticket Detail Window. Depending on the type of ticket these tabs may or may not be available to view.

              Ticket Detail Tab

              Play Information

              Play The name of the play the ticket is for.
              Venue The name of the venue that the play is located in.
              Code The ticket code which includes the play code, performance code, performance date and performance time.
              Seat The seat that the ticket is for.

              Order Information

              Promotion Promotion that this order was sold under.
              Sold By The name of the clerk that handled the order.
              Quantity The quantity that the ticket admits.
              Price The gross price of the ticket.
              Discount The amount of the discount received for the ticket.
              Ticket Fee 1 The amount of the ticket fee that was included.
              Ticket Fee 2 The amount of the ticket fee that was included.
              Ticket Fee 3 The amount of the ticket fee that was included.
              City Tax The amount of tax that was charged.
              State/PST Tax The amount of tax that was charged.
              Federal/GST Tax The amount of tax that was charged.
              Ticket Cost The net ticket cost after all discounts, fees and taxes.
              Auction Item If this was an auction item, then the description of the item appears here.

              Patron Information

              Name The name of the patron that purchased the ticket.
              Attended Status The status of the ticket as whether it was used for attendance yet.
              Order # The order number that this ticket was sold under.
              Ticket # The number of the ticket.
              Tax Code The tax code that was used.
              Bought The date that the ticket was purchased.
              Journalized The date that the ticket was entered in the general journal.
              Printed The date that the ticket was printed.
              Print By The last user that printed the ticket and the number of times that it was printed.

              Transactions Tab

              Seq # The sequence number of the transaction.
              Transaction Date The date the transaction occurred.
              Journal No The journal number for the transaction.
              Code The code for the transaction type.
              Transaction Desc A description of the transaction.
              Order # The order number that the transaction was a part of.
              Play Code The play code that the transaction was a part of.
              Performance Code The performance code that the transaction was a part of.
              Type The type of ticket that was used.
              Description of Entry A description of what the transaction did.
              Debit The amount debited in conjunction with the transaction.
              Credit The amount credited in conjunction with the transaction.
              User The user who entered the transaction.
              Qty The quantity of items in conjunction with the transaction.
              Total The total amount for the transaction.
              First Name The first name of the patron that the transaction is attached to.
              Last Name The last name of the patron that the transaction is attached to.
              Patron # The patron number who the transaction is attached to.
              Campaign The campaign used if this was a donation.
              Member Type The membership type that used.
              Promotion The promotion that was used on the transaction.
              Group
              Merchant
              Play Title The title of the play that the transaction affected.
              Play Code The play code that the transaction was attached to.
              Outlet Owner The owner of the outlet that made transaction.
              Outlet Other The outlet that the transaction took place at.
              GL # The G/L number that the transaction affected.
              Fee The fees that were charged in conjunction with the transaction.

              Order Notes Tab

              Ticket Handling

              Hold for Pickup / Taken Denotes that patron will pick up ticket from the Box Office prior to performance.
              Mail to Patron Denotes that ticket should be mailed to patron.
              Hold for Will Call Denotes that the ticket will be picked up at Will Call prior to the performance.
              Hold @ Door for Coupon Denotes that ticket should be held. Patron needs to present a coupon in order to receive ticket.

              Order Notes

              Listing of any order notes entered by any user.
              Diataxis: 

              Donation Tab

              A Donation would be any item given to an organization without intention of receiving a benefit. Most donors receive a tax receipt for their donation. Donations can be Inserted, Modified, or Deleted depending on the need. To learn more about Donation Features click here.

              Parts of the Donation Tab

              Status 
              Order # The order number is a reference number for the order.
              Prog Yr Program Year.
              Use Use
              Campaign Name Name of the campaign.
              Fiscal Year Fiscal Year of the donation.
              Donation Date Date the donation was made.
              Pledge Amount The amount the patron pledged.
              Actual Amount The amount recieved to this date.
              Giving Level  What level of giving the donation is at.
              Balance Outstanding balance of the pledged amount remaining.
              Total Receipted The amount of the donation that has been issued receipts.
              Soft Credit Soft Credits that have been applied to the donation.
              Program Name The name of the program.
              Add a new donation. For more information, click here.
              Opens the highlighted donation. For more information, click here.
              Deletes the highlighted donation. For more information, click here.
              Opens the Payment window for the highlighted donation. For more information, click here.
              Prints the highlighted donation. For more information, click here.
              Opens the Set Donation Name dialog for the highlighted donation. For more information, click here.
              The Donations search filter.
              Diataxis: 

              Event / Play Tab

              The Event / Play tab is used to keep track of which events / plays a patron or household has purchased.

              Parts of the Tab

              Play # The unique number used to distinguish between events / plays.
              Year The year the event / play is associated with.
              Play Code A unique code used to distinguish between events / plays.
              Play Title The title of the event / play.
              Count Count of tickets purchased to that event.
              Price Total value of the tickets that the patron has purchased
              Outlet-Owner The outlet the created the event / play.
              Not supported on this tab.
              Not supported on this tab.
              Not supported on this tab.
              Diataxis: 

              Adding an Event / Play to a Patron Through the Event / Play Tab

              This functionality is no longer supported as the Event/Play Tab calculates automatically based on a patron's ticket purchases.
              Diataxis: 

              Editing an Event / Play From the Patron's Event Play Tab

              This functionality is no longer supported as the Event/Play Tab calculates automatically based on a patron's ticket purchases.
              Diataxis: 

              Deleting an Event / Play from a Patron's Event / Play Tab

              This functionality is no longer supported as the Event/Play Tab calculates automatically based on a patron's ticket purchases.
              Diataxis: 

              Mail List Tab

              This tab is used to view all of the mail lists that a patron belongs to. It is also used to manually add or remove patrons to or from a mail list. You can also access the mail list criteria window from this tab.

              Parts of the Mail List Tab

              List # This is the number that was assigned to the mail list when it was created.
              Source How the patron was added to the mail list.
              Mail List Name This column displays the names of the mail lists that the patron belongs to.
              Mail List Description This is a brief description of the nature of the mail list.
              Date Added This is the date that the patron was added to the corresponding mail list.
              Date Updated The date the mail list was last ran or updated.
              Outlet-Owner The outlet the mail list belongs to.
              Mail List Active? Displays the current active or inactive state of the mail list.
              Web? Shows the mail lists status on the web site.
              Changed By The last person to edit or update the mail list.
              Clicking this button allows the user to attach a patron to any mail list manually. For more information, Click here.
              Clicking this button opens the mail list criteria window. For more information on mail list criteria and how it can be edited click here.
              This button removes a patron from the selected mail list. For more information Click here.
              Diataxis: 

              Pass G.C. Tab

              The Member Tab tracks data for memberships, gift certificates and/or event passes for a patron. For more information on memberships click here.

              "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."

              Parts of the Pass / G.C. Tab

              Order The unique number for this order.
              Fiscal Year Fiscal year the membership belongs to.
              Member Type The type of membership purchased. Membership types are setup in Code Tables. Click here for more information.
              Date First Member Date the membership has been valid since.
              Control # The control number for this membership used for redemption purposes.
              Purchase $ The value of the membership at the time of purchase.
              Issued Qty Number of admissions the membership was valid for at the time of purchase.
              Remain $ Remaining dollar value the membership can be redeemed for.
              Remain Qty Remaining admissions for the membership.
              Date Renewed Date the membership can be renewed on or till.
              Last Renewed Date the membership was last renewed.
              Expire Date Date that the membership will expire.
              Notes This column displays any notes that are pertinent to the membership.
              Clicking this button allows you to buy a new membership. For more information on buying memberships click here.
              Clicking this button allows viewing the membership detail window. For more information on membership details click here.
              Clicking this button allows refunding a membership. For more information on refunding memberships click here.
              Adds a payment to the membership.
              When the membership preferences define, prints the selected membership. For more information on Print Memberships, Click here. For more information on setting up membership types click here.
              When the membership preferences define the ability to unprint, unprints the selected membership. For more information on setting up membership types click here.
              Use the Valid/Invalid filter to search for current or expired Memberships.
              Use the Date Filter to search for Memberships in specific years. Use this in conjunction with the Valid/Invalid filter.
              Diataxis: 

              Relation Tab

               

              The relationships tab shows the relationships that this patron has with other patrons in the database. This could be used like various types of patron interactions like:
              • Coworkers, bosses or employee relationships - which might be beneficial for group sales
              • family relationships like parents, children, grandparents or gardians - for drama classes or educational purposes
              • relationships created for safety reasons like doctors, who can pick up a child from drama camps (and who may not for legal reasons) - for educational classes in case of emergency.
              • patrons relationships like who typically sit together (implying a change in one ticket may cause a change in another) or who definitely should not sit together
              • Fundraising relationships such as whom are neighbours to each other, who are in a common circle of friends, etc. for identifying the best person to introduce you to a possible new benefactor to your cause.

              You can define the kinds of relationship you want to track in the relationship code table and inactivate any you no longer want to use.

              Relationships can be categorized and contain personalized notes. Select columns in the Relationship tab relevant to your organization and your relationship management.

               

              When a relationship is:
              • created under the relationship tab, an entry is created for the current patron as well as the other patron in the relationship.
              • altered or deleted in one patron's record, the same changes will affect the other patron in the relationship.

              Parts of the Relationship Tab

              Patron # The patron number of the other patron in the relationship.
              First Name The first name of the other patron in the relationship.
              Last Name Last name of the other patron in the relationship.
              Company The Company associated with the other patron.
              Type The type of relationship the patron listed has with the selected patron.
              Primary Phone The phone number of the patron listed.
              Email The email associated with the patron listed.
              Relationship Note Any notes made about the listed patron.
              Reason A description of what this relationship is. The relationship can be viewed from both patrons and Theatre Manager automatically adjusts the terminology displayed in the column based on the code tables. For example: under patron one, the relationship may indicate that patron one is the 'child' of patron 2. On patron 2, it will indicate that patron 2 is the 'Parent' of patron 1 to help understand the relationship easier.
              Donation Amount Pledged The pledge amount of the other patron in the relationship. This information could be helpful to soliciting donations of the current patron.
              Donation Amount Soft Credit Value of Soft Credit the other patron has. This information could be helpful in soliciting donations of the current patron.
              Donation Count The number of donations the other patron has made
              Hours Number of hours the other patron has contributed through work or volunteering. This information could be helpful in filling in volunteer or work schedules.
              Relationship Notes The notes allow for an additional description of the relationship. This could be useful for describing relationships of people in partnerships or business.
              Outlet The outlet identification number.
              Adds a new relationship to the patrons record. Click here to learn more about adding a relationship.
              Edits a current relationship. Click here to learn more about editing a relationship.
              Removes a relationship from a patrons record. Click here to learn more about deleting a relationship.
              Opens the patron record for the other patron in the relationship.
              Diataxis: 

              Add A Relationship

              The Relationships tab allows you to define a a connection, association, or involvement between two patrons. For example, two co-workers who purchase tickets sepatrately, but often go to events together and like to sit together. Or one patron has authorized another to pick up tickets for them.

              These relationships are customizable through the Relationships code table, click here to see more information about the Relationships table.

              As relationships are defined between patrons, both patrons in the relationship will be shown in each other's Relationship tab in the Patron Record.

              For details on how to access the Patron window click here.

              1. Click the Relationship tab.
              2. Click the Add button.

                The Patron Relationship window opens.

              3. Click the Patron button.

                The Contact List opens.

              4. Search for the other patron in the relationship.

                For more information on searching for patrons click here.

              5. Click the Select button.
              6. Choose a Relationship from the drop down.

                The drop-down is populated from the Patron Relationships Code Table. For more information about how to set those values, click here. When setting up the code tables, you can define the Relationship type and the inverse name for the relationship. For example, Parent/Child

                When you un-check the check box in adding a relationship in the Patron, you are presented with only the the Relationship Type and not the inverse. For more information on the Patron Relationship code table, click here.

              7. Enter any applicable notes.
              8. Click the Save button.
              9. Close the Patron Relationship window.

                The new relationship now appears in the Relationships tab of both patrons.

              Diataxis: 

              Add Multiple Relationships

              A convenient way to add multiple relationships to a Patron Record by dragging a number of patrons from the Contact List window onto the Relation tab of a Patron Record.

              For example, this would be useful if you were creating relationships between a company and all the staff, volunteers or donors that are associated with that company. To complete this task quickly, you would:

              1. Find the company Patron Record in the database.

              2. Open the record and select the Relation tab.

                Relation Tab

              3. Open the Contact List window and find all Patrons that work for the company.

              4. Highlight and drag the Patrons from the Contact List window onto the Relation tab.

              5. Theatre Manager asks for a relationship. The opposing relationship is applied to all Patrons that are being added.

              6. Click the OK button to create the relationships.

              Should the corresponding relationship not currently exist, it can be added in the Patron Relation section of the Code Tables.

              Diataxis: 

              Delete Relationship

              1. Open the Patron window.

                For details on how to access the Patron window click here.

              2. Click the Relationship tab.
              3. Click the Delete button.

                A warning message will appear.

              4. Click the Delete button.

                The relationship is now deleted from both patrons records.

              Diataxis: 

              Edit a Relationship

              To edit an existing relationship, you perform the following steps:

              1. Open the Patron window.

                For details on how to access the Patron window click here.

              2. Click the Relationship tab.
              3. Select the relationship to be edited.
              4. Click the Edit button.

              5. Edit the relationship information as needed.
              6. Click the Save button.
              7. Close the Patron Relationship window.

                The new relationship now appears in the relationships tab.

              Diataxis: 

              Resource Tab

              The Resource Tab is used by the Facility Management portion of Theatre Manager to keep track of Resources associated with a Patron. For more information on Resources, Click here.

              Diataxis: 

              Order Tab

              The order tab allows the user to view a summary of all previous purchases the patron has made.

              For more information on Order management, click here.

              You an also select one or more orders and right click on then to perform some of the functions below.

              One of the important ones is the ability to rebuild order balances. This will:

              • recalculate any balances that look to be errant on the patron record
              • recalculate the overall patron balance
              • Allocate payments to amount paid for donations, tickets, passes, etc on the order

               

              Parts of the Orders Tab

              Order A unique number used to define the order.
              Date Date on which the order was made.
              Tix Qty Number of tickets in the order.
              Tix Amount Value of the tickets in the order.
              Donation Amount Value of the donations in the order.
              Membership Amount Value of the memberships in the order.
              Fee Total Value of the fees in the order.
              Order Total Combined total value of the donation.
              Balance Displays the amount the patron owes.
              Final Date Due Date which the outstanding balance on the order is due.
              Outlet The number representing the outlet responsible for the order.
              Opens a new order window. For more information, Click here.
              Opens the selected order. For more information, Click here.
              You can
              After placing an order for a patron, an invoice for the order can be created and printed from the patron window. Click here for more information.
              Transfers the selected order to another patron including payments. Click here for more information.
              Opens a print dialog, to print the selected order.
              Opens the Transaction history record for the selected order. Click here for more information.
              Include Closed Orders This box should be checked to show orders which have received payment and been closed.
              Diataxis: 

              Order Tab - Transaction History

              The Transaction History window is used to review transactions associated with a Patron. This window displays details of the transaction. These include the date the transaction was create or updated, journal numbers, transaction descriptions and a Theatre Manager code representing the type of transaction.

              Use the search drop down to specify the type of transactions to display. Uncheck the include boxes to limit the view of the transaction.

              Parts of the Transaction History Window

              This function is not available in this window.
              Opens the Transaction Detail window for further detail about the transaction.
              This function is not available in this window.
              This function is not available in this window.
              Prints a copy of the information in the window.
              Exports the information in the window for importing into another program.
              Opens the Patron record of the patron associated with the transaction.
              Attempts to unpost the transaction where applicable. This function is not yet available
              Creates a reverse debit or credit for the transaction. This function is not yet available.
              Analyzes the TS transactions to verify that they are in balance.
              A drop down menu of the available search functions.
              Initiates a search based on the parameters in the To and From fields.
              Include The items checked will be included in the search. Uncheck an item to remove it from the search.
              Seq. # The sequence number of the transaction.
              Trans. Date The date of the transaction.
              Journal No The journal number of the transaction.
              Code The transaction code associated with the transaction.
              Transaction Desc A description of the transaction.
              Order # The order number the transaction was part of.
              Play The event the transaction is associated with.
              Performance The performance the transaction is associated with.
              Description of Entry An entry description.
              Debit The amount of the debit associated with the transaction.
              Credit The amount of the credit associated with the transaction.
              User The user who handled the transaction.
              Qty The quantity of items in the transaction.
              Total The total of the transaction
              First Name The first name of the patron associated with the transaction.
              Last Name The last name of the patron associated with the transaction.
              Company The company associated with the transaction.
              Patron # The patron number associated with the transaction.
              Campaign The donation campaign associated with the transaction.
              Description A description of the donation campaign.
              Promotion The promotion that used with the transaction.
              Group The report group of the promotion.
              Merchant The merchant that was used to process the transaction.
              Event Title The event title associated with the transaction.
              Event Code The event code associated with the transaction.
              GL # The general ledger number associated with the transaction.
              Fee The fee associated with the transaction.
              Diataxis: 

              Payment Tab

              The payment tab allows the user to view a summary of all payments the patron has made toward previous purchases.

              Parts of the Payment Tab

              Payment Order # The number given to the payment to tie it to the order.
              Date Received Date the payment was received.
              Recd By Employee who took the payment.
              Srce Represents the payment source.
              Payment Method Method received for payment.
              Total Paid Value of the payment.
              Deposit Deposit number for this payment.
              Date Printed Date the receipt for this payment was printed.
              Seq # Merchant Account number applicable to credit cards processed through Theatre Manager.
              Merchant Name of the merchant account used to process the payment.
              Outlet-Owner Outlet responsible for collecting the payment.
              Opens the Payment Data window for the selected payment. For more information Click here.
              Voids the selected payments. You can only void two things: Anything that is not in the list above must be put through as a negative payment to the appropriate payment merthod.
              Deletes the selected payments. Click here for more information on deleting payments.
              Allows printing a receipt for the payment if a receipt ticket face has been assigned in the Company Preferences. Click here for more information.
              Unprints the receipt for the payment.
              Allows a transfer of a payment. Click here for more information.
              Include Payments for closed Order(s) This box should be selected to show orders which have received payment and been closed.
              Diataxis: 

              Payment Data Window

              The Payment Data window opens when you select a record in the payment window and click the button.

              It will show various information such as how the payment was made, the order number, the elapsed time for authorization, and any information necessary to contact the bank for an online or phone in authorization.

              If you are using Moneris P400 EMV pins pads, you may need to look at the EMV Results tab when talking to Moneris about an authorization taken through the pin pad.
              Diataxis: 

              Payment Transactions

              Click the Open button, to open the Transaction Detail window.

              The Transaction Detail displays all information pertaining to a specific transaction. To view the detail of a particular transaction, select the transaction tab on a Patron's record and double click on the transaction. For more information on accessing the Patron Transaction tab, click here.

              You may black list this card if you do not want patrons to use it again. If the card is not shredded, you will be asked if you want to black list other patrons with the same card (who are not shredded).
              • in order to make a correction to transactions the user MUST have a Master User status in Theatre Manager.
              • The same transaction history list can be accessed from many places in Theatre Manager such as the End of Day wizard, Plays & Dates, GL Entry Window, etc. The contents of the transaction list varies depending on the route used to access it.
              Diataxis: 

              Payment EMV Detail

              This window shows the raw authorization results from the Moneris EMV response to an authorization. It can be used when talking to Moneris support about issues with the PinPad. Moneris requires this to be stored for at least 24 months.

              Diataxis: 

              Payment Receipt (Moneris P400)

              This shows the receipts retrieved from the Moneris P400 pin pad with all the elements required to be printed. You can see:

              • Customer/Cardholder receipt copy on the left side of the window
              • Merchant receipt copy on the right side of the window

              You can print the cardholder receipt on a ticket face by clicking the receipt button on the toolbar (or from the payment list window).

              You can also select and copy the text in the cardholder receipt if you want to paste it into an email to send to a patron.

              Printing Moneris P400 receipts requires following the setup procedures to import a sample Ticket Face we have created for you. Or, you can create your own.
              Diataxis: 

              Payment Linked Refund List

              The linked payment refund tab shows any refunds that have been made in the order that have been linked against an original authorization.

              This will help you determine how much has been refunded against a card already - since you can only refund up to the original amount you authorized on the card.

              Diataxis: 

              Patron Letter Tab

              This tab is used to keep track of all letters written to or emailed a patron, even from the web listeners.

              You can attach individual letters to individual patrons and to customize letters that can be attached to individual donations, payments, ticket transactions, or passes. For more information on letters click here.

              To re-send any 'email' (including web confirmations), you can right click on the email to mark it as not done. You can also double click on the email and change its status from done, to not done.

              Parts of the Letters Tab

              Status This column displays the printed status of the letter, whether it is done or not.
              Type This column displays the type of the letter, if it was a single letter or was it a merged letter.
              Priority Displays the priority level of the letter. This can be used to help asses printing needs.
              Requested by The user who added the letter to the patron.
              Note This column displays notes associated with the letter.
              Records/File Connected to Correspondence It is very important to pay attention to this field when printing a form letter from the Letters Tab. This field displays the items the Theatre Manager currently has in memory. Donor Data, Member Data, Personnel Data, etc. To print a form letter from the letters tab, ensure Theatre Manager has the correct information in memory to print the letter. For example, To print a donation letter from the letters tab, the Items Connected should list donation information about the donation that is being merged. If it does not, load that information into memory. To load a file into memory before printing it, consult a support technician to do so. Click here for more information.
              Date Begin Date the letter was added to the patrons record.
              Date End The last date the letter was updated.
              Date Printed The date which the letter was printed.
              A letter can be added to a patron record using this button. A letter added this way will only draw on the patrons contact information. For more information on creating letters click here.
              Opens a window to show the envelope information about the letter selected in the patrons record. This shows its current status, when it was sent and who it went to. You can change the status and cause the letter or email to be resent. Click here for more information.
              Deletes the selected letter.Click here for more information.
              Opens the merged form letter with any attached documents. Click here for more information.
              Sends the selected correspondence immediately.
              Limits the letters viewed in the letters tab. Once an option other then All Letters is selected a search field will appear to the right of the field. Search criteria can be entered and the Search button clicked to refresh the list.
              Diataxis: 

              Email/Letter Detail

              When you click the Open button in the Patron's Letter tab, the letter detail opens. The resulting window indicates envelope information about the letter or system notification. The window that is displayed is different, depending if it is the result of a:

              • System Notification such as from the web listener confirming a purchase or password request
              • Eblast or batch print which comes from the form letter merge

              Editing the envelope information lets you change the status, priority and security level of an email being sent to a patron. You can also re merge and resend or change the priority to 'done' to avoid printing or emailing.

              Diataxis: 

              Email Status

              If you see errors in emails as desribed in the window above, you can address some on this window and/or on the Note Detail window.

              • Based on the error message (as per the sample below), you may need to:
                1. change the patron's email address to correct it. You can pick one from the drop down, or go to the patron and add a new one or edit an existing one. Make sure it is their primary email address, or if the email address in this list is blank, set it as a primary email address.

                  After fixing the patrons email address in the patron record, CHANGE the email address on the individual email and it will be resent using the new address.

                2. if emails do not send because your outgoing email credentials are wrong, then fix them in company preferences
                3. if you are getting SMTP: 550 Requested..... messages for most emails, see step 2 above
                4. if you are getting SMTP: 535 Incorrect authentication data yet test emails work, it is probably because you were sending test emails to someone inside the mail server, rather than outside. In that case make sure you email server allows relay from the inside of the network to the world.
              • After correcting the problem, change the status of all the emails from Error to Not Done using the popup on the window.
              • Alternately, if you can't figure out why a specific email will not sent, change the status to Done
              • The web sales listener will pick up all the Not Done messages and try to resend them after a few minutes.
              Refer to managing unsent emails for more information.
              Diataxis: 

              Letter/Email Attachments

              this window shows any attachments that are part of the email correspondence. Some of them may be print at home tickets, invoices, or calendar files that are associated with a web order. The icons indicate whether the attachment has been processed to create its content.

              An email will not send if there is an error in the content of one of the attachments.

              If you delete a bad attachment, the email will then send without it. (its probably best to find out why it didn't send - such as a bad web page.

              You can export the contents of the list, like any other window. However, there is an additional export option that allows you to export the document in original format. For each document you select to export, you'll be asked where to place the file so you can see the contents of the attachments sent to the patron. It might be helpful debugging print at home tickets or issues patrons have with calendar files (and timezone).
              Diataxis: 

              Forms Tab

              Task Tab

              Tasks are at the heart of the Facility Management module.

              For more information about the Facility Management module click here. To read more specifically about tasks and their place within Facility Management, click here. This can be used to track meetings with patrons or notes as well as all other tasks where this patron is assigned as a participant.

              Parts of the Tasks tab

              Status The current status of the task (Done, Not Done, In Progress, Cancelled).
              Task # The sequence number assigned by the database to the task.
              Type The Type of the Task of the task. Task types are defined in the Facility Task Type code table.
              Description The description of the task.
              Duration The length of time of the task.
              Begin Date Date the task is set to begin.
              Date End Projected completion date of the task.
              Task Notes Notes associated with the task (if any).
              Diataxis: 

              Attaching an Document to a Patron Record

              There are times you will want to attach external documents to a patron's file, for example a scanned invoice, a word document, etc.

              In the following example, we will attach a document called 10-17-12-Invoice.jpg to the patron's record.

              To do this, you perform the following steps:

              1. Open the patron record of the Patron you are attaching the document to.

              2. Click on the Task tab.

              3. Click the New button.

                The Task inserting window opens.

              4. Enter a Description for the Task and click the Save button.

                After saving, the Attached File tab is now available for selection.

              5. Open the Attached files tab and click the Add Doc button.

                The Select File dialog for your operating system opens.

              6. Locate the file and click the Open button.

                The document is added to the Patron's record.

              Diataxis: 

              Season Tab

              This tab keeps track of a patron's season subscription package information. Refer to Seasons Subscriptions to learn how to book a subscription.

              Parts of the Season Subscription Tab

              Ref.# This column displays the reference number that was assigned to the patron's favorite seats. This number can be used for internal tracking purposes.
              Year This column displays the year the that season subscription was purchased.
              Season Package This column displays the season subscription that was sold to the patron.
              Series This column displays which series the patron has booked their season subscription for. The picture above shows that the patron has booked his subscription for the first Saturday performance for each show.
              Printed This column displays the date that the patron's season tickets were printed.
              Opens the Select a Season package to add a new record.
              Opens the selected subscription record.
              Deletes the selected subscription record.
              Books the selected subscription record.
              Lets you make a payment for the selected Subscription.
              Lets you renew the selected Subscription.
              Prints the renewal notice for the selected subscription.
              Prints the renewal notice for the selected subscription.
              Active Enabling this check box shows only the active subscriptions.
              Inactive Enabling this check box displays the inactive subscriptions for this patron.
              Diataxis: 

              Transaction Tab

              The Transaction Tab shows all the transactions that have occurred for the patron.

              Parts of the Transaction Tab

              Seq# A unique number used to track the transaction
              Trans Date Date and time the transaction took place.
              Journal No A unique journal number for tracking the transaction line.
              Code The transaction code used to describe the type of transaction.
              Transaction Desc Description of the transaction.
              Order # The order number for the transaction. This number can be used to track the transaction by order.
              Play Code Play code is only displayed if the transaction effects and event.
              Performance Code Performance code is only displayed if the transaction effects a performance.
              Type The type of transaction.
              Description of Entry Detail on the the purpose of the transaction.
              Can be used to manually enter a transaction.
              Opens the detail window of the transaction.
              Deletes the selected transaction.
              Used to search for specific transactions.

              Searching Transactions

              1. Open the Transaction tab.

                The Transaction tab is located on the Patron Window.

              2. Select a search field from the menu.  

                 

              3. Fill the To and From fields with the parameters to search.

              4. Click the Search button.

                The results of the search will be displayed in the table.

              Diataxis: 

              Statistic Tab

              Clicking the Statistic tab on the bottom half of Patron Window will open the Patron Statistic Tab.


              Parts of the Statistic tab

              Year-Statistics The fiscal year range the statistic belongs to.
              # Donation The number of donations made within the fiscal year.
              Donation Actual Amount The cumulative value a patron has confirmed they will donate within the fiscal year.
              Soft Credits The cumulative value of soft credits made within the fiscal year.
              Hard Pledges The cumulative value of hard pledge donations made within the fiscal year.
              # Tix The number of tickets bought within the fiscal year.
              Tix Sales Total The cumulative value of tickets bought within the fiscal year.
              Regular The dollars spent purchasing tickets using standard ticket sales procedure.
              Subscription Dollars spent on Subscription ticket sales based on show setup.
              Other Type 1 Dollars spent on Other Type 1 ticket sales based on show setup.
              Other Type 2 Dollars spent on Other Type 2 ticket sales based on show setup.
              Other Type 3 Dollars spent on Other Type 3 ticket sales based on show setup.
              # Member The number of membership items bought within the fiscal year.
              Pass Value The dollars spent by the patron on the purchase of passes, memberships, Gift certificates or other items.
              # Fee The number of times a fee paid within the fiscal year.
              Fee Total The dollars collected from the patron for fees on ticket orders.
              #StaffVoluneer The number of scheduled times a patron has Staff, or Volunteer or Personnel activities within a fiscal year.
              #StaffVoluneerAmount The rate charged for Staff, or Voluneer or Personnel activities with in a fiscal year.
              Resource Value The cumulative value of Merchandise or Resources bought within the fiscal year.
              #Projects The cumulative value of projects within the fiscal year.
              Stat# The stat database sequence number.
              Outlet The Outlet control number.
              Outlet-Owner The Outlet reporting the transactions.
              Fiscal Year The year based on account setup within Company Preferences. Click here for more information.
              Diataxis: 

              Donor Summaries Tab

              This tab is used as a reference to view the 'saved' patron giving levels created during specific moments in time. You can use this information as a quick overview of where the patron was each year rather then reviewing all their individual donations under the donor tab.

              For more information on Donation Giving Levels, click here.

              This data is used when people need to EXPORT out the total $$$ donated by patrons based on certain criteria and what giving level they are at.

              Parts of the Donor Summaries Tab

              Date The date the overall level was created or saved.
              Combined Pledge Total value of pledges within this level of giving.
              Number Gifts Number of donations made to reach the Giving Level.
              Includes Matching To reach the level did the matrix include matching gift totals.
              Combined Giving Amount Matching Gift Total value of matching gifts contributing to the patron reaching this level of giving.
              Combined Giving Amount Soft Credits Total value of soft credits contributing to the patron reaching this level of giving.
              Giving Level The level in the giving matrix the patron reached.
              Giving Level Matrix The name of the matrix the giving capacity is assigned to.
              Outlet-Owner Outlet the giving matrix belongs to.

              Adding a Patron to a Giving Level

              1. Click the Reports button.

                The Report window opens. Select Donation Reports & Receipts in the left column. On the right hand column, choose between:

                • Donor Program Insert - Giving Level
                • Donor Program Insert - Giving Level with $$$ Totals

              2. Click the Print button.

                The criteria window opens. Enter the criteria as needed.

              3. Click the Insert Summary tab.

              4. Select the Add Soft Credits check box, then choose one of the Combine each donation into a single giving level option.
              5. Open the Donor Summary tab.

              6. Check the box next to Create Donor Summary. This will populate the information into the Giving tab.
              7. Click the Done button.

                The report will generate to screen or the designated print location. Once complete the giving details will appear in the Patron Record.

                The information in this tab is optional, as the data and giving levels for ANY time period can be calculated using the reports "Donor Program Insert-xxx" at any time.

                This data is also used when people need to EXPORT out the total $$$ donated by patrons based on certain criteria and what giving level they are at. You then run the report with Your criteria, to get the results.

                You then can EXPORT out this data using the file called "Donation Program Listing Level Attained" to use the total $, or level of information. Another option people then do with this data is use it in Mail List buiding. (for example: build the level listing for all donations based on criteria).

                You run a mail list build to refer to the list and only the patrons with more then $500 and criteria x, y, and z should be added to a mail list.

                A powerful option to use when doing donation management.

              Diataxis: 

              Cart Tab

              The shopping cart tab on the patron window lists all of the internet shopping experiences for a patron. You can:

              You can also view all carts for all patrons.

              Parts of the Web Cart Tab

              Cart # A unique number representing the patrons web shopping cart.
              Patron # The Patron identification number.
              First Name Patrons first name.
              Last Name Patrons last name.
              Company The name of the company the patron belongs to.
              Status The status of the shopping cart. Typically you might see:
              • Active - the patron is still purchasing items and adding them to the cart. A cart will stay active until the cart timeout is reached. A timeout occurs when the patron has not asked for another web page for that time period.
              • Completed - the patron has completed a purchase using either a credit card and/or a pass/gift certificate. All items in the cart are reflected in the various other tabs in the patrons record.
              • Checkout - Errors Processing Cart - which means that the patron started to checkout, provided their credit card and proceeded sufficiently far in the process that the card was likely authorized. After that point, some issue occurred that prevented all items in the cart from being processed. A cart in this state will not let any of its tickets be released so that you can inspect it manually and correct the issue.
              • Cart Closed - by patron - this means that the patron decided to log out not complete the purchase
              • Cart Closed - by system - means that the patron abandoned their cart and the system closed it after a period of inactivity.
              Hits The number of web pages that the patron accessed for that shopping cart. It is possible to check out a couple of tickets in 8 page hits if the patron has an account. Average is probably about 20 as patron shop, especially for subscriptions. Any large number generally means that the patron was unsure.
              Cart Value Total value of the patrons cart.
              Tix Qty Number of tickets the in the cart.
              Pass Qty The number of passes in the cart.
              Donation Qty Number of donations in the cart.
              Checkout Date The date the patron paid for the iteams in the cart.
              Not available - only web listener can create shopping carts.
              Opens an existing shopping cart so that you can view the web logs, contents and possible 'check out' an active cart on behalf of a patron.
              Deletes a shopping cart for the patron.
              Diataxis: 

              Adding a New Patron

              Patrons can be added to the database as an individual or as a member of a household. A household groups together common buying units or patrons that share some of the same contact information. A household might be workers in a company, members of a service group, a family in a home. The word household can be customized under the Appearance tab in Company Preferences.

              When inserting a patron, Theatre Manager creates a unique number for each new record entered. This number is the patron number.

              Patron numbers cannot be reused if a patron is deleted or merged. The amount of information to be entered upon initial patron insertion is determined by the user. Using the Mandatory Data Tab found under the menu System Preferences, the user is able to set mandatory fields for patron insertion. This means that the user decides which patron fields must be entered before the new patron record can be saved. In other words, if fields have been made mandatory, then Theatre Manager will not save a new record if one or more of the mandatory fields are not filled in.

              There are two different ways to insert a patron. The first is via the Contact List and the second is the Patron Window.


              Quick reference information for Adding a New Patron

              Cheatsheet

              Video

              To add a new patron, you perform the following steps:
              1. Click the Patron button on the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                The Contacts For window opens.

              2. Click the New button.

                The New Household Insert window opens.

              3. Enter information into the mandatory patron fields.

                The patron's basic information should be filled in. For more information on setting mandatory fields click here. All mandatory fields must be filled in or Theatre Manager displays a message in red at the bottom of the window describing which fields must be completed before the patron can be saved.

              4. Click the Save button.

                The patron record is saved to the database and a patron window opens for the new patron. They will now appear on the Contacts List window.

              Diataxis: 

              Inserting a New Household Member from the Patron Window

              1. Use the Contact List to locate a member of the existing household.

                Click here for more information on the Contact List.

              2. Single click on the existing member of the household and click the Open button.

                The patron window for the selected patron will open.

              3. Click the New Household Patron button.

                The Patron Contact Card (inserting) window will open.

              4. Enter the mandatory patron fields.

                For more information on setting mandatory fields Click here. Each patron must have one address and one piece of contact information.

                Deselect the addresses or contacts that are not connected to the patron. This can be done by clicking once on the check box. The check mark will disappear.

                All mandatory fields must be filled in or Theatre Manager will display a message in red at the bottom of the window describing which fields must be completed before the patron can be saved.

              5. Click the Next button.

                The contact card for the new patron opens. Details, such as marketing information, donor history and patron details can be added to the record.

              6. Click the Close Window button.

                The new patron record is now saved in the database. The patron now displays in the household.

              Diataxis: 

              Inserting a New Household from the Patron Window

              1. In the patron window click the New button.

                The New Household (Inserting) window will open.

              2. Enter mandatory patron fields.

                The Patron's basic information should be filled in. For more information on setting mandatory fields Click here. All mandatory fields must be filled in or Theatre Manager will display a message in red at the bottom of the window describing which fields must be completed before the patron can be saved.

              3. Click the Save button.

                The patron record is saved in the database and a patron window will open for the new patron.

              Diataxis: 

              Contact List Window

              The Contact List can be used to produce a listing of patrons in the database. This list can also be narrowed to only patrons on a specific grouping by using select criteria.

              Contact List Buttons

              Inserts a new Patron. Click here to learn more about inserting new patrons.
              Opens the Patron window for the selected patron.
              Not available in this window.
              Deletes the patron. Click here for more information on deleting patrons.
              Prints a report the of the patrons in the contact list to screen or default print location.
              Exports the data from the contact list into a tab delimited format and saves it to a selected location.
              Opens the Orders window for the selected patron in the contact list. Click here for more information on purchasing tickets.
              Opens the Contact Card for the selected patron in the contact list. Click here for more information on the Contact Card.
              Opens the volunteer history for the selected patron. Click here for more information.
              Use this to manage the employee logon information for this patron.Click here for more information on adding employees.
              Assigns a donor solicitor to the patron record.Click here for more information.
              Searches the contact list for duplicate patrons. Click here for more information on duplicate records.
              Merges two or more selected patrons from the contact list.
              Use address information to copy to clipboard or show in a browser, dhows a map of the patron's address or the weather at the patron address. Click here for more information.
              Displays a list of scheduled address or contact listing changes. Click here for more information on how to scheduled contact changes.

              Contact List Search

              Search options require parameters to search within. The most common search parameter is From To. This option allows for a start and end range to be entered for the search. It can limit down the list quickly and can be as specific as needed. The second most common search parameter is Like. Like returns results containing the value entered for the search.

              Patron # A patron number starting from one number to another. If the exact number is known this can be entered in both fields. The patron assigned that number will appear as the result.
              Name/Company Enter a part of the patrons first name, last name or company. All three fields in the database will be searched for a record containing like information. i.e. Ab returns Blaine Abel, Julie Abel and Lauren MacIntosh of ABC Book Store.
              First Name The first letter, part of or a complete first name. The more entered the more accurate the results will be.
              Last Name The first letter, part of or all of the patrons last name. The more entered the more accurate the result. This field only searches the last name field within the database.
              Phone/Email/Website Part or all of a telephone, fax number, email address or website. Spaces, dashes and brackets are not needed when entering phone or fax numbers. They will be automatically formatted.
              Balance-Tickets A balance owed to or by a patron within a ticket purchase. A minus in front of an entered number will result in money owed to the patron.
              Credit Card Part or all of a credit card number. This search option may return partial results depending on your settings for PCI in the System Preferances setup.
              Employee # The number of the Employee.
              Patron Type Patron Type can be used to sort patrons records into categories.
              Addr-Line 1 A number, street or full address to be searched by that would have been entered in the first address field provided.
              Addr-Line 2 A number, street or full address to be searched by that would have been entered in the second address field provided.
              City First letter, part or all of a city name. The more entered the more accurate the results.
              Province/State First letter, part or all of the province or state. The more entered the more accurate the result.
              Postal Code/Zip Code Part or all of the postal code or zip code. The more entered the more accurate the result.
              Balance-Donation A balance owed to or by the patron with a donation contribution. A minus in front of an entered number will result in money owed to the patron.
              Date Entered Enter a date range to view patrons entered into the system within that range.
              Date Updated Enter a date range to view patrons with updated records within that range.
              Marketing #1 A customizable numeric range to search by.
              Marketing #2 A customizable numeric range to search by.
              Marketing #3 A customizable character range to search by.
              Marketing #4 A customizable character range to search by.
              Mktg #6 (Pop-Up) Search from one of the options listed in the marketing pop-up. Marketing #6 is a customized field. For more information click here.
              Mktg #7 (Pop-Up) Search from one of the options listed in the marketing pop-up. Marketing #7 is a customized field. For more information click here.
              Mktg #8 (Pop-Up) Search from one of the options listed in the marketing pop-up. Marketing #8 is a customized field. For more information click here.
              Age Code Age Codes are used to categorize personnel and/or volunteers into particular age ranges.
              Match Gift Company Search for company's who are or are not flagged as matching gift givers. Matching gift companies are designated under the Donor tab. This search is either 'Yes' to indicate the list will contain records that are flagged as Matching Gift Companies, or 'No' to indicate that the list will contain records that are NOT flagged as Matching Gift Companies. For more information click here.
              Patron Donor Giving Capacity Select a giving level. The donor tab of the database will be searched for matching patrons. Giving capacity is assigned under the Donor tab. For more information click here.
              Control Number Numeric field to search by control number. Control numbers are associated with items purchased under the Membership tab. For more information click here.
              Pass/G.C. Card Number Numeric field to search by member card number.
              Ticket Number A number field to search by ticket number. Each ticket has it's own unique number as a reference. The patron displayed with have purchased the ticket with the number entered.
              Order # An order number is a unique number used to define the order.
              Tix Comment Searches for comments entered in the Payments window.
              PCI Data Check Helps you to identify data attached to patrons that could be construed as a possible clear text credit card in violation of PCI guidelines. Click here for full information on the particulars of this function.

              Contact List Columns

              Indicates a patron who is the head of a household. Other items in this list indicate that the patron is an Employee, or has Scheduled Contact Information changes.
              Patron # A unique number representing the patrons account.
              First Name First name of the patron.
              Last Name Last name of the patron.
              Company Company the patron works for.
              Primary Phone Phone number designated as the primary contact number.
              Balance Outstanding balance in the patrons account.
              Addr-Line 1 First address line.
              Addr-Line 2 Secondary address line.
              Diataxis: 

              Get Patron Information

              The Get Patron Info button in the Contact List menu performs three functions:

              • Copy patron name and address to the clipboard.
              • Show map of patron address using MapQuest. Click here for more information.
              • Show weather at patron address using Weather Underground. Click here for more information.
              • Copy Patron Name and Address to the Clipboard

                Making this selection copies the details of the curent patron to the clipboard. The information can then be pasted into a word processor or worksheet application by using the Edit >> Paste menu.

                The ticket list is copied in a tab delimited format. It can then be pasted into a Worksheet (e.g. Microsoft Excel) with the ticketing information being placed into their individual cells. It can also be copied and pasted into other applications (e.g. Microsoft Word)

                Address

                Mr. Jake Belleville
                Vice President
                Barnes Management
                1362 Main St NW
                Calgary Alberta T5W 0Z2

                Address and Phone

                Mr. Jake Belleville
                Vice President
                Barnes Management
                1362 Main St NW
                Calgary Alberta T5W 0Z2

                H: (403) 264-0466
                W: (403) 245-9877
                F: (403) 245-6389

                Alternate Address

                Mr. Jake Belleville
                23 Orange Blvd.
                Sarastoa Florida 34237
                USA From :JAN To :FEB

                alt H: (941) 453-5673
                alt F: (941) 453-4352

                Ticket List

                Mr. Jake Belleville

                Order Play Performance Sect/Row/Seat Qty Price Price Code Promotion Title
                119 01-002 1-SUN Festival Seating 1 10.70 A Regular RAINMAKER
                119 01-002 1-SUN Festival Seating 1 10.70 A Regular RAINMAKER
                120 01-02 1-THUR Bal Centre/AA/07 1 8.03 B Regular ROLLING STONES CONCERT
                120 01-02 1-THUR Bal Centre/AA/08 1 8.03 B Regular ROLLING STONES CONCERT
                118 01-D2 1-FRI 2/26/1 1 21.40 A Regular YOU SAY TOMATO
                118 01-D2 1-FRI 2/26/2 1 21.40 A Regular YOU SAY TOMATO

              Diataxis: 

              Adding Campaign Solicitors to Patrons belonging to a List

              To add a Solisitor to a number of patrons, you perform the following steps:

              1. Click the Patron button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                The Contact List window opens.

              2. Search for the Patrons to add solicitors to.

                To learn more about searching for patrons click here.

              3. Select the Patrons to add a solicitor to.

                You may wish to add a certain solicitor to some patrons and a different solicitor to others. Select the patrons for the first solicitor and repeat for the second group as needed.

              4. Click the Solicitor button.

                An empty employee list opens.

              5. Click the Search button.

              6. Click on the Employee to select as solicitor and click the Select button.

                A confirmation message opens.

              7. Click the Yes button.

                This solicitor is now assigned to the previously selected patrons.

              Google Maps from a List of Patrons

              You can use Google Maps to locate either a single address, or a group of addresses from any patron contact list. This means from the Patron Contact List, the WHO's IN tab of a Mail List of Patrons, an Attendance list on an Event setup or anywhere you can generate a listing of patrons.

              This is helpful if you wish to see a graphic representation of where your subscribers or donors live.

              To generate a map from the Contact List, you perform the following steps:

              1. Open the patron list window.
              2. Search for some patrons.
              3. Select the patrons by holding the Ctrl Key as you click.
              4. When you have completed yuour list, right click on the selected list of patrons, and choose Google Map.
              5. Your default browser opens, and take you to Google Maps, and plots the patrons from your contact list on the map.

              Diataxis: 

              Map to Patron's Address

              The Map of Patron Address function will send the patron's address to the Mapquest Website and open the default web browser with a map of the patron's address. This function will only work if there is an internet connection.

              Diataxis: 

              Patron Management - Weather

              This option will display the weather in the current patron's city. This option can only be used if the computer has an internet connection. The site used for this function is http://www.wunderground.com/.

              Diataxis: 

              Recent Patrons

              The Recent Patron List option, can be selected from the Patron Sales menu. It displays a list of the last ten patrons the user has viewed. The hotkeys <CTRL> + number (Windows) or <OPTION> + number (Mac) can also be used to display the patrons as seen below.

              You can access the recenpt patron list from the main toolbar by option clicking on the patron icon

              When a patron is selected the Patron window opens, displaying their information.

              Diataxis: 

              Editing Patron Information

              1. Find the patron to be edited.

                Click here to learn how to find patrons.

              2. Double-Click on the patron's name in the top left corner of the window.

              3. The patron contact card will open.

                For information on the Patron Contact Card click here.

              4. Add and/or change the contact information as needed.
              5. Close the Contact Card window.
              6. The changes made to the patron have been saved.

              Diataxis: 

              Splitting a Patron from a Household

              To split a patron from a household, you perform the following steps:

              1. Open the patron record for the patron you wish to split.

                Click here for more information on searching for a patron.
              2. Right-click on the patron's name in the household members list.

              3. Click Split patron into new household.
              4. Click the Yes button on the warning pop-up window.

              5. The patron will now be split from the household. All of the patron's historical data will remain with their record.
              Diataxis: 

              Deleting Patrons

              A patron can only be deleted if there is there is no Financial History associated with the record. Employee access to deleting records can be controlled when employees are created in Theatre Manager. Refer to the section Employee Access.

              A patron who has financial transactions of any kind associated with their record cannot be deleted. You can mark them as deceased or do not email and included those criteria in reports and mail lists.

              Deleting a patron with no financial information

              1. Find the patron to be deleted in the contact list.

                Click here to learn how to find patrons.

              2. Single click on the patron to be deleted in order to select them.

              3. Click the Delete button on the Contact List window toolbar / ribbon bar.

                If the patron record contains financial history several diifferent messages, similar to the one below, will appear.

                If the patron record contains no financial history, a confirmation window will appear.

              4. Click the Delete button.

                When the deletion is successful, the patron record and patron number are removed. That patron number is not be re-assigned to another patron. This number is no longer available for use as it was a unique identifier to that specific patron.

              Removing patrons with financial history

              Theatre Manager needs to keep a record of all sales and financial data intact to ensure the overall system balances and all part reports show proper ticket sales, donations, etc.

              There are two trick you can employ to making these people go away.

              Option 1: Change the name of the patron::
              • Rename the patron to be "Merged Patron"
              • Change their address to your theatre and mark all marketing fields as 'do not mail, do not email, do not delete, do not ....etc
              • Ignore people with your theatre address on eblasts that are do not mail etc going forward.
              If you really want to get rid of patrons with history:
              • Create a one-time dummy patron that might be called Dead/Merged/do Not mail Patrons
              • Give them an address of your theatre and mark all marketing fields as 'do not mail, do not email, do not delete, do not ....etc
              • find other patrons who you cannot delete based on transactions (but you really want gone) and Merge them into the above dummy patron.
              Diataxis: 

              Payments Management

              There are several ways to access the payment window in Theatre Manager. Payments can be created for new orders or added to existing orders.

              You click this button in the Order window.
              You click this button in the Patron Record tabs Donation, Pass/G.C., and Order.
              You click this button in the Patron Record tab Season.
              You click this button in the Ribbon Bar of the Donation Detail window, the Pass/G.C Detail window, the Subscription window.

              The payment window is used to:

              • record the payment method,
              • enter a reason why the patron purchased the tickets,
              • initiate invoicing,
              • print tickets, and
              • and record detailed order notes.
              Each time tickets are sold, a donation is made or a membership purchase a unique Order Number is created. This number is displayed on the title bar of the Payment Window. For more information on the Payment Window click here.
              New payment methods can be added in Code Tables

              Payment Window

              This section describes the payment processes. Click if you would like to see the general features of the order window and selling other things.

                The payment window has four tabs. These are:

                Order/Payment Details Allows entry of key data about the order such as:
                • marketing information about the current purchase (why did patron buy and zip code
                • simple payments taken at time of sale
                • Disposition of the tickets (mail to, invoicing, etc

                Create Post Dated This allows for several future payments to be added to the order so that it can be paid off over time. Typically these payments will be:
                • a credit card which is authorized at the appropriate time during end of day
                • EFT (electronic funds transfer) that can be used to build a file to send to the bank for direct deposit
                • check where the patron simply gives you checks dated for the future and your store them in your safe. On the appointed day, you take them to the bank along with your other end of day checks.

                Click here for a complete description of the Create Post Dated tab.

                Contractual Notes Contract information is used to:
                • enter a deposit amount/date
                • enter a final payment date
                • indicate a co-payer (and amount) for the order. This is where a local organization could sponsor or subsidize some part of the ticket price. They will be noted on the invoice
                Prior Payments Displays any payments that have previously made on this order.
                Diataxis: 

                Order/Payment Details Tab

                The payment window is used to record the payment method, enter a reason why the patron purchased the tickets, initiate invoicing, print tickets, and record detailed order notes. Each time tickets are sold, a donation is made or a membership purchase a unique Order Number is created. This number is displayed on the title bar of the Payment Window. For more information on:

                Parts of the Order/Payment Detail Tab

                Accepts the entered payment. If the order is paid in full the order window will close without printing tickets in the order.
                Accepts the entered payments. If the order is paid in full the tickets will be printed and the order window will close.
                Invoice Button Allows you to print an invoice to the screen for all items on the order and then print it or email it to the patron.
                PO Reference # Purchase order reference number.
                If the order is paid in full an invoice will be sent.
                Sold By The user who was responsible for initiating the sale of the tickets ie. a telemarketer. The Patron icon can be used to select an employee code.
                Why did Patron Buy? Reason the patron bought the tickets. These values are setup in the Reasons to Buy Code Table.
                Payment Method Method of payment for the order. The values of the list are setup in the Payments Methods Code Table.
                Payment Amount The total the patron is currently paying. Partial Payments can be made as needed.
                Ticket Handling "Hold for Pickup" is when the patron will visit the Box Office prior to the performance to pickup their tickets.

                "Mail to Patron" is when the patron request the tickets be mail.

                "Hold for Will Call" is when the patron will pickup there tickets at the door.

                "Hold @ Door for Coupon" is for Promotions that require coupons in order to be valid.

                Ticket Printing "Mark Ticket as Printed" displays a printed date for the ticket all though the ticket is never printed.

                "Print Address Ticket" prints an additional ticket with the patrons address. The default address ticket can be selected under the Ticket Face tab in Company Preferences.

                "Print Credit Card Receipts" prints an additional ticket highlighting a summary of the purchase. The default summary ticket can be selected under the Ticket Face tab in Company Preferences.

                Payment Source
                Internet/Web Sales is when the transaction is processed over the internet. A default fee amount can be added to this payment source.
                Telephone Order is when the transaction is taken over the internet. A default fee amount can be added to this payment source
                Mail Order is when the patron mails in the transaction request. A default fee amount can be added to this payment source.
                Patron Present is when the patron is in person to make the transaction. A default fee amount can be added to this payment source.
                Accepts the entered payment. If the order is paid in full the order window will close without printing tickets in the order.

                However, if the "Prompt user if receipt required when no tickets are being printed" option has been selected in the Ticket Faces tab of Company Preferences, You will be prompted to select a credit card/address ticket receipt. Click here for more information on the Print Ticket Options dialog.

                Accepts the entered payments. If the order is paid in full the tickets will be printed and the order window will close.
                Ticket Comment Can be used to print special information on the ticket ie. birthday wishes, complimentary tickets from.
                Order Notes Any specific notes about the order.
                Purchase Summary Section Accepts the post dated payment. The order window will close without printing tickets in the order.
                Diataxis: 

                Print Ticket Options Dialog

                If the "Prompt user if receipt required when no tickets are being printed" option has been selected in the Ticket Faces tab of Company Preferences, You will be prompted to select a credit card/address ticket receipt.

                Parts of Print Ticket Options

                Ticket Header

                These options print additional tickets with extra information allong with the ticket that was selected:

                • Print Address Ticket
                • Print Credit Card Receipt
                Ticket Items These options print additional tickets for items contained within the same orders along with the tickets that were selected:
                • Include Tickets
                • Include Pass G/Cs
                • Include Donations
                Ticket Printing Enable to mark tickets as printed without actually printing the tickets to the printer.
                • Mark Tickets as Printed
                Cutting Options Ticket Cutting only works if your thermal printer supports this feature. Use it to keep "Will Call" or "Subscription" tickets for a patron together:
                • Cut after each ticket
                • Cut after last ticket printed for each patron
                • Do not cut tickets

                To "Turn Off" this dialog:

                1. Select Setup >> Company Preferences >> Ticket Faces tab.
                2. Disable the Credit Card Receipts option - Prompt user if receipt required when no tickets are being printed.

                Create Post Dated Tab

                Post Dated Payments are easily accepted and planned by Theatre Manager through the Post Dated Tab in the Payment view of the Order Window. The Payments can either be created at the time of sale or during a later payment. All calculations and post dated payments are automatic. However you may customize the payment plan to meet specific payment dates as required by the patron.

                • For instuctions on creating Post Dated Payments, click here.
                • To delete Post Dated Payements, click here.
                • To run a Cash Flow Report of Post Dated paymants, click here.
                • This function is availbale in the Order Window.

                  Transfers an order from one patron to another. For more information on transfering orders click here.

                  This function is available in the Order Window.

                  Accepts the post dated payment. The order window will close without printing tickets in the order.

                  Step 1

                  Post Dated Payment Amount
                  Total Payment Amount The total which the patron wishes to make post dated payments for.

                  Step 2

                  Post Dated Payment Frequency
                  Number of Payments Total number of payments to be made.
                  First Payment Date Date which the first payment will be made. Enter a date or select from the calendar.
                  Payment Frequency Periodic times payments will be made. Chose one of the following radio buttons:

                  Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly. Quarterly, Semil-Annual, Annual

                  Step 3

                  Payment Informatuon
                  Payment Method Choose from the drop down list the method that the payments are to be made. Only credit cards and cheques are accepted.

                  Step 4

                  Accepts the post dated payment. The order window will close without printing tickets in the order.
                  Columns on the right
                  Date Date each payment will be received.
                  Amount Value of the payment amount to be received on the given date.
                  Cheque# The corrisponding cheque number for the payment as reference.
                Diataxis: 

                Contractual Notes Tab

                Contractual Notes are used to maintain the order date, deposit date & amount, final payment date & amount, co-payer payment date & amount.

                It is not applicable for most sales. It may be useful for educational or group sales where there is an initial deposit and a final payment due date. In addition, if a second patron is paying a portion of the ticket order (e.g. a granting agency for educational tickets), you can track who is to be co-invoiced.

                For more information on entering contractual payments, click here

                If a deposit date due (and amount) and final payment date due (and amount) are entered and the dates differ from the order date, they will be printed on the invoice. Exceptions to that are:

                • The deposit due amount will not print if the patron has made payments that are in excess of the deposit amount. It make sense that the line should go away if the patron has at least paid at least the deposit
                • The final payment amount will not print if the balance due is zero, meaning the order is fully paid.

                Payment Due Information

                Order Date Date the order was placed
                Deposit Payment Date Date the deposit is due
                Deposit Payment Amount of the deposit
                Final Payment Due date Date the final payment is due
                This field can be used to control the aging on the receivables reports - making it easier to identify which orders are not yet due for payment. Normally, receivables are current, 30, 60, 90 or 90+ days overdue, Setting a future date in this field keeps the receivable current until that date.

                It is very useful for group ticket sales or long term future donations.

                Refer to managing receivables process.
                Final Payment Amount Amount of the final payment. This is directly based on the total, Deposit Payment and co-paying amount

                Co-Paying Patron Information

                Co-Paying Patron The Patron who is sharing the cost of the order. Click the Patron icon to open the contact list and select a patron.
                Co-Paying Due Date The date which the co-payment amount is due
                Co-Paying Amount The amount which the co-payer is paying

                Invoice and Confirmation Information

                Last Invoiced The date of the last invoice.
                Last Confirmed The date of the last confirmation
                Diataxis: 

                Prior Payments

                Parts of the Prior Payments Tab

                Payment # Number The number given to the payment to tie it to the order.
                Date Received Date the payment was recieved.
                Payment Origin Where the payment came from.
                Source Represents the payment source.
                Auth # Credit card authorization number for credit card payments.
                Payment Method Method recieved for payment.
                Total Paid Value of the payment.
                Dep # Deposit number for the payment.
                Outlet-Owner Outlet responsible for collecting the payment.
                Order # The Order Number the payment is associated with.
                Last Name Last name of the patron associated with the payment.
                First Name First name of the patron associated with the payment.
                Description A Description of the payment.

                The Payment Tab displays payment details, the payment allocation and any additional payment information

                Parts of the Transaction Tab

                Seq# A unique number used to track the transaction
                Trans Date Date and time the transaction took place.
                Journal No A unique journal number for tracking the transaction line.
                Code The transaction code used to describe the type of transaction.
                Transaction Desc Description of the transaction.
                Order # The order number for the transaction. This number can be used to track the transaction by order.
                Play Code Play code is only displayed if the transaction effects and event.
                Performance Code Performance code is only displayed if the transaction effects a performance.
                Type The type of transaction.
                Description of Entry

                Detail on the the purpose of the transaction.

                Can be used to manually enter a transaction.
                Opens the detail window of the transaction.
                Deletes the selected transaction.
                Used to search for specific transactions.
                Diataxis: 

                Creating a Payment

                The payment window is used to record the payment method, enter a reason why the patron purchased the tickets, initiate invoicing, print tickets, and record detailed order notes. Each time tickets are sold, a donation is made or a membership purchase a unique Order Number is created. This number is displayed on the title bar of the Payment Window.

                1. Selecting the Payment button in the Order window.

                  The order window can be accessed through the:

                  Click for a detailed description of the Order Window and it's functions.

                   

                2. Verify the overall value of the order.

                  There is a summary of the value of items contained in the order to the lower left of the order window (example to the right). If you wish, you can add, change or remove items from the order by:

                  • Clicking on the Fees button.
                  • Passes, Gift Certificates and Memberships items can be changed by clicking on the Memberships button.
                  • Donations can be added by clicking on the Donation button.

                   

                3. Select the Reason The Patron Bought

                  "Why did the Patron buy?" is used to record how the patron heard about the performances and why they are purchasing tickets.

                  This field is useful for analyzing customer purchase behavior. Refer to

                  Type the first letter of an item in the list, or scroll to select it. For example, if you type the letter N, the value in the field changes to "Newspapers". Entering a letter will make the first matching value from the list appear. If more than one value matches your entry, you can type enough letters to find the required value.

                   

                4. Select the payment or refund method.

                  Ticket orders may be fully paid, partially paid, or not paid at all. Click in the Payment Method field. A list payment methods opens. Each payment option causes applicable data entry fields to be displayed.
                  Refer to the Payment Method Variation help topic to see how each payment method affects the central part of the payment window.
                  Payment Types can be changed in the Payment Code Tables.
                  On Account means no payment received at this time. You will need to pay for the order later.

                   

                5. Enter any specific notes about this order

                  There are 3 comments that you can enter. These are:

                  • Ticket Comment which is intended to be printed on hard ticket stock. It might be used for things like 'birthday party for ...' if the patron is celebrating something special or 'tickets compliments of ' if the person buying many tickets is intending on giving them away to others and would like a little recognition
                  • Order Notes (internal) which are for anything you want to note about the order for future reference
                  • Order Notes (external) which can be printed on reports and displayed the web and are purely for customer reference. Customers who enter notes when buying online cause this to be filled in as well.

                   

                6. Select Send Invoice, if an invoice is requested to be sent.

                   

                7. Click Print Tickets button to print tickets and receipts or click the Accept Payment button to accept the payment without printing tickets.
                Diataxis: 

                Payment Method Variations

                Changing the payment method will change the area on this window to be specific to the needs of the payment method. For example, credit card payments need a credit card. Cash payments have different needs.

                refer to the following sub windows to see how things changed for some key payment methods

                • Cash
                • Check or Cheque if in Canada
                • Credit Cards
                • Coupons that might be applied to create a discount (like a 50% off coupon)
                • Electronic Funds Transfer which helps setup up a special file to send to banks to cause direct deposit.
                • Passes, Gift Certificates, or Membership Redemptions. This payment method is used to redeem Passes and Gift Certificates that have been sold to other patrons in the past and have been presented for redemption at the box office (or online).
                • Gift In Kind which means that the patron is paying for their order using an item like a desk, advertising, sheep, donuts, lunch credits, etc - anything that the bank will not process
                • On account which means no payment method is being taken now - it will be applied later
                • Other which is representative of
                  • any of the other 'custom' payment methods you may have created in your payment method code table.
                  • Promissory Note is used to mark an order with a payment flag indicating that you have received a copy of a voucher promising payment from a customer and may have to refer to that in a future billing. Could be used for concierge orders from hotels
                  • The word 'other' might be replaced by your choice of words like Purchase Order, Stock Gift, etc
                Diataxis: 

                Payment Method Cash

                Payment Method Description and instructions on use
                Cash
                1. Select Cash from the Payment Method drop down.

                2. Verify the Payment Amount. If this will be a partial payment, change the payment amount.

                3. Click the tab key on the keyboard. The Payment Amount will reflect the new amount due.

                4. Enter the cash tendered from the patron and click the tab key.

                  The amount of change due to the patron will be calculated and displayed.

                5. If foreign currency is tendered from the patron, enter this amount in the second Cash Tendered line.

                  The amount of change due to the patron will be calculated and displayed. This amount will be in the local currency, not the foreign currency. The value of the foreign currency is determined from the exchange rate in the Currency Exchange code table.

                Diataxis: 

                Payment Method Check/Cheque

                Payment Method Description and instructions on use
                Cheque
                1. Select Cheque or Check from the Payment Method drop down.

                2. Verify the Payment Amount. If this will be a partial payment, change the payment amount.
                3. Enter the cheque number.

                  This can be made a mandatory field by a master user in the Payment Methods section of the Code Tables.

                4. Enter the employee’s name or initials who approved the cheque for accuracy.

                Diataxis: 

                Payment Method Credit Card (EMV Pin Pad)

                EMV Pin Pads are only valid for Moneris at this time.
                You can verify the correct communication steps are occurring with the pin pad device by looking at the web listener log for EMV devices
                If you expect to do a lot of manual card entries into the pin pad machine from phone sales, then please make sure your Authorization Timeout is 90 seconds - or at least sufficiently long enough to handle the process of manually putting the card number into the pinpad and getting an authorization.
                Moneris does not allow voiding payments taken via a pin pad. Instead, you must create a REFUND payment

                 

                Payment Method Description and instructions on use
                Credit Card (EMV Pin Pad)
                1. Select ANY credit card type from the Payment Method drop down.

                  It doesn't matter which card you pick if all are being processed by the pin pad. The EMV device will determine that card automatically and send that back to Theatre Manager. It allows the customer to use debit, credit, apple pay or any other approved device without needing to tell you.

                2. Verify the Payment Amount

                  If this will be a partial payment, change the payment amount

                3. Card Entry Option

                  • Patron taps, inserts or swipes the card on the EMV device. The default usage for an EMV device taking a payment (or doing a refund) is to enable the pin pad so that the patron taps, inserts, or swipes their card on the device and selects options as appropriate for Visa, INTERAC, etc.
                  • Employee enters credit card manually into the EMV device. ONLY CLICK THIS if you are doing a phone or mail order and you need to manually type in the credit card and expiry date on the EMV device.

                    Do not use this optionif the customer is present and they will be tapping, inserting chip card, swiping the credit card, or using something like Apple-Pay.

                4. Click the Accept Payment button:
                  • The EMV device will activate and a message will appear on screen.
                  • If a card is accepted successfully, the payment window will close.
                  • If there is an issue with card acceptance, to start over you may need to:
                    • use the red cancel button on the on the pinpad. This may also close the wait screen in TM.
                    • if not, click cancel on the Theatre Manager screen as well
                You many see a button on the lower left that says Type Card if you have been given permission to bypass use of the EMV device for manual card entry in employee security setup

                This feature allows you to type the card, expiry, cvv2 into Theatre Manager and select a billing address. Payments taken this way allow future linked refunds, yet increase your PCI audit scope to Schedule 'C' or 'D'

                Diataxis: 

                Payment Method Credit Card (USB SWIPE or Manual)

                Payment Method Description and instructions on use
                Credit Card (manually entered or USB Swipe)
                1. Select the Credit Card type from the Payment Method drop down.

                  Refer to the Payment Methods section of the Code Tables for defining the credit card types.

                2. Verify the Payment Amount.
                  • If this will be a PARTIAL PAYMENT, change the payment amount.
                  • If this is a REFUND, then type the payment as a negative number
                3. The Payment Amount will reflect the new amount due.
                4. Enter the credit card number.

                  Theatre Manager checks the credit card number entered to ensure it is a valid sequence of numbers. This helps prevents card numbers from being typed in wrong.

                  If your Workstation is equipped with a credit card swipe device, swipe the card and Theatre Manager will insert the number, card type and expiry date automatically. In addition if the card swipe is setup to read "track 2" of the card the name of the card owner will be placed in the order notes section of the Payment Window.
                5. Enter the credit card expiry date in the mm/yy format.

                  Example: 321, 0321, and 03/21 all mean March 2021. You can enter any format you wish and Theatre Manager will convert it to display 03/21

                6. Enter the CID/CVV2 number.

                  This is the number on he back of the card and is generally required for all purchases.

                7. Select the Address Verification System (AVS) address

                  If the patron has multiple addresses, the field AVS will appear with all addresses known to the patron. You may need to select the patrons credit card billing address from the popup. If this field is not present and the card is declined because of address verification, you can add the credit card address to the patrons record and then redo the payment.

                8. Click the Accept Payment button

                  Theatre Manager will send the card data to the Merchant provider to be authorized.

                  • If accepted, you will see the authorization number in a popup window
                  • If rejected, you will see a message about the rejection. Contact your merchant provider about the rejection if you have any questions about it. Theatre Manager does not approve a credit card charge - it just conveys the information to the bank. Only the merchant provider can accept a card
                9. (Optional and Rare) Enter the credit card authorization number.

                  Normally, you NEVER enter the authorization number as that is collected by Theatre Manager automatically when the charge is approved.

                  In rare cases, after pressing the accept payment button when attempting to authorize a credit card charge, you might get a message like 'call centre'. That means

                  • you need to contact the merchant provider pertaining to this use of this card.
                  • Depending on what they say on the phone, you might get given a manual authorization number over the phone that you would type in this field.
                  • The authorization number becomes a one-time code to accept this card this time only
                Diataxis: 

                Payment Method EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer)

                Using EFT for direct deposit on the payment window is described in detail.

                You must have set up a merchant account for your EFT details along with creating the payment in the code tables.

                Payment Method Credit Card (Linked Refund)

                There are two types of credit refunds:

                • Linked Refunds: preferred by credit card providers to avert fraud as it only refunds to the card used on the original order
                • Independent Refunds: return money to any card you wish. You may need permission from the credit card provider to use this type

                Linked Refunds - Always attempt these First

                The system assumes that all credit card refunds are linked. The process of doing a refund occurs when the payment amount for a credit card is negative. Theatre Manager:

                • displays the list of prior cards showing original authorized amount and refunded amount so far
                • allows you to select a card for the refund. The amount you refund should be no more than the original authorization less any prior refunds. For example, if the original authorization is $100 and there are cumulative refunds of $75, then the maximum refund should be $25 for that card
                • allows you to pick another card or another authorization to refund if there is more than one card option

                Independent Refunds - Attempt Last

                What if you need to refund to a completely different card from one in the list? If your merchant provider setup allows independent refunds, then the Independent Refund Button appears.

                Click the button, the screen will change, and you will be able to refund to any card that you enter, or if using EMV device, put into the system.

                 

                Only credit cards authorized within the TIME limit set in your merchant setup will show up in the list.

                The time limit should match that given by your credit card provider (typically between 120 and 400 days, depending on provider). Only extend the limit to see older cards after contacting your merchant provider.

                If you are working in an outlet situation, you cannot do linked refund to a credit acrd taken at another outlet. You can only refund to credit cards your outlet has taken
                If the Refund Payment is disabled, check the error message at the bottom of the window. Likely the card has not been deposited yet. That means you must either:
                • Void the payment by exiting the window and looking for the payment in the payment list. If you void, you will need to ask the patron for their credit card again and reauthorize for the new amount. -or-
                • Settle the credit card batch to send the money to bank. Afterwards, you can do a linked refund for a lesser amount. This is because merchant providers do not let you alter the amount of a prior authorization before settling it.
                If you get a weird message from your merchant provider or still cannot refund after contacting them to adjust the limit, you can:
                • Try an independent refund (see below). You will need the entire card, expiry date and possibly CVV2
                • Refund to the EMV device, if using EMV machines.
                • Refund to a cheque, if refunding to a card does not work. Normally you always refund to the same method as payment was made, so this represents a risk on your part.
                • Refund to a gift certificate, if the patron thinks that acceptable

                 

                Payment Method On Account

                Payment Method Description and instructions on use
                On Account
                1. Select On Account from the Payment Method drop down.

                  No payment will be received at this time, so the amount due on the order will be placed as an outstanding balance due on the patron's account. You will be able to exit the order, but you will still need to deal with the non-zero order balance later in order to clear your books.

                  In addition to leaving an outstanding balance for an order, there are two sub options. You can:

                  • allow the order to appear under the patrons account so that they can pay for the balance online. It may be useful for corporate accounts, tour groups or even pre-booked subscriptions if you want to encourage the patron to pay for them without needing to call the box office.
                    If you enable the payment of the balance online, we suggest entering a useful comment in the order's external notes. eg. Course registration for 'Bob' or 'fundraising trip to London for Meg & Harry'. or 'subscriptions for the entire family'.
                    We suggest putting some recognizable comment in the external order notes.
                  • mark the order as reservation only - which means that the order will sit in the system without creating any accounting entries until a payment is made. This feature must have been enabled in company preferences accounting tab and is not a recommended setting.

                Payment Method Other

                Payment Method Description and instructions on use
                Other
                1. Select Other from the Payment Method drop down.

                2. Verify the Payment Amount. If this will be a partial payment, change the payment amount.
                3. The Payment Amount will reflect the new amount due.
                4. Enter a description for the other form of payment.
                5. Enter the employee’s name or initials who approved the payment.
                Diataxis: 

                Payment Method Pass/Gift Certificate/Membership

                Passes, Gift Certificates and membership payments are described in more detail in the section the describes all aspects of selling and redeeming them.

                Payment Method Promissory Note / Voucher

                A Promissory Note/Voucher is a payment method used to record a voucher or pass purchased elsewhere, another outlet, another Vendor or sold not using Theatre Manager's Membership/Pass system.

                To add a Promissory Note/Voucher payment you would perform the following steps:

                1. Selecting the Payment button in the Order window.

                  The order window can be accessed through the Orders Tab or when Purchasing tickets. Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select Promissory Note/Voucher from the Payment Method drop down list.

                3. Fill in the Voucher Number or reference.

                  This can be a number or text or a combination up to 16 Characters including spaces.

                4. Fill in an order note to reference the origin of the Promissory Note/ Voucher.

                  This note is referenced on reports generated based on orders.

                5. Click the Accept Payment button to complete the payment.

                This does not pay for the order, you will be prompted for another payment. Respond No. The order balance will be on account as a receivable.

                Payment Method Gift In Kind

                Gift In Kind payments have some variations that are described in more detail.

                It is especially important to fill all fields the Gift in Kind payment is for a donation since the data prints on tax receipts

                A gift in kind payment is used when you receive a material item ( i.e. non cash/card/check payments) like a donated desk, advertising, etc that needs to be allocated to a specific GL account. In all cases, you will need to provide a description, appraiser and address.
                A gift in kind payment is a specialty payment method. It ALWAYS exists in the database (like cash or check). if you don't see it in your payment list, please enable it in code tables. It's short code will be ~GIFT.
                Payment Method Description and instructions on use
                Gift In Kind
                1. Select Gift In Kind from the Payment Method drop down.
                2. Verify the Payment Amount. If this will be a partial payment, change the payment amount. The Payment Amount will reflect the new amount due.
                3. Select the GL account for the payment method, normally an expense or asset account
                4. Enter a description of the Gift In Kind that you will be receiving as the payment. IT will be a tangible item and can be printed on the tax receipt if this is for a donation.
                5. Enter the Appraiser's name which is the proof of the value of the item. This can be a physical person, a company (in case of stock valuation), a web site you looked up, or an actual receipt provided by the patron.
                6. Appraisers Address is the means by which you can contact the person again for the valuation. It could be the physical street address, web site, or location of the actual receipt

                Gift In Kind Payment

                A gift in kind payment is used when you receive a material item ( i.e. non cash/card/check payments) like a donated desk, advertising, etc that needs to be allocated to a specific GL account. In all cases, you will need to provide a description, appraiser and address.

                If a Gift in Kind payment is used to pay for a donation, it is important to fill out the description and appraiser because they will appear on the tax receipts. Refer to your tax accountant/government rules as to appraiser requirements. Some places allow self appraisal and others only allow that to a certain dollar amount. In some cases cash receipt or internet page showing current price is valid.

                To add a Gift In Kind payment, you perform the following steps:

                1. Selecting the Payment button in the Order window.

                  The Order window can be accessed through the Orders Tab or when Purchasing tickets. Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select Gift in Kind from the Payment Method pull down menu.

                3. Fill in the Gift in Kind field with a brief description of what the gift is.
                4. Select the G/L account you wish to charge the item to.

                  A G/L number can be typed directly into the field or the Account Lookup button to select the account from the list of GL accounts. Double click the account or click the Select button to accept the account.

                5. Fill in the appraiser's name.

                  This may be required for audit purposes or for printing on tax receipts if the payment is for a donation.

                6. Click the Accept Payment button to complete the payment.
                For Quick Reference Information on Gifts In Kind, You can download a Screencast (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration).

                Flash ScreenCast

                MP4 ScreenCast

                Payment Method Coupon

                Entering a coupon codes could cause a reduction in price for items that are in the patrons order. An analogy is the supermarket. After scanning all groceries, you provide the coupons to the cashier and prices are adjusted retroactively according to rules.

                You only need to enter:

                • the coupon code (you can look one up)
                • the number of coupons of the same type to apply and TM will adjust the price
                • repeat for as many coupon codes as you wish
                Coupon codes are described in detail in coupon setup.

                Please refer that section to see how payments are applied.

                Accepting Multiple Payments

                Multiple payments can generally be applied in any order that you want. There are a couple of exceptions. Anything that affects the actual price of the ticket must be applied first. For example, use these payment types before accepting any others:

                After that, use any other payment method to reduce the balance outstanding, including monetary dollar value gift certificates.

                1. Open the Payment window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the payment window.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the payment method

                3. Enter the amount of this payment method the patron would like to pay into the Payment Amount field.

                4. Enter the amount of payment received into the Cash Tendered field.

                  Pressing the tab key on the keyboard will display the change owed to the patrons for the amount tendered. A patron may choose to pay with multiple payment methods and still require change for one or more of those methods.

                5. Fill in any other necessary information and click the Accept Payment button.

                  A confirmation window opens and asks you to confirm the partial payment.

                6. Click the Yes button to accept the partial payment.

                  The Process Another Payment window opens.

                7. Click the Yes button.
                8. Select the second payment type.

                  The remaining balance may be paid for in one or more payments. Repeat steps 2 through 6 above with the remaining payment methods as needed. If the payment is put On Account refer to Later Payments to learn how to add future payment to the order.

                Diataxis: 

                Adding Payments later - after the order is complete

                Later Payments are used to perform a number of important functions such as:

                • Enter payments after the initial sale has been completed
                • Enter additional payments for an order
                • Enter reversing payments
                • Enter post-dated payments
                • Add/Edit order and exchange fees
                1. Open the Patron Order Window by clicking on the Order Tab from the Patron Window.

                  Click Here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the order you want to add a payment to.

                3. Click the Payment button
                4. Change any data as needed.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                  Refer to Creating Payments for more information.

                5. Click the Accept Payment button.

                  The payment is accepted and added to the order.

                Diataxis: 

                Force Duplicate Payment

                A duplicate transaction is defined as a transaction that contains the same account number, the same expiration date, and the same amount on the same day.

                Having the Force Duplicate option de-activated by default ensures that patrons are not double charged because of errors (either human error, an error between Theatre Manager and the credit card application, or an error between the credit card application and the merchant provider).

                If the transaction is legitimate, check the box to have the patron’s credit card charged again for the same amount.
                Diataxis: 

                Creating Offsetting Payments to Clear A/R Balance

                Theatre Manager uses a process called "Invoice Matching" in its accounting. This means each invoice (order) needs to balance to itself.

                If you refunded tickets on one order (creating a credit balance to the patron), but purchased tickets in another order (creating a debit balance from the patron), then the orders are unbalanced. The patron account may appear good, but the orders within the patron record are unbalanced. This is why it is important to keep edits to an order within the order itself, and not create a separate order.


                In this example, the patron has two orders. One with a balance due to the patron of $85, and one with a balance owing from the patron for $85. Note the Balance column on the right side of the image below.


                To repair this, you need to make a CASH refund to the credit balance order, and a CASH payment to the debit balance order.

                To take care of the credit balance, you perform the following steps:

                1. Return to the patron record, and click the tab.

                  Select the credit balance order (the one in blue).

                2. Click the button.
                3. In the Payment window, create a REFUND (negative payment) for the full value of the order.

                  Choose CASH as the payment method.

                4. Click button.

                To apply the credit to the debit balance, you perform the following steps:
                1. Return to the patron record, and click on the tab

                  Highlight the debit balance order (the one in red).

                2. Click the button.

                  Make a payment for the full value of the order and use CASH as the payment method.

                3. Click button.


                At your End Of Day, the GL Journal Entry Summary by Account will show a net effect to CASH of $0.

                The GL Journal Entry DETAIL by Account will show $85 CASH in, and $85 CASH out.

                Diataxis: 

                Partial Payments

                1. Selecting the Payment button in the Order window.

                  The order window can be accessed through the Orders Tab or when Purchasing tickets. Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the payment method from the drop down list.

                3. Enter the amount for the payment method in the Payment Amount field.

                4. Enter the amount of payment received into the Cash Tendered field.

                  Pressing the tab key on the keyboard will display the change owed to the patrons for the amount tendered. A patron may choose to pay with multiple payment methods and still require change for one or more of those methods.

                5. Fill in any other necessary information and click the Accept Payment button.

                  A confirmation dialog opens, asking you to confirm the partial payment.

                6. Click the Yes button to accept the partial payment.

                  The Process Another Payment window opens.

                7. Click the Yes button.
                8. Select the 'On Account' as the second payment type.

                  If the payment is put On Account refer to Later Payments to learn how to add future payments to the order.

                One Payment for Multiple Orders

                NOTE: If you allow people to pay order balances online, please read:

                • this entire article on the concept (since paying for prior orders is really a single payment for multiple orders) -and-
                • the section Effect of paying for orders online

                You can accept one payment from a patron and apply it to multiple orders. It is a convenient way of accepting a single check from a customer and applying it to one or more of their prior orders that they still owe you money for. If enabled, a patron can also pay the outstanding balance of an order transfering a payment from one order to another.

                The difference is subtle:

                • Using a single payment for multiple orders splits the payment across multiple orders to pay them off partially or totally.

                  Since cash payment can be for any value (including $0.00), you can use this approach to clear out offsetting order balances. This has an effect much like transferring a payment from one order to another (since there will be a negative cash payment and a positive cash payment that offsets). Mostly, however, you will want to use this method to apply a single check against many orders.

                • Transferring a single payment from one order to another is generally used when a single payment was misapplied to an order.

                 

                Where can payments for multiple orders be used?

                Using one payment to pay for multiple orders can occur in five places in Theatre Manager:

                • Order tab on the patron window. This is most likely place to use this feature.
                • Ticket list on the patron window. If you select tickets from multiple orders, and click 'apply payment to selected tickets', Theatre Manager will open the multiple order window.
                • The accounts receivable window (from accounting menu or end of day wizard). If you select multiple orders (for the same patron), then you can also use the multiple payment window.
                • attendance tab on the play/event window. If you select tickets for multiple orders (must be for the same patron), you can also apply payments to multiple selected orders.
                • Pay Order Balances Online Feature. If this is enabled, the patron can choose to pay the balance for one or more unpaid orders in their cart via the ticketing web site.

                Note: Only Cash, Check, Gift in Kind and your own custom payment methods may be used when applying a single payment to multiple orders.

                Credit cards cannot be applied directly to many payments. This mitigates possible future issues of refund against a credit card and because of how the merchant processors handle linked refunds.

                There is a workaround for credit cards (below)

                 

                Tricking TM to use a credit card for multiple orders:

                You will need to follow this process

                1. Use a credit card to pay for one specific order for the total amount for the total payment amount the patron is giving you (i.e. the total balance on all the orders they are paying).

                  Note: this will probably overpay the order and it is intentional.

                2. Select the over-paid order PLUS all the other underpaid orders.
                3. Apply a 'cash' payment for all the selected orders.
                4. The cash payment should total zero. This is because there is a negative balance on the order the card was applied to that offsets the positive balances on the other orders. This will not affect end of day because the net cash payment is zero.

                 

                Effect of paying for orders online

                TM uses the 'trick' (above) to apply a card to multiple orders. It will:

                • Apply the credit card payment to the order created by the cart for the entire balance of all tickets, fees, donations, passes, and prior orders added to the cart. This is:
                  • so the patron sees ONE charge on their credit card statement -and-
                  • the box office is able to meet credit card company refund policies, especially for linked refunds.
                • Internally:
                  • TM creates a single credit payment that totals the cart value plus any prior orders that were added to the cart. That is to say, the cart gets the single payment in full for all orders -and-
                  • A second payment is added to the order to decrement its amount for the prior order total using cash -and-
                  • Adds more payments to the other orders paid online (that were in the cart). This applies that balance a series of cash payments to each of the orders paid online
                Example: If prior order #223 had an amount owing of $100.00, and was paid for inline by the patron, you would see THREE payment transactions at the end of the reconciliation process:
                • Credit card payment to order #308 (which was created by the cart).
                  • Order #308 would be overpaid by $100.00 from the online payment.
                  • This $100.00 overpayment is the offsetting balance owing on the prior order #223.
                • CASH credit of -$100.00 to order #308
                  • since the order is overpaid by $100.00,
                  • a CASH refund of -$100.00 applied to this order resulting in a $0.00 balance owing.
                • CASH debit of $100.00 to the prior order #223
                  • the offsetting credit amount will be applied to the prior order
                  • resulting in a $0.00 balancing owing.

                 

                Applying a Single Payment for Multiple Orders

                To apply one payment to multiple orders, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the patron window making the payment on multiple orders.

                  Click here for information on how to find a patron.

                2. Click on the order tab.

                3. Select MORE that one order in the list of orders.

                  You can do this by click and using the Ctrl key on the PC or the Apple key on the Mac.

                4. Click the Payment button and select the multiple payment option.

                  Some tips:

                  • Select only the orders that you want to pay. Theatre Manager will automatically apply the full payment on the detail window to assist you.
                  • You can select orders that are already fully paid for -- those will appear in the payment window as well (because you selected them) but will not have a payment amount allocated to them.
                  • Any orders that are not yet paid for (but you didn't select) will automatically appear in the detail window with no amounts -- in case you change your mind about how you want to allocate payments to unpaid orders.

                  The Allocate Multiple Payments window opens.

                5. Select the payment option, enter the amount and how you want to allocate the payment to the selected orders.

                  Some usage hints for this window are:

                  • The amounts will automatically default to the selected unpaid orders you selected from the order list
                  • If you type a new amount for the payment method, Theatre Manager reallocates the amount from the oldest order to the newest
                  • If you click 'Pay All' on the toolbar, it will pay out all outstanding invoices and set the total.
                  • You can enter a payment amount and then change each individual line. Any line with a zero payment will take part of whatever the total payment is until nothing is left
                  • Alternatively, if you change the detail line distribution and blank out the total, Theatre Manager will calculate it to be the sum of the payments.
                  • The total payment amount and sum of payment distributions must match
                  • All other payment rules must apply - such as check number, etc.

                Diataxis: 

                Post Dated Payments

                Post Dated Payments are easily accepted and planned by Theatre Manager through the Post Dated Tab in the Payment view of the Order Window. The Payments can either be created at the time of sale or during a later payment. All calculations and post dated payments are automatic. However you may customize the payment plan to meet specific payment dates as required by the patron.
                • To delete Post Dated Payments, click here.
                • To run a Cash Flow Report of Post Dated payments, click here.
                • To see the criteria to use on any payment report to only see post dated payments, refer to this link

                To create Post Dated payments, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Payment window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the payment window.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Click on the Create Post Dated tab.

                3. Change the total payment amount as required.

                4. Enter the number of payments which will be made.
                5. Once you have entered the number of payments and moved the cursor from the field the schedule of payments will be created.

                6. Enter the first payment date.

                  Type the first payment date or click the Calendar button to search the calendar.

                7. Select the frequency of the payments.

                  You can now change any of the suggested dates or the suggested amounts to create a customized payment plan. All you have to ensure is that the total of the amounts match the total of the post dated payments.

                8. Select the Payment Method.

                9. Enter either the credit card number and expiry date or the cheque numbers next to the payment dates.
                10. Click the Create Post Dated button to accept the payments.

                  The balance on the order becomes zero. The payment window can now be closed.

                The payments can now be seen under the Payment tab on the Patron window.

                Notice that the Srce is labeled as PD(post-dated) and the deposit number is blank. This shows that they are future payments to be made by the patron.

                Diataxis: 

                Deleting Post Dated Payments

                1. Open the Patron Payments Window by clicking the Payments tab in the Patron Window.

                  For information on how to access the Patron window click here.

                  Click Here for a detailed Description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the Post Dated Payment you wish to delete

                  To find post dated payments easier sort the transactions by Srce and all postdated payments will be grouped together by PD.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  A confirmation Window will appear

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The value of the deleted payment will now appear as an outstanding balance on the account. For information on adding a payment to the order click here.

                Reversing Payments

                Once a payment has been deposited in Theatre Manager you cannot just delete it. A correcting entry must be placed in the General Ledger. This method is ideal for correcting when a wrong payment method has been used.

                1. Open the Patron Order Tab.

                  Click Here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the order you would like to add a payment reversion towards.
                3. Click the Payment button.

                  The Payment window will open. If the outstanding balance for the order is $0.00 the following confirmation window will open.

                4. Click the Yes to Continue

                5. Select the prior payment type.

                  If the prior payment type is unknown the Prior Payment tab can be selected. For more information on the Prior Payment tab click here.

                6. Enter the refund amount.

                7. Enter any other applicable information.
                8. Click the Accept Payment button.

                  A Payment Warning dialog opens.

                9. Click the Yes button.

                  The Process Another Payment window will appear.

                10. Click the No button to close the payment window or the Yes button to add a new payment to the order.
                Diataxis: 

                Deleting a Payment

                A Payment can be deleted easily if it has not been deposited. If you are trying to remove a payment which has been deposited refer to Reversing a Payment.

                1. Open the Payment tab from the Patron Window.

                  Click here to learn more about locating patron records.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the Payment to be deleted.
                3. Single click on the payment to select it. Only one payment may be selected for deletion at a time.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  A Warning dialog opens asking you to confirm the payment deletion.

                5. Click the Delete button.

                  The Payment will be deleted and the confirmation message will appear at the bottom of the window.

                  The patron will now have an outstanding balance in their account.

                  For information on adding a payment to an order click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Printing a Payment Receipt

                Printing a receipt is used to provide patrons with a record of their payment. Receipts can be printed for credit card transactions at the time of sale. Receipts for most payment types can also be printed after the sale or reprinted if needed. The ticket face and default setting for printing a receipt can be found in the Ticket Face tab of the Company Preferences.

                To print a receipt at the time of sale, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click the Payments button in the Order window.

                  Click Here for a detailed Description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the credit card payment method for which a receipt should be printed.
                3. Click the Print Tickets button.

                  If a ticket face has been setup the receipt will print with the tickets. If the Accept Payment button is clicked the receipt will print without tickets. The ticket face and default setting for printing a receipt can be found in the Ticket Face tab of the Company Preferences for more details on receipt setup.

                Re-Printing a Receipt

                1. Open the Payment tab in the Patron window.

                  Click Here for a detailed Description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the payment for which a receipt should be printed.

                  Single clicking the payment to select it.

                3. Click the Receipt button.

                  The reprint receipt(s) dialog opens.

                4. Click the Yes button.

                  The receipt is re-printed.

                Transferring Payments from One Order to Another

                These instructions will guide you though the process of transferring a payment from one order to another. If a payment has been accepted for the wrong purchase it can be corrected by transferring the payment from within the Patron Payment Window.

                You can only transfer payments between orders for the same patron, not between patrons.
                There is also a feature that allows using a single payment to pay for multiple orders

                Sometimes this may be better than transferring the payment if the payment is a credit card, especially if your merchant provider only allows linked refunds. Transferring a card payment to another order will affect ability to refund.

                This circumstance can happen, if a sale is refunded from an order but no refund payment is applied. This means, On Account, then a new sale is created and the order is paid On Account. This results in two orders in a patron record, one will show money is owed to the patron and a second showing the patron owes money. It will reflect on the Receivables Based on Order Balances report traditionally run with the End of Day Reports. See the following example.

                Click here for more information on the End of Day Reports.
                1. Find the Patron with the payment to be transferred.

                  Click here for information on finding Patrons.

                2. Click on the Payment Tab in the Patron Record to display a list of payments.

                3. Locate the payment you want to transfer and single click to highlight it.
                4. Click the Transfer button located at the bottom of the window.

                  The Transfer Payment window opens.

                5. Click the Order lookup button to display a list of the patron's payments.

                6. Single Click on the payment in the list you want to transfer.

                7. Click the Select button.

                  The selected order information now appears in the transfer payment window.

                8. Click the Transfer button.

                  The payment is now transferred to the selected order.

                Diataxis: 

                Post Dated Payment Report Criteria

                To find post dated payments, you can use any payment based report with the following criteria:

                • Payment source contains PD, and
                • Payment Deposit # is less than or equal to 0 (zero)

                  This will give you a listing of all the post dated payments that have not yet been deposited/charged.

                Alternatively, you can:

                When a post dated payment in entered into Theatre Manager, it has a deposit number of either 0 or -1 and is assigned a payment source of PD (Post Dated).

                • 0 -- Means the Post Dated payment(s) were 'created' today.
                • -1 - Means the Post Dated payment was 'created' prior to today.

                The deposit numbers will stay at either 0 or -1 until the Post Dated payment becomes due and you actually charge/deposit the funds into your bank account. At that time the deposit number on the payment will be updated to reflect the deposit number for the current date.

                With that in mind, you are able to run a payment report at any time to get a listing of all your outstanding Post Dated payments by referencing the Payment deposit number of 0 and -1 and the payment source is 'PD' (Post Dated).

                If you are unable to locate the Payment Source field, change your Select a Field Level to 'All' rather then using Essential or Frequently Used in the top left hand corner of the field selection window.

                Diataxis: 

                Contractual Payment

                Contractual Payments are used to maintain the order date, deposit date amount, final payment date amount, co-payer payment date amount. It is not applicable for most sales. However, it may be useful for educational or group sales where there is an initial deposit and a final payment due date. Or, if a second patron is paying a portion of the ticket order for example a granting agency for educational tickets), you can track who is to be co-invoiced.

                1. Click the Contractual Tab in the Payment view of the Orders Window.

                  Click Here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Enter the date and the amount of the initial deposit.
                3. Enter the final payment due date.
                4. If their is a Co-Payer enter there patron number.

                  You can also use the Patron icon to search for a patron. Click Here for more information on finding patrons using the contact list.

                5. Enter the payment date and amount that the co-payer is contributing.
                6. Return to the Detail tab.
                7. Complete the payment process. Click here for more information.
                Diataxis: 

                Credit Cards

                Credit Cards are a a common method of accepting payment for everything you sell. Here are the links to all things credit Card related:

                The Credit Card Tab displays all credit cards on file for a patron. This tab is visible to employees with access. Click here for more information.
                On the Credit Card tab, clicking this button Adds a new credit card to the patrons file. Click here for more information on Adding New Credit Cards.
                On the Credit Card tab, clicking this button Opens the credit card detail window for editing. Click here for more information on Editting a Credit Cards.
                On the Credit Card tab, clicking this button Deletes a credit card from the patron file. Once credit cards without transaction history can be deleted from the patron record. Click here for more information on Deleting a Credit Card.
                On the Credit Card tab, clicking this button Shreds the selected credit card records if they exceed the minimum retention policy of # days. Theatre Manager can implement either Schedule "C" or "D" for the SAC. You can define a retention period for credit card information. Click here for more information.
                You can use the Contact List to search and identify data attached to patrons that could be construed as a possible clear text credit card in violation of PCI guidelines.

                Click here for more information on data search.

                Diataxis: 

                Post Authorization of Credit Cards

                You use Post Authorization when an error "!CALL" comes back from the credit card server software. This error means you must call your credit card service provider as the merchant provider is questioning the charge to the patron's credit card and wants clarification. When talking to your credit card service provider, they will likely provide you an authorization number for the credit card charge you wish to make. After receiving the authorization number, you will need to create a Post Authorize payment in order to enter it into Theatre Manger and your credit card software.

                When creating a Post Authorization payment, it creates the payment in Theatre Manager and in the credit card server software. It does not dial out to your merchant provider for an authorization because your credit card service provider has already created the transaction for you and will have provided you with a voice authorization.

                1. Open the Patron Order Window.

                  Click the Order Tab on the Patron Window.

                2. Highlight the order associated with the payment. Note there is a balance due.
                3. Click the button.

                  The Payment window opens.

                4. Enter the credit card information on the payment window including the authorization number provided by you credit card service provider.

                  This authorization number must be entered exactly as shown on the original authorization. Replace DEMO 12 with your authorization number.

                  A Warning Dialog opens.

                5. Click the Pre-Authorization button.

                  You are returned to the Payments Window.

                6. Click the Accept Payment button.
                Diataxis: 

                Voiding Credit Card Payments

                A credit card payment can only be voided if you use Online Credit Card Authorization and it has not yet been deposited. If the card payment has been deposited refer to Reversing a Payment.
                1. Open the Patron Payment Window

                  Click the Payment Tab on the Patron Window to open this window.

                  Click here for a detailed Description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the Credit Card Payment to void.

                  Do this by single clicking the payment.

                3. Click the Void button.

                  The confirmation message which opens depends on when the credit card was authorized.

                4. Click Yes to void the credit card using you online credit card server and delete it from Theatre Manager.

                  A confirmation message displays in the status bar.

                Diataxis: 

                Reversing a Duplicate Credit Card Charge

                You have been notified by your patron that they have been charged twice for a purchase, yet there is only one credit card payment record in Theatre Manager. This can happen if Theatre Manager "timed out" during the authorization process and the Credit Card Software was still processing the original payment transaction. A user then sucessfully authorized the same payment a second time, resulting in two payments recorded in your Credit Card Software and one payment in Theatre Manager.

                Review your Authorizing Timeout Preference time in the Merchant Accounts Authorization tab, as an adjustment may be required.

                A correction is only required if Theatre Manager 's deposit and the Credit Card Software totals do not match yet the deposit has been forced through and the Credit Card Software settled manually.

                Review End of Day Troubleshooting to prevent this from occurring.

                Setting up a "Fake" Payment to be Refunded

                1. Open Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables and click on Payment Types and double click on the credit card type the the duplicate charge was on.

                  The Payment Methods window opens.

                2. Where it says "Authorize via Credit Card server" click the "NO" radio button.
                3. Click the Save button.
                4. Open the Patron Order window by clicking on the Order Tab from the Patron Window.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                5. Highlight the order and click the Payment button.

                6. Click the Yes button to continue.

                  The Payment window opens.

                7. Add a payment to the credit card by entering the amount that will be refunded later, as shown in the Payment Amount field.
                8. Enter in a ficticious Authorization Number, for example, "Fix Duplicate Charge".
                9. Click the Accept Payment button to complete the transaction.

                  As you have turned off credit card authorization through the server, the card will not be charged.

                  A warning dialog opens.

                10. Click the Yes button to continue.

                  A warning dialog opens.

                11. Click the Yes button.

                  A warning dialog opens.

                12. Click the No button.

                Refunding the Duplicate Payment

                If you have not completed the first step Setting up a "Fake" Payment" do that now, before doing the next section.

                1. Open Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables and click on Payment Types and double click on the credit card type that the duplicate charge was on.

                  The Payment Methods window opens.

                2. Where it says "Authorize via Credit Card server" click the "YES" radio button.
                3. Click the Save button.
                4. Open the Patron Order Window by clicking on the Order Tab from the Patron Window.
                5. Highlight the order and click the Payment button.

                6. Enter the refund amount.
                7. Click the Provide Refund button.
                8. Completing this, the patron will be refunded the money that he/she was overcharged while Theatre Manager will retain the correct payment amount.

                  Theatre Manager's Deposit will not match your Online Credit Card Server's deposit amount. You will need to force the deposit and manually settle.

                Re-Authorizing a Credit Card Payment

                If Theatre Manager has recorded a credit card payment as authorized but your credit card authorization software has no record of it you will need to re-authorize the payment.

                1. Open the Patron Payment Window

                  Click the Payment Tab on the Patron Window.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select a credit card payment and click Detail or double click the entry

                  The Payment Detail Window opens.

                3. Click the Re-Authorize Button

                  A Warning Window opens. Read the details of this window and only continue if you are completly sure the payment was never charged to the patron's card to avoid double billing.

                4. Click the Authorize Button

                  A Confirmation Window opens reminding you to complete this operation only if you are sure the card has not been billed.

                5. Click Yes

                  The card information will be sent to your merchant provider and a window will appear confirming the authorization

                6. Click OK to finish the process
                7. If you are re-authorizing a credit card that has already been deposited your re-authorization will not appear in Theatre Manager's Deposit Window. The rre-athorization will only be recorded by the credit card authorization software. Thus a force deposit may be required if Theatre Manager's credit card totals do not match the records of the authorization software. Click here for more information on Force Depositing

                Diataxis: 

                Voiding a Pass / GC Payment

                Voiding a pass payment after it has been deposited involves the payment being voided and, if needed, a new payment entered for the purchase.

                For example, I purchase 2 tickets to an event using a gift certificate. The next day (the end of Day process has been run) I change my mind. You can void my purchase and return the amount of the purchase to my gift certificate, using the following steps:

                1. Open the Patron Payments Tab in the Patron Window.

                  Click here for a description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the pass payment to be voided and click the Void button.

                  A Confirmation message displays in the footer and a new payment is added voiding the Pass / GC payment.

                3. Confirm that you want the pass voided and its value or quantity will be put back on the original pass

                  The patron will now have an outstanding balance on their account for the purchase total. Click Here for more information on making payments.

                Since a pass payment typically alters the price of the ticket, if you void the pass, you may need to:
                Diataxis: 

                EFT Payments

                An electronic fund transfer (EFT) moves money from one account to another. The accounts can be at the same financial institution or two different financial institutions. The transaction is done electronically through the banking system network.

                EFT transactions are also referred to as electronic banking. Everything is done paper-free, so there isn’t a need for cash or paper cheques/checks.

                 

                How does an EFT payment work?

                In Canada, EFT payments are submitted through a secure web portal provided by the bank. The EFT payments are then processed by each bank withing their own secure network to transfer the funds between accounts.

                In the USA, EFT payments are processed through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. ACH is a secure system that connects all U.S. financial institutions.

                Because the financial institutions are connected, when the patron authorizes the electronic transfer of funds, the money will be taken from the patron's bank account and deposited directly into the venue's bank account.

                 

                Will Theatre Manager automatically submit the EFT file to my bank for processing?

                No. Due to the requirement of submitting the EFT file through your bank's secure web portal and most banks limiting all direct file submission from 3rd party applications, Theatre Manager is unable to do it automatically. Theatre Manager will prepare, track, and create the EFT file that needs to be submitted for processing. It is the responsibility of the organization to submit the EFT file through the bank's secure web portal.

                 

                When does Theatre Manager create the EFT file that I can submit to my bank for processing?

                During the End of Day process. The request to prepare and create the EFT file is initiated by the box office after the End-Of-Day Deposit process has been completed. Each file request and the frequency of those file requests is completely under your control. Theatre Manager does not mandate any specific schedule.

                 

                Where can EFT payments can be accepted in Theatre Manager?

                Everywhere a typical payment can be entered via the box office.
                • through the payment window as a one time withdrawal
                • through the dated payment window for:
                  • offering a 3 payment option for a Season Subscription
                  • offering a 3 payment option for a Theatre School Class
                  • offering a monthly installment plan for year long membership
                  • offering a monthly installment plan for a donation campaign
                  • ... using it as an effective way to save on credit card fees charged by the banks
                • for Recurring Donations
                • for Auto-Renewal Season Subscriptions

                 

                Setup Preperation for Accepting EFT Payments

                The process for setup EFT payments is treated as a standard payment method accepted in the box office.

                1. Create a Merchant Provider for the Financial Institution where your bank account resides.
                2. Create an EFT Payment Method linked to the Merchant Provider.
                3. Set Employee Security - Functions for those employees who can create the EFT File for Submission to the financial instituation.

                 

                Daily Activity for Accepting EFT Payments

                The process for accepting EFT payments is straight forward and is treated as just another payment method accepted in the box office. In this situation, you'll be asking to have the patron provide their bank account information.

                1. Accept EFT payments as a form of payment.

                 

                Creating the EFT File containing Patron's Payments

                At a pre-determed time when you're ready to submit an EFT file for processing:

                1. Complete the Deposit the EFT Payments through the End-of-Day Wizard.
                2. Create the EFT File for Submission.
                3. Submit the EFT File to your Financial Institution for processing.
                Diataxis: 

                EFT Setup

                Setup Preperation for Accepting EFT Payments

                1. Create a Merchant Provider for the Financial Institution where your bank account resides.
                2. Create an EFT Payment Method linked to the Merchant Provider.
                3. Set Employee Security - Functions for those employees who can create the EFT File for Submission to the financial instituation.
                Diataxis: 

                Merchant Provider Setup

                Parts of the Merchant Account - Software Type Window

                Account Name Name of the merchant account.
                Status Active status of the merchant account.

                 

                EFT Merchant Provider Setup

                1. Create a new merchant account.
                2. Select Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Service as the Server Software.
                3. Select the Financial Instituation for the Bank Account accepting the funds as the Merchant Provider type.
                4. Enter the Merchant Number provided to you from your bank.
                5. Enter the Connection Information provided to you from your bank.
                A separate merchant provider will need to be created for each designated bank account that will receive EFT payments.

                For example, if your organization deposits monthly donors into Account A, and Government Grants into Account B, and you want to enable EFT Payments for both Accounts A & B, you will need to setup 2 Merchant Providers for each designated bank account.

                Software Type

                Parts of the Merchant Account - Software Type

                Server Software The EFT authorization software you are using. Choose Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Service.
                Merchant Provider Name of the Merchant Provider contracted to accept the EFT File for submission processing.
                Merchant Number Merchant or client ID number issued by the merchant provider and is placed on payment receipts.

                 

                EFT Merchant Provider Setup

                1. Select Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Service as the Server Software.
                2. Select the Financial Instituation for the Bank Account accepting the funds as the Merchant Provider type.
                3. Enter the Merchant Number provided to you from your bank.

                Connection Info

                Parts of the Merchant Account - Connection Info (Canada)

                Customer # An unique customer number assigned by the financial institution to identify the sender of the EFT file.
                Bank/Instituation # The bank/institution number assigned to the financial instituation
                Branch Transit # The bank/institution branch number assigned to the financial instituation.
                Settlement Account # The account number provided to you by the bank/institution.
                Destination Data Center Destination Data Centre where the EFT file is to be processed.

                 

                Parts of the Merchant Account - Connection Info Window (USA)

                Customer # An unique customer number assigned by the financial institution to identify the sender of the EFT file.
                Merchant Provider The bank/institution number assigned to the financial instituation. Always will be NACHA.
                Bank Transit Routing # The bank/institution branch number assigned to the financial instituation.
                Settlement Account # The account number provided to you by the bank/institution.

                Authorization

                Parts of the Merchant Account - Authorization

                Transaction Type A transaction code is used identify the type of payment being processed and enables the identification to the patron. This code may appear on patron's bank statements.
                Memo Additional information to identify the EFT payment. This information may appear on patron's bank statements.

                Settlement

                Parts of the Merchant Account - Settlement

                File Creation Number Last transaction number assigned to the EFT file. This number must be unique to each file submitted, otherwise the file will be rejected by the financial institution.

                 

                File Creation Number Requirements:
                • This number must begin at 0001 for all new accounts. This implies, leave the field empty when the merchant account is created or when you're ready to do your first EFT File creation.
                • If a file creation number is skipped for any reason, your bank may reject the entire EFT file from processing.
                • A file creation number can never be repeated.
                • When the file creation number gets to 9999, the next number will be 0001. (I know, this breaks the rule above, but as we know, all rules are meant to be broken in special situations)

                Currency

                Normally, EFT accounts are in the same currency for the country you reside in. If you are able to process EFT Payments in another currency, then you need to know what that is. And it needs to be in your currency exchange table. When an EFT Payment is processed Theatre manager will:

              • Pay the local currency against the order (that is, US Dollars in the US, Canadian Dollars in Canada)
              • Charge the foreign currency equivalent against the Patron's bank account
              • Create an offset for the difference against a foreign exchange account.
              • Setup on this tab is particularly important if you are accepting foreign currencies in your box office. Click here for more information.

                For more information about setting up Currency Exchange details and rates, click here.

                Parts of the Merchant Account - Currency

                Currency Country
                Select the desired country from the Currency Country drop down.

                Miscellaneous

                Parts of the Merchant Setup - Miscellaneous

                The miscellaneous tab is used to provide contact information for your merchant provider or bank representative. Please put information into these fields so that your staff will know who to contact in case of error messages from the merchant provider.

                Contact Person
                Enter the name of the Merchant Contact person when an error occurs with the EFT file submission to the bank.
                Phone Number
                Enter the phone number of the contact person
                E-Mail
                Enter the e-mail address of the Contact person
                Opens an email to be sent to the address listed

                Payment Method Setup for EFT

                EFT Payment Method Setup

                1. Create a new Payment Method in the Payment Methods Code Table.
                2. Set the Payment Type as E.F.T.
                3. Set the Merchant Account # to be the merchant account created as the Server Software type Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Service.

                EFT Payment methods are available at the Box Office and Development only.
                You may want to change the GL Account # associated with the EFT payment method from using the standard “Bank Account-Chequing” (the assumption that it made it into the bank on the same day), change it to have its own account number based on a Clearing Account, or "A/R-EFT Clearing from Bank”. This way, if you want to ensure that GL account for “Bank Account-Chequing” is only updated when the $$ actually processed by the bank, you can monitor the bank statements, and manually create a GL Entry moving the funds from the clearing account to the “Bank Account-Chequing” when the bank has transferred over the funds.
                Diataxis: 

                Employee Setup for EFT

                EFT Employee Function Setup

                1. Edit the Employee(s) who will create the EFT File from Theatre Manager.
                2. Enable Create EFT bank transmission file in the functions tab under the Accounting options area for those employees who will be allowed to create the EFT File from Theatre Manager.

                The employee who is able to create the EFT bank transmission files can be a different person from who may actually submit the file for processing with the bank. This allows the box office to prepare the file and someone else (i.e. the accountant or box office manager) to submit the file to the bank for processing.
                Diataxis: 

                Creating an EFT Payment

                EFT payments can be created:

                 

                Creating an EFT Payment (Canada)

                Parts of the EFT Payment Fields (Canada)

                Account Holder Name The registered name on the patron's bank account
                Bank The bank/institution number of the patron's bank account.
                Branch The bank/institution branch number of the patron's bank account.
                Account Number The account number of the patron's bank account.

                (formatted as) Bank - Branch Transit - Account Number

                 

                Creating an EFT Payment (USA)

                Parts of the EFT Payment Fields (USA)

                Account Holder Name The registered name on the patron's bank account
                Bank Not Required.
                ABA Routing The bank/branch ABA routing number of the patron's bank account.
                Account Number The account number of the patron's bank account.

                (formatted as) Bank Transit Routing Number - Account Number

                Diataxis: 

                Editing an EFT Payment

                Editing an EFT Payment follows the same rules as editing a non-credit card payment.

                If the payment hasn't been deposited, it can be deleted and then re-entered.

                If the payment has been deposited, it can be reversed and then re-entered.

                Diataxis: 

                Deleting an EFT Payment

                Deleting an EFT Payment follows the same rules as deleting a non-credit card payment.

                If the payment hasn't been deposited, it can be deleted.

                If the payment has been deposited, it can be reversed.

                Diataxis: 

                Depositing EFT Payments

                During the EOD deposit process, there is a prompt allowing to optionally ‘look for future’ EFT payments to include into the current deposit.

                Case example assumptions:

                • July 7 is today’s date.
                • July 15 is your set of monthly EFT submissions.

                By default, the EFT date will also be the current date (ie. July 7).

                On July 7th or whenever you choose to during the month, you can set the EFT Payment date to be July 15. The deposit process will then include the July 15 EFT payments into the current deposit. It will ignore any other future dated payments (i.e. Cheque, Visa, MasterCard). After the future dated EFT’s have been deposited, you'll be able to create your EFT file for the minimum 2 business days in advance requirement.

                Diataxis: 

                Create EFT File for Submission

                The process to create the EFT file for submission

                1. Complete your Sales / Deposit / Posting as normal through the End-of-Day Wizard. Deposit the EFT payments just as you would with cash.
                2. Run your EOD reports as normal.
                3. On the Reports screen, click the ‘Export EFT’ button.

                  • Only payments that have been posted to the General Ledger (meaning you need to complete the EOD process first), will be included in the EFT file.
                  • Once an EFT file is created for a set of payments, those payments are flagged and will not be part of any other EFT file.
                  Treat the EFT file with a high regard for security. It contains your company and patron's bank account information. We strongly recommend avoiding emailing this file whenever possible.
                4. Choose the location of where the EFT file is to be created.
                5. The EFT file will now be created.

                  At this stage, Theatre Manager has completed its role.

                6. Submit the EFT file to your financial instituation's banking system for processing.
                The EFT file can be created up to 2 weeks in advance within Theatre Manager of the actual transfer date. Ideally, you would like to wait for a closer date to when you will actually submit the file for processing:
                1. in case the are additional EFT payments added to it;
                2. if there are some EFT payments that need to be removed.
                After the EFT file is created for a set of payments, a flag is set within Theatre Manager to avoid re-creating another EFT file using those same payments. This avoids accidentally creating another EFT file with the same set of payments resulting in multiple transfers of funds from the patron’s bank account.

                Meaning, once the file is created, there is no method to automatically ‘undo’ or 're-create' the file. In a situation where you need to re-create the file or you somehow deleted the file, you will need to contact ArtsMan so we can assist you to use those payments set properly to be included in another EFT file.

                Diataxis: 

                Submit EFT File for Processing

                The EFT file must be manually submitted through your bank's secure web portal, as such it is the responsibility of the organization to submit the EFT file. Theatre Manager will prepare, track, and create the EFT file, but beyond that, the remainder of the process needs to be completed by the organization.

                Typically, the steps will be:

                1. Log into your bank's secure web portal using an account id and password
                2. Navigate through the menu options to the EFT Upload File option
                3. Click the upload file button
                4. Choose the EFT File that was created from Theatre Manager.
                5. Click upload -or- submit -or- the button selection to confirm the upload of the file.
                When the file is uploaded to the bank, the bank will perform a pre-process file validation on the contents of the file. If any initial processing errors are noted, a failure message should be provided to you either directly from the web portal or via an email to the primary account holder registered with the bank account.
                When the file is scheduled for processing, any post-processing errors should be provided to you either directly from the web portal or via an email to the primary account holder registered with the bank account.

                It's the responsibility of the venue to take corrective action if there are any errors provided by the bank when processing the file. Corrective action will depend on what the error is.
                Diataxis: 

                EFT File Format Examples

                Most commonly there are five different record types that define an EFT File containing the EFT Payment transactions.

                These record types include:

                • File Header Record - This record designates the physical file characteristics and identifies the immediate origin and destination of the entries contained with the file. In addition, this record includes date, time, and file identification fields used to uniquely identify the file.
                • Batch Header Record - This record identifies the originator and briefly describes the reason for the transactions. This record also identifies the settlement bank account and other transaction processing controls. The Batch Header Record indicates the effective entry date of all transactions within the batch. The information contained in the record applies uniformly to all subsequent Entry Detail Records in the batch.
                • Entry Detail Record - The Entry Detail Records contain the information necessary to identify the patron's bank account (i.e. financial institution, account number, patron's name, and the debit or credit amount).
                • Batch Control Record - Each batch control record contains the counts, hash totals, and total dollar controls for the preceding detail entries within the indicated batch.
                • File Control Record - This overall file control record contains the dollar, entry, and hash total accumulations for all Batch Control Records in the file. This record also contains counts of the number of records and the number of batches within the file.
                Diataxis: 

                CIBC EFT Format

                CIBC Layout - 80 character file format

                Used by:

                • 010 - Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)

                Diataxis: 

                CPA-005 Layout

                Canadian Payments Association CPA-005 Layout - 1464 byte file format

                Used by:

                • 001 - Bank of Montreal (BMO)
                • 003 - Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
                • 004 - Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Canada Trust)
                • 006 - National Bank of Canada
                • 016 - HSBC Canada
                • 030 - Canadian Western Bank
                • 039 - Laurentian Bank of Canada
                • 219 - Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB)
                • 540 - Manulife Bank
                • 809 - Credit Union British Columbia

                Diataxis: 

                Central 1 Credit Union EFT Format

                Central 1 Credit Union Layout - 1464 character file format

                Used by:

                • 828 - Credit Union Ontario
                • 879 - Credit Union Manitoba
                • 889 - Credit Union Saskatchewan
                • 899 - Credit Union Alberta

                Diataxis: 

                NACHA EFT Format

                National Automated Clearing House Association - NACHA Layout

                This is the format for the USA Banks using the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) for processing Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions.

                Diataxis: 

                ScotiaBank EFT Format

                ScotiaBank Layout - 105 character file format

                Used by:

                • 002 - Bank of Nova Scotia / ScotiaBank

                Diataxis: 

                FAQ Questions for EFT

                There are a number of common questions that are asked when first starting to use EFT Payments. The goal of this section is to help find answers to those common questions to ease your mind on a specific situation you're experiencing.

                Do I need to create an EFT file each time I deposit an EFT Payment?

                No. You can deposit EFT payments at any time. When you choose to create the file, Theatre Manager will automatically include all the EFT payments that have not been previously submitted for transfer.

                Keep in mind that there are limitations to past and future-dated transfers. If the EFT payment falls out of the date range restrictions set by the bank when the EFT transaction is processed, it will be rejected by the bank. Your bank will notify you of such rejections.

                Diataxis: 

                Do we have to date the payments 2 business days prior to the file processing date?

                Does this mean we have to date the payments 2 business days prior to the 15th in Theatre Manager and I have to be in the office for those days?

                No. You may continue to date all the payments in Theatre Manager as the 15th of the month as you do now.

                Referring to this 2 day requirement…. some banks require 2 days as the minimum days in advance of the withdrawal date in order for them to process the withdrawals on your specified date. You are able to submit it 3 days in advance, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 7, etc. Meaning, you can submit the EFT file easily when you're in the office without making special trips to be there. In fact, some banks allow you to submit them 45 days in advance — but currently, Theatre Manager only allows 14 days in advance as a safety measure.

                Let's say you create the export file on the night of July 11th. The EFT file will have a Creation Date of July 11, while all the payments within the file will still have a Transaction/Processing of July 15. This allows you to submit the file on July 12 or 13 or 14. The rule from the bank is, if the Transaction/Processing date falls on a weekend or holiday, the transaction will be processed on the next business day. In this example, as July 15 is a Saturday, the transactions will be processed on Monday July 17 from the bank.

                As a reminder, if the file was created on July 11th, but for whatever reason you didn’t make it into the office until July 17th, all is still fine. You can submit that same EFT file upon your return and the transactions will be processed within the next 2 business days.

                Note: There is a limit to this… you have up to 7 days after the File Creation date to submit it for processing. After 7 days, the file will be rejected by the bank. So in the example above, you would need to submit on July 17 upon your return to keep the file ‘valid’.

                If something happens and the 17th is missed (as an example), no need to worry - let Arts Management Support know and we’ll assist in getting the EFT file formatted so you can submit it again.

                Diataxis: 

                How is the EFT File external name derived?

                When the EFT File is created, its name was automatically set to ThePortTheatre20190514EFTElectronicFundsTransfer0021 Why is there additional information at the end?

                Yes, the full file name is determined during the export process, not at the beginning. When you first start the process, you're provided the leading description and the trailing description is auto extended based on the payment method description and file creation sequence number.

                The ThePortTheatre starts from the Short Name in company preferences.

                The 20190514 is based on the current date in the yyyymmdd format.

                The EFTElectronicFundsTransfer comes from the payment method description in code tables

                .

                The 0021 is the file sequence number from the merchant account setup.

                put them altogether (after removing spaces and special characters) you get ThePortTheatre20190514EFTElectronicFundsTransfer0021 with no 3 character file extention.

                The EFT file created by Theatre Manager will not have a 3 character file extension.

                Financial Instituations will reject the file if it contains a file extension. The EFT File is specifically created to conform to the specificiations provided by the Clearing House Association to successfully process EFT transactions.

                The EFT File external name is specifically named to allow for mutliple EFT merchant accounts and/or multiple EFT Payment Methods to have their EFT Files created at the same time. In most situations, you only have 1 file to submit. Potentially in other specifically designed and setup situations, there may be a desire to have 2 or more different files to submit. The naming convention allows for easily identifing which EFT Payments belong to each Merchant and/or Payment Method.
                Diataxis: 

                How often can I sumbit an EFT file for processing?

                How often can I sumbit an EFT file for processing?

                I forgot to create the EFT file and submit it to the bank!

                No problem. Create the EFT file during your next EOD process. Theatre Manager will automatically include all the EFT payments that have not been previously submitted for transfer, allowing you to submit the file for processing.

                Keep in mind that there are limitations to past and future-dated transfers. If the EFT payment falls out of the date ranges, it will be rejected by the bank. Your bank will notify you of such rejections.

                Diataxis: 

                Is there a security setting on who is able to create the bank EFT file?

                Yes. In the Employee Security settings for available functions, enable ‘Create EFT bank transmission file’ within the Accounting area.

                This allows you to control the employees who are able to create the export file.

                Diataxis: 

                I’m leaving on vacation, can I create the EFT file in advance?

                Yes. Theatre Manager allows you to create the EFT file 2 weeks in advance of the EFT payment date. This allows you to submit the EFT file to the bank before you leave on vacation, allowing the EFT payments to still be transferred to your company’s bank account on the correct transfer date.

                Diataxis: 

                My bank requires the EFT file to be submitted 2 days in advance

                During the EOD deposit process, there is a prompt allowing to optionally ‘look for future’ EFT payments to include into the current deposit.

                Case example assumptions:

                • July 15 is your set of monthly EFT submissions.
                • July 13 is today’s date.

                By default, the EFT date will also be the current date (ie. July 13).

                On July 13th or whenever you choose to during the month, you can set the EFT Payment date to be July 15. The deposit process will then include the July 15 EFT payments into the current deposit. It will ignore any other future dated payments (i.e. Cheque, Visa, MasterCard). After the future dated EFT’s have been deposited, you'll be able to create your EFT file for the minimum 2 business days in advance requirement.

                Diataxis: 

                When I pull the EFT payments in advance, they show in the current deposit reports

                Case example assumptions:

                • July 15 is your set of monthly EFT submissions.
                • July 13 is the date that you choose to deposit the July 15 EFT payments.
                • July 13 is the date that you created the EFT file for the bank.

                The EFT payments will show on your deposit reports on July 13th. That will not change. It needs to show that you included the EFT in the current deposit summary.

                Theatre Manager can not have those EFT payments automatically show in the July 15 deposit because Theatre Manager has no idea if the EFT file was submitted on time to the bank for July 15, or if the bank accepted/rejected it, or if the EFT file was submitted on July 16, 17, 20, or 30th instead.

                If this is a concern, you may want to change the GL Account # associated with the EFT payment method. Instead of having it as “Bank Account-Chequing” (the assumption that it made it into the bank on the same day), change it to have its own account number based on a Clearing Account, or "A/R-EFT Clearing from Bank”. This way, if you want to ensure that GL account for “Bank Account-Chequing” is only updated when the $$ actually processed by the bank, you can monitor the bank statements, and manually create a GL Entry moving the funds from the clearing account to the “Bank Account-Chequing” when the bank has transferred over the funds.

                This works in the same manner as Credit Cards. Even though you settle the credit card batch on May 30th, the actual $$ from those credit card sales may not make it to your bank account for 2+/- business days (or whatever your bank merchant agreements indicate). Those credit card payments will appear in Theatre Manager's May 30th deposit, not in the June 2nd deposit reports.

                Diataxis: 

                Where do I alter the starting value of the File Creation Number?

                Each EFT file must have a unique and sequential ‘file creation number’. I need to alter this starting value.

                The File Creation Number is a 4 digit number set within the Merchant Account information.

                In the example above, setting the ‘last transaction number’ to 2, means the next EFT file creation will be 0003.

                • This number must begin at 0001 for all new accounts
                • If a file creation number is skipped for any reason, your bank may reject the entire EFT file from processing.
                • A file creation number can never be repeated
                • When the file creation number gets to 9999, the next number will be 0001. (I know, this breaks the rule above, but as we know, all rules are meant to be broken in special situations)
                Diataxis: 

                Where is the Transaction Code for the EFT Payment Defined?

                The EFT file contains a Transaction Code for each payment. Where is this defined?

                The 3 digit transaction code is set within the Merchant Account information.

                You're able to choose from a list of acceptable codes determined by the financial instutation.

                The Memo field ranges between 10 to 15 characters in length depending on your merchant provider definition of this field. It is additional information you can use to identify the payment. This information will be printed on the patron’s account statement. It is meant to be generic in nature and not specific to a patron.
                Diataxis: 

                Why didn't the EFT Payments get into Today's EFT File?

                I’m confused as to why the EFT Payments I entered into Theatre Manager today didn’t get created into the EFT File that was created during the End-of-Day Wizard.

                Because the deposit entry that was created containing the EFT payments was not posted to the General Ledger. The EFT file creation process will only select deposited payments that have been posted to the general ledger. Creating the deposit is 1/2 way there; the deposit entry needs to be posted too.

                In this case, the deposit was completed, but it was not posted to the general ledger.

                Diataxis: 

                Why was my EFT File Rejected with an Invalid Transmission Date?

                I created the EFT File from Theatre Manager correctly, but when I attempted to submit it for processing with the bank it was rejected with an Invalid Transmission Date?

                When the EFT File from Theatre Manager is created, there is a Transmission Date within the File Header Record to indicate when the file was created.

                The banks have put in a restriction that if this Transmission Date is in the future or if it is more than 4 days prior to the submission date, the file will be rejected. The 4+/- days varies and is dependent on the bank.

                This is a safety feature to protect you from accidentally submitting an old file to be processed again.

                Contact ArtsMan Support and we will assist you in recreating the same EFT File again but with a current date so that you can resubmit for processing.

                Diataxis: 

                Personnel/Volunteer Management

                For Quick Reference Information on the Personnel /Volunteers Management Module, You can download:

                Quick reference information for Personnel/Volunteers Overview

                Guide

                Video

                Video

                Adding, Editing, Deleting Volunteer Postions

                Cheatsheet

                Adding a Volunteer's Activity History

                Cheatsheet

                Adding, Editing and Deleteting Volunteer Available Time

                Cheatsheet

                Opening the Volunteer Window

                1. Open the Patron List Window.

                  Click here for more information on finding a patron.

                2. Search for a Patron and click on their name in the list.
                3. At the top of the Patron List Window, select the Volunteer button.

                  The Volunteer Window opens with the data of the patron.

                  For more information on the Volunteer Window, click here.
                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Window

                Volunteers are an integral part of every organization. Using the Volunteer window, you can keep track of:

                • Detailed Notes on your volunteers
                • Physical and other information in the Volunteer tab
                • Add the Volunteer Positions they have held and the hours worked
                • Keep track of the Times they are Available
                • Any Awards they have recieved according to the number of hours they have volunteered
                • Any Tasks that may have been assigned to them through the Facility module
                • To access this window, you use the Volunteer button on the Patron List Toolbar / Ribbon Bar.

                  The Volunteer Window opens.

                  Parts of The Window

                  Volunteer Information

                  This information is contained in the upper portion of the window. All information is taken directly from the patron information you entered.
                  Detail / Notes This tab allows you to enter more specific information about the volunteer. Click here for more information.
                  Volunteer This tab has adjustable menus and fields for additional information on the volunteer. Click here for more information.
                  Position This tab lists positions the volunteer can perform. Click here for more information.
                  Time Availability This tab allows you to set the times the volunteer is available or unavailable. Click here for more information.
                  Award This tab allows you to see any awards the volunteer has received. Click here for more information.

                  History

                  The Activity History / Evaluations is the lower section of the window and contains all of the activities the volunteer has participated in. Click here for more information.
                  New - Clicking the New button allows you to add New Activity History for the Volunteer.
                  Open - Opens the currently selected history for viewing or edititing
                  Delete - Deletes the selected History
                  Search - Allows you to search for a Play / Event to associate the history to.

                Detail / Notes Tab

                This tab contains detailed information on the volunteer.

                Parts of the Detail / Notes Tab

                Greeting The greeting that the individual prefers.
                Birthday The individual's birthday.
                Age Code The age code of the individual. The selection can be modified in Code Tables. Click here to learn how to change the age code defaults.
                Status If the individual is active and if so when the best times for them to work are. This drop down field can also be edited in code tables. Click here to learn how to change the status code defaults.
                Height The height of the individual.
                Weight The weight of the individual.
                SIN # The individual's Social Insurance Number.
                Gender The gender of the individual.
                Hours Summary Shows a yearly summary of hours worked for the past five years, and a summary of all years prior.
                General Volunteer Notes General notes about the individual.
                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Tab

                The volunteer tab displays additional criteria that can be tracked about the volunteer.

                Parts of the Volunteer Tab

                Hair Colour The hair colour of the volunteer. The list is adjustable in Code Tables >> Volunteer Hair Colour. Click here for more information on adjusting this table.
                Eye Colour The eye colour of the volunteer. The list is adjustable in Code Tables >> Volunteer Eye Colour. Click here for more information on adjusting this table.
                Vocal Range The vocal range of the volunteer. The list is adjustable in Code Tables >> Volunteer Vocal Range. Click here for more information on adjusting this table.
                Instrument The instrument the volunteer plays. The list is adjustable in Code Tables >> Volunteer Instrument. Click here for more information on adjusting this table.
                Dance Check box to denote whether the volunteer dances.
                Sing Check box to denote whether the volunteer sings.
                Act Check box to denote whether the volunteer acts.
                Volunteer Flag #4 Additional assignable flag that can be used for tracking volunteers.
                Volunteer Flag #5 Additional assignable flag that can be used for tracking volunteers.
                Diataxis: 

                Position Tab

                The positions tab is part of the Volunteer Window and displays the positions which the volunteer can perform. Functions of this tab are add a position, edit a position, and delete a position.

                Parts of the Positions Tab

                Position The volunteer code of the position. The codes are setup in Code Tables >> Volunteer Activities. Click here to learn how to set the codes.
                Again If the volunteer is still interested in the position.
                Contacted The date last contacted.
                Paid If the activity was paid.
                History If any historical information is available.
                Preference The preference rating of the volunteer for the position on a scale of 1-10.
                Hours The total number of hours worked in the position.
                Paid $ The total amount that was paid for the activity.
                Last Year The last year that the volunteer performed the position.
                Notes Any notes associated with the position.
                Inserts a new position through the Positions For Window. Click here to learn how to insert a new position.
                Shows the details for the selected position as well as allowing editing in the Positions For Window. Click here to learn how to edit a current position.
                Deletes the selected position. Click here to learn how to delete positions.

                For quick reference information on Adding Editting and Deleting Volunteer Postions, click the following link.

                Cheatsheet

                Diataxis: 

                Adding a Volunteer Position

                Once a volunteer has worked or expressed interested in a position you should add the position to their data. This is done through the Positions Tab on the Volunteer Window.

                1. Open the Volunteer Window.

                  You will see the positions section on the upper right of the screen.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Activity Positions For a Patron window opens.

                3. Choose the personnel activity position from the list.

                  The pulldown list is customizable in the Code Tables >> Volunteer Activities.

                  Note that some selected positions may show some online capabilities for managing events or attendance. These permissions are set per position, so somebody assigned to the position will be provided the capability after logging in to the online web sales.
                4. Select a play using the Lookup button.

                  This opens the Play List window allowing you to search for a play. Click here to learn how to find plays.

                5. Double click the play to select it.
                6. Change the last contact date if needed.
                7. Select "Will do again" or "Normally compensated for doing this position" if applicable.
                8. Enter any notes about the position.
                9. You can add any number of tags to the volunteer position.
                10. When complete, click Save .

                  The new position is now shown under the Positions Tab and can be used in new records. Click here for more information on creating volunteer history.

                Diataxis: 

                Editing a Personnel Position

                You may need to edit a volunteer position to update notes about the position or the last play the volunteer worked. This is done in the Positions Tab on the Volunteer Window.

                1. Find the Patron Record and open the Volunteer Window.
                2. Click on the Positions Tab at the upper right of the window.

                  Click here to learn more about the Positions Tab.

                3. Click on the position you wish to edit.
                4. Click the Open button.

                  This will open the Position Window for the position.

                5. Change any data as needed.
                6. Click the Save button.

                  You return to the Volunteer Window and any changed data will be saved and displayed under the Position Tab.

                Diataxis: 

                Deleting Personnel Positions

                You can delete positions which have no activities attached to them. Click here to learn how to delete only specific activities preformed under a position.

                1. Find the Patron Record and open the Volunteer Window.
                2. Select the Positions tab at the upper right of the window.

                  This tab displays all the positions the volunteer has held or expressed an interest in.

                3. Click on the positionto delete.
                4. Click the Delete button at the bottom of the tab.

                  The Delete a Record dialog opens.

                5. Click Delete to proceed with the delete.

                  To cancel the position deletion click Cancel .

                Diataxis: 

                Time Available Tab

                This tab displays the times which the volunteer is available and when there may be a conflict with their schedule.

                Parts of the Availability Tab

                Month The month of the entered time.
                Day The day of the entered time.
                Start The start of the time available or conflict.
                End The end of the time available or conflict.
                Type The type of time entered i.e. Available or Conflict.
                Notes Notes about the time.
                Outlet The outlet at which the volunteer works.
                Date Start The date that the availability or conflict starts.
                Date End The date that the availability or conflict ends.
                Time Start The time that the availability or conflict starts.
                Time End The time that the availability or conflict ends.
                Outlet Code The code for the outlet which the volunteer works at.
                Starts the New Time Wizard. Click here for more information.
                Opens the Time For Window through which you can add conflicting or available times. Click here to learn how to add new times.
                Opens the Time For Window with the data for the selected time(s) allowing for editing if needed. Click here to learn how to edit times.
                Deletes the currently selected time. Click here to learn how to delete times.
                For Quick Reference Information on Volunteer's Available Times, You can download, the following Quick Reference information. Adding, Editing & Deleteting a Volunteer's Available Time

                Cheatsheet (draft)

                Diataxis: 

                Personnel Management - Creating Availability Times

                If a volunteer knows what times they will be available. You can set them up under the Time Available Tab.

                Creating Times Using the Wizard

                1. Click the New Time Wizard button.

                2. Select the availability type.

                  You can choose whether the time being entered is time that the volunteer is available or whether there is a conflict. If it is a conflict time, then a to and from window will appear next.

                3. Click the Next button to proceed.

                4. Select the months which the personnel is available and click the Next button.

                5. Select the days of the week the personnel is available and click the Next button.

                6. Enter the Starting and Ending times and click the Next button.

                  For available times these times will be the time of day. Whereas with conflict dates they will be actual dates i.e. month, day, year.

                7. Enter any notes associated with the time and click the Finished button.

                  The new times will be displayed under the tab.

                Creating Times by a Single New Entry

                This will allow you to enter a single record of either available or conflicting time.

                1. Start ny clicking the New button on the Times Available Tab.

                2. Choose either "Time Available" or "Time Conflict".
                3. Select the month and the day of the week for the time.
                4. Enter the start time and the end time of the time.
                5. Enter any notes about the time.
                6. Click the Save button to finish creating the new record.
                Diataxis: 

                Editing Availability Times

                If a personnel member has availability or conflict times setup they may eventuallly need to be updated.

                1. Find the Patron Record and open the Volunteer Window.
                2. Open the Times Available Tab.

                3. Select the time you wish to edit.
                4. Click the Open button.

                  The Time Available Window will open with the data of the selected time.

                5. Make the required changes.
                6. Click the Save button.

                  The Time Available Window will close and you will return to the Volunteer Window. The time change will appear in the Time Available Tab.

                Deleting Available Times

                If a volunteer has availability or conflict times setup they may eventually need to be updated.

                1. Find the Patron Record and open the Volunteer Window.
                2. Open the Time Available Tab.

                3. Select the time to delete.
                4. Click the Delete button.

                  A Delete confirmation dialog opens.

                5. Click Delete to confirm the deletion.

                  Clicking Cancel will abort the deletion.

                Awards Tab

                This tab contains award information on the volunteer. You can also add, edit and delete awards.

                When you keep track of your volunteer's hours worked through the Volunteer Module, you can assign those hours towards awards. Personalizing your volunteer recognition component of your program is the best form of showing appreciation for the contribution of volunteers. For example, For every 10 hours a volunteer works, they recieve one ticket. You can use this tab to assign the award and keep track of how many awards they have recieved.

                The awards available for selection are defined in the Volunteer Awards Code Table. Click here, for more information.

                Parts of the Awards Tab

                Date Awarded The date the award was given.
                Award The award that was given.
                Hours Recognized The number of hours that were recognized with the award.
                Notes Any notes that were entered with the award.
                Outlet Owner The main organization name.
                Outlet The specific outlet that this volunteer was awarded for working at.
                Creates a new award. Click here for more information on creating awards.
                Opens the currently selected award.
                Deletes the currently selected award.
                Diataxis: 

                Adding Awards

                If you want to add an award to a volunteer, you can set them up under the Awards Tab.

                1. Click the New button.

                  The Volunteer Award Detail Window opens.

                2. Select the Award Type you wish to assign.

                  For a "Recognition For Hours Contributed" type the volunteer must have records of working that number of hours. For a "Milestone" type hours are not required.

                3. Choose the award from the drop down list.

                4. The Date Awarded defaults to the current date.

                  Alter the date as needed.

                5. Enter any notes about this award.
                6. Click the Recognized Activities tab to add the Volunteer's hours.
                7. Click the Plus button to add the Volunteer's hours to the Awards.

                  From the selection flyout, you have the option to add All activities or All un-recognized activities.

                  button.

                8. Click the Save button in the Awards Toolbar / ribbon bar and close the Awards window.

                  The new awards will be displayed under the tab.

                9. When adding Awards at a future date, hours already attributed to an Award display as 0.00 in the recognized Activities tab.

                Delete an Award

                You may want to delete an award, given to a volunteer.

                1. Select the award to be removed in the Award tab.
                2. Click the Delete button.

                  A Delete Confirmation dialog opens.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Award is removed from the volunteer's record.

                Edit an Award

                You want to change an award, given to a volunteer.

                You noticed that when you added the Awards more hours were added for each award than was required. You need to go back in and edit the Awards.

                1. Select the award to be edited in the Award tab.
                2. Click the Open button.

                  The Volunteer Award Detail Window opens.

                3. Make your changes and click the Save button.

                  Continue through making any edits as necessary.

                Volunteer Marketing Tab

                The marketing tab on the Volunteer Window contains the same information at the marketing tab on the Patron window - the information is repeated here for ease of entry. Changing data in either window results in the same changes to the database.

                Diataxis: 

                Adding New Personnel

                The information for a volunteer is added through the patron window the same way you add a patron. Click here to learn how to add a Patron. Once you have added the required information open the Volunteer Window. The information you entered in the patron window will be transferred to the Volunteer Information Section in the upper left of the window. Once the first position is added to a patron in Theatre Manager they become a volunteer.

                You must first create one or multiple positions for the personnel member. Click here to learn how to add positions. Once a position has been created you can create activities which can contain historical and evaluation records. Click here to learn how to create activities.

                Adding an Employee

                Adding Employees to your Theatre Manager database is a simple process. It is covered in detail in the System Setup section of the online help.

                To view all the other functions to do with employees, click here.

                Volunteer Activity History and Evaluations

                This section is located at the bottom of the Volunteer Window. It contains the activity history for a volunteer. Each history has an evaluation of their preformance included with it. These evaluations and comments can be used in your future selections of volunteers.

                Parts of the Activity History / Evaluation Section

                From Date The date the activity started.
                To Date The date the activity was finished.
                Position The position the activity was preformed under.
                Role The role of the volunteer.
                Play Code The play code the activity was performed for.
                Play Title The play name the activity was performed for.
                Rating The rating the volunteer recieved.
                Hours The number of hours the volunteer worked.
                Paid Amount The amount the volunteer was paid for the activity.
                Evaluation The comments associated with the activity.
                Play Number The number of the play.
                Inserts a new activity into the personnel record. Click here to learn how to add an activity.
                Opens the currently selected record and allows for the record to be edited. Click here to learn how to edit an activity.
                Deletes the currently selected activity(s). Click here to learn how to delete an activity.
                Search Function Allows you to search the volunteer activity history based on a number of different categories.

                For Quick Reference Information on Adding Activities for a Volunteer, You can download

                Cheatsheet

                Activity History

                Patrons can be assigned various activities as either volunteers or personnel. They can be paid or unpaid for their services, but are all tracked in the same way. Once a volunteer is assigned to an Activity, the fine points of that Activity can be fine tunes, including:

                • The hours and responsibilities for the Activity
                • An evaluation by a supervisor for the Activity
                • Awards given to the volunteer for performing the Activity
                • Letters or Emails sent to the Volunteer regarding the Activity, and
                • Billing for personnel resources (if you have the Facilities Management module)

                The name of this module can be modified from the default on a venue by venue basis. While yours may be called "Volunteer," some databases have been set to call the module "Personnel" or "Staff." These terms can be used interchangeably throughout these help pages.


                Activity Tab

                The Activity tab tracks information regarding the duration of the activity and the intended duties or responsibilities for the activity.

                Parts of the Activity tab

                Hours This field indicates how many hours the volunteer worked for the event. It will default to the runtime of the performance as indicated on the Marketing tab of the Event setup. For more information on the Marketing tab,
                Role If tracking a cast member, indicate the role they will play here. This can be used to produce Cast Lists and Cast Contact sheets. Either "Role" or "Volunteer Duties for the period" must be entered. For more information on creating Cast List reports, click here.
                Volunteer Duties for Period If assigning volunteers to a task, indicate the task they perform here. Either "Role" or "Volunteer Duties for the period" must be entered.
                Shift The Shift drop-down allows you to indicate a particular portion of a longer event that the volunteer is assigned to. For example, if it is an all day event, volunteers may work the morning or afternoon shift. Values in this drop-down can be edited in Setup>>System Tables>>Code Tables, under Volunteer Shift. For more on adding or creating Code Table values, click here.

                Evaluation Tab

                The Evaluation tab provides an opportunity to evaluate, or rate, the volunteer's performance while doing the activity.

                Parts of the Evaluation tab

                Evaluation Visible to These settings coincide with the settings on the Employee Profile, allowing employees with specific security settings to view certain evaluations. For more on editing Employee Security settings, click here.
                Rating A scaled grade of how well the volunteer performed this activity. The rating must be a 1 - 10 scale.
                Did Not Perform Activity A checkbox to indicate that the volunteer did not perform the activity.
                Statistics Year The year that the volunteer activity will be attributed to. Theatre Manager sets thsi field automatically.
                Comments About Activity An opportunity to add comments from supervisors regarding the performance of the volunteer. These comments can be used in Form Letters or in exports.

                Awards Tab

                The Awards tab lists any recognition awards that the volunteer may have received for performing this activity.

                Parts of the Awards tab

                Click this icon to add a new Award.
                Hours Recognized When the Award is added, this column will display the hours the volunteer has been attributed for this activity.
                Recognition Type There are two types of Recognition: Recognition for Hours Contributed and Milestone. For more information on Recognition Types click here.
                Award The Award the volunteer was given (a pin, a trophy, a pass).
                Date The date the Award was given.

                Letters Tab

                The Letters tab tracks correspondence with the patron regarding this particular volunteer activity. You can print or email confirmation letters to volunteers to remind them of their upcoming service commitments, or to thank them for having performed a task. The "Comments About the Activity" from the Evaluation tab can be included in the Form Letter for a personalized touch.

                Parts of the Letters tab

                Status An icon (or series of icons) indicating the status of the document. A legend of the icons appears at the bottom of the window.
                SEQ # The database sequence number for the task.
                Status The status of the task itself (Done, Not Done, In Progress, Error, Cancelled)
                Type An indication whether it is a letter or an email, and how the document was added (manually orby batch print).
                Requested By The Employee (User) requesting the document.
                Notes Under construction
                RecordsFile Connected to Correspondance The database file from which the document is drawing its data.
                Date Begin Date the letter task was requested by the employee.
                Date End Date the letter task was completed.
                Date Printed Date the letter was printed.
                Adds a letter (or email) to the record for printing/emailing.
                Opens the document status window.
                or Prints or emails the document immediately.
                Views the selected letter. You may modify it to personalize the letter.
                Deletes the selected letter.

                Supervisors Tab

                The Supervisors tab allows your to track what Employee of the company to whom this volunteer must report for this task. All Supervisors must be employees of the company.

                Parts of the Supervisors Tab

                First Name The first name of the supervisor.
                Last name The last name of the supervisor
                Date Entered The date the supervisor record was added.
                Date Updated The date the supervisor record was updated (for example, if the supervisor was changed or edited).
                Volunteer Supervisor Changed By The employee logon that added this supervisor to this record.
                Volunteer Supervisor The sequence number in the database of the supervisor (Employee number).
                Click to add a new supervisor.
                Not an active button.
                Click to delete a supervisor from this record.

                Facility Billing Tab

                The Facility Billing tab is available only if you have the Facilities Management module for Theatre Manager. If you do not have Facilities Management, but are interesting in finding out more about the module, click here.

                The Facility Billing tab allows you to track income vs expenses for a specific task within a project. For example, if you need to hire an usher, you can track the payroll for the usher according to your pre-set usher cost and General Ledger structure, and expense that to a specific project.

                Much of the Facility Billing tab will be filled in by default if the activity has been properly setup inSetup>>System Tables>>Code Tables>>Volunteer/Personnel Activity. For more information on setting up Code Tables, click here.

                Parts of the Facility Billing Tab

                Payment Information Options include:
                • Hours worked. This defaults from the approximate runtime of the performance, plus any "Arrive Before" or "Stay After" values in the Activity setup. For more information on setting the Approximate Runtime, click here. For more information on setting the Arrive/Stay values, click here.
                • Pay Period (drop-down). Select from the drop down the time period for which the pay is set. The options are: Contract Rate, Day Rate, Hourly, Weekly, Monthly.
                • Hourly Rate. Defaults from Setup>>System Tables>>Code Tables>>Volunteer Activity.
                • Amount Paid. Multiplies the Hours worked by the Hourly Rate.
                Fiscal Year For billing purposes. Defaults to the Fiscal Year in which the task takes place.
                Billing Information Options include:
                • Hours to bill - The invoice calculation will use this value, multiplied by the Hourly Rate to create the amount billed.
                • Pay calculation - The default value for the Activity.
                • Hourly Rate Billed - The dollar value of the billed hourly rate.
                • Amount billed - Allows you to set a different billing rate for this specific Activity.
                • Income Account - The Income GL Account specified in the Activity setup in Setup>>System Tables>>Code Tables>>Volunteer Activity.
                • Cost Account - The Cost (Expense) GL Account specified in the Activity setup in Setup>>System Tables>>Code Tables>>Volunteer Activity.
                • Sales Tax Code (drop-down) and related Tax 1, 2, 3 - Allows you to select a value from the Sales Tax Codes to apply to the billing for this Activity. For more about setting up Tax Tables, click here.
                • Total Amount - Calculates the total amount billed for this volunteer for this activity.

                Transactions Tab

                Under Construction. Information coming soon!

                Adding Activity History and Evaluations

                Once a volunteer has positions setup they can receive historical and evaluation comments. This data is displayed at the bottom of the Volunteer Window. The history and evaluations can help to choose the best personnel for the position you require.

                1. Find the Volunteer you are adding an evaluation and history to.

                2. Click the New button at the bottom of the window.

                  If the Volunteer selected has more than one position associated with their profile, the New Activity History window opens.

                3. Select the position the activity was performed under and click the Next button.

                  Only positions you have setup for the selected volunteer will be displayed. If you need to add a different position for the volunteer, clcik the Cancel button to return to the Volunteer Window where you can add a new position. Click here to learn how to setup positions.

                4. The Activity History Widow opens.

                5. Click the Play Lookup button.

                  This opens the Play List Window allowing you to search for plays.

                6. Double click the play for which the activity was performed.

                  Youare returned to the Activity History Window.

                  The play code is displayed in the field along with it's title to the right. The From and To fields will be filled with the dates which the play runs.

                7. Click the Performance Lookup button to specify if this activity is only for one performance.

                  If a performance code is entered, the date will be set, and times will be available to be entered.

                8. Change the times if needed.
                9. Enter the number of hours to be credited to the volunteer for working.
                10. Enter a role and/or a description of the volunteer duties.

                  At least one of these fields must be filled to insert the data.

                11. Click on the Evaluation Tab.

                12. Set the security level allowing who can view the evaluation of the volunteer.
                13. Rate the volunteer.
                14. Enter any comments about the activity.

                  These comments are to be used to critique the performance of the individual. This can then be used for finding the best volunteer for a particular position in the future.

                15. Click Save .

                  The Awards, Letters, Supervisors and Facility Billing Tabs become available.

                Deleting An Activity

                If an activity has been entered improperly you may delete it using the steps outlined below. This procedure only deletes an activity associated with the volunteer.

                1. Find the Patron Record and open the Volunteer Window.

                2. Click on the activityto delete.
                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The following warning window will open.

                4. Click Delete .

                  If you do not wish to continue with the deletion click Cancel . You will return to the Personnel History Window and the activity is removed.

                Personnel Management - Editing Volunteer Activity History

                1. Find the Patron Record and open the Volunteer Window.
                2. Click on the Volunteer activity you want to update in the bottom section of the window.

                3. Click on the Open button.

                  A detail window for the activity will open.

                4. Edit the information.
                5. Click the Save button.

                Season Subscription Management

                The Season Subscription module is used for setting up season packages that patron's can subscribe to. When subscribed to a season package, the patron has the ability to pick their favorite seats for each package. These seats remain the same for each performance. Each performance also happens in the same time frame. For example, a patron can subscribe to the first Friday performance of each event, or the second Sunday matinee for each event.

                The Season Subscription module allows an organization to:

                • Maintain patron's favorite seats.
                • Maintain various packages of season subscription configurations.
                • Automate the sending and printing of subscription renewal notices.
                • Automate the Booking procedure for Single or Multiple Subscriptions.

                The season subscription module provides the organization:

                • A built-in assurance that no two patrons can have the same favorite seat.
                • An automated process can be used to determine the patron's favorite seats.
                • Ability to purge old, unused, or non-renewed patron subscription history and favorite seats.
                • Ability to book tickets for season subscriptions quickly.
                • Ability to release tickets for non-renewed season subscriptions.
                • Ability to release unpaid tickets for a specific performance of a play.

                The online help for Season Subscriptions is broken into seven sections:

                Setting Up Season Packages Covers:
                Selling a Season Subscription The steps to selling using the following options:
                • The favorite seats window - which is used to indicate where the patron prefers to sit and then book a subscription.
                • The Patron record - which is used to show subscriptions and renew one or more at the click of a button.
                • The Order window - which shows any outstanding subscriptions for the patron you are selling single tickets or donations to, and lets you book existing subscriptions by adding them to the order.
                • The Season Package Detail window where you can modify and move subscrptions
                • New subscriptions during the renewal period
                Editing a Season Package You can add or change subscriptions in the following areas:
                Sending tickets to an outside printer How to export the Ticket Data using:
                Print Renewal Notices
                • How to customize the renewal notice
                • How to print renewal notices for one or more patrons from the manage favourite seats window
                • Printing renewal notices for many patrons from the detail window. This can be useful for printing special subscribers, then renewal subscribers, and then reprinting those that missed a deadline.
                • The Tabs in printing notices
                Troubleshooting Season Ticket Sales Common errors and what to do to resolve them
                The Subscription Windows

                Overview of the following windows:

                Setting Up Season Packages

                A season subscription is a ticket package which allows Patrons to lock in the same seats and performance nights for each show in the defined season. For example, if they always attend on Thursday evenings, you can sell them a Thursday evening subscription.

                This section steps you through the process of setting up your season packages right from a whole new season to rolling over this year's season to next year.

                Planning Season Packages

                 

                Things to Think About

                First of all, determine the events that will be part of the season package. Patrons will need to be able to attend performances during the same time frame for each event. This means the events in the season package should have performance that happen on the same day of the week. For example, patrons can subscribe to a season package that is only the first Friday (1-FRI) of each event.

                Second, think about the price codes and promotions needed for the season package. Each season package may need multiple pricing levels and promotions depending on the number of areas of the venue and the pricing structure of the organization. You should have set up all of these prior to creating a season package. Click here for more information on setting up sales promotions.

                Third, the organization needs to determine how the rollout of the season package will be handled, and how the patrons will be renewed each season. Some questions to ask are:

                • Do season package subscribers receive a benefit from being a subscriber?
                • Does the subscriber receive an opportunity to book earlier that other patrons?
                •  

                Building a Control House

                Every Season Package requires a Control House. The Control House is a completely separate event from the rest of the season's performances and acts as the place saver for the patrons favorite seats. It is used to track:

                • The evening they will be attending.
                • Where the patron prefers to sit.
                • The price/promotion to use for each seat.
                • If the patron renewed their seats (or not).

                It is important the accuracy of the Control House be maintained, as the season is booked. By the end of the subscription process (even after partial subscriptions are sold well into the season), sales in the control house must reflect the preferred/favourite seats.

                This control house is used by Theatre Manager to allocate seats to patrons for the coming season.

                Building a control house is like building any other event with a couple of subtle differences. These are:

                • The event cannot be sold on the internet and must be marked as use in a control house (performance tab).
                • The price of each ticket is zero (price tab).
                • There should only be subscription promotions enabled (promotion tab).
                • There should be one control house performance for each night you have in your regular season. For example:
                  • If there are two weekends for a total of 6 shows
                  • Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Friday, Saturday, Sunday
                  • You make the same six performances in the control house
                • the performance codes in the control house MUST match those in the rest of the season.

                Setting Up a Control House

                1. Click the Events button at the top of the window.
                2. Click the New button in the Event List window.

                  • Enter the desired Event Code, Event Title, Season and Venue Map.
                  • Change the Ticket Printing Information to Mark Tickets As Printed.
                3. Select the Accounting tab and enter the desired G/L accounts.

                  No monies should pass through these G/L accounts. The Control House is simply a place save for Favorite Seats.

                4. Select the Marketing tab and enter the desired G/L accounts.

                  Information must be entered on the Marketing Tab for a new event to be saved.

                5. Click the Save button.

                  The Performance Tab is now available for selection.

                6. Select the Performance tab, then click the New button.

                  The Add Performance - Step 1 window opens.

                7. Enter the number of Performances in the Add field.

                8. Select Reserved as the Sales Method and ensure Season Control Performance is selected in the Initial Sales and Security Settings.
                9. Click the Step 2 button.

                  The Step 2 window opens.

                10. Enter the First Performance Date and the Performance Time.

                  The First Performance Date should be a date following the coming season. It should fall on the same day the run of the season package generally begins. The Performance Time should match that of the season run.

                11. Move the Number of Daily Performance sliders to match that of the run. Then choose a Create Performance Code As option.

                  Theatre Manager uses the Performance Code to match the dates the patron will be booked into within the Season. It's imperative the Season Code matches from Event to Event within the season package.

                12. Click the Step 3 button. and review the Performance dates and time for accuracy.

                13. Click the Build button.

                  The build confirmation opens.

                14. Click the Build button to confirm the creation of the Performances.
                15. Select the Pricing tab. Then select the first Performance in the left column.

                16. Review the pricing structure in the right column.

                  Double click on each price individually to edit it.

                17. Change the Description for Price Codes to match those currently in the season.

                  Do Not add a value in the Base Price field. Leave this field blank.

                18. Uncheck the Allow Price Code to be Used option for those Prices Codes that do not apply to the Season pricing structure.

                  Repeat for the remaining Performances in the left column.

                19. Select the Promotions tab. Then choose the first Performance in the left column.

                20. Highlight all promotions that do not apply to this Performance and all Promotions that are Not Season promotions.
                21. Click the Disable Use button at the bottom of the window.

                  The Control House is now built and ready to be added to the Season Package. For details steps on how to create a New Season Package, click here. Or for steps on Rolling Over an existing season package, click here.

                Creating a New Season Package

                Season Packages are designed to providing patrons the opportunity to purchase the same series of performances within a select group of events while maintaining the same seat and pricing structure.

                This help page is designed to be used if you have not done Season Subscriptions through Theatre manager in the past. If you are rolling over a previous season package, please visit the Season Rollover help page.


                To create a new Season Package, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                2. Click on the New button at the top of the page. The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package Detail window, click here.

                3. Enter Fiscal Year, External Description and Internal Description for the season package.

                  The Fiscal Year To field will update when the Fiscal Year is altered. The External Description can be displayed in the online ticketing module, ticket faces and in the renewal notices.

                4. Enter the Control House number in the This Year field.

                  The Control House needs to be created before the season package can be built. The Event Lookup icon can be used to locate the Control House. The Control House can not be an event from the previous year. It must be an event specific to the season package.

                5. Check off the desired Sales Settings options depending on where the season can be sold and renewed.

                  It is not recommended the season be available on the web until all setup has been confirmed and the season package is tested for accuracy.

                6. If required, check off the option to Print Performance Dates on Renewal Notices.
                7. Clicking the to enable the Donation Auto-Add to cart during renewal allows you to specify the suggested donation for that subscription.

                  There are now multiple ways to ask for a donation on the season renewal form: As in previous versions of Theatre Manager, you could enter a fixed amount and/or percentage of the subscription value to suggest a donation for the patron.

                  • You can now call up each subscription and enter a specific amount on an individual basis.
                  • From the manage favourite seats window, you can select some subscribers and suggest a donation for them all.
                  • You can select seats on the map and suggest a donation for all people in a specific area.
                8. Select the Events tab.

                9. Click the New button.

                  The Event List window opens.

                  For more information on the Event Lookup List window, Click here.

                10. Select the events to be added to the Season Package.
                11. Click the Select button.

                  The Events for the coming season will populate into the Events tab.

                12. Select on the Sales Notes tab.

                13. Enter detailed notes for the season package.
                14. Click the Save button.

                Theatre Manager will save the Season Package to the database and give it a unique Season Package #. The Season Package can now be used for the coming season.

                Patrons can be added to the season package, seats assigned and subscriptions renewed.

                Season Combo Packages

                Season Combo Packages are used when subscription events are held at different venues. Each venue may have a different seating layout and the patron could have favorite seats in a different locations within each venue.

                Season Combo Packages enable online subscription purchases for new patrons and renewing patrons since it guides them through the steps in selecting seats in each of the venues.

                Season Combo Packages can be made up of multiple subscription packages. Where as each subscription package can only belong to a single Season Combo Package.


                For more information on the Season Package Detail window, click here.


                Setting up a Subscription Combo Package

                1. Create a Season Package for the 1st Subscription Package for events held in venue 'A'.
                2. Create a Season Package for the 2nd Subscription Package for events held in venue 'B'.
                3. Create a Season Combo Package associating both the 1st and 2nd Subscription Packages created above.

                Using Combo Packages for New Subscribers

                Refer to Combo Packages for New Subscriptions for more information.


                Using Combo Packages for Renewing Subscribers

                Refer to Combo Packages for Renewing Subscriptions for more information.


                Renewal Notices and Combo Packages

                Refer to Printing Season Renewal Notices for Combo Packages for more information.

                Creating a Season Combo Package

                Season Combo Packages are designed to guide patrons through the process when purchasing a new subscription or renewing an existing subscription when the Season Subscription events span multiple venues.

                To create a new Season Combo Package, perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Subscriptions >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                2. Click the New button at the top of the window.

                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package Detail window, click here.

                3. Enter Internal Description, Fiscal Year, and External Description for the season combo package.

                  The Fiscal Year To field will update when the Fiscal Year is altered. The External Description can be displayed in the online ticketing module, ticket faces and in the renewal notices.

                4. Select the Combo Package checkbox option.

                  The Sales Managment and Events tabs will be disabled. The Combo Package tab will be enabled.

                5. Enter the Control House number in the This Year field.

                  The Control House needs to be created before the season package can be built. The Event Lookup icon can be used to locate the Control House. The Control House can not be an event from the previous year. It must be an event specific to the season package.

                  With mutliple season packages, there are mutliple control houses to choose from. Choose the control house that best represents the primary season package. The venue seating chart for this control house will then be used for online sales during the season package renewal process.

                6. Click the Combo Packages tab.

                7. Click the New button.

                  The Season Packages List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package Lookup List window, Click here.

                8. Select the Season Packages to be added to the Season Combo Package.
                9. Click the Select button.

                  The Season Packages will populate into the Combo Packages tab.

                10. Click on the Sales Notes tab.

                11. Enter detailed notes for the season combo package.
                12. Click the Save button.

                Theatre Manager will save the Season Combo Package to the database and assign it a unique Season Package #. The Season Combo Package can now be used for the coming season.

                Using Combo Packages for New Subscribers

                Season Combo Packages offer the patron a convenient way to select favorite seats within each season package's venue to assign to the events. The process is that the patron would select their favorite seats for the 1st season package, then the web sales module would automatically display the search criteria for the 2nd season package. Upon successful seat selection of the 2nd season package's seats, if there was a 3rd season package, the web sales module would automatically display the search criteria for the 3rd season package. This process would continue until all the season packages had their seats assigned. Once completed, the patron would be shown their shopping cart to review their complete season.

                Season Combo Packages are only applied to online new and renewal web sale subscriptions. New and renewal Subscription Combo Packages in the box office follow the same procedures as using a standard subscription package as outline in Selling Season Subscriptions.

                An example of how the process appears online

                1. Click the Subscriptions button in the top toolbar.

                  The web module will display the available new and renewal packages available for selection.

                2. Click New Subscription beside the new season package.

                  With a combo package, the patron is able to start the subscription series from any of the packages that are part of the combo package. If you choose, there are options available to customize the subscription web page to only display the primary subscription.

                3. Choose the desired season series.

                4. Choose the desired seating area.

                5. Choose the desired number of subscription seats.

                6. Click Suggest Some Subscription Seats.

                  The web module will now locate the best available seats based on the selection criteria.

                7. Choose a Subscription Price Option.

                8. Click Add Subscription to Shopping Cart.
                9. The web module will now repeat the above steps starting at step #4 for the next season package.

                  The Season Series selection option is determined during the 1st package's seat selection. If the subsequent 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. Season Series is also available as the 1st Season Series, the Season Series option is defaulted to be the same series for all remaining Season Packages. This ensures that the Season Packages purchased in the same grouping remain in the same series.

                10. After the final season package has seats assigned, the patron is shown their shopping cart to review their new season subscription.

                Using Combo Packages for Renewing Subscribers

                Season Combo Packages offer the patron a convenient way to automatically renew all the season subscriptions within a single Season Combo Package.

                Season Combo Packages are only applied to online new and renewal web sale subscriptions. New and renewal Subscription Combo Packages in the box office follow the same procedures as using a standard subscription package as outline in Selling Season Subscriptions.

                When the patron renews any one of the season packages, all the associated season packages linked by the Season Combo Package will also be renewed. The same is true if the patron cancels any one of the season packages, all the associated season packages linked by the Season Combo Package will also be cancelled.

                An example of how the process appears online:

                1. Click the Subscriptions button in the top toolbar.

                  The web module will display the available new and renewal packages available for selection.

                2. Click Renew.

                  With a combo package, the patron is able to start the subscription series from any of the packages that are part of the combo package. If you choose, there are options available to customize the subscription web page to only display the primary subscription.

                3. Make any seat change requests.

                  With a combo package, each of the individual series are displayed to the patron for review.

                4. Click Renew Subscription.
                5. The patron is shown their shopping cart to review their renewed season subscription.

                Renewal Notices and Combo Packages

                Season Combo Packages do not impact the printing of season subscription renewal notices. When printing the season renewal notices, include the various season packages offered in the selection criteria. This will present each of the season packages on a single renewal notice for the patron Each package's seats will continue to be priced separately.

                Season Combo Packages are only applied to online new and renewal web sale subscriptions. New and renewal Subscription Combo Packages in the box office follow the same procedures as using a standard subscription package as outline in Selling Season Subscriptions.

                Season Packages for General Seating

                These instructions outline the process of creating a General Admission season ticket package - sometimes referred to Festival Seating.

                Assumption: that you have never sold general seating season ticket through the Season Subscription Module in the past.

                Step #1: Build a New Map 

                This step is essential as the Season Renewal Process is based on three fundamentals: Same Venue, Same night and Same Seats. Even though this if for general admission you must treat is as if it was reserved seating to use the Season Module for season tickets.

                1. Click the Theatre button Windows7 at the top of the window
                2. Click the New button
                3. Enter the mandatory data for the map



                4. Click Save from the tool bar at the top
                5. Click the New button to create a new pricing map



                6. The Capacity should be the total number of subscription available for sale in the General Admission package
                7. Enter the same Price Code letters as would be available in the standard General Admission map
                8. Open Powerpoint and draw a big box



                9. Save the Powerpoint ans use open office to convert it to SVG
                10. Drag and drop the image into the Graphic Map tab





                11. Add the total number of seats to the map
                12. (Note: Placing and design are only for box office esthetics and are at your desecration) 
                13. Select the Seat Names tab




                14. Enter the General in the Section field, Admission in the Row field and the number 1 in the Seat field
                15. (Note: If your package has a specific name you may choose to enter these details in the Section and Row fields. e.i. Section field = Flex and the Row field = Pass)
                16. Click and hold the Tab key on the keyboard to fill in the remaining seat names


                17. Click here for information on creating your graphic map.

                Step #2: Determine Last Years Subscribers

                  Option 1: Using Reports

                1. Open Reports
                2. Run the Season Subscription and Subscription Packages >> Favorite Seats report

                3. The Criteria should be similar to: 
                4. Season Package #  is one of (the General Admission Package)

                  Options 2: Create a Mail List

                  If you don't have a former season package then determine your last years subscribers by creating a mail list.
                1. Open Mail List
                2. Click New to create a new mail list
                3. Define the mail list by name and description

                4. The Criteria should be similar to: 
                5. Using Ticket Data for a Patron as the file



                  Criteria to use: Event # is one of [pick an event from your current season]
                  and Promotion Ticket Type is one of [Season]

                6. Click Done

                7. Click Execute

                Step #3: Build a Control House

                1. Build a new Event using the Map created in Step 1. Click to create a new event
                2. Enter the details similar to the following, defining the event as a control house

                3. Mark Tickets as printed as a physical ticket will not be needed for this Event
                  •This is very important as you don't want tickets to print out for any control house event
                4. The G/L accounts should be the same as a traditional Control House

                5. The Performances will be Reserved Seating
                6. Ensure the check box Use As A Control House is checked

                7. Name Price Codes to reflect the season and disable those not needed
                8. All Price Codes should be $0.00

                9. Disable all non Subscription Promotions

                Step #4: Build Next Years Events As Reserved Seating

                1. Build next years Events using the Map created Step 1. Click to create a new event
                2. Ensure the Season year reflects next years season

                3. The G/L accounts should be the same as the traditional season event setup

                4. Set the Marketing information for the event

                5. The Performances will be Reserved Seating



                  What is also important for season packages is that the naming convention of the performance series codes match in every performance of event event in the season package.
                6. The Price Codes should reflect the desired pricing for each seat

                7. All applicable Promotions should be made available

                8. Repeat to add all events that will be part of the season package

                Step #5: Create the New Season Package

                1. From the Patron Sales Menu >> Season Subscriptions >> Setup Season Packages

                2. Click to create a new season package
                3. Enter the details of the season package: Fiscal Year, External and Internal Description, The control house event for THIS YEAR and how it can be sold

                4. Click the event tab and add the actual events to the season package

                Step #6: Adding Previously Identified Season Ticket Holders to the Package

                1. Click to open the Season Subscription Module
                2. Using either the report of subscribers or the mail list created in Step #2 click the to begin to add patrons to the package

                3. Once added to the package, double click on the patron to access the detail

                4. Once in the detail, select one seat for each subscription. Set the Promotion and Price code and add seats.

                5. Reset the status from New back to Not Started. This will allow the printing of Renewal Notices.

                Step #7: Print Renewal Notices

                1. Click the Reports Button from the main tool bar.
                2. Select the Report Category: Season Subscriptions and Subscription Packages and then Season Ticket Renewal Notice, click Print.

                3. Select the General Seating Season Package, then advance to the Displayed Fields Tab

                4. Set your parameters for the invoice content, then advance to the Taxes and Ticket Fees Tab

                5. Set your parameters for the display of fees and taxes as appropriate, then advance to the comment tab

                6. Review the comments fields and add Additional Comment as you wish, then advance to the search tab

                7. Search parameters can be left blank to print notices for all patrons or you can specify criteria to print by performance, then advance to the sort tab

                8. Default sort is by patron last name. This cannot be altered. Advance to the Title Tab

                9. Default window, there are no edits needed here. Click Done

                10. A Progress/Status window will appear, click proceed.

                11. The Renewal Notices will present on screen for Preview

                12. You can repeat this process as many times needed until the content is to your liking
                13. When ready to print, run through this process one more time and in Step 4 [ Display Fields ] change the Testing Options to Mark Notices As Printed. When notices come to screen for final time, send the notices to the printer. This step will then alter all patrons renewal status to Notice Printed.

                Step #8: Book Season Renewals

                1. Access the Patrons Record from the Contact list
                2. Select the Season tab to access the season package

                3. Double click on the package to review the package for accuracy

                4. Click the Book button
                5. The payment window will appear to make payment for the season tickets. The season package for this patron is now RENEWED

                 

                Creating a New Season Package Using an Existing Event

                When you make the decision to use Theatre Manager for Season Subscriptions, you may already have a past event showing where a patrons’ favorite seating is located. This Event can be used as a base to create the Season Subscription for the coming year.

                To complete the setup of a Season Package from an existing Event you will require three things:

                • An event where season ticket purchasers have been booked into their favorite seats using the price and promotion code they will pay for the season.
                • An empty Control House in preparation for next Season. For more information on setting up a Control House click here.
                • The Events for the coming season to be setup in Theatre Manager. For more information on building new Events click here.

                To create a New Season Package using an Existing Event as a Control House, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.


                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                2. Click on the New button at the top of the page. The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package Detail window, click here.

                3. Enter Fiscal Year, External Description and Internal Description for the season package.

                  The Fiscal Year To field will update when the Fiscal Year is altered. The External Description can be displayed in the online ticketing module, ticket faces and in the renewal notices.

                4. This Year field, enter the Event number for the Event containing the Patron Favorite Seats in the This Year field.

                  The Event selected for This Year field should be a past event - where season subscription patrons have already purchased tickets and the tickets were booked using a Season Sale Promotion. This Event should be set under the Performance tab as a Season Control Performance. This setting is required to use the Event for Control House purposes. The Event can not be available for sale online and be indicated as a Season Control Performance. The Event Lookup icon can be used to locate the past Event.

                5. Click the Save button.

                6. Click the Verify Holds button at the top of the window.

                  The Verify Season Subscription Packages window opens.

                7. Highlight all listed Performances.
                8. Click the Validate Subscription button and let the process run.
                9. Click the Done button window.

                10. Close and open the Season Package Detail window to refresh the displayed information. The Subscription Totals will be populated with the information for the Event listed in the This Year field.

                11. Close the Season Package Detail window.
                12. Single click on the Season Package you created to select it in the Season Package List window.

                13. Click the Roll Over button at the top of the window.

                  The Season Package Rollover window opens.

                14. Enter the Control House for next year in the Next Year's Event To Use As A Control House field.

                  Create the Control House before the season package is rolled over. Use the Event Lookup icon to locate the Control House. The Control House can not be an event from the previous year. It must be an event specific to the season package.

                  For more information on building a Control House click here.

                15. Click the Next button in the lower right corner.
                16. Match the Performance Codes in the This Year column with those in the Next Year Column.

                  Drag the Performance Codes from the This Year column into the Priority 1 or Priority2 column. This tells Theatre Manager which performances from the prior season, patrons should be assign to. Use the Priority 2 column when the number of performances from the prior year is greater then the coming year. Theatre Manager will seat subscribers in the Priority 1 column first. Then it will seat subscribers from the performance in the Priority 2 column. If seats are not available for the patron from the Priority 2 column, they will be placed on the wait list.

                17. Click the Rollover button in the lower right corner of the window.

                  The Rollover Confirmation window opens.

                18. Click the Proceed button and let the process run.

                  This process can take some time, depending on the number of patrons in the season package.

                  When complete, the Rollover Completed window opens.

                19. Click the Done button.
                20. Double click on the Season Package to open it.

                  Edit the External and Internal Description fields to accurately reflect the name of the Season Package.

                21. Check off the desired Sales Settings options depending on where the season can be sold and renewed.

                  It is not recommended the season be available on the web until all setup has been confirmed and the season package is tested for accuracy.

                  If required, check off the option to Print Performance Dates on Renewal Notices.

                22. Select the Events tab.

                23. Click the New button in the lower left corner.

                  The Event List window opens.

                  For more information on the Event Lookup List window, click here.

                24. Select the events to add to the Season Package.

                  To select multiple events, use the <SHIFT> key to select a series of events, or the <CTRL> key (Windows) or the <OPTION> key (Mac) to select multiple individual events.

                25. Click the Select button in the lower right corner.
                26. The Events for the coming season will populate into the Events tab.

                27. Select on the Sales Notes tab.

                  Enter detailed notes for the season package.

                28. Click the Save button.

                The Season package can now be used for the coming season. Patrons can be added to the season package, seats assigned and subscriptions renewed.

                Season Roll Over

                The Season Roll Over process takes the favorite seats of new/renewed subscribers from the previous season and prepares them to be booked into the same seating locations for the upcoming year.
                Only the following subscription statuses can be rolled over (even if never sold):
                • Renewed
                • Change Requested
                • Change Completed
                • New-Subscription Completed
                • New-Needs Seats or booking
                Anything Not Started, Notice Printed, or Cancelled for any reason - will not rollover

                To Roll Over your Season, you perform the following steps:

                1. Look at last years subscription packages and verify that people have the correct subscription status and seat count. That means
                  • Look for patrons that are marked renewed that actually cancelled mid season - change the status to cancelled mid season.
                  • Find people who have subscription seats, but have no package (you could use a mail list to find them). This means someone did not set up the favourite seats during the sale and the season's events were booked manually. If they should be a subscriber, create their favourite seats and mark their package New-Subscription completed
                  • Look for subscriptions where the number of seats do not match the requested count (the icons are different on the manage favourite seats window), and see if they should be subscribers by adding or taking away seats and marking them completed.
                  • The key is that any subscriptions that are in new or renewed status will be rolled over. Any that are:
                    • ,
                    • Notice printed, or
                    • Cancelled
                    will be automatically ignored in the rollover process.
                2. Click Patron Sales -> Season Reservations-> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                3. Single click on last year's season package to select it.
                4. Click the Rollover button.

                  The Season Package Rollover window opens.

                  For more information on the Seat Matching During Rollover options click here.

                5. Enter the Control House number in the Next Year's Event to Use as the Control House field.

                  The Control House needs to be created before the season package can be rolled over. The Event Lookup icon can be used to locate the Control House. The Control House can not be an event from the previous year. It must be an event specific to the season package.

                  If necessary, Check off the Include Seat Preferences Marked As Primary For Next Year box.

                6. Choose the desired Seat Matching During Rollover.

                  The vailable options will be based on the map used in last years control house compared with this years control house.

                7. Click the Next button.

                  The Season Package Rollover Match window opens.

                  This window is designed to match Performance Series Codes for individual performances. It's possible the codes used last year may be different from the coming season. If so they opens in the column on the left.

                  Additionally a performance from last year may no longer be taking place this year. This may require

                  • moving subscribers into a new Series for the coming season. In this case, the old series code will be matched with a different series code that corresponds to the same night. Example: if your last year series codes A, B and C and they now match to 1-FRI, 1-SAT and 1-SUN, then the mappings for 'Next Year' and 'Priority 1' columns will be:
                    • 1-FRI will be filled with people from 'A'
                    • 1-SAT will be filled with people from 'B'
                    • 1-SUN will be filled with people from 'C'

                    -or-

                  • combining two of last years series into one performance in the coming year. The Performance Series Code that you are cancelling can be placed in the Priority 2 column and the subscriptions managed after the rollover to accommodate patrons with no seating. For example, suppose you are combining 2-FRI and 3-FRI into a single performance called X-FRI, then the columns will be:
                    • Next year will be called 'X-FRI'
                    • Priority 1 will be 2-FRI. These people will be guaranteed to get their seats in X-FRI
                    • Priority 2 will be 3-FRI. These people will be given seats in X-FRI if they are not taken. If they are taken already by a 2-FRI subscriber, they will not be assigned seats
                8. Drag the Performance Codes from the This Year column and drop them in the Priority 1 or Priority 2 column.
                9. Click the Rollover button.

                  The Rollover Confirmation dialog opens.

                10. Click the Proceed button.

                  The Season Package Rollover status window opens.

                  This window can take several minutes. This process should not be interrupted.

                  The Season Package Rollover Completed window opens.

                11. Click the Done button.

                The Rollover process is now complete. The season year has been updated. Next Year's Events can now be added to the Season Package and the Sales Settings can be set.

                Season Roll Over for Hockey Playoffs

                The Season Rollover process can be used manage season ticket holders seats for sporting events which can run over into a playoff series. The process takes the favorite seats held by the present season ticket holder and prepares them to be booked into the same seating locations for the playoff series.

                This process assumes you currently use the Season Subscription Module for your Regular Season Tickets and that you have created your play off games and a corresponding control house as well.

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                2. Single click on the Regular Hockey Season Package to select it.

                3. Click the Rollover button.

                  The Season Package Rollover window opens.

                  For more information on the Seat Matching During Rollover options click here.

                4. Enter the Control House number of the Playoff Control House in the Next Year's Plays to Use as the Control House field.

                  Click the Next button.

                  The Control House needs to be created before the playoff season package can be rolled over. The Event Lookup icon can be used to locate the Control House. The Control House can not be an event from the previous year. It must be an event specific to the season package.

                  This window is designed to match Performance Series Codes for individual performances. Typically for sporting events the Performance series code is edited to be GAME.

                5. Click the Rollover button.

                  The Rollover Confirmation dialog opens.

                6. Click the Proceed button.

                  The Season Package Rollover status window opens.

                  This window can take several minutes. This process should not be interrupted.

                  The Season Package Rollover Completed window opens.

                7. Click the Done button.

                Strategies for Playoff Packages

                Playoff Games for sporting events can often consist of several round as the team advances. The following will outline methods for Playoff Packages.

                For a Playoff series lets consider your team will play four rounds of two home games each ( eight games in all ).

                Option #1: One Package ( All Inclusive )

                For this options you will have creates all the playoff games and one control house game. You will roll over the regular season package once and add all games in one package. Patrons will be booked and will pay for all eight games of the playoff series.

                Option #2: One Package for each Round ( Two Games Each )

                For this option you will have created all the playoff games and FOUR control house games, one control house for each round. You will roll over the regular season package four time and add two of the eight games to the package. Patrons can then book to the next round as they wish and as the team advances.

                Option #3: One Package for each Playoff Game

                For this option you will have created all the playoff games and ONE control house games for each playoff game ( eight control houses ). You will roll over the regular season package eight times and add one of the eight games to the package. Patrons can book "al la carte" for each play off of their choosing yet preserving their favourite seats.

                Which ever option is chosen you will use the Regular Season Subscription Package as the benchmark, roll it over for the subsequent playoff packages. This will mark the package inactive but you can reactive it to use again.

                Seat Matching During Rollover

                You can easily roll subscriptions over to another year. Just indicate the new control house and proceed. Normally, your theatre map for each year will be the same, but sometimes you reconfigure your house or use a different venue. Theatre Manager can handle both situations.

                If the venue of the control house is the same from year to year, you can only pick the option 'Subscribers get same Physical Seat as this year”.

                If you are using a different venue or map layout, Theatre Manager does not know how to allocate seats and will give you 3 options. These are:

                • Use Seat Codes to Match Seats in a new theatre. Theatre Manager will look at the seat code for the current subscription and go look for the same seat code in a new map.

                  If your venue is the same venue for all intents (the same number of seats, or a couple added) and you are just changing the price code boundaries, this is the best option. It would also work well, when the venues are completely different and you took some care in setting up the new venue to match the seat codes in both venues. This approach means -- if I was sitting in Seat code AA01 in venue 1, it could be mapped to the same seat code AA01 in the completely different venue.

                • Use Best Seat Number to assign seats. Theatre Manager will reassign seats in the new venue using best seat number. If I have the 10th best seat in venue 1, I will get the 10th best seat in venue 2. This re-assignment will work well, unless the section sizes mean the seats will cross aisle boundaries. For example, seats 10 and 11 are together in venue 1 and they are across aisles or in different rows in venue 2, you will have some manual reseating. This option works in some instances, but not for all situations.
                • Use Best Seat Algorithm is a variation of the second option. The difference is --if I have best seats 10 and 11 in venue 1, Theatre Manager will process my subscription near the head of the queue. If that makes me the 4th subscriber in line for tickets (e.g. all others in best seats 1 to 9 have 2 or 3 tickets). Theatre Manager will process my subscription rollover 4th. It will use the best seat algorithm to find the best seating available. It might mean that I get sat further forward or further back so that more seats are filled. Using this option, you will find your subscribers tend to get moved together and their relative position changes a little.

                Selling Season Subscriptions

                Below are the options in selling season subscriptions:

                Favorite Seats Window

                A season subscription is a ticket package which allows you to lock in the same seats and performance nights for each show in venue's season. Patrons can attend performances on on the same night and in the same seats.

                Below are the options in selling a Season Subscription in the Favorite Seats window.

                Adding Patrons to a Season Package

                Patrons can be added directly to a season package through the Manage Favorite Seats window. This gives you the ability to manage patrons within the season package, on mass, or individually.

                To add patrons to a season subscription Package using the Manage Favorite Seats window, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click the Subscription button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                  For more information on the Manage Favorite Seats window click here.

                2. Click the Add button in the lower left corner.

                  The Contact List opens.

                  For more information on the Contact List click here.

                3. Search for the patron to be added to the season.

                  Single click on a patron to select their record. To select multiple patrons, use the <SHIFT> key, or the <CTRL> key (Windows) or the <OPTION> key (Mac) to select multiple individuals.

                4. Click the Select button.

                  The patrons are added to the Patron List in the lower left corner of the Manage Favorite Seats window.

                  For more information on the Patron List area click here.

                The Patrons are now added to the Season Package. Patrons can also be added from a Mail List by dragging and dropping the selected names into the Patron List area of the Manage Favorite Seats window. Once added to the season package the patrons are ready to be issued favorite seats.

                Adding Favorite Seats in the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                Each patron is assigned Favorite Seats in the season package. These seats determine where Theatre Manager will book the patron in the season, as well as, which performance and pricing structure will be used for the seats booked. For a patron's Favorite Seats to be selected, they must first be a part of the season package. For information on subscribing a patron to a Season Package, click here.

                To selecting a patron's favorite seats in the Manage Favorite Seats window, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click the Subscription button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                  For more information on the Manage Favorite Seats window click here.

                2. Choose the required Season Package and Performance.

                  For more information on the Package and Performance list area click here.

                3. Single click the patron to add favorite seats for from the Patron List area.

                  For more information on the Patron List area click here.

                4. Highlight the desired seats for the Subscription.

                  Seats can be selected by using the mouse to drag a box over the preferred seats, or by holding the <SHIFT> key and clicking each seat.

                5. Select the correct Promotion and Price Code for the subscription located under the map.
                6. Click the Add Seat button.

                  The seats are added to the Seat Selection area of the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                  For more information on the Seat List area click here.

                  The patron now has their favorite seats set up in the control house. The seats can be seen at the bottom of the Manage Favorite Seats window. The seats are also indicated on the map represented by a lower case s. As seats are booked they appear on the map. The patron is now ready to book their season subscription.

                   

                Using Manage Favorite Seats to Book Subscriptions

                Once a patron has been added to a season package and their subscription contains favorite seats, you can book the season package.
                1. Click Subscription button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                  For more information on the Manage Favorite Seats window click here.

                2. Select the season from the Season Package drop down in the upper left corner of the Manage Favorite Seats window.

                3. Choose the performance from the Performance List.

                  This is found to the left of the Manage Favorite Seats window.

                  For more information on the Season Package and Performance list area click here.

                4. In the Patron list, find the patron you want to manage the seats for.

                  The list is found in the lower left corner of the Manage Favorite Seats window.

                  For more information on the Patron List area click here.

                5. Select the patron by single clicking on their name.
                6. Then, click the Book button at the top of the window.

                  The Order opens to the Payment window.

                7. For more information on the Payment window click here.

                8. Choose the type of payment from the Payment Method drop down list and enter the payment details and accept the payment.

                   

                  If the tickets are to be printed immediately, select Print Tickets. If the tickets will be Batch Printed later, select the Accept Payment button.

                9. The payment window closes and the Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                  The patron status, in the season package automatically updates.

                The patrons tickets have now been booked and the patrons Favorite Seats Detail window reflects the changes.

                Wait Listing Seats for a Patron

                When patrons want to select seats that have already been chosen by another patron, you will need to create a wait list for the seats. Then, when the original patron releases those seats, they are available to the next patron on the wait list.

                To start, here is a picture of the color coding on the graphic venue map when selecting a patron's Favorite Seats.

                • Seats with a red background are those the currently selected patron has set as their Favorite Seats.
                • Seats with a blue background are those another patron has selected as their Favorite Seats.
                • Seats with a yellow background are those which are currently selected but not assigned to a patron yet.

                To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click the Subscription button in the Main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                  For more information on the Manage Favorite Seats window click here.

                2. In the upper left corner of the window, select the season from the Package drop down.

                3. Select the performance from the Performance List to the left of the Manage Favorite Seats window.

                  For more information on the Package and Performance list area click here.

                4. Find the patron in the Patron List

                  This is found in the lower left corner of the Manage Favorite Seats window.

                  For more information on the Patron List area click here.

                5. Single click on the patron, and choose the desired seats - currently being held by another patron.

                6. Click the Add Seat button.

                  The Wait List warning message opens.

                7. Click the Secondary button.

                  The seats will be added to the Seat List area.

                  If the Primary button is selected, you will give the selected seats to the patron instead of being wait listed. The seats will be listed as Primary in their Season Package. The patron who previously held the seats will be moved down in priority and be added to the wait list.

                  For more information on the Seat List area click here.

                8. The patron is now on the Wait List for the desired seats. All patrons who are currently on the wait list can be seen in the Wail List area of the Manage Favorite Seats window located in the lower right corner. For more information on making a patron the primary on a set of seats, click here.

                   

                Selling Season Subscriptions From the Patron Record

                Adding Patrons to a Season Package

                You can add patrons to a season package in the Patron Window. Employee access can be altered to allow employees access to subscribing patrons to the season package specifically from the Patron Window.

                To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Patron Window.

                  For information on accessing the Patron Window click here.

                2. Select the Season tab in the Patron Record.
                3. Click the New button.

                  The Select A Season Package window opens.

                  The Select A Season Package window will not open if there is only one active season package.

                4. Single click the desired Season Package and click the Select button.

                  The Select A Season Performance window opens.

                  The Select A Season Performance window will not open if there is only one performance in the season package.

                5. Select the desired Performance and then click the Select button.

                  The Subscription Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Subscription Detail window click here.

                The Patron has been added to the Season Package. Once added to the season package the patron can be assigned favorite seats.

                Adding Favorite Seats from the Patron Window

                Once you have added a patron to a season package, the patron's favorite seats can be assigned. Favorite seats indicate the location the patron wishes to sit in, as well as the price and promotion, to be used for the season subscription.

                To add favorite seats to a season package from the patron window, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Patron Window.

                  For more information on how to access the Patron Window click here.

                2. Select the Season tab in the Patron Record. Then select the season package to add the favorite seats to.

                  For more information on the Season tab click here.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Subscription Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Subscription Detail window click here.

                4. Edit the Desired Seats field to match the number of seats the patron requires in the season package.
                5. Highlight the seats the patron wants for their Subscription.

                  You select seats by using the mouse to drag a box over the preferred seats, or by holding the <SHIFT> key and clicking each seat.

                6. Choose the correct Promotion and Price Code for the subscription.
                7. Click the Add Seat button.

                  The seats are added to the Seat Selection area of the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                  For more information on the Seat List area click here.

                8. The patron now has favorite seats within the control house. The seats can be seen in the seating section of the Subscription Detail window on the left. The seats are also indicated on the map represented by a lower cases. The patron is now ready to book their season subscription.

                   

                Booking Subscriptions from a Patron Record

                Once a patron has been added to a season package and their subscription contains favorite seats the season package can be booked.

                To book the season package, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Patron Window.

                  For more information on how to access the Patron Window click here.

                2. Select the Season tab in the Patron Record. Then the Season Package(s) to book.

                  Several season packages can be booked at the same time. Use the key to select multiple season packages, or the key (Windows) or the

                  For more information on the Season tab click here.

                3. Click the Book button.

                  The Order opens to the Payment window.

                  For more information on the Payment window click here.

                4. Select the type of payment from the Payment Method drop-down list and enter the payment details. Then, accept the payment.

                  If the tickets are to be printed now select Print Tickets. If the tickets will be Batch Printed at a later date select the Accept Payment button.

                  The payment window closes and you are returned to the Patron record.

                  The status of the Season Package is automatically updated.

                The patrons tickets are now booked and they are displayed on the tickets tab. The Season Package status is updated and the patron has been booked into Next Years Control House.

                Order Window

                This section contains the information to subscribe a patron to a season package through the order window.

                Subscribing a Patron to a Season Package via the Order Window

                In the Order window, you can subscribe a patron to a Season Package, and book the seats along with other purchases. To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Patron record for the purchasing patron.

                  For more information on how to access the Patron record click here.

                2. Click the Tickets button in the the Ticket tab.

                  The Order window opens.

                3. Click the Season button.

                  The Season Subscription display opens.

                4. Click the New button.

                  The Select A Season Package dialog opens.

                  The Select A Season Package window does not open if there is only one active season package.

                5. Click to highlight the requested season package for the patron, and then click the Select button.

                  The Select a Season performance dialog opens.

                  The window does not open if there is only one performance in the season package.

                6. Click to highlight the requested Performance. Then press the Select button.

                  The Subscription Detail window opens to the Favorite Seats tab.

                  For more information on the Subscription Detail window click here.

                7. In the Desired Seats field, enter the number of seats the patron requests.
                8. Highlight the seats the patron wants for their Subscription.

                  You can select seats using the mouse to drag a box over the preferred seats, or by holding the <SHIFT> key and clicking each seat.

                9. At the bottom of the map, choose the correct Promotion and Price Code.
                10. Click the Add Seat button.

                  The seats are added to the Seat Selection area of the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                  For more information on the Seat List area click here.

                11. Close the Subscription Detail window.
                12. Click the Book button in the Subscription window ribbon bar.
                13. The Payment window opens.

                  For more information on the Payment window click here.

                14. In the Payment Method drop down, select the method of payment, enter the payment details and accept the payment.

                  If the tickets are to be printed now select Print Tickets. If the tickets will be Batch Printed at a later date select the Accept Payment button.

                15. The Order window closes and you are returned to Patron record.

                  The patron's season tickets have now been booked and the season package is now displayed in the Season tab.

                Click here for quick reference information on Buy a Season Subscription (from the order window)

                Reference Guide

                Cheatsheet

                Flash

                MP4

                Season Package Detail Window

                The following selections show you how to sell a Season Package in the Season Package Detail window.

                Adding Patrons to a Season in the Season Detail Window

                When a patron wants to take part in a season package, they need to subscribe to the season package before they select favorite seats and have their season package booked.

                To add a patron to a Season Package in the Season Detail window, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package List window.

                2. Select the requested season package, Click the Open button.

                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package Detail window.

                3. Select the Patron tab.

                4. Click the New button.

                  The Patron Lookup List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Patron Lookup List window.

                5. Search for and click on the patron you are adding to the season package.
                6. Click the Select button.

                  If there is more than one performance series, the Season Performance Selection window will open.

                7. Select the Performance the patron wants and click the Select button.

                  You are returned to the Season Package Patrons tab.

                8. For more information on adding favorite seats to the season package click here.

                Adding Favorite Seats in the Season Package Window

                Each patron is assigned Favorite Seats in the season package. These seats determine where Theatre Manager books the patron in the season, as well as, the performance and pricing structure for all subsequent seasons. Before the favorite seats can be selected the patron must first be part of the season package. For information on subscribing a patron to a Season Package through the Season Subscription Detail window, click here.

                To add the patron's favorite seats to their season package, you would perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package List window.

                2. Click to highlight the season package, then click the Open button in the Season Package List ribbon bar.

                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package Detail window.

                3. Select the Patrons tab.

                4. Click to highlight the patron wanting seats, then click the Detail button.

                  The Patron Subscription Detail window for the selected patron opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                5. In the Desired Seats field, enter the number of seats the patron wants in their season package.
                6. Highlight the seats the patron wants in their subscription.

                  You can select seats by using the mouse to drag a box over the preferred seats, or by holding the <SHIFT> key and clicking each seat.

                7. At the bottom of the map, choose the Promotion and Price Codes.
                8. Click the Add Seat button.

                  The seats are added to the Seat Selection area of the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                  For more information on the Seat List area click here.

                9. Click the Save button.
                10. Close the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                The patron is added to the season package. To learn how to add a patron to a season package click here.

                Booking a Subscription from the Season Package Window

                Once the patron is added to a season package and their subscription contains favorite seats the season package can be booked.

                To book a subscription from the Season Package window, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package List window.

                2. Click to highlight the season package, then click the Open button.

                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package Detail window.

                3. Select the Patrons tab.

                4. Click to highlight the patron, then click the Book button.

                  The Order opens to the Payment window.

                  For more information on the Payment window click here.

                5. Choose the payment type from the Payment Method drop down list, enter the payment details and accept the payment.

                  If the tickets are to be printed now select Print Tickets. If the tickets will be Batch Printed at a later date select the Accept Payment button.

                  The payment window closes and you are returned to the Season Subscription Detail window. The patron status in the season package is automatically updated.

                The patrons tickets are booked and the Season Subscription Detail window reflects the changes you have made.

                Selling New Subscriptions During the Renewal Period

                You have a great season ahead of you, and everyone wants to get in on the subscription process! You have promised all your existing subscribers that they will get the same seats they had last year. So what do you do with all the patrons who want to buy new subscriptions while at the same time honoring your promise to your existing subscribers? You don't want to have checks and credit card numbers lying around for months waiting until you can sell new subscriptions, and you want to get the money in the bank where you can use it to grow your business.

                This help page discusses how to deal with the new subscribers that want to "buy in" before you have completed renewing your existing subscribership.

                Your process may vary, however the typical chronology of events in the renewal period for Season Subscriptions is:


                Process a Payment without booking a subscription


                When a patron wants to purchase a new subscription during the renewal period, you will need to explain that you can process their payment, but cannot assign their seat until all existing subscribers have been seated. Following that (and you can provide the renewal deadline), you will be able to assign seats to new subscribers.

                • In most instances, subscriptions are assigned in the same order they reached your office. It benefits the patron to subscribe early for the best seats, even if the seats cannot be actually assigned for months.
                • There are two methods that you can use to process a payment without booking a subscription.

                Method 1 (Recommended):

                1. Open the Patron Window.

                  For information on accessing the Patron Window click here.

                2. Select the Season tab in the Patron Record.
                3. Click the New button.

                  The Select A Season Package window opens.

                  The Select A Season Package window will not open if there is only one active season package.

                4. Single click the desired Season Package and click the Select button.

                  The Subscription Detail window opens.

                5. At the top, indicate:
                  • The correct series
                  • The date of the request (this will default to today's date)
                  • The number of desired seats
                  • The suggested donation amount specific for this subscription

                6. Change the Status to "New-Needs Seats or Booking".
                7. Click on the Change Requests tab.

                  Add any notes about the seat request in the Seat Change Request text box.

                8. Click the Payment Only button.
                9. The payment window opens.

                10. Add the payment amount for the expected subscription.
                11. Process the payment.

                When you are able to assign and book the tickets:

                1. Locate the patron record.
                2. Select the Season tab, and double click on the season package.
                3. Add the seats to the Favorite Seats tab.
                4. Click the Book button.
                5. The payment window opens, but because of the prior payment, the balance due should be zero. If it is not, review the tickets assigned in the Ticket Review tab, and the prior payment to ensure they are correct.


                  Method 2 (Optional):

                  Method 2 is sometimes preferred by auditors who like to see that the patron has something of value, rather than the company having just processed a payment without giving anything in return. Most people understand the concept of Gift Certificates, so auditors will ask that you issue a Gift Certificate (or other Membership) in exchange for the payment. Then, when you are able to process the subscription, use the Gift Certificate to pay for the tickets.

                  The end result is the same - the patron has given you money, you have put it in your bank, and then that money - at a future date - pays for the tickets.

                Editing a Season Package

                Following are the diiferent areas of the Season Subscription module and details on how to use them.

                Managing Favorite Options

                There are a number of tools you can use in the Manage Favorite Seats Window. The Manage Favorite Seats window is another way of accessing the patrons subscribed to a season package.

                You access the Manage Favorite Seats window by clicking Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Manage Favorite Seats:

                Or by clicking the Subscription button found in the Theatre Manager ribbon bar.

                The Season Subscriptions window opens.

                 

                For more information on the Manage Favorite Seats window, click here.

                Altering Favorite Seats in the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                In the Manage Favorite Seats window, you can change patrons’ performances, seating locations or their pricing structure. To do this, you perform the following steps:

                1. To start, click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Manage Favorite Seats.

                  Alternatively, you can click the Subscriptions button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                2. Find the patron you are changing the seats for, in the Patron list.

                3. Double click on the patron to open the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                4. Highlight the patron's existing seats in the Seat Selection area of the Patron Subscription Detail window and click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Confirmation dialog opens.

                5. Click the Delete button in the confirmation window.

                  This removes the seats from the favorite seats for this season package. It does not remove the seats from the control house.

                6. Make the necessary changes, such as:

                  Select the desired Performance Code from the Series drop down.

                  Change the Desired Seats field to equal the number of subscriptions in the season package.

                  Choose the correct Promotion and Price Code for the subscription.

                  Choose the seat(s) for the Subscription.

                7. When you have finished making changes, click the Add Seat button.

                  The seats are added to the Seat Selection area.

                8. Close the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                The patron's favorite seats are updated in the season package.

                This doe not effect the seats in last years control house. The patron's seats appear in the Subscriber Seats section of the window and they are shown on the map represented by a lower case s.

                Removing a Subscriber in the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                Patrons can cancel or choose not to renew season subscriptions. You need to remove them from the season. You can do this in the Manage Favorite Seats window.To do this, you would perform the following steps:

                1. To start, click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Manage Favorite Seats.

                  Alternatively, you can click the Subscriptions button in the Theatre Manager ribbon bar.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                2. Find the patron you are removing in the Patron list.

                3. Double click on the patron to open the Patron Subscription Detail window.

                4. Highlight the patron's existing seats in the Seat Selection area of the Patron Subscription Detail window and click the Remove button.

                  The Delete Confirmation dialog opens.

                5. Click the Delete button in the confirmation window.

                  This removes the seats from the favorite seats for this season package. It does not remove the seats from the control house.

                6. The Manage Favorite seats window opens. The patron has no seats in the Seat List section.

                7. Click on the name of the patron in the Patron List and click the Remove button.

                  The Delete Subscription for a Patron Confirmation dialog opens.

                8. Click the Delete button in the confirmation window.

                The subscription for the patrons has been deleted. The Subscriber will no longer appear in the Patron List of the Manage Favorite Seats.

                However, if the season is rolled over, the patron's seats will still appear in the as sold seats in the Map of the Manage Favorite seats. The map reads seats from the Last Years Control House as well as current, new and updated season subscription information. To remove the sold seats from the Control House they will need to be refunded in the patron record.

                Moving a Patron from the Wait List

                In the event that a patron decides to stop renewing their subscription, the seats that the patron held will need to be released. However, there may be other patrons that are on a wait list for those seats, and will now need to be made primary holder.

                1. Select the patron from whom you are releasing the seats.

                  In the seating section of the window, the patron's seats are listed. The seats are also highlighted on the map.

                2. Select the seats in the Subscriber Seats section of the Favorite Seats window, and click the Delete button at the bottom.

                  A warning dialog opens.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The seats are removed from the patron's subscription.

                4. In the Wait List Seats for Selected section, select the seats and patron who has next priority on the seats.
                5. Right click on the selected seats to open the context menu.

                6. Select the Set Seat Primary option.

                  Theatre Manager makes the new patron primary holder of the seats, and removes them from the wait list.

                  To ensure the seats moved properly, select the patron in the patron section, or click on the seats on the venue map. The new primary patron for the seats is displayed.

                Auto Renewal in the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                The Auto-Renewal process gives you the ability to renew season subscriptions within a series on mass. When you do this you create an order, books the season subscription and authorise the payments using the options you select. Alternatively, you can place the payments for outstanding orders on account.

                This process cannot be easily reversed.

                To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Manage Favorite Seats.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                2. Select the season from the Season Package drop down list.

                3. Choose the performance from the Performance List.

                4. Highlight the patrons in the Patron List, whose subscriptions you are Auto Renewing.

                5. Click the Auto-Renew button.

                  The Season Subscription Auto-Renewal window opens.

                6. In step 1, you choose the season packages to be auto-renewed.

                  The Selected Patrons option auto-renews only the patrons you selected in the previous window. The Subscriptions option will auto-renew all the subscriptions you have not cancelled or already renewed using the individual series code.

                7. In Step 2, select the Auto-Renewal Status.

                  When checked, only those subscriptions with auto-renew options checked in the Patron Season Detail window, are Auto-Renewed. If left unchecked, all the selected season subscriptions are Auto-Renewed regardless of the Patron Season Detail preferences.

                8. In Step 3, you determine the Payment option.

                  The Do Not Create a Payment option will place the outstanding balances on account creating an entry in the Accounts Receivable. The Create Payment option will add a payment to the newly created season subscription order. The payment will either appear in the Deposit window of the End of Day Wizard if the Authorization option is checked off it will appear as standard authorized transaction. If it is left unchecked, it will appear as an unauthorized card.

                9. Click the Auto-Renew button.
                10. The Auto-Renew Confirmation opens.

                11. Click the Auto-Renew button.

                  The Auto-Renewal process can tak some time to run. This process should not be interrupted.

                12. When comple, in the lower left corner of the Manage Favorite Seats window displays a confirmation message that the Auto-Renewal process is complete.

                The selected season package(s) are renewed. The seats, for each performance in the subscription have been sold into the order. Depending on the payment option selected, the order may or may not have an outstanding balance.

                Holding Season Seats in the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                 

                Holding Favorite Seats filters through the events within the season and holds the patrons favorite seats for each performance within the season package. This feature is often used when single ticket sales begin prior to the renewal process completing.

                Holding Season Seats through the Manage Favorite Seats window offers the ability to pick and choose which patrons seats should be held. If all unrenewed seats require holding the Season Package List Hold option may be a faster solution.

                1. Click Subscription button at the top of the window.
                2. The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                3. Select the correct season from the Season Package drop down list.

                4. Select the correct performance from the Performance List.

                5. In the Patron list, highlight the patrons with subscriptions to be held.

                6. Click the Hold Season Seats button.

                  The Hold Season Subscription Options window opens.

                7. In Step 1, choose the assignment option.

                  Choosing to assign the holds to the patron allows you to hover over the seat, within the performances, and see to whom the seat belongs. If you choose not to assign the seats to the patron, the seats are held, but the subscriber details will remain anonymous.

                8. In step 2, establish the date and time the seats are released.

                  Theatre Manager automatically releases the holds on the date and time entered.

                9. In Step 3, enter any comments about the holds.

                  The comments entered, appear when the cursor hovers over the seats within the performance.

                10. Click the Hold button.

                  The Hold Confirmation window opens.

                11. Click the Yes button.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens and the seats are held within the performances.

                The patrons' seats selected are held until the date you entered, then the seats are released. If you need to extend the hold, you can repeat this process. Booking a season subscription will override the hold without having to release it.

                Altering Season Subscriptions in the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                You use Altering Season Subscriptions to change price code or promotion structures assigned to the favorite seats of a season subscriptions.

                Examples are: The end of the Early Bird Renewal deadline--where you convert Early Bird Sales Promotions to standard Season Subscription Sales Promotions. Alternatively, when the season pricing structure has changes and an option offered last year is not available for the coming year.

                You cannot undo these changes. You must plan them out before using this feature. The Altering Subscription tool accesses the favorite seats within the season package and alters the pricing structure. It does not affect historical season subscription packages. Changes made affect the entire season package not only the selected patrons or series.

                1. Click the Subscription button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                2. Click the Alter Subscription button.

                  The Alter Promotion Window opens.

                  • Step 1: select one or more Sales Promotion to be converted FROM.
                  • Step 2: select the Sales Promotion that you want it to be converted in to
                  • Step 3 enter one or more specific Price Codes that you want to convert from.
                    • If you want to convert two or three prices codes into one, enter price codes like ABC
                    • If you want to limit to only converting the promotions on one price code, enter it into both the FROM and the TO fields
                    • If only the Sales Promotions require altering leave the Price Code fields blank.
                  • Step 4: enter the Specific Price Code you want to convert to.
                  • Step 5: if you have selected some subscription packages before clicking the 'alter' button, you can confirm that you wish to only change those ones, or ignore al of them and change all subscription packages for all evenings
                    Only one TO Price Code can be entered at at time. Theatre Manager takes the Price Codes listed in Step 3 and combines them into the Price Code listed in Step 4. If multiple Price Codes require exchanging you will need to run the process separately for each Price Code to be exchanged TO.
                3. Click the Alter button.

                  The Alter Confirmation window opens.

                4. Click the Alter button.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens when the alteration is complete.

                The Promotions and Price Codes are changed in the Season Package. Theatre Manager has updated the Favorite Seats for the coming season.

                Season Package List Options

                Options available in the Season Package List window. They can be accessed by clicking Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Package.

                 

                Roll Over

                 

                The Season Roll Over will prepare the season for the coming year by creating a new Season Package. It will alter the Last Years Control House by replacing it with the This Years Control House and will prompt for a new Control House for the This Years field. It will match Performances within the Control House from the Last Years Control House with those in the This Years Control House. It will then move the patrons into the new season package and prepare them for the renewal process in the coming season.

                 

                For step by step instructions on Rolling Over the season package click here.

                 

                Verifying Counts

                Verify Counts recalculates the number of patrons and seats within a season subscription. It is not to be confused with Verify Holds.
                To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                2. Single click on the Season Package you want to Verify the Counts for.
                3. Click the Verify Counts button.
                  The Verify Season Package window opens.


                  1. Verification is used to validate the Season Renewal Notice information within each of the patron Subscription Packages (or after information was imported into favorite seats and you wan the Season Package to account for this imported information).
                  Patron favorite seats will not be affected.
                  The option goes through each of the Patron Subscription Packages and verifies:

                  • The Season Renewal Notice printed data.
                  • The Season Renewal data pertaining to renewal status.
                  • All the seating preferences.
                4. Click the Verify button.
                  You are retruned to the Season Package List window.

                The counts in the season package have be recalculated and updated. They appear in the list and inside the Season Package Detail window.

                Initializing a Season Package

                Using the initialize button on a season package will clear all renewal information. This is used for the purposes of starting over.

                1. On the main menu bar, click on Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package List window.

                2. Select the season package to be initialized and then click on the Initialize button.

                  The initialize Season Package dialog opens.

                  This process clears out the following information:

                  - Season Renewal Notice information
                  - Date season renewal notice printed
                  - Date the season subscription weas renewed
                  - Employee who renewed the information
                  - Order Number assigned to the season subscription
                3. Read the warning, if everything is appropriate, click the Initialize button.

                  Theatre Manager initializes the season package. When complete, you are returned to the Season Package List window.

                Whos In Season Package List Window

                 

                The Who's In List will display the patrons appearing in the Season Package in a Contact List window.

                 

                 

                Holding Seats in the Season Package List Window

                Holding Favorite Seats filters through the events within the season and holds the patrons favorite seats for each performance within the season package. You use this feature when single ticket sales begin prior to the renewal process completing.

                Holding Favorite Seats within the Season Package List window holds the seats for every patron within the season package who has not yet renewed. If more selective holds are required the Manage Favorite Seats Hold options may be more applicable.

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                2. Click on the Season Package to select it. Then click the Hold Season Seats button at the top of the window.

                  The Book Season Subscription Options window opens.

                  For more information on the Book Season Subscription Options window click here.

                3. In Step 1, choose the assignment option.

                  When you assign the holds to the patron, you can hover over the seat, within the performances, and view who the seat belongs to. Choosing not to assign the seats to the patron, holds the seat but the subscriber details remain anonymous.

                4. In Step 2, set the Date and time the seats are released.

                  Theatre Manager automatically releases the holds for the date and time entered or, at the set Auto Release time.

                5. In Step 3, enter any comments about the holds.

                  These comments will appear when the cursor hovers over the seats within the performance.

                6. Click the Hold button.

                  The Hold Confirmation window opens.

                7. Click the Yes button.

                  The Season Package List window opens and the seats are held within the performances.

                The subscribers seats are held until the date indicated in the Hold Season Subscription Option window. At that date and time, the seats are released.

                If the hold needs to be extended, access the Season Package List window run the Hold Season Seats process again. The seats are held until the release date, the patron renews their subscription or the hold is overridden in the event. Booking a season subscription will override the hold without having to release it.

                Season Packages Detail Options

                Options available in the Season Package Detail window. They can be accessed by clicking Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Package and double clicking on the desired package.

                 

                Verifying Holds in a Season Subscription Package

                You use Verify Holds to recalculate the totals for the selected Season Subscription Package.

                You can also use this tool to add patrons to the season when they were not booked through the Season Subscriptions Module but, booked manually, such as, a regular ticket sale. The options you select, determine the details of the Verify process.

                To Verify Holds, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                2. Click to highlight the Season Package you want to verify. Then, click the Open button.

                  The Package Detail window opened.

                  For more information on the Package Detail window, click here.

                3. Click the Verify Holds button.

                  The Verify Season Subscription Packages window opens.

                4. Highlight all the performances listed. Make your check box selections, then click the Validate Subscription button.

                  Let the process run.

                5. Click the Done button.

                Auto Renewal in the Season Package Detail Window

                Using the Auto-Renewal process, you can renew season subscriptions within a series en mass. The process creates an order, books the season subscription and authorizes the payment using the options you choose. You can also place the payments for the outstanding order on account.

                You can mark an individual subscription as auto-renew in the patrons subscription detail window - auto renew tab
                This Process cannot be easily undone.
                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Package.

                   

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                2. Double click on the Season Package to be Auto Renewed.

                3. Click the Auto-Renew button.

                  The Season Subscription Auto-Renewal window opens.

                   

                  For more information on the Season Subscription Auto-Renewal window click here.

                4. In Step 1, choose the season packages to be auto-renewed.

                  The Selected Patrons option only auto-renews the patrons you selected in the previous window. The Subscriptions option auto-renews all subscriptions that have not been canceled or already renewed for the individual series code.

                5. In Step 2, select the Auto-Renewal Status.

                  When enabled--only subscriptions with the Auto-Renew options checked in the Patron Season Detail window are Auto-Renewed. If left unchecked, all the selected season subscriptions will be Auto-Renewed despite the Patron Season Detail preferences.

                6. In Step 3, pick the the Payment option.

                  The Do Not Create a Payment option places the outstanding balances on account and creates an entry in the Accounts Receivable. The Create Payment option adds a payment to the newly created season subscription order. This payment will appear in the Deposit window of the End of Day Wizard. If the Authorization option is checked, it appears as standard authorized transaction. If left unchecked it appears as an unauthorized card.

                7. Click the Auto-Renew button in the lower right corner.

                  The Auto-Renew Confirmation window opens.

                8. Click the Auto-Renew button.

                  Auto-renew can take time to complete. Do not interupt the process.

                The selected season package is renewed. The seats for each performance, within the subscription have been sold into the order. Depending on the payment option selected the order may or may not have an outstanding balance.

                Booking a Patron's Subscription from the Season Package Detail Window

                When a patron has been added to a season package and their subscription contains favorite seats, the season package can be booked

                To booking a patron's subscription from the Season Package Detail Window, you would perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package List window.

                2. Click to select the desired season package. Then, click the Open button.

                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package Detail window.

                3. Select the Patrons tab.

                4. Click the patron to select them. Then click the Book button.

                  The Order opens to the Payment window.

                  For more information on the Payment window click here.

                5. In the Payment Method drop list select the form of payment. Enter the payment details and accept the payment.

                  If the tickets are to be printed now, select Print Tickets. If the tickets will be Batch Printed at a later date select the Accept Payment button.

                  The payment window closes and the Season Subscription Detail window opens.

                  The patron status in the season package is updated.

                The patron's tickets are booked and the Season Subscription Detail window shows the changes.

                 

                Holding Season Seats from the Subscription Detail Window

                This function filters through the events within the season package and holds the patrons favorite seats for each performance within the season package. You can use this, when single ticket sales begin before the Season Renewal process completes.

                To hold seats from the subscription detail window, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Package.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                2. Double click to open the desired season package.

                3. Click the Hold Season Seats button.

                  The Hold Season Subscription Options window opens.

                  For more information on the Hold Season Subscription Options window click here.

                4. In Step 1, choose the assignment option.

                  When you choose to assign the holds to the patron, you can hover over the seat in the performances and view who the seat belongs to. Choosing not to assign the seats, holds the seat but the subscriber details remain anonymous.

                5. In Step 2, you determine the Date and Time the seats are released.

                  Theatre Managerautomatically releases the holds on the date and at the time entered or at the set Auto Release time.

                6. In step 3, enter any comments about the holds.

                  These comments will appear when the cursor hovers over the seats within the performance.

                7. Click the Hold button.

                  The Hold Confirmation window opens.

                8. In the confirmation window, click the Yes button.

                The patron seats you have selected are held until the date set in the Hold Season Subscription Option window. In that date and time, the seats are released. If the hold needs to be extended, the Manage Favorite Seats window can be accessed and you can do the Hold Season Seats process again. The seats are held until the release date, the patron renews their subscription or the held is overridden in the event. Booking a season subscription overrides the hold without releasing it.

                Adding Events To a Season Package

                To add events to a Season package, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.
                2. Select the Package to add the Events to. Then click the Open button at the top of the Season Package List window.
                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Subscription Detail window click here.
                3. Select the Events tab.
                4. Click the New button in the lower left corner.
                  The Event List window opens.

                  For more information on the Event Lookup List window, Click here.
                5. Select the events to be added to the Season Package.
                  To select multiple events, use the <SHIFT> key to select a series of events, or the <CTRL> key (Windows) or the <OPTION> key on the Mac.
                  Click the Select button.
                  The Events for the coming season will populate into the Events tab.
                6. Close the Season Subscription Detail window.

                 

                Altering Sales Settings

                To Alter Season Subscription Sales Settings, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Package List window, click here.

                2. Select the Package where the Sales Setting needs altering. Then, click the Open button at the top of the Season Package List window.

                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Season Subscription Detail window click here.

                3. Check or Uncheck the Sales Setting options as required.

                4. Close the Season Subscription Detail window.

                 

                Cardnet Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                MAPP Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                Company Information

                Name:__________________________________________________________

                Address: ________________________________________________________

                City: ___________________________________________________________

                State/Province: __________________________Zip/Postal Code: __________________

                Phone: (____)__________________Fax: (____)__________________

                Contact Name: ___________________________________________________________

                Contact Phone: (____)_____________________________________________________

                Contact Email: ___________________________________________________________

                Company Address

                Country Code [3]: ___________________________________________________________

                City Code or Zip Code [5]: ____________________________________________________

                MAPP Identifiers

                First 6 digits of ID : _____________________________________________________
                Last 7 digits of ID : _______________________________________________________



                Telephone Numbers

                Primary Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Alternate Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Primary Settlement Phone: (____)_________________

                Alternate Settlement Phone: (____)________________

                Cardnet Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                NaBanco Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                Company Information

                Name:__________________________________________________________

                Address: ________________________________________________________

                City: ___________________________________________________________

                State/Province: __________________________Zip/Postal Code: __________________

                Phone: (____)__________________Fax: (____)__________________

                Contact Name: ___________________________________________________________

                Contact Phone: (____)_____________________________________________________

                Contact Email: ___________________________________________________________

                Company Address

                Country Code [3]: ___________________________________________________________

                City Code or Zip Code [5]: ____________________________________________________

                NaBanco Identifiers

                Plan # : _____________________________________________________
                Merchant ID : _______________________________________________________


                Terminal # :

                _______________________________________________________

                SIC :

                _______________________________________________________

                Qual Code :

                _______________________________________________________

                State Code:

                _______________________________________________________

                Amex # :

                _______________________________________________________


                Discover # :

                _______________________________________________________


                Diners # :

                _______________________________________________________



                Telephone Numbers

                Primary Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Alternate Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Primary Settlement Phone: (____)_________________

                Alternate Settlement Phone: (____)________________

                Cardnet Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                Paymentech (Gensar) Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                Company Information

                Name:__________________________________________________________

                Address: ________________________________________________________

                City: ___________________________________________________________

                State/Province: __________________________Zip/Postal Code: __________________

                Phone: (____)__________________Fax: (____)__________________

                Contact Name: ___________________________________________________________

                Contact Phone: (____)_____________________________________________________

                Contact Email: ___________________________________________________________

                Company Address

                Country Code [3]: ___________________________________________________________

                City Code or Zip Code [5]: ____________________________________________________

                Paymentech Identifiers

                Client : ___________________________________________________________
                Merchant ID : ___________________________________________________________
                Terminal #: ___________________________________________________________

                Telephone Numbers

                Primary Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Alternate Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Primary Settlement Phone: (____)_________________

                Alternate Settlement Phone: (____)________________

                Cardnet Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                TeleMoney Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                Company Information

                Name:__________________________________________________________

                Address: ________________________________________________________

                City: ___________________________________________________________

                State/Province: __________________________Zip/Postal Code: __________________

                Phone: (____)__________________Fax: (____)__________________

                Contact Name: ___________________________________________________________

                Contact Phone: (____)_____________________________________________________

                Contact Email: ___________________________________________________________

                Company Address

                Country Code [3]: ___________________________________________________________

                City Code or Zip Code [5]: ____________________________________________________

                TeleMoney Identifiers

                Terminal ID:

                _______________________________________________________

                Category Code :

                _______________________________________________________



                Telephone Numbers

                Primary Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Alternate Authorization Phone: (____)_______________

                Primary Settlement Phone: (____)_________________

                Alternate Settlement Phone: (____)________________

                Exporting Season Ticket Data for Off Site Printing

                First you need to consider if you are printing the whole house for each show ahead of time (before selling them)

                or, are you having the already sold subscription tickets printed.

                If you are having an outside agency print the whole house, ahead of selling, then you will need to contact us for our help in getting the data export for the print house. We ask that you speak with us for the details and we will require remote access to the database server.

                If you are printing already sold tickets, then that unique ticket number on each ticket is already keyed to the seat information in the Theatre Manager database. The barcode needs to be based on the ticket number.

                You can export patron information, show information, seat location, etc. to print on the ticket face, then have the barcode set to just be the ticket number.

                Then, when you scan the bar code, it will reference the ticket number in the Theatre Manager database, which is a unique number and references all of the other data tied together in the system.

                The best way to get the data for the tickets, is to use the Reports, Form Letters, Labels, Exporting Record Counts category, Export Data function. It can also be found under File >> Import/Export >> Export Data.

                To export data in a .txt format, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Reports window by clicking on the Reports button.

                  Click here for more information on the Reports window.

                2. Click on the Form Letters, Labels, Exporting & Record Counts category on the left hand side, and then double click on the Export Data category on the right hand side.

                  The Export Data dialog opens.

                3. Use the drop down menu to select Ticket Data Per Performance as the parent files to use.

                  Remember that in Theatre Manager, data is contained in different areas so make sure the information being exported does not cross two different sets of parent files.

                4. Click the Next button.

                  The Parameters window opens with default criteria in the Search tab.

                  Click here for more information on the Parameters window.

                5. Remove the Marketing Flags.
                6. Click the New button.

                  Click here for more information on adding criteria.

                7. Set the criteria to:

                  Event # is one of (highlight all appropriate Season events)

                8. Under the Sort Tab, you could choose Patron last Name, Patron First Name.

                9. On the Export Tab, choose Patron Data from the Available Export Fields.

                  Select: Patron Name - Last, Patron Name - First, Patron Company.

                10. Choose Pricing Map Section/Row/Seat Descriptions from the Available Export Fields.

                  Select: Map Seats Section, Row Number, Seat Number.

                11. Choose Ticket Data Per Performance from the Available Export Fields.

                  Select: Ticket #.

                12. Choose Performance (Play/Event/Game)Information from the Available Export Fields.

                  Select: Performance (Play/Event/Game) Code, Performance (Play/Event/Game) Name.

                13. Choose the format from the drop down list and click the Done button.

                  The above fields for selection are guidelines only. Assess which information you want to appear on your ticket. The important field for the bar code is the Ticket Number.

                Diataxis: 

                Installing - Installing From CD - Windows

                Installing From CD - Windows

                1. Insert Theatre Manager Installation CD
                2. Double Click the My Computer Icon

                  This icon may be named something else on the users computer. The icon looks like a small desktop computer. When "My Computer" opens, the user will see (in icon form) a list of drives. The hard drive, the floppy drive, the CD-ROM drive…etc.

                3. Double Click the CD-ROM Drive
                4. The Theatre Manager CD window will now be open. Located in the Theatre Manager CD window is "TmSetup.exe."

                  The Theatre Manager CD contains three other files aside from TmSetup.exe.

                  The ReadMefirst.txt

                  This file contains late breaking information about the latest version of Theatre Manager. It also contains some helpful information about the installation process.

                  The Tutorial.doc

                  This is a document that will guide the user through the main and important aspects of Theatre Manager.

                  The Good Stuff

                  This folder contains files such as Windows updates, and / or WinZip.

                5. Double Click TmSetup.exe.

                  This begins the installation and opens the Arts Management Systems splash screen. 

                6. Click Next

                  The welcome window opens. 

                7. Click Next

                  The last minute important notes window opens. Review the notes as they may be applicable to your computer. 

                8. Click Next

                  The destinations options window opens. 

                  The user may click on the "Browse" button to choose an alternate location to install Theatre Manager.

                   
                9. Click Next

                  Once the destination of Theatre Manager has been chosen, the setup type window appears. 

                  When the Theatre Manager setup type window opens it will default to "Typical Install" giving the user a complete installation of the Theatre Manager software package. A "Compact" or "Custom Install" option can be accessed by clicking on the corresponding button, located to the left hand side of each installation type. These options will allow the user to select the individual components of Theatre Manger to install.

                   
                10. Click Next

                  Choose the correct installation type before proceeding. Once done, the ready to install window will display next. 

                11. Click Next

                  As Theatre Manager starts installing, a progress window is displayed. This is a visual reference of how much of Theatre Manager is left to be installed.

                  When Theatre Manager is finished installing the finished window appears. 

                12. Click Close
                13. Theatre Manager is now fully installed.

                  To start using the program, refer to the Using Theatre Manager section of this manual.

                Installing - New Macintosh Database

                How to Install Theatre Manager with a New Data Base - Macintosh.

                You have just installed Theatre Manager for the first time following the previous instructions outlined by Installing Theatre Manager and now you would like to create a new Database!

                1. Begin by creating a Folder to contain the new database. Name the folder "BoxOffice". This folder must be placed on your hard drive if it is to be shared with other users. From your Apple >> File Menu, Select New Folder

                   

                  A new untitled folder will be placed on your desktop.

                2. Rename the folder to label it accordingly

                3. Proceed as if you were to install Theatre Manager once again. Double Click on the . Reference Installing Theatre Manager for more detail instructions

                  The following window will appear.

                   

                4. Click

                  The following window will appear.

                   

                5. From the dropdown menu in the upper left corner choose

                  The following window will appear.

                6. Select only Empty Database to create a new data file as reflected below

                7. Click the button to locate the new folder you created in step #1 where this installer will place the new database

                  The following window will appear.

                8. Highlight the Theatre Manager Data folder that was created on your desktop, double click to open this folder

                9. Click the button located in the lower right hand corner

                  The following window will reappear.

                   

                10. Click to begin the installation of the Empty Databas

                  The following window will appear when completed

                11. Click

                  You have successfully installed a New Database.

                12. Double Click on the folder on your desktop to display the contents of the folder

                  The following will appear.

                13. Change the name of the Empty.df1 file to reflect a name for your data file. Be certain to retain the .df1 extension, which represents Data File segment 1

                  You may choose to name the file after your Company/Venue name as in the following example. i.e.: TheGreatestTheatreCo.df1 or use an acronym, TGTC.df1

                Installing - New PC Database

                How to Install Theatre Manager with a New Data Base - Windows

                You have just installed Theatre Manager for the first time following the previous instructions outlined by Installing Theatre Manager and now you would like to create a new Database!

                1. Begin by creating a Folder to contain the new database. Name the folder "BoxOffice". This folder can be placed on your desktop then moved to a more permanent location later. Right mouse click on your desktop and select New >> Folder

                   

                  A new untitled folder will be placed on your desktop.

                2. Rename the folder to label it accordingly

                3. Proceed as if you were to install Theatre Manager once again. Double Click on the . Reference Installing Theatre Manager for more detail instructions

                  The following window will appear.

                   

                4. Click

                  The following window will appear.

                   

                5. Click

                  The following window will appear.

                6. Click

                  The following window will appear.

                7. Click the button to locate the new folder you created in step #1 where this installer will place the new database

                  The following window will appear.

                8. Highlight the Theatre Manager Data folder that was created on your desktop
                9. Click to return to the previous menu

                   

                10. Click

                  The following window will appear.

                11. Select from the three choices in this window
                12. Then to continue

                  The following window will reappear.

                   

                13. Select only Empty Database to create a new data file as reflected above
                14. Click

                  The following window will appear.

                15. Click

                  The following window will appear.

                16. Click

                17. Click
                18. Double Click on the folder on your desktop to display the contents of the folder

                  The following will appear.

                19. Change the name of the Empty file to reflect a name for your data file

                  You may choose to name the file after your Company/Venue name as in the following example. i.e.: TheGreatestTheatreCo.df1 or use an acronym, TGTC.df1

                NDC Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                NDC Setup Information for Theatre Manager

                Company Information

                Name:__________________________________________________________

                Address: ________________________________________________________

                City: ___________________________________________________________

                State/Province: _____________________Zip/Postal Code: _________________

                Phone: (_____)__________________Fax: (_____)_________________________

                Contact Name: _____________________________________________________

                Contact Phone: (_____)_______________________________________________

                Contact Email: _____________________________________________________

                Primary Access

                [__] DataPac[__] Direct Network[__] SprintNet

                Company Address

                Country Code [3]: ___________________________________________________

                City Code or Zip Code [5]: ____________________________________________

                NDC Identifiers

                Bank ID [6]: _______________________________________________________

                Merchant ID [15]: ___________________________________________________

                Category Code [4]: _________________________________________________

                Telephone Numbers

                Primary Authorization Phone: (_____)____________________________________

                Alternate Authorization Phone: (_____)___________________________________

                Primary Settlement Phone: (_____)______________________________________

                Alternate Settlement Phone: (_____)_____________________________________

                PC Authorize - Setup Information

                Setup Information

                Different Service Providers, or Agencies, have different information that you need to acquire prior to setting up PC Authorize.

                Below is a list of several of the common Agencies.

                Not all of the agencies have documentation at this time. If you are installing one of the Agencies that does not have documentation below, please get your identifiers from your Agency.

                Select the one that you are applying for to open a printable version of the required information.

                Click on the Agency that you are applying for in your prefered format.

                MS Word .html Notes
                American Express n/a n/a American Express cards only, including purchase cards.
                BancTec .doc .html
                Buypass .doc .html
                Cardnet .doc
                Data Processors International, Inc. (DPI)
                .doc .html
                ECHO .doc .html
                First Data Corporation - Envoy .doc .html
                First Data Corporation – FDR (First Data Resources) .doc
                First Data Corporation - NaBANCO .doc .html
                First Data Corporation - TeleMoney .doc .html
                Global Payment Systems - Modular Data .doc .html
                Global Payment Systems - MAPP .doc .html
                Global Payment Systems - NDC .doc
                NDC Canada - National Data Corporation .doc
                Nova Information System .doc
                Novus .doc .html
                Paymentech .doc .html
                Visanet/Vital .doc .html


                To save the Word files:
                On a PC - right click and select Save Target As...
                On a Mac - ctrl-click and select Download Link to Disk

                Patron Management - Season Tab

                Season Tab

                This tab keeps track of a patron's season subscription package information. Refer to Seasons Subscriptions to learn how to book a subscription.

                Parts of the Season Subscription Tab

                Ref.#
                This column displays the reference number that was assigned to the patron's favorite seats. This number can be used for internal tracking purposes.
                Year
                This column displays the year the that season subscription was purchased.
                Season Package
                This column displays the season subscription that was sold to the patron.
                Series
                This column displays which series the patron has booked their season subscription for. The picture above shows that the patron has booked his subscription for the first Saturday performance for each show.
                Printed
                This column displays the date that the patron's season tickets were printed.
                Renewed
                This column displays the date that the patron's season subscription package was renewed.
                 

                Patron Management - Web Tab

                Web Tab

                The Web Tab is used to keep track of patron's history of sales over the internet.

                Parts of the Web Tab

                Total Web Sales
                Total value of sales over the web.
                Pages Accessed
                Number of pages accessed by the patron.
                First Login
                Date the patron first logged into Theatre Manager via the internet.
                Last Login
                Date the patron last logged into Theatre Manager via the internet.

                Printing Renewal Notices

                Printing renewal notices is done at the end or beginning of each season to remind patrons that it is time to renew their package subscription.

                1. Click on the Patron Sales menu from the main menu bar.
                2. Go to Season Reservations >> Print Renewal Notices.

                  The Season Ticket Renewal Notice Criteria window opens.

                For more information on the Season Ticket Renewal Notice Criteria window, click here. For more information on printing renewal notices, click here.

                Customized Renewal Notices

                In Theatre Manager, you can customize your Season Renewal Notice to print it in a different format than the standard notice. For more information on printing the standard notice, click here.

                Customized renewal notices contain the same information as the standard notice, however you can customize your form by moving the data around on the page, or you can delete the fields you do not want to appear. Printing your customized renewal notice is done through the reports menu.

                1. Open the Reports module, and select the Season Subscription and Subscription Packages category.
                2. Highlight (single click) the Season Ticket Renewal Notice report.

                3. Click the Customize button.

                  The Customizing Custom Season Ticket Renewal Notice window opens.

                4. Make your edits.
                5. Margins Edit the vertical margins in each section by raising and lowering the gray bars in between the sections.

                  Edit the left margin by placing your cursor at the far left of the page, and clicking and dragging the start of the page left or right.

                  Edit the page margins by clicking on the Properties icon.

                  Changing the top margin lowers the print on the page as shown.

                  Graphics Boxes, circles, rounded boxes or new text blocks can be added and edited using the toolbox in the lower left corner. You add shapes and lines by clicking on the appropriate tool in the toolbox in the lower left corner, then drawing the item within the customized notice.
                  Text Existing text is edited by double clicking on the text box within the custom notice and editing it within the box. Close the box, by clicking anywhere off the box. You can also edit the contents of existing text blocks within each section, or add text blocks. You can remove fields from the notice entirely if you choose not to use them.

                  To add a new text box:

                  1. Click on the ABC icon in the lower left toolbox.
                  2. Draw a box on the renewal notice in the location you want the new text box.
                  3. A new menu appears on the left to choose the font and point size. Select the font and size you wish to use.
                  4. Double click on the box you drew.
                  5. Enter the text you want to appear in the box.
                  6. Use the formatting tools in the text box to bold, italicize, underline or change the font color.
                  7. Click anywhere outside the box to close the editing window.
                6. Name your customized Renewal Notice at the top, and give it a description.
                7. Click the Save button.
                8. Once you have saved your Customized Renewal Notice, you can access it either through the Reports menu:

                  or through the Patron window on the Season tab , under the Print Notice button.

                For more information on printing renewal notices, click here.

                Print Notices from the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                Notices can be printed directly from the Manage Favorite Seats window. To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click the Subscription button in the Theatre Manager ribbon bar.

                  The Manage Favorite Seats window opens.

                2. Highlight the patron to print the notices for and click the Renewal Notice button.

                  The Season Ticket Renewal Notice Criteria window opens.

                3. Choose the Options you want to print.

                  To reprint notices previously printed, use the reprint option.

                  Click here for more information on the Notice Selection tab.

                4. Then click the Next button.

                  The Displayed Fields tab of the window opens.

                5. Select the fields you want to have printed on the renewal notices. Then click the Next button.

                  Click here for more information on the Display Fields tab.

                  The Taxes & Ticket Fees tab of the window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Taxes & Ticket Fees tab.

                6. Make the appropriate selections. Then click the Next button.

                  The Comments tab opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Comments tab.

                7. Edit the comment fields on the notice. Then click the Next button.

                  The Sort tab opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Sort tab.

                8. Make the appropriate selections. Then click the Next button.

                  The Title tab opens.

                9. You can enter a a new title and description and click the Done button.

                10. Click the Proceed button to see a preview of the completed notices.

                  The Print button will print the notices without previewing them. To make changes before previewing the notices, simply close the Renewal Notices Data window.

                  Click here for information on the Finished Report window.

                  You can now print the documents to a printer, or pdf (for emailing).

                Printing Renewal Notices From the Detail Window

                To print renewal notices from the Detail window, you perform the following steps:
                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Reservations >> Setup Season Packages.

                  The Season Package List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package List window.

                2. Single click on the desired season package to select it.
                3. Click the Open button at the top of the window.

                  The Season Package Detail window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Season Package Detail window.

                4. Highlight the patron to print the notices for and click the Renewal Notice button.

                  The Season Ticket Renewal Notice Criteria window opens.

                5. Choose the Options you want to print.

                  To reprint notices previously printed, use the reprint option.

                  Click here for more information on the Notice Selection tab.

                6. Then click the Next button.

                  The Displayed Fields tab of the window opens.

                7. Select the fields you want to have printed on the renewal notices. Then click the Next button.

                  Click here for more information on the Display Fields tab.

                  The Taxes & Ticket Fees tab of the window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Taxes & Ticket Fees tab.

                8. Make the appropriate selections. Then click the Next button.

                  The Comments tab opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Comments tab.

                9. Edit the comment fields on the notice. Then click the Next button.

                  The Sort tab opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Sort tab.

                10. Make the appropriate selections. Then click the Next button.

                  The Title tab opens.

                11. You can enter a a new title and description and click the Done button.

                12. Click the Proceed button to see a preview of the completed notices.

                  The Print button will print the notices without previewing them. To make changes before previewing the notices, simply close the Renewal Notices Data window.

                  Click here for information on the Finished Report window.

                  You can now print the documents to a printer, or pdf (for emailing).

                Printing Season Subscription Renewal Notices

                Printing renewal notices usually happens each season to notify patrons that it is time to renew their subscription to a season package.

                1. On the main menu bar, click on Patron Sales >> Season Subscriptions >> Print Renewal Notices.

                  The Season Ticket Renewal Notice Criteria window opens.

                2. Choose the Options you want to print.

                  To reprint notices previously printed, use the reprint option.

                  Click here for more information on the Notice Selection tab.

                3. Then click the Next button.

                  The Displayed Fields tab of the window opens.

                4. Select the fields you want to have printed on the renewal notices. Then click the Next button.

                  Click here for more information on the Display Fields tab.

                  The Taxes & Ticket Fees tab of the window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Taxes & Ticket Fees tab.

                5. Make the appropriate selections. Then click the Next button.

                  The Comments tab opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Comments tab.

                6. Edit the comment fields on the notice. Then click the Next button.

                  The Sort tab opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Sort tab.

                7. Make the appropriate selections. Then click the Next button.

                  The Title tab opens.

                8. You can enter a a new title and description and click the Done button.

                9. Click the Proceed button to see a preview of the completed notices.

                  The Print button will print the notices without previewing them. To make changes before previewing the notices, simply close the Renewal Notices Data window.

                  Click here for information on the Finished Report window.

                  You can now print the documents to a printer, or pdf (for emailing).

                Season Ticket Renewal Notice Critera Window

                The following, describe the different tabs available in the creation of the Subscription Notices

                Selection Tab

                You use the Season Ticket Renewal Notice Selection tab to determine which packages will have renewal notices printed in this run.

                Parts of the Season Ticket Renewal Notice Selection Tab

                Package and Series Selection

                Package Select the packages for which season renewal notices are to be printed. To select multiple packages, either use the SHIFT key to select a series of packages or the CTRL key (Windows) or OPTION key (Mac) to select multiple individual packages.
                Season Series Enter the season that the package will be part of.

                Print Options

                Print notices that have never been printed When checked, only notices that have never been printed will be searched for based on the package selections.
                Reprint notices printed between When checked, two dates will need to be entered by the user. Theatre Manager will find all renewal notices that were printed during that time frame and select them for printing.
                This button will open the mini-calendar for easier entry of dates.
                Moves to the next tab of the process.
                Cancels the renewal notices process.
                Leave the criteria entry process and begins assembling the renewal notices.

                Display Fields Tab

                The Season Ticket Renewal Display Fields tab is used to determine the information that should be printed on the renewal notice.

                 

                Parts of the Season Ticket Renewal Display Fields Tab

                Notice Contents

                Renewal Deadline The date until which the patron's seats will be held for renewal. After this date, the seats will be made available to other patrons.
                This button will open the mini-calendar for easier entry of dates.
                Patron Contact Info Above Main Title When checked, the patron's contact information will be moved above the title on the renewal notice.
                Patron Number When checked, the patron number of the patron will be included on the renewal notice.
                Patron Primary Phone Number When checked, the patron's primary phone number will be included on the renewal notice.
                Patron Primary Email Address When checked, the patron's primary email address will be included on the renewal notice.
                Subscription Titles When checked, the subscription titles will be included on the renewal notice.
                Donation Line When checked, the donation line will be included on the renewal notice.
                Tear-Off Stub When checked, a tear-off stub will be included on the renewal notice.
                Section Information When checked, the section information for the seats the patron holds will be included on the renewal notice.
                Row Information When checked, the row information for the seats the patron holds will be included on the renewal notice.
                Seat Information When checked, the seat information for the seats the patron holds will be included on the renewal notice.
                Quantity When checked, the quantity of seats will be included on the renewal notice.
                Do not include taxes on the notice When selected, taxes will not be included on the renewal notice.
                Include taxes in ticket prices When selected, the taxes will be included in the ticket prices on the renewal notice.
                Include taxes on separate line item When selected, the taxes will be listed as a separate item on the renewal notice.

                Suggested Donation Options

                Fixed Amount Allows for a fixed amount suggested donation to be included with the renewal notice.
                Percentage Allows for a percentage based suggested donation to be included with the renewal notice.

                Date & Time Options

                Leave Blank When selected there will be no date information printed on the renewal notice.
                As Numerical (MM/DD/YYYY) When selected, the date on the renewal notice will be listed in numerical format.
                As Written (Month/DD/YYYY) When selected, the date on the renewal notice will be listed in written format.
                Leave Blank When selected there will be no time information printed on the renewal notice.
                One per subscription When selected, the time will be listed once on the renewal notice.
                For each event When selected, the time for each performance will be listed on the renewal notice.
                Print Event Title with Dates If clicked, the event title will be printed along with the dates/times on the lower part of the renewal notices

                Testing Options

                Mark Notices As Printed When checked, the notices will be marked as printed once viewed on the screen.
                Moves to the previous tab of the process.
                Moves to the next tab of the process.
                Cancels the renewal notices process.
                Leave the criteria entry process and begins assembling the renewal notices.

                Comments Tab

                The Season Ticket Renewal Comments tab is used to adjust the comments that print on the renewal notice.

                Parts of the Season Ticket Renewal Comments Tab

                Renewal Notice Custom Text Fields

                Header Title Allows you to enter a custom header on your renewal notice.
                Contact Information Comment Allows adjustment of the default text that prints on the renewal notice in the renewal comments section.
                Renewal Comment Allows adjustment of the default text that prints on the renewal notice in the renewal comments section.
                Comment Below Detail Allows adjustment of the default text that prints on the renewal notice in the comments section under the package detail.
                Remit Instructions Allows adjustment of the default text that prints on the renewal notice in the remit instructions section.
                Payment Methods Allows adjustment of the default text that prints on the renewal notice in the payment methods section.
                Moves to the previous tab of the process.
                Moves to the next tab of the process.
                Cancels the renewal notices process.
                Leave the criteria entry process and begins assembling the renewal notices.

                Search Criteria Tab

                The Search Criteria tab is used to add the criteria to the report to find the specific information in the database that is needed. All reports need to have criteria selected or the report will pull all information from the database. This can take a very long time and make a very long report. By adding criteria, the reports only finds the specific information needed. Click here for detailed information on adding criteria.

                Parts of the Season Ticket Renewal Notice Search Criteria Tab

                If available, uses the default search criteria for this report.
                If this report has previously been run, this button will add theprevious criteria.
                Opens a list of saved criteria for this report.
                Saves the current criteria to be used later.
                Saves the current criteria to be used later and opens a dialog to name this criteria.
                Opens the Add/Edit Parameter window to facilitate adding new criteria. Click here for more information on the Add/Edit Parameter window.
                Opens the currently selected criteria in the Add/Edit Parameter window to allow adjustments.
                Deletes the currently selected criteria.
                Deletes all criteria from the Search tab.
                Tests the current criteria to see how many records will be returned. A message will appear at the bottom of the window showing the number of records to be returned.
                Prints a listing of the criteria currently in the Search tab.
                Groups the currently selected criteria. This forces the criteria to take precedence in the search.
                Ungroups the currently selected criteria.
                Cancels that adding of criteria and returns the user to the Report window.
                Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the report. Click here for more information on the Finished Report window.
                Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and takes you to the next page of information for the selected report.

                Quick reference information for Reports Criteria

                Flash Video

                MP4 Video

                Saved Criteria

                Once criteria is built for a report or Renewal Notice, you can save that criteria for later use in other Reports, Mail Lists and Exports. Theatre Manager will assist you by only presenting saved criteria that is capable of producing results in a given Report or Mail List. For example, you cannot use ticket-based criteria (about an Event or a Map) in a Donation based report - and vice versa. This feature helps you select the appropriate saved criteria when you need it.

                To SAVE your criteria


                1. Build your criteria as you normally would in your Report, Mail List or Export.
                2. Click the icon at the top of the Criteria window.
                  • A new window will pop up with an opportunity to name (or rename) your criteria. The window will show the criteria for reference.

                    Select a name that is descriptive for you and others to remember. For example:

                    • 2018 Donors-All Campaigns, or
                    • 2018 Event Purchasers or
                    • Volunteers last year but not this year

                  • If you want others to be able to view or use this criteria, click the box below the Criteria Name field. If you do not select this box, others can use this criteria, but cannot change it.
                3. Click the button.
                Your criteria has now been saved.

                 

                 

                To retrieve your SAVED criteria


                1. Open any criteria window and click the icon at the top.
                2. A list of your Saved Criteria will appear, including all the available saved criteria sets available for use with this Report, Mail List, or Export of data.
                3. Select the criteria you want to use either by double clicking on it, or single clicking and then clicking in the lower right corner.
                Your criteria will populate in the Criteria window.

                Diataxis: 

                Sort Tab

                You use the Season Ticket Renewal Sort tab to adjust how the renewal notices are sorted when printed.

                Parts of the Season Ticket Renewal Sort Tab

                Available Sort Fields

                Sort Fields A list of the sort fields available to be used.
                Adds the currently selected field to the sort field list.
                Removes the currently selected field from the sort field list.

                Selected Sort Fields

                Sort Fields A list of the currently selected fields to be used for sorting.

                Sort Field Parameters

                Sort in Descending Order When checked the notices will be sorted in descending order by this field.
                Upper Case Conversion When checked any information in this field will be written in upper case.
                New Page When Field Changes When checked a new page will be started when this field changes.
                Moves to the previous tab of the process.
                Cancels the renewal notices process.
                Leave the criteria entry process and begins assembling the renewal notices.

                Reports - Solicitor Summary

                Solicitor Summary

                The Solicitor Summary can be found under the Donation Reports & Receipts category. Below the image are detailed notes in regards to uses for the report.

                Click here for information on generating a report. Click here for information on the Finished Report window.

                Purpose of the Report

                This report creates a summary of each solicitor's pledges and donations that have been received.

                Departments Who Benefit From This Report

                Development
                Use this report to see how much money has been received for pledges and donations from each solicitor.
                General Manager
                Use this report to see how much money has been received for pledges and donations from each solicitor.

                Criteria Hints

                It is recommended that this report be run either without criteria or for a specific solicitor.

                Parameter Field
                Condition
                Value
                Employee #
                is one of
                (Employee)

                Use the SHIFT key to select a series of campaigns, or the OPTION key (Mac) or CTRL key (Windows) to select multiple individual campaigns.

                Troubleshooting Season Ticket Sales

                Book Button Not Accessible In Season Package (At The Box Office)

                The Book button is located in the Season tab of the Patron window and the bottom of the tab or in the Season Package Detail window. If the Book button is greyed out in the Season tab it means something in the details of the season package for this Patron are not correct. Start by double clicking on the Season Package and reviewing the pack information.

                 

                1. Does the Subscription contain seats?

                  Without seats in the package the package cannot be booked. For details on adding seats to the Season Package Detail window please click here.

                2. Do the number of seats in the package match the Desired Seats field?

                  Theatre Manager requires the Desired Seats field to contain a count of the number of seats in the package. If the number in this field does not match the number of seats in the package the package cannot be renewed. The field is designed to manage season packages where the patron wishes to increase or decrease the seats within their package but the seating locations have not yet been assigned or confirmed.

                3. Is the Status of the Package set to a non-renewed or non-cancelled status?

                  A package that have already been renewed, is marked as renewed or is marked as cancelled cannot be renewed. If someone has previously attempted to renew the package but failed to complete the renewal the package may be marked as renewed even though it shouldn't be. Change the Status drop down in the upper right corner to . This will allow the package to be renewed ago as long as the seats have not been purchased.

                Can't Alter Next Years Control House

                As soon as the season subscription package is rolled over the Last Year and This Year fields become grey and cannot be altered. If you choose the wrong Control House during the rollover process you'll need to roll the package over again. To roll the package again you'll need to activate it again.

                 

                Reactivating A Season Package

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Subscriptions >> Setup Season Packages.

                2. Check the Inactive box in the Season Package List window.
                3. Double click on the Package that needs to be active again.
                4. Check the Active status box located under the Internal Description field.
                5. Save and close the window.
                  1. The package is now active and can be rolled over again. It may be a good idea to make the incorrect package Inactive before rolling over the package once more. This will help keep the packages straight during the setup process.

                Changing Price Of Season Tickets

                Changing the Price of a season subscription seat should be done before the seat is renewed. If the seat has already been renewed then the Quick Exchange option will need to be used to alter the price of the tickets. The season package needs to be updated regardless if the seats have been booked or not.

                1. Open the patron record.
                2. Select the Season tab.
                3. Double click on the Season Package.
                4. Select first set of tickets left column that require a price change.

                  Select tickets where the change in prices with result in the same price code and promotion for the selected seats.

                5. Choose the correct Promotion and Price Code from the drop downs located under the Map.
                6. Click the Set Price button located under the list of tickets.

                  The Promotion and Price Code for the selected seats will now be updated. Repeat the above three steps for any additional tickets that need to be changed.

                Patrons Missing From Season Package After Renewing

                Patrons who are not booked into the control house or are missing from the season package were not booked using the Season Subscription module. It is possible to manually book a season package just the same as you would book tickets for a patron wishing to see several Performances.

                 

                1. Refund the manually booked season subscription tickets in the patron record.

                  Do not refund the payment. Place the balance on the Order On Account.

                2. Select the Orders tab in the Patron record.
                3. Locate and double click on the Order with the outstanding balance (in blue).
                4. Click the button on the left side of the window.
                5. Single click on the Season Package in the list.
                6. Click the button.

                  The payment window will open.

                7. In the Payment Method drop down, select the method of payment, enter the payment details and accept the payment.

                 

                The tickets are now a part of the Season Package and have been booked correctly.

                 

                Patrons Missing From Season Package After Rollover

                Patrons missing from the season package window after the rollover process general mean the patrons were not booked into last years season package using the season package module. If the patrons were not booked properly into the season package it's best to go back to last years package, correct the patron subscriptions and rollover again. This method will ensure accurate history from prior years and will roll the patrons into the come seasons package. Start by reactivating the season package from last year.

                 

                Reactivating A Season Package

                1. Click Patron Sales >> Season Subscriptions >> Setup Season Packages.

                2. Check the Inactive box in the Season Package List window.
                3. Double click on the Package that needs to be active again.
                4. Check the Active status box located under the Internal Description field.
                5. Save.

                 

                In the Patron tab of the season package click the magnifying glass in the lower right of the window. This will populate the list with all the patrons who are a part of the season package. Double click on each patron to open the Subscription Patron Detail window. Alter the Status of the subscription in the upper right corner of the window to accurately reflect the status from the past year. If the patron changed their seating location or the price point they purchased tickets using this should also be updated.

                Once all the seats have been updated the package can be rolled over again. It may be a good idea to make the incorrect package Inactive before rolling over the package once more. This will help keep the packages straight during the setup process.

                Troubleshooting Season Tickets Online

                Package Says I Need To Be Logged In to Buy Seats

                If Theatre Manager indicates you must be logged in before you can renew your season package the can by sold via the Internet box is not checked in the package setup.

                1. Go to Patron Sales >> Season Packages >> Setup Season Packages.
                2. Double click on the desired Season Package.
                3. Check the box for Can Be Sold >> Via Internet.
                4. Click the Save button at the top of the window.
                5. Clear the Cache on the web listener.
                6. Refresh the Season Subscription page in the web browser to see the change.

                 

                My Season Package Does Not Appear Online

                The package needs to be available for sale online in order to appear in the online sales.

                1. Go to Patron Sales >> Season Packages >> Setup Season Packages.
                2. Double click on the desired Season Package.
                3. Check the box for Can Be Sold >> Via Internet.

                  Patrons who have not logged into the online sales or who have never had a season subscription can purchase a new subscription online.

                4. Check the box for Can Be Renewed >> Via Internet.

                  Patrons who have purchased to a season packages in the past that has been rolled over can renew their seats online.

                5. Click the Save button at the top of the window.
                6. Clear the Cache on the web listener.
                7. Refresh the Season Subscription page in the web browser to see the change.

                 

                Clicking Find Best Seats Loops Back to the Seat Selection Page

                Theatre Manager reserves Season Subscription Promotions for the Season Subscription Module. This means when a Season Promotion is marked as available for sale via the Internet it will not be offered as an option for single tickets.

                1. Go to Setup >> System Tables >> Sales Promotions.
                2. Double click on the desired Season Sales Promotion.
                3. Select the Edits tab.
                4. Check the box for Via The Internet.
                5. Click the Save button at the top of the window.
                6. Clear the Cache on the web listener.
                7. Refresh the Season Subscription page in the web browser to see the change.

                 

                The Subscription Button Does Not Appear In The Online Sales Window

                The Subscription button is a part of the default web pages. If it does not appear it was most likely commented out by the web designer in the past.

                1. Open the WebPagesEN/tmCustome folder.
                2. Locate and edit the tmnavButtons.html page.
                3. Move the Subcription button reference or uncomment the button within the page.
                4. Save the page.
                5. Clear the Cache on the web listener.
                6. Refresh the Season Subscription page in the web browser to see the change.

                Subscription Windows

                The following describe the different areas in the subscription module and what they are used for.

                 

                Manage Favorite Seats Window

                You use the Manage Favorite Seats window to edit, update and maintain patron subscriptions to a season package.

                Parts of the Manage Favorite Seats Window

                Opens the Package Detail window. Click here for more information on the Package Detail window.
                Opens the Package Subscription List window showing all patrons that are currently subscribed to the season package. Click here for more details on the Who's In button.
                Reviews the season subscriptions within the season package and validates the seats.Click here for details on how to Verify Holds.
                Renews the selected season packages on mass. Click here for more information on the Renewal Notices.
                Begins the process for issuing renewal notices for the selected season package. Click here for more information on the Renewal Notices.
                Renews the patrons favorite seats for the events within the season package. Click here for more information on booking a patron's subscription.
                Holds all favorite seats for the performances in the selected season package.Click here for step by step instructions on how to use the Held Season Seats.
                Removes the Notice Printed status for the selected season package for the purpose of reprinting the renewal notices.
                Alters the Price and Promotion structure from Last Year's Control House to meet the requirements for the coming year. Click here for more information on the Alter Subscriptions process.
                Season Package Section The Season Package section of the window allows for switching between season packages. Click here for more information on the Season Package section.
                Seat Management and Pricing Map Section Seat Management and Pricing Map Section of the window displays the pricing map for the season. It allows for the price and promotion of the tickets to be altered and indicates errors in the seating. It can also be used to remove seats from the season package. Click here for more information on the Pricing section.
                Patron Section The Patron section of the window shows the patrons currently in the Season package. It allows for adding, removing and editing of the patrons season package. Click here for more information on the Patron section.
                Seat Section The Seat section of the window displays the wait list for seats. Any patrons who have been allocated a priority, other then first, for seats will appear in this area. Click here for more information on the Seating section of the window.

                Package Management Section

                You use the Package Management Section to select the package patrons are being added, edited or updated to.

                Parts of the Package Management Section

                Package A drop down menu for selecting the active season package to alter.
                Subs. Assigned The number of subscriptions currently assigned to the package.
                Renewed The number of subscriptions currently renewed in the package.
                Seats Assigned The number of seats currently assigned in the package.
                Renewed The number of seats that have been renewed, as part of the package. This counts seats that are actually booked.
                Performance The performance code for the control house being used.
                Date The date of the performance for the control house.
                Time The time of the performance for the control house.
                # Held (BO) The number of seats currently being held by the box office in the control house.

                Seat Management Patron Section

                You use the Seat Management Patron Section to add or edit patrons subscribed to the season package.

                 

                Parts of the Seat Management Patron Section

                Patron Name Name of the subscriber.
                Renewal Status The current status of the patron's subscription.
                Date Renewed The last date the patron renewed their subscription
                Change Date The last date a seating change was requested.
                Change Location The location of the seating change that was requested.
                Performance The performance code for the control house they are part of.
                Seats Since The date that the subscriber first subscribed.
                Seat Count - Current The number of seats currently held as part of the subscription.
                Seat Count - Desired The number of seats the subscriber would like to have.
                Seating Request Comments Any comment added for a seating request.
                Priority of Seating The priority given to the seating change request.
                Patron # The patron's record number.
                First Name The first name of the patron.
                Last Name The last name of the patron.
                Company The company the patron works for.
                Adds a new patron to the season package. For more information on adding a patron to a season package, click here.
                Opens the patron's subscription record. Click here for more information on the Patron Subscription Detail window.
                Deleted the patron from the season package. If the patron already has booked seats, the tickets will need to be refunded also.
                Opens the patron window for the selected patron. Click here for more information on the patron window.

                Set Suggested Donation

                There are a four ways to set a suggested donation for patrons when sending out the subscription renewal notices. You can set:
                1. a specific suggested donation for all subscriptions - for example $100.00, which is set as an option when printing renewal notices
                2. a suggestion that is a percentage value of the total subscription - for example 15%, which is set as an option when printing renewal notices
                3. a different suggested amount for each patron - which is entered directly on the favourite seats subscription window.
                4. a custom value for each donor based on a calculation from prior donation history (which is described below)

                 

                Or, a variation on the above 4 options where you:
                • assign something based on past history.
                • then look at the bands of suggested donations (eg 100-125, 200-250) .. and then re-assign some donors a new specific donation that is a manual round-up or to the next giving level.

                  This would mean:

                  • running the process once to set the initial amount
                  • then re-running it for selected patrons to set specific amounts as much as you want.

                 

                Setting a suggestion based on Historical Giving

                Option 4 allows you to select one or more subscriptions and calculate a custom amount based on past giving history. You can use this feature:

                • as many times as you want to recalculate or replace any existing suggested donation
                • differently for groups of subscribers so that opening night subscribers might use different set of criteria than the rest of the run
                • to over-ride some previous settings for one or more patrons

                To use the feature:

                1. Open the window to manage patron subscriptions
                2. On the bottom left corner, select one or more subscriptions
                3. Right-click to see the context menu.
                4. Select 'Select Suggested Donation for Subscriptions' from the menu
                5. The window that appears below will appear
                  • Make your choices as to how to calculate the suggested donation for the patron
                  • Click Proceed

                Seat Management Seating Section

                You use the Seat Management Seating Section to add or alter the seats the patron is subscribed or wait listed for.

                Parts of the Seat Management Patron Section

                Subscriber Seats

                Icon
                Quantity The number of seats that patron has.
                Price Code The price code used for the seats.
                Section/Row/Seat The section, row and seat for the seats the subscriber has.
                Promotion The promotion for the seats the subscriber has.
                Error Message Any error messages in regards to subscribing a patron to these seats.
                Primary Seat The primary seat of the patron.
                Section The section of the seat.
                Row # The row number of the seat.
                Seat # The seat number of the seat.
                Seat Code The seat code for the seat.
                Deletes the selected seat.
                Change the subscription Price/Promotion of the selected seats in the package.
                Verify the selected primary seats to ensure they have the correct status.

                Wait List Seats for Selected

                Section/Row/Seat The section, row and seat number for the wait listed seats.
                Patron Name The patron who is on the wait list for the seats.
                Change Date The date the patron on the wait list requested the seating change.
                Change Location The location the patron on the wait list requested.
                Priority of Seating The priority of the patron in the seating change request.
                Seating Request Comments Any comments in conjunction with the seating request change.
                Promotion The promotion for the seats.
                Renewal Status The renewal status of the patron on the wait list for the seats.
                Primary Seats The primary seats for the patron.
                Section The section of the seats.
                Row # The row number of the seats.
                Seat # The seat number of the seats.
                Price Code The price code for the seats.
                Last Name The last name of the patron on the wait list for the seats.
                First Name The first name of the patron on the wait list for the seats.
                Company The name of the company of the patron on the wait list for the seats.
                Quantity The quantity of seats the patron is requesting.
                This button is unavailable in this section.
                Shows the subscription package for the selected seat.

                Seat Management and Pricing Map Section

                You use the Seat Management and Pricing Map Section to select the promotion and price code used with the seats the patron is subscribing to.

                 

                Parts of the Seat Management Section

                The Pricing Map The Pricing Map for the Season Venue. Here you can:
                • Add seats to a subscription
                • Remove seats from a subscription
                • Show the wait list on seats
                • Apply default holds
                • Set Hold Map to current holds
                • Set Hold Map to theatre defaults
                • Zoom
                • Highlight other seats in an order
                • Highlight the subscriptions for specific seats

                You can use the Context menu to access some additional features.

                Zoom in on the Map.
                Zoom out on the map.
                When a seat is selected, clicking the un-lock button releases it for sale.
                Allows you to put a hold on a seat using the selected letter.
                A drop down menu to select from the available promotions.
                The price code to use for the seats being subscribed.
                Adds the Seat to the selected subscribers favorites.
                Shows the Subscribers that have those seats, either primary or secondary.
                Highlight Subscriptions If you select a number of seats in an area, this menue item will let you highlight the subscribers with those seats.

                Subscription Patron Detail Window

                The Subscription window is used to select the favourite seats for the patron and manage additional information about their season package. Click here for information on adding a patron to a season package.

                Parts of the Subscription Window

                This button is unavailable in this window. Patrons can have one SubscriptionDetail per season package. Additional Season packages are added through the Season tab in the patron window, the Season tab in the Order window or the Manage Favourite Seats window.
                Saves the changed information in the Subscription Patron Detail window.
                This button is unavailable in this window as patrons can only have one Subscription Detail per season package.
                Alters the information in the Subscription Patron Detail window back to the last time it was saved or opened.
                Deletes the Subscription for the patron removing them from the season package all together.
                Generates a report of the patrons favorite seats for the season subscription package.
                Checks the spelling for all text fields in the Subscription Patron Detail window.
                Begins the order process by adding all seats in the package to an order, changing the status of the package and take the user to the payment window to complete the sales process. Click here for more information on booking tickets.
                Can indicate a patron has intends to renew but does not wish to renew in the current location. Creates an Order with a Payment for a value entered at the time of processing while updating the status of the package to Change Requested but not booking seats for the patron. Can be used to collect deposits towards renewal requests.
                Opens an Order window to allow for individual selection of performances for the season package. This feature can be used when a new subscriber books after the season renewal deadline. Seats can be chosen per performance based on availability.
                Holds the seats for each performance within the season package to prevent selling. A payment is not required to hold the seats.
                Opens the patron detail window for the selected patron.
                Opens the Order to veiw, select or change its contents.
                Package Displays the title of the package the patron is subscribed to.
                Series The Performance Code for the day that the patron will be attending. Use the drop down menu to change the performance code if necessary.
                Season Since The date the patron was first added to the season package.
                Suggested Donation The field allows you to specify the suggested donation for that subscription. This amount can be optionally automatically added to the shopping cart during an online subscription renewal. The patron still has the option to remove the suggested donation from their shopping cart prior to payment. This suggested donation can also be printed on season renewal notices to encourage a patron to donate. The suggested donation amount does not get automatically added to orders processed as manually booked season renewals or as auto-renew season renewals processed by the box office. During the process of renewing the subscription via the box office, the suggested amount is used purely as reference guideline as a starting amount to donate. Direct discussion with the patron will determine if donation should be added to the order and at what amount.
                Subscription # The Season Subscriptions reference number.
                Status The status of the subscription package. The drop down menu allows for manual changes to the status of the subscription. These can be displayed on subscription reports

                 

                Valid values and meanings are:
                Status Renewal Notice Can be Printed Can be Rolled Over to Next Year Indicates New Sub on reports Indicates Renewed Sub on Reports Notes
                Not Started Yes No No No
                • Rolled over subscriptions will begin in this state
                • Subscriptions in this state can be printed many times
                • The next state is 'notice printed', indicating notice was printed and sent to patron
                • Unless, the subscription is completed. In which case it will be 'renewed' or 'New Season Completed'
                Notice Printed Yes No No No
                • Subscription has been printed and sent to the patrn as an offer
                • Next step is 'renewed' or 'New Season Completed'
                • Unless a change is requested - in which case it will be 'change requested'
                • or cancelled - in which case the state will be one of the 'cancelled' ones
                Renewed No Yes No Yes
                • Subscription was renewed as is
                Change Requested No No No No
                • Subscription has an outstanding seat change or quantity change to be made before renewal
                • It may mean a new renewal notice is sent
                • Once completed, it will become 'rewnewedl'
                Change Completed No Yes No Yes
                • Indicates a RENEW subscription that was completed
                • However, there was a change that needed to be made such as seat move or quantity change
                New-Subscription Completed No Yes Yes No
                • Indicates a NEW subscription that was completed
                New-Needs Seats No No No No
                • Indicates a NEW subscription where we are waiting to assign seats
                • Could be in response to need to pick some for them
                • or that they wanted something other that what was initially given to them
                In Internet Shopping Cart No No No No
                • Somebody is renewing or buying a subscription online and they have the subscription in their shopping cart
                • Once they check out, it will either be renewed, new subscription, or cancelled, depending on patron choice
                Cancelled Internet (New) No No No No
                • The user cancelled their NEW subscription online
                • These seats need to be released so they can be assigned to somebody else that is waiting for them
                Cancelled-Internet (renew) No No No No
                • The user cancelled their PRIOR subscription online
                • These seats need to be released so they can be assigned to somebody else that is waiting for them
                Cancelled-Mid Season No No No No
                • The user cancelled their subscription midway through the season
                • You may have had to give them a partial refund to allow the unused tickets to be used as single tickets.
                • They will not be a subscriber next year.
                Cancelled-Season No No No No
                • The user cancelled their subscription at the beginning of the season
                • You may have had to give them a refund so that another subscriber can have their tickets
                • They will not be a subscriber next year.
                Notice Printed The date the renewal notice was last printed for the patron.
                Renewed The date the patron renewed their subscription to the season package.
                Order # The order number of subscription was renewed in.
                This tab is used for setting the patron's favorite seats as part of the season package. Click here for more information on the Favorite Seats tab.
                This tab is used to manage seating change requests for the patron. Click here for more information on the Change Requests tab.
                This tab is used for managing the patron's auto-renewal of their subscription to the season package. Click here for more information on the Auto Renewal Settings tab.
                This tab lists the tickets that have been booked as a part of the season package. Click here for more information on the Favorite Seats tab.
                This tab indicates the transaction details for the season subscription. Click here for more information on the Favorite Seats tab.

                Subscription Favorite Seats Tab

                You use the Subscription Favorite Seats tab to select the seats for the patron's subscription to the season package.

                Parts of the Subscription Favorite Seats Tab

                You use this tab to manage seating change requests for the patron. Click here for more information on the Change Requests tab.
                You use this tab to manage the patron's auto-renewal of their subscription to the season package. Click here for more information on the Auto Renewal Settings tab.
                You use this drop down list to select the appropriate price code for the subscription.
                You use this drop down list to select the appropriate promotion for the subscription.
                Adds the Seat to the selected subscribers favorites.
                Status Icon These icons show the status of the seats in the subscription.
                Quantity The number of seats.
                Price Code The price code used for the seat.
                Section/Row/Seat The section, row and seat number of the seat.
                Promotion The promotion used for the seat.
                Error Message Any messages in regards to booking the seat for the subscription.
                Primary Seat The primary seat in the subscription.
                Section The section of the seat.
                Row The row of the seat.
                Seat The seat number of the seat.
                Seat Code The seat code for the seat.
                Price Map The graphic map is used for selecting the seats for the subscription. It works similarly to the Order window graphic map, however, once the seats are highlighted, double click on one of the seats to add them to the subscription. Alternately, double click on each seat to add them to the subscription.
                This button is unavailable in this window.
                Changes the subscription price/promotion of the selected seats in the package.
                Verify the selected primary seats to ensure they have the correct status.

                Subscription Change Requests Tab

                You use the Subscription Change Requests tab for tracking outstanding seating change requests for the patron.

                Parts of the Subscription Change Requests Tab

                Seating Change Requests

                Change Request Priority The number of the priority level given to this change request between 1-9 or H/M/L.
                Date Change A drop down menu listing the available date changes for the season package. The list of dates are adjustable by the organization in the Subscription Date Change System Tables >> Code Tables data.
                Seat Change A drop down menu listing the available seat changes for the season package. The list of seat change options are adjustable by the organization in the Subscription Location Change System Table >> Code Tables data.
                Keep original seats When denoted, if the seat change request is not able to be exactly matched, the patron will retain their existing seats.
                Willing to take the next best seat When denoted, if the seat change request is not able to be exactly matched, the patron will take the next best seats available.
                Call before making the changes When denoted, if the seat change request is not able to be exactly matched, the patron should be called before making any changes.

                Seat Change Request

                An area for notes related to the patron's seating change request.

                Subscriptions Auto Renewal Settings Tab

                You use the Subscription Auto Renewal Settings tab to set the patron's payment information for auto renewing their subscription.

                Parts of the Subscription Auto Renewal Settings Tab

                Auto Renew Subscription When checked, the subscription is set to be automatically renewed and to use the payment information listed below.
                Renewal Date The date that the auto-renew option for this subscription package was enabled.
                Payment Method You can select payment methods from one of the following:
                • On Account which means that the subscription will be booked and no payment method can be a applied at time of booking. The Subscription will need follow up work to apply payment at a later date. It could be at the box office, or you could ask you patrons to go online and pay any outstanding order balances so they could use the card of their choice at that time.
                • EFT - you can use any of the payments you have set up for Electronic Finds Transfer. Using these means you need it have EFT set up as a merchant to process the payments at end of day.
                • Credit Cards - you can set up any credit cards you normally accept as the payment method
                For Credit Cards, opens the Credit Card Lookup List window to find credit cards attached to this patron. A new card can also be added from this window.

                Season Subscription Tasks

                Subscriptions Tickets Tab

                This tab becomes available when the patron's tickets are renewed.

                You use the Subscription Tickets tab to review and change ticketing information for the patron.

                Parts of the Subscription Tickets Tab

                Status .
                Order # The number of the order associate with the tickets.
                Play The unique play number generated by Theatre Manager.
                Performance A quick reference for the performance.
                Play Title The title of the play associated with the tickets.
                Section/Row/Seat The section, row and seat for the seats the subscriber.
                Quantity The number of seats that patron has.
                Total Cost Displays the amount paid for the ticket.
                Gift Status If the ticket was given or received as a gift.
                Promotion The promotion for the seats..
                Opens the tickets sub menu to change the tickets for the selected order.
                Opens the Ticket Data window containing detailed information for the selected ticket.
                Returns the selected ticket to the box office for resale. If they have not been printed or posted they will be deleted and not refunded. This process also clears the printed flag.
                Prints the selected rows if they have not been printed.
                Sets the selected tickets to Un-Printed status so they can be printed again.
                Prints the map report showing the location of the selected tickets in the theatre.

                Subscription Transaction Tab

                The Transaction Tab shows all the transactions that have occurred for the patron.

                Parts of the Transaction Tab

                Seq# A unique number used to track the transaction
                Trans Date Date and time the transaction took place.
                Journal No A unique journal number for tracking the transaction line.
                Code The transaction code used to describe the type of transaction.
                Transaction Desc Description of the transaction.
                Order # The order number for the transaction. This number can be used to track the transaction by order.
                Play Code Play code is only displayed if the transaction effects and event.
                Performance Code Performance code is only displayed if the transaction effects a performance.
                Type The type of transaction.
                Description of Entry Detail on the the purpose of the transaction.
                Can be used to manually enter a transaction.
                Opens the detail window of the transaction.
                Deletes the selected transaction.
                Used to search for specific transactions.

                Searching Transactions

                1. Open the Transaction tab.

                  The Transaction tab is located on the Patron Window.

                2. Select a search field from the menu.  

                   

                3. Fill the To and From fields with the parameters to search.

                4. Click the Search button.

                  The results of the search will be displayed in the table.

                Season Package Detail Window

                The Season Package Detail window displays the components of the package. It highlights the Control House, the Events within the package and where the package is available for sale.

                Parts of the Season Package Detail Window

                Window Toolbar Icons

                Opens a new Season Package Detail window to setup a new Season Package.
                Saves the changes made to the existing Season Package Detail window.
                Reverses any changes or updates to the Season Package Detail window back to the last time changes were saved.
                Deletes the current open season package.
                Generates a report when columns are present based on the information selected.
                Reviews the fields currently displayed within the Season Package Detail window and displays any spelling errors.
                Checks, clears, sets, and Verify Holds on reserved seating performances within the Control House's Season Package.
                Automatically Renews Selected Season Subscriptions for Patrons within the Package and places balances on account.
                Prints Season Subscription Renewal Notices for the Selected Patrons or all Patrons within the Season Package.
                Books all available seats within the Season Package for the selected patrons. This button is only active when one or more patrons are selected under the Patrons tab of the Season Package Detail window.
                Holds season seats for each Performance in the Season Package for the selected patrons. This button is only active when one or more patrons are selected under the Patrons tab of the Season Package Detail window.
                Changes the selected patrons season subscriptions status from Notice Printed to Not Started and removes the previous Season Renewal Notices. This button is only active when one or more patrons are selected under the Patrons tab of the Season Package Detail window.

                Window Tabs

                The Description Setup for the Season Package.
                The Sales Management details on the Season Package.
                The Events that will be booked as a part of the Season Package.
                The combination of different Season Packages grouped together to form a single Combined Season Package.
                Detailed Sales Notes about the Season Package that can be displayed in the web sales pages.
                List of Patrons that have a subscribed to the Season Package.

                The Season Package Detail Description Tab

                The Season Package Detail Description tab is used for entering and adjusting information about the season package.

                Parts of the Season Package Detail Description Tab

                Season Package Details

                Internal Description The internal description given to the season package suitable for use within Theatre Manager.
                Status Indicates if the season package is available for use.
                Fiscal Year The season renewal year that the season package is for.
                External Description The external description given to the season package suitable for use on the web site and season renewal notices.
                Combo Package Indicates that this season package is an combo (or umbrella package) made up of one or more other season packages. The other season packages have the favourite seats for each venue - which allows selling or renewing a subscription that is in multiple venues. For example:
                • If you have a 5 show series in your main venue, then you'd give the patron a subscription for that 5 show series along with favourite seats - lets call that 'Main Stage Package'.
                • If there is a second venue that might have 3 events in the season, then you would assign the patron a subscription package in the second venue - lets call that 'Auxiliary Package'.
                • then you would make a third subscription package that is Combo Package that contains both the 'Main Stage Package' and the 'Auxiliary Package' in it.
                Using this approach, Theatre Manager will have a record of the favourite seats a patron has in each venue, making it easy to renew. It also make it easy for the patron to create a new subscription online as the web sales will take the person thought picking seats in both control houses as part of the sales process.

                Note: if you do not want the individual package to be purchased, do not make them for sale online - only make the combo package for sale online.

                Subscriptions Assigned The number of subscriptions that have been assigned within this season package.
                Subscriptions Renewed The number of subscriptions that have renewed their season package.
                Seats Assigned The number of seats that have been assigned to this season package.
                Seats Renewed The number of seats that have been renewed to this season package.
                Seats Desired The number of desired seats in the subscription package. This is what patrons have asked for and is not necessarily the same as the primary/secondary seat count.

                Control House Settings

                Last Year The control house from last years subscription package that was used to rollover the confirmed subscriptions into this years package.
                Opens the Play Lookup List window to choose the Control House.
                This Year The event that will contain and control the favorite seat map for this years subscriptions sales.

                The Season Package Detail Sales Management Tab

                The Season Package Detail Sales Management tab is used for entering and adjusting sales specific information about the season package.

                Parts of the Season Package Detail Sales Management Tab

                Sales Settings

                Can Be Sold at Box Office When checked, allows the season package to be sold at the Box Office.
                Can Be Sold via Internet When checked, allows the season package to be sold on the internet.
                Can Be Renewed at Box Office When checked, allows a season subscriber to renew their package(s) at the Box Office.
                Can Be Renewed via Internet When checked, allows a season subscriber to renew their packages(s) via the internet.
                Print Performance Dates on Renewal Notices The performance dates for the new season will be printed on the renewal notices. This is helpful in the situation where you may want to print renewal notices but have not determined the final set of performance dates.
                Donation - Auto-Ddd to Cart Auto adds a suggested donation amount to the shopping cart when renewing an online subscription.
                Campaign The Donation Campaign to use if a donation is to be auto-added when the patron renews their online subscription.
                Clicking the icon, opens the Campaign List window to choose the donation campaign to be auto-added to the cart when the subscription is renewed online and 'Auto-Add to Cart' has been enabled.
                Accept Post Dated Payments Indicates that this season package can have post dated payments created as a form of payment when renewing an online subscription.
                Final Payment Date The final date that a post dated payment for this season package can be applied on when renewing an online subscription.

                Plug In Code

                Plug In The number of the customized Plug-In Module that is being used for this season package.
                Clicking the icon, opens the Plug-In List window to choose the customized plug-in for this season package.

                The Season Package Detail Events / Plays Tab

                The Season Package Detail Event / Plays tab is used for adding events to a season package.

                Parts of the Season Package Detail Event Tab

                Custom Package

                Allow Event Removal Indicates if the patron is allowed to remove optional events from the season package during the online subscription checkout process.

                Event Set Counts

                Select Number of Events Select the number of events or sets of event counts required for online subscription checkout

                Event List Columns

                Status Indicates if the event is a mandatory event or optional event within the season package.
                Event # The sequence number of the event.
                Event Code The event code for the event.
                Event Title The title of the event.
                Year The season year that the event falls under.
                Theatre Name (Internal) The internal name of the venue that the event takes place in.
                Pricing Map Name (Internal) The internal name of the venue's pricing map that the event takes place in.
                Adds an event to the list of events in the season package.
                You can indicate which events are optional as far as the package goes. When the event is optional, the patron can remove that event online if they choose to.
                Note:
                • You must first set the 'Allow event removal' checkbox in the 'Custom Package' section.
                • This feature has no effect for box office subscriptions sales - it is used exclusively for the online subscription processing.
                • You can see an example of a web page with optional events below, highlighted in red.
                Removes the selected event from the season package. This only removes the event from within the season package and doesn't delete the event.

                The following is an example of an online season subscription with optional events, highlighted in red. In the 'Remove' column, the optional events have the option to be removed from the shopping cart prior to checkout.

                The Season Package Detail Combo Packages Tab

                The Season Package Detail Combo Packages tab is used for linking together one or more season packages that are in separate/different venues to create a single season package. Thus, the combined season package is made up of multiple other season packages and can then be RENEWED as a single unit.
                When selling a NEW season package online using the combo package, the patron will be asked for favourite seats in each package as part of the process.

                Parts of the Season Package Detail Combo Packages Tab

                Season Package List Columns

                Seq # The sequence number for the season package.
                Active Shows whether the season package is active or not.
                Year-Fiscal The fiscal year to which the season package is currently set.
                Year The season year to which the season package is currently set.
                Package Name-Internal The internal description given to the season package.
                Package Name The external description given to the season package suitable for use on the web site and season renewal notices.
                Subscriptions The total number of subscriptions in the season package.
                Desired Seats The number of favorite seats that were desired by patrons for the season package.
                Assigned Seats The number of favorite seats that were able to be fulfilled for patrons in the season package.
                Renewed Subs The number of subscriptions that are renewals from the previous fiscal year.
                Renewed Seats The number of seats that were renewals from the previous fiscal year.
                Combo Indicates that this season package is made up of other season packages.
                Pricing Map Name-Internal The name of the venue's pricing map that the season package is a part of.
                Adds a different season package to the set of linked/combined season packages.
                Removes the selected season package from the linked/combined season package list. This only removes the season package from within this set of linked/combined season packages and doesn't delete the season package.

                The Season Package Detail Sales Notes Tab

                The Season Package Detail Sales Notes tab is used for entering any sales notes about the season package. These notes are viewable by patrons when selling online season packages.

                Parts of the Season Package Detail Sales Notes Tab

                Text Field Area to enter detailed sales notes pertaining to the season package for display during the online subscription process.

                The Season Package Detail Patrons Tab

                The Season Package Detail Patron tab lists the patrons currently within the Season Package. Patron's season packages can be managed from this window.

                Parts of the Season Package Detail Patron Tab

                Columns

                Icon
                Patron Name Name of the patron the Season Subscription is booked under.
                Renewal Status Current state of the Patron's Season Subscription within this package
                Date Renewed Date the patron renewed their season subscription. This field is blank if the patron has not yet renewed.
                Change Date Series date within the Season Package the patron wishes to relocate to.
                Change Location Desired location the patron wishes to relocate to.
                Performance Current series code the patron is booked into.
                Seats Since Date the patron first became a Season Subscriber
                Seat Count-Current Number of seats currently assigned in the patron's Season Package.
                Seat Count-Desired Number of seats the patron wished to have for the Season Package.
                Adds patrons to the season package.
                Opens the patron's subscription detail record.
                Deleted the patron from the season package. If the patron already has booked seats, the tickets will need to be refunded from the patron window.
                Opens the patron window for the selected patron.
                Search option drop down option for viewing patrons within the season package.
                Searches the Season Package using the desired search option.

                Season Package List Window

                The Season Package List window provides a detailed list of current and historical season packages.

                Parts of the Season Package List Window

                Window Toolbar Icons

                Opens the Season Package Detail window in order to create a new Season Package.
                Opens the selected season package for the purpose of editing in the Season Package Detail window.
                Creates a duplicate of the selected season package.
                Deletes the selected season package.
                Prints the season packages in the Season Package List window.
                Initializes the selected season package by clearing all patrons from the package.
                Performs a Season Package Rollover the selected season package to the current year.
                Verifies the selected season package to ensure that all counts are correct.
                Merges the selected season packages together. All records will also be merged together.
                Shows a listing of which patrons are part of the selected season package.
                Begins the process for issuing Season Renewal Notices for the selected season package.
                Holds all favorite seats for the performances in the selected season package.
                Makes any seats for subscriptions released on the internet into secondary seats so they are available for other patrons to choose from when purchasing a new season subscription.
                Search Options A drop down menu listing the available ways to search for a season package.
                The Search button to begin a search for a season package.
                Active Indicates to search for 'active' season packages.
                Inactive Indicates to search for 'inactive' season packages.

                List Columns

                Seq # The sequence number for the season package.
                Active Shows whether the season package is active or not.
                Year-Fiscal The fiscal year to which the season package is currently set.
                Year The season year to which the season package is currently set.
                Package Name-Internal The internal description given to the season package.
                Package Name The external description given to the season package suitable for use on the web site and season renewal notices.
                Subscriptions The total number of subscriptions in the season package.
                Desired Seats The number of favorite seats that were desired by patrons for the season package.
                Assigned Seats The number of favorite seats that were able to be fulfilled for patrons in the season package.
                Renewed Subs The number of subscriptions that are renewals from the previous fiscal year.
                Renewed Seats The number of seats that were renewals from the previous fiscal year.
                Combo Indicates that this season package is made up of other season packages.
                Pricing Map Name-Internal The name of the venue's pricing map that the season package is a part of.

                Book Season Subscription Options

                You use the Book Season Subscription Options window to hold Season Subscription Seats within the Events of the Season Package. This is determined by the details of the window.

                For more information on how to access the Book Season Subscription Options window click here.

                Parts of the Season Package List Window

                Choose the assignment option.

                You can choose to create a generic hold with no release data and time or create a hold assigned to the patron.

                Determine the Date and Time the seats are released.

                Theatre Managerautomatically releases the holds on the date and at the time entered or at the set Auto Release time.

                Enter any comments about the holds.

                Season Subscription Auto-Renewal Window

                The Book Season Subscription Options

                The Season Subscription Auto-Renewal window renews selected season subscriptions where the status of the subscription is Not Started or Notice Printed. For more information on how to access the Season Subscription Auto-Renewal window click here.

                You can mark an individual subscription as auto-renew in the patrons subscription detail window - auto renew tab
                Only subscriptions with the status Not Started or Notice Printed can be auto-renewed. Subscriptions in any other status are ignored so that you can not renew the same subscription twice.

                Parts of the Season Subscription Auto-Renewal

                Make your selection for some or all tje patrons in a package.
                Auto-Renewal Choose to include all (un-checked box) or only those subscriptions marked as auto renew (checked).
                Make your selection from the list.

                If the payment method on the individual subscription for the patron is:

                • Credit Card - you can also cause the card to be authorized at the subscription is being created. If it fails authorization (or you choose not to authorize at this time), the payment will appear in the End-Of-Day wizard so it ca nbe authorized later.
                • EFT - the EFT deposit can be created during end of day for submission to the bank
                • On Account - no payment method will be created

                System Setup

                You can customize Theatre Manager for your organization using the system setup functions.

                Theatre Maps

                Although Theatre Maps is part of System Setup, the category is so large and so often used by clients, it has it's own place in Theatre Manager's Online Help. Click here to access Theatre Map help.

                Events / Plays and Dates

                In this section, we explain the Event/Play setup window and take you through the set up of an event. During the installation of your software, several naming conventions were setup in the Appearance section of Company Preferences. This allows you to name the events "Plays," "Concerts," "Games," "Events," or whatever term your organization uses. The terms are completely interchangeable and mean the same thing. For the purposes of these web pages, we will refer to them as either a Play or an Event.

                You must enter Play and date information before tickets can be sold. Each play can have a number of performance dates, called a series. The price code values for each series can be unique.

                Opening the Plays and Dates Window

                Select Setup >> Plays from Theatre Manager's main menu. Alternatively, click the Play button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                The Play List window opens.

                Diataxis: 

                Event / Play List

                You use the Play List window to locate plays or to generate a quick list of events that can be printed.

                Parts of the Play List Window

                Adds a new Play. Click here for more information on creating events.
                Opens the selected Play. Click here for more information on editing an event.
                Creates a copy of the selected event. When you click the button, you are given options how you want to duplicate the event (as per the choices below). you can:
                • Opt to duplicated multiple events, their performances, pricing and onsale settings - which is useful when preparing for the next season or session of classes.
                • Duplicate only the event header information (the play and accounting tabs) so that you can custom build the marketing data, performances and all other data
                Deletes the selected Play. For more information on deleting events click here.
                Generates a report of the Play List to the screen or default print location.
                Exports the Play List in a tab-delimited format.
                Clicking the button, puts any images or pictures associated with the event, onto the FTP site.
                Changes the view of the plays, from list to calendar or calendar to list.
                View the items attached to the play / event as a calendar.
                Search Field With the search fields, you can change how you search the Play List Window. Click here for more information.
                Active Check this to show all active events in the list.
                Inactive Check this to show all inactive events in the list.
                Closed Check this to show all closed events in the list.
                Diataxis: 

                Duplicating One or More Events

                Clicking the duplicate button to copy events will show a sub menu where you can:

                • Duplicate multiple events, their performances, pricing and onsale settings - which is useful when preparing for the next season or session of classes.
                • Duplicate only the minimal key event header (the play and accounting tabs) so that you can custom build the marketing data, performances and all other information on the event.

                 

                Duplicating only event Information (second option above)

                If events and performances change significantly from year to year where there is no pattern to the events or pricing, then sometimes the best way to get started with an event is to find one that uses the same accounting and just duplicate the event and accounting tabs. You will have a quick basis for making another event and can add performances as you wish.

                 

                Duplicating all data for one or more events

                Duplicating an entire event copies everything. This could be used to create the basis for next year's season or for the next session of courses very quickly. The duplication process lets you:

                • Enter a starting date for the first event
                • Change the day of each event on a one by one basis
                • Change the name of the event
                • Change performance times
                • Change performance codes
                • Decrease the number of performances (adding more performances can be done later manually)
                • Indicate if the marketing information should e cleared
                • Indicate if the onsales flags should be altered for you

                IT can be used any number of times on any number of events. For example if you have a set of courses, you may want to do them all at one time. If you have a season of 5 events, you might do this 5 times if the offset dates between events varies from year to year.

                 

                Setting key parameters for the copy options

                 

                The first step of copying an entire season or session of classes is to provide some key items so Theatre Manager can build a suggestion for you. You will need:
                • The initial date for the first performance - when you want the first new performance to occur. All performance and on-sales dates are calculated based on their offset from this date. For example. if the date entered is January 1, and you are duplicating 3 performances that are each two days apart, they receive dates of January 1, 3 and 5
                • Fiscal Year All events have a season - you can specify the default for the new events. This can be changed on the second screen on an event by event basis if you are duplicating events that cross seasons.
                • The event prefix. The default is the last two digits of the year. However, you can enter up to 5 characters. This will replace the characters in the proposed event list at the beginning. Example: if the event prefix is 17 and the current event codes are 16-ABC and 16-DEF, Theatre Manager will suggest 17-ABC and 17-DEF
                • Copy Marketing: indicate which of the fields on the marketing tab should be copied to the new event. For courses, you probably want to copy everything if the sessions are being repeated. For events, you probably do not want to copy anything. If nothing is copied, the data will be set blank.
                • Include flags
                  • Include Inactive Performances will include performances that you have set inactive
                  • Include Cancelled Performances will included performances that are indicated as cancelled. You probably don't want to do that
                  • Include Postponed Performances will included performances that are indicated as postponed. You probably don't want to do that
                • Copy Onsale Flags: indicate which onsale flags you want to copy from the original events.
                  • If copied, then the current setting of the flag for that event is copied to the new event.
                  • If not copied, the event is left off sale.
                  • If onsale dates were used in the original event, they will be adjusted to be the same number of days prior to performance. Example: if the onsale date was 58 days prior to the performance date, then the copied one will have an onsale date 58 days prior to the new performance date.

                 

                Customizing the event list after the proposed dates

                Once you have provided on the initial parameters (and clicked the next button), the system will propose a slate of new events for you.

                On this list, you can:

                • Disable copying of some of the performances
                • Customize some of the event codes. If you change one for one event, it changes all of them for the same event.
                • Change the event titles if they are not the same for the next season or session. Sometimes they are, but if not, changing one title for one event will change all similar events to the same title.
                • Change the season/fiscal year for an event
                • Change the performance code. Changing one of them only changes that specific one - there is no way to change a number of them to be the same.
                • Change the date of an individual performance
                • Change the time of an individual performance. Note: if there is a '•' after a date, it means that for this course, at least one time is different - meaning that the class dates and times are varied throughout the run of the course. If you do not change the time here, then the copied classes within that course will also have varied times that match the original course. However, if you change this time, then ALL classes in the course will take on the new time.
                Diataxis: 

                Finding Events / Plays

                You can access the list of Plays (Events) two ways. First, you can to select the list from the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                Or you can select Plays in the Setup drop down menu.

                Finding a Play Using the Search Button

                This find method is best used when you have the event number since it only returns the event closest to your criteria.

                1. Open the Play List window.

                  Click here for more information.

                2. Press <RETURN> or <ENTER>, or use the mouse to select the Search Button.

                Finding a Play Using The Play List Window

                This is a useful search method if you do not have the event number. This method will return a list of all events which match your selected criteria. Then you can choose the correct event.

                1. Open the Play List window.

                  Click here for more information.

                2. Choose a search field from the drop down list.

                  There are ten fields to choose from:

                3. Enter search criteria in the From and To Fields

                  The criteria you enter in the "from" and "to" fields will be based on the field selected in the drop down list to the left of the field. In the above picture you search by Event code. When entering criteria you can be specific or general. That is, if you are searching by Event Code, you can enter the entire event code into the search field ("99-01" - will find the specific event) or you can just enter the first part of the event will find all Events that have event codes beginning with "99-").

                4. Click the Search Button.

                  All events matching the search criteria are returned.

                5. Double click on an event to open the Play Setup window.
                Diataxis: 

                Tabs In Events / Plays and Dates

                This section describes the various information tabs in the Events and Dates window. Tabs that are critical for event setup are described under Creating An Event / Play.
                Diataxis: 

                Events/Play Tab

                Parts of the Play Tab

                Play Information

                Play # Unique play number generated by Theatre Manager.
                Access Groups Specify which groups of people can access the data
                Play Code A quick reference for a play. It is recommended that play codes start with the fiscal year of the performance, followed by the play number. This allows for quickly generating reports on plays by year.

                If there is more than one venue or different types of series, for example a main-stage and a second stage series, a character code can be included after the year. See below:

                • 13-01 - the first play of the 2013 season
                • 13-05 - the fifth play of the 2013 season
                • 13-C01 - the first play in the "C" theatre (assuming multiple theatres)
                • 13-J01 - the first play in the "Jazz" series
                Play Colour You can override the normal play colour displayed on the calendar by selecting a different colour from the colour palette.
                Play Title Official title of the play as it will appear on the ticket or internet.

                If the play title is perfect for the internet, yet too long to print on a ticket face, you can adjust your ticket face to split it at word boundaries using the tStringFields.$splitString( P_PLAY_TITLE, width, segment) ticket face calculation.

                Season Year the play takes place. This is based on the financial year.
                Pricing Map Displays the Venue and Number of the Pricing Map that the play will be performed in. Plays which are to be sold with reserved seats must take place in venues that have had seats created. Plays sold as general admission, Festival Sales or Traveling Troupe, may be sold to plays with or without seats created. Click to learn how to change a map for an event.
                Theatre map search button. To open a list of possible theatre maps to choose from click the button. From the list double click on a map to select it. There are rules for switching venues or pricing maps. The new venue or pricing map must:
                • Be active.
                • Have the same valid price codes in the new venue and pricing map.
                • Have the same seating capacity and seats must be named (reserved seating only).
                • When changing the reserved seating map for an event, you can select some other venues (and their pricing map).
                • When changing the reserved seating map for one performance, you can only select other pricing maps within the venue.
                • When changing the map for a general admission performance, you set the alternate venue as before.
                • If using the Outlet Edition, the map MUST be owned by the same outlet. People from outside your outlet cannot change pricesmaps or price codes for you.

                Additional Information

                Corporate Sponsor Name of the sponsor for the production. Additional sponsors could be entered in the notes field. This information can be printed on tickets.
                Special Note Additional information such as warnings or special messages that may be required for an play. This information can be printed on tickets.
                Director Director of the play. This information can be printed on tickets.
                Playwright Playwright of the play. This information can be printed on tickets.

                Form Requrements

                Forms Add or remove the forms that may be required when people buy tickets to the event. You can set the forms on the event (which apply to the entire event) or on the performance, if the performances are to have distinct form requirements.

                If the FORM itself is marked:

                • required and it is in this list, then people buying online will be required to fill out the form before completing the sale.
                • with an expiry time, then people buying online will need to fill it out again if their prior form has expired

                The forms that a patron has filled out are in the 'forms' tab on the patron window.

                Show Status Information

                Active Status of the play for reporting purposes.
                Closed Status of the play for ticket sales and postings. If a show is closed, it means that no further ticket sales, exchanges, or refunds are allowed. We suggest closing a show shortly after the event is reconciled and any royalties are paid. It means if people miss an event, they can no longer have their tickets exchanged for other events or for a donation - so close it when you figure you no longer want this to happen.

                There is a feature during year end rollover that asks you to if you want to close all the prior fiscal year events - we suggest using that feature if you have not closed shows throughout the season.

                Date Closed This field displays the date the play was set to prevent sales and financial changes.
                By This field displays the initials of the employee who closed the play.

                Web Sales Controls

                Maximum Tickets Sets the maximum number of tickets to be sold in an cart for this play via web sales. If the Box Office will allow a patron to have more than the allotted number of tickets, the tickets will need to be sold by a Box Office staff member and not via the internet. Numbers entered here override those entered as global defaults in the System Preferences Web tab.
                Regardless of settings on event or performance, at no time can there be more tickets in a single cart than the value in the System Preferences Web tab. This is the absolute limit.
                Web Sales Stop Time Number of minutes before/after the performance start time in which to remove a performance from the Internet. Time set here overrides the defaults set in the system preferences web tab. Click here for more information.
                The stop time affects emailing of PDF tickets. You cannot email tickets from the box office if the performance is no longer onsale online. This would be after the start time plus/minus any 'web sales stop time'.
                Web Sales Stop Type Indicates whether the stop time is before or after the performance begins. Typically, you want the performances to cease being sold online before the actual performance time. However, there are a couple of instances where you might to stop sales after the performance starts, such as:
                • All Day Events - where you want online sales to be available after the gates open
                • Courses - where you may want to allow late registration, say up until the the second class
                • On Demand Streaming - where a video streamed through the ticketing site can be purchased after the original start date/time
                Live Content Availability The default time, in minutes, after the start of a performance in which a live streaming video will be available. If nothing specified, it uses the default from the system preferences web tab.
                Web Seat Map Display This option allows you to specify how you would like the map to display for web sales. Options in the Drop Down selection are:
                • Use Default from Company Preferences
                • Selected seats only (sold seats are blank)
                • Selected and sold (mask seat codes)
                • Selected and sold (actual seat codes)
                • Use 'tmGfs/Map[x].jpg' for generic map
                • Do not didplay any map

                Ticket Printing Information

                Print selected ticket face Choose to print ticket for this play (is the default setting)
                Ticket Face The ticket face selected for the play. The ticket face number can be typed manually or selected.
                Click to open a list of possible ticket faces to choose from. Double click on a ticket face to select it. By leaving this field blank a built in default ticket face design will be used for printing tickets.
                Mark ticket as printed (but don't print) Will not print a ticket for the play all though when tickets are sold they will appear printed.
                Only Print Sales Promotion ticket face Prints a ticket based upon the promotion selected. For more information regarding printing tickets by promotion refer to Promotion Detail.
                Click to print a test ticket for this play.
                E-Ticket Delivery Options These indicate how all performances of the play are to deliver electronically. You can change these for each individual peroformance. Click for more information on
                Print at Home Options are:
                • Tickets cannot be printed at home
                • Tickets must be printed at home
                • Tickets can be printed at home (patron choice)
                Diataxis: 

                Accounting Tab

                The Accounting Tab displays the accounting information for an event. It shows the general ledger accounts set for the event and the applicable taxes applied. As well, when the revenue will be received into the general ledger can be determined.

                Taxes to Apply to Tickets

                Select the tax rate to apply to the BASE PRICE OF THE TICKET ONLY. This will apply up to three taxes to the event. If there are taxes on the various fees in the promotion, then they are set in the sales promotion Calculation Tab.

                Deferred Revenue

                In general, deferred revenue results when payment for goods and services (tickets to an event) is received in advance of the goods (the event). Deferred Revenue is a Liability until the event has passed. Theatre Manager then transfers the revenue from the liability account to the earned revenue accounts. Checking the box beside Use Deferred Revenue will define this event as a deferred revenue event. You will be required to insert the necessary set of General Ledger Liability Accounts for recording the deferred revenue. Refer to the section, General Ledger Setting Up the Chart of Accounts for more information on determining a Chart of Accounts.

                If the event is set for deferred revenue accounting and the company preferences is set to roll over all events at year end; Theatre Manager will change the deferred revenue setting to earned revenue for all events that were rolled over.

                The reason is so that any new performances or extended runs for rolled over events will take on the earned revenue setting.

                Posting Accounts

                There are six different types of accounts used in combination with Events. They are:

                • a Sales Account
                • an Exchange Account
                • a Refund Account
                • a Discount Account
                • a Markup Account
                • three levels of Ticket Fee Accounts.
                • As well, there are five different ticket categories for each type of ticket. They are:

                • Regular
                • Season
                • Other-Type 1
                • Other-Type 2
                • Other-Type 3.

                Depending on how your accounting system is designed, you may want to set up all account types with the same general ledger account. For example, the same general ledger account can be entered for all revenue accounts -- the general ledger will record all revenue for the event into one account. Separate general ledger accounts can be entered for all revenue accounts -- the general ledger will record each type of revenue for the event in a separate account. Refer to the section, General Ledger Setting Up the Chart of Accounts for more information on determining whether to use a detailed versus a simplified general ledger number setup.

                Sales Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record revenue received through new ticket sales for the event.
                Exchange Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record revenue gain or revenue loss through ticket exchanges for the event.
                Refund Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record revenue loss through ticket refunds for the event.
                Discount Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record the net value of ticket discounts through ticket sales, ticket exchanges, and ticket refunds for the event.
                Markup Account Designates the general ledger account number used to record the net value of ticket markups through to ticket sales, ticket exchanges, and ticket refunds for the event.
                Ticket Fee Accounts Designates the general ledger account number used to record the net value of per ticket service charges applied to ticket sales, ticket exchanges, and ticket refunds for the event.

                Ticket Types

                Theatre Manager can also breakdown your ticket sales for an event into five separate sections.

                This allows you to keep track of how your tickets are being sold. The "Other Type" Tabs can be renamed in Default Data: Appearance. Under each of these tabs are independent deferred revenue and earned revenue accounts for each type. Thus allowing you to designate separate accounts for each revenue for all types.

                Diataxis: 

                Performance Tab

                The Performance Tab is used to create and manage some aspects of the performances that make up an event. Performance information cannot be added (and the tab will not be made available) until the: have both been entered and saved. If a play has already been set up you can access the Performance Tab at any time.

                NOTE: the upper part of the window is only active if some performances are selected in the list. When performances are selected, clicking the buttons in the upper half of the window will change the settings in each selected performance.

                For example:

                • Select 3 performances
                • Select (or de-select) allow to sell internet or another option
                • Those 3 performances will (or will not) be able to be sold online. The change is immediate.

                My Outlet - Sale Settings

                Selling at the Box Office Checking this box allows you to sell the performance at the Box Office.
                Selling via the Internet Checking this box allows you to sell the performance on the Internet.
                Patrons Can view if not for sale If checked, then the event can be set to show online as coming up, even if not yet for sale. It allows pre-announcing events without enabling for sale.

                Subscriptions

                Season Control House Checking this box allows the performance to be used in a Control House for subscribers.

                Festival Seating Sales

                Prevent Overselling Checking this box prevents the performance from being oversold.

                Other Outlet - Sale Settings

                Selling at ALL Other Outlets Checking this box allows you to sell the performance at other outlets. If you allow a performance to be sold at another outlet, you can now specify which outlets have the capability so that each performance can be sold by different people.

                Access

                Sell Allows you to control what user access groups have the ability to sell this performance at the box office.
                Report Allows you to control what user access groups have the ability to run reports containing this performance.

                Performance Email Reminder

                Send Reminder You can indicate if you want an email reminder sent to patrons who purchase to a performance. This email can be customized to each event or performance by duplicating and editing a web page, or you can use a default one.
                Reminder in Advance Time If you do want an email reminder sent for any performance, then you can indicate how far in advance of the performance it should be sent. This value is typed in weeks, days, hours, and minutes format. Example values are:
                • 6h - for 6 hours
                • 1d - for one day
                • 1w - for one week
                • 4w - for one month
                • 1h30m - for 1 hour 30 minutes
                You can type the amount in all in minutes, or using the the format above, or use the clock icon to pick a date so that the system will calculate the actual number of minutes in advance for the reminder time.

                Any ticket to the event bought closer to the performance than the email reminder time will receive an immediate reminder.

                Single Seat Rules for Reserved Seating Maps

                Single Seats not allowed Means that a patron selecting tickets online will not be able to make a seat selection anywhere in the map that would leave a single ticket. This option is designed to maximize revenue and is the recommended/default option.
                Single seat checking disabled/relaxed Means that a patron can pick any seat they want and leave single seats on the map. This maximizes patron choice, so the patron could:
                • pick the middle seat out of three, or
                • a single in where there are two seats left.
                • The patron cannot, however, leave a single ticket between two others in their seat selection. (i.e. they can't pick every other seat).
                The example to the right shows an example of what would be accepted using this rule.

                 

                List of Performances and Corresponding Settings

                The lower half of the window shows each performance and the settings that are enabled for it.

                Performance Information in the list

                Status The list of icons indicating the primary status of each Performance (refer to the legend at the bottom of the list)
                Perf # Unique performance number generated by Theatre Manager.
                Sales Method Type of seating used for the performance, typically either Festival or Reserved.
                Date Date of the performance.
                Time Time of the performance.
                Event/Play A quick reference for the Event/Play Code.
                # Sold Number of seats sold for this performance.
                # Available Number of seats currently available for purchase for this performance.
                # Report Number of seats currently used for reporting.
                Perf Type This is a versitile, customizable code table field you can use to flag specific performances. You can use it for display on the web and it can also be used like the Genre flag for TicketTrove. It can also be used for reports to narrow down searching for specific performances. Click here for more information on Pef Type.
                Box Office? Whether the performance is available for sale at the Box Office.
                Web? Whether the performance is available for sale on the Internet.
                Outlet? Whether the performance is available for sale at an outlet.
                Subscription? Whether the performance is available for sale via a subscription.
                Oversell? Whether overselling is allowed for this performance.
                Play # The Play number that this performance is part of.

                Additional Buttons

                There are additional columns of information that can be displayed in this window. Right click on the column header to check/uncheck desired columns.
                Creates a new performance and opens the Performance Setup Window. Click here for more information.
                Opens one or more Performance Setup Window(s) for the selected performances.
                Deletes the selected performance. Click here for more information.
                Shows all transactions for the selected performance.
                Verifies all seats for the selected performance. It is best to do this when no other users are logged in.
                Convert Earned to Deferred There is a feature on the context menu that allows you to convert earned revenue back to deferred if the performance has been rolled over already. You can select one or more performances and roll them all back.

                The feature is described in more detail on the performance detail window at the bottom

                Diataxis: 

                Performance Detail Window

                The performance detail window opens when you double click on an existing performance. Through this window you are able to edit performance data. Depending on which sales method is being used you may not have access to some data fields. For example if you are using the festival method you will be allowed to modify the quantity of seats you can sell whereas with reserved seating since every patron requires a seat you cannot access this field.

                The tabs available within the Performance Detail window include:

                Diataxis: 

                Performance Setup Tab

                General Performance Information

                Performance # This is the performance number assigned by Theatre Manager.
                Performance Date The date of the performance.
                Time The time of the performance.
                Performance or Series Code The unique code which defines the performance. They must be unique within the event. It is really helpful if the performance code has the same pattern across events used in managing subscriptions.

                Sales Method and Pricing Map

                Sales Method the method of selling seats used for the performance. This is typically either Festival or Reserved seating. Click here for more information on the selections available.

                Note: you can change one sales method to another if there are no tickets sold for the performance.

                You can change any sales method to another if there are no tickets sold for the performance.
                If there are tickets sold to a reserved seating event, you can change it to General Admission using the popup. This will simply change all tickets to General Admission and any seat locations associated to the ticket will be deleted.
                Default Price Code The price code that is most common should be set as default to save time at selling time. Click here for more information on price codes.
                Pricing Map The Pricing map associated with the Event / Play.
                Alternate Pricing Map This is used if after the first run of the play you need to switch to a new venue after sales have begin. This may occur if you require an extra venue to run the play or if you switch the venue to a smaller establishment to better use your seats.

                Not valid for Reserved Seating.

                Template Setup

                Template Performance Indicate if the performance is to be considered a template. If it is a template, you can use this performance: Template performances cannot have any tickets sold to them and will not appear in any event lists at the box office or online.
                Template Description If the performance is to be a template, then a description needs to be provided when to identify what you are attempting to duplicate.

                Access

                Access Allows you to control what security levels have the ability to
                • sell this performance -and-
                • run reports containing sales statistics for this performance
                Click here for more information on using Security Groups.

                Email Reminder

                Send Reminder You can indicate if you want an email reminder sent to patrons who purchase to a performance. This email can be customized to each event or performance by duplicating and editing a web page, or you can use a default one.
                By default, send email reminders is DISABLED. They must be manually enabled.
                Reminder in Advance Time If you do want an email reminder sent for any performance, then you can indicate how far in advance of the performance it should be sent. This value is typed in weeks, days, hours, and minutes format. Example values are:
                • 6h - for 6 hours
                • 1d - for one day
                • 1w - for one week
                • 4w - for one month
                • 1h30m - for 1 hour 30 minutes
                You can type the amount in all in minutes, or using the the format above, or use the clock icon to pick a date so that the system will calculate the actual number of minutes in advance for the reminder time.

                Any ticket to the event bought closer to the performance than the email reminder time will receive an immediate reminder.

                Miscellaneous

                Perf Type This is a versitile, customizable code table field you can use to flag specific performances. You can use it for display on the web and it can also be used like the Genre flag for TicketTrove. It can also be used for reports to narrow down searching for specific performances. Refer to Performance Type code table for more information.
                Notification For selecting a workflow notification to be sent when a sale occurs for this performance. This it not normally selected, but may be useful for a special event or course.
                Diataxis: 

                Accounting Tab

                Tax and Budget

                Tax Code A unique tax code applicable to this performance only. Click here for more information on the Tax Tables.
                Sales Target The budgeted amount this performance is planned to bring in. This is a 'static' field and is not used in reporting.
                Include in Annual Patron Statistics Enable the check box to include the performance in the patron statistics tab summary that is calculated for each patron and shown on the patron window.

                if you change this setting and:

                • Set it then Theatre Manager will take all prior sales to this event and add it to the patron statistics. From that point on, each sale will cause the patron statistics to be incremented.
                • Clear it then Theatre Manager will remove this event from all patron totals.
                This means you can change your mind with this feature after tickets are sold and data it automatically corrected.

                Statistics

                Quantity To Sell The number of tickets available for sale.
                Quantity To Report The number to be used when the venue is considered 100% sold out. It is normally always the same as the Quantity to Sell.

                When might it be different?

                The feature is intended to be used if you have a scaled house for actor equity purposes and equity lets you sell your venue at a lower size. You would be holding these 'standing room' tickets -- which equity has allowed you to have for overflow crowds only. If you need the extra seats, you then pay actor equity rates for the expanded venue site to use all seats for that performance.

                Online Availability is affected by this number

                Online Availability is based on quantity to report. The 'Buy' button in online sales counts all holds in the equation.

                The performance is 100% sold out online when SOLDS PLUS HOLDS >= QUANTITY TO REPORT

                You can indicate if the social distance holds are part of the hold count for the quantity to report for each performance by:
                • Using the default from the pricing map for this performance (recommended default)
                • Including 'q' holds in the count to reach 100% capacity online for this performance (overrides the pricing map default)
                • Excluding 'q' holds' from the count for this performance (overrides the pricing map default)
                eg.
                • If:
                  • there are 600 seats in house
                  • quantity to report is 200. (meaning you are 100% sold out at 200 tickets)
                • Then:
                  • If you hold or sell any combination of 200 tickets, you are considered sold out ONLINE even though there would be 400 available seats in the house.
                  • If you decide to increase the reporting amount, then you will only have that many more tickets to sell.
                  • Box office is not limited by this number - they can sell as many as you want
                Where else can this be used as an effective sales strategy?

                If you have a general admission venue where you should only have 300 seats, then you can set the available capacity at 350 and the reporting capacity at 300. This will limit online sales to 300.

                However, at the box office, you can 'oversell' the event - like airlines - based on your own calculated no-show factor.

                Include Web 'q' Holds? Indicates how the social distance holds are to be included in the quantity to report online (refer to quantity to report above). You can:
                • Use the default quantity to report setting from the pricing map to include or exclude the holds
                • Specifically set this performance to include the social distance holds in determining when you are 100% sold out online -or-
                • Exclude the social distance holds from the calculation if you are trying to achieve sold out at a maximum number of actual ticket sales.
                Total Sold A running count of the total sales for this performance.
                Held Seat Count This is the number of seats currently being held. For Festival seating you can input a new number to raise or lower the number of holds. For Reserved seating you will need to change the holds on the Venue Map.
                Internet Held Seats Additional seats that are being withheld from sale on the Internet.
                Social Distance Holds The is the current count of the seats held with the social distance hold letter. This special hold code is specified in System Preferences as the associated seat hold code.

                Posting Status

                Accounting Posting - Deferred Revenue G/L If the performance has occured, then the posting account for the sales will be listed here. A sales posting of
                • SP-0000000 means that the performance never used deferred revenue accounting
                • SP-XXXXXXX means that the performance was using deferred revenue accounting and the sales posting 'XXXXXXX' is the one that contains the data fro the transfer of deferred to earned revenue
                • blank means that the performance is in the future and has not yet had the deferred revenue posted
                Convert Earned Revenue Back to Deferred You will only see the Convert Earned Revenue Back to Deferred button if you are:
                • logged in as a Master User or Outlet Administrator-and-
                • the event has been rolled over from deferred revenue to earned revenue -and-
                • the date of the event is in the future
                VERY IMPORTANT: before CONVERTING EARNED REVENUE BACK TO DEFERRED

                The purpose of the feature is to create a reversing entry for all posted ticket transactions and move the revenue from earned back into deferred. Altering the account setup before doing this has tremendous implications and you may still need to make a manual GL entry to address any incorrect GL codes.

                If you choose to do this, read about the effects in Converting Earned To Deferred Revenue for more information.

                Diataxis: 

                Converting Earned to Deferred Revenue

                Converting earned ticket revenue to deferred can be used to reverse or undo a rollover of deferred to earned revenue for a performance that you did not want to happen (such as performance date got cancelled and moved to the future but the performance date was not changed before end of day was run).

                This can be done from two places

                • From the performance detail window as shown below. Use this if you want to do just one performance
                • From the performance setup list on the play tab using the context menu. Use this if you want to roll back a number of performances for an event.

                You will see the Convert Earned Revenue Back To Deferred button under the following conditions:

                • You are logged in as a Master User or Outlet Administrator
                • The performance has a GL number that indicates it is rolled over to earned revenue (or was always using earned revenue). This is indicated by the Sales Posting Number which can look like:
                  • SP-xxxxxxx. This indicates the performance has has been rolled from deferred revenues and posted to the G/L in sales posting SP-xxxxxxx
                  • SP-0000000. This indicates that the performance was never posted to deferred revenue and was marked as only using earned revenue when the first End-Of-Day was run after the performance was created.
                • The Performance date and time must be in the future. You cannot roll back the earned revenue to deferred if the performance is in the past

                Before attempting to do this process for the first time, you may wish to get advice from support and see one in action.
                Create sales entries if you have made any recent sales to the performances.

                -and then-

                Do not run the create sales entry process during end of day while rolling back from earned to deferred.

                You can continue selling tickets at the box office or online for the performances you are intending to rollback.

                 

                To create GL entry that will Rollback Earned to Deferred

                Be very careful with editing or setting up the accounts. If you do not adhere to the steps, money will get rolled back, but maybe not to the place you expect.

                1. OPTIONAL STEP

                  Note: only adjust the accounts if they were never right in the first place. If the accounts are right and the event was rolled over by mistake, skip to step 2.

                  On the Accounting Tab, you may need to make the following changes:

                  • Deferred Revenue Allocation: Change this option from 'Revenue earned at time of sale' to Defer until .. after performance. If the option is already marked deferred, no change is required.
                  • Only change the following settings if you are rolling back ALL FUTURE PERFORMANCES. Otherwise to not change the following:
                    • Also defer Taxes: changing this setting makes it possible to put taxes into a deferred account.
                    • Accounting Style: changing this setting allows you to split out regular, season and other ticket types into separate deferred accounts.
                    • Accounting tabs: you can change the accounts that you want to roll back the deferred income to. You will need to set up the accounts first if they do not exist.
                2. If you didn't change any of the above on the accounting window, and the sole reason that you are rolling back revenue is because you had to post pone the event and simply moved the date forward, then you can click the Convert Earned Revenue back to Deferred without much worry.

                  if you have made accounting setup changes, take a Screenshot of your G/L tab before clicking the button so you can compare the values before and after

                3. Close the performance detail window.
                4. On the Event window, click the Refresh button on the tool bar and then go to the G/L entry tab. Review that the account totals are where you expect them to be.

                  If they are not, please contact support for assistance.

                Sales Management

                Settings for Outlet that Owns Tickets

                Allow Selling Tickets - At the Box Office Allows the selling of tickets at the Box Office. In the input field on the right, you can set the date and time that tickets are to be released for sale.
                Allow Selling Tickets - Via the Internet Allows the selling of tickets via the Internet. In the input field on the right, you can set the date and time that tickets are to be released for sale.
                Patron can view Performance on Internet If you want the world to know when performance dates are (including your web site and Ticket Trove), but you do not yet want to allow them to be sold online (and there is no definitive onsale date), you can mark the performance so that 'patrons can view performance online'. When this occurs, the event will show up online in the right place , but the buy button will be disabled and the user will be informed to call the box office.
                Allow Tickets - As Pay-What-You-Can in Before-Event-Sales When using the Before-Event-Sales function, this allows tickets to be sold as Pay-What-You-Can.
                Status You can postpone or cancel a performance. If you do so:
                • any event using deferred revenues will remain in that state even if the date of performance is past. It means you don't have to change the original performance date if you do not want to. If you re-enable the performance, all revenue deferral rules resume as before - make sure to change the performance date at that time if it has been moved to the future
                • If you indicate Patron can view Performance on Internet for the performance, then a message will appear online in the event list indicating the cancelled state or postponed state and what the patron should do about it
                If you mark a show as postponed or cancelled and you have not enabled the view on internet, then Theatre Manager will adjust the length of the run to be only the performances that are on schedule or are marked visible on the internet. This means that the first performance and last performance dates may be adjusted.

                If all shows are cancelled, there will be no first and last performance.

                This will also clear the live reminder setting for the performance so that no reminders are sent to patrons.

                Permissions for Other Outlets

                Allow Tickets - At Other Outlets Allows the selling of tickets at Other Outlets. In the input field on the right, you can set the date and time that tickets are to be released for sale.

                You can also specify which outlet will sell for the performance from the list on the right. Click here for more information on enabling for outlet sales.

                Festival Seating Sales Control

                Sales Controls - Prevent Overselling This field can only be accessed if you are selling using the Festival or Inventory methods.

                Subscriptions

                Season Control Performance If this is a Control house performance, the check box will be enabled. It also lists the Assigned Seats, the Subscription Seats which have been assigned, the number of Seats Renewed and the Subscriptions Renewed.

                Form Requrements

                Forms Add or remove the forms that may be required when people buy tickets to the event. You can set the forms on the event (which apply to the entire event) or on the performance, if the performances are to have distinct form requirements.

                If the FORM itself is marked:

                • required and it is in this list, then people buying online will be required to fill out the form before completing the sale.
                • with an expiry time, then people buying online will need to fill it out again if their prior form has expired

                The forms that a patron has filled out are in the 'forms' tab on the patron window.

                Diataxis: 

                Web Settings

                Sales Availability

                Performance Flag A special flag used to denote Performance. This is typically used for a plug-in for Web Sales.
                Default Purchase Quantity The number of tickets the online sale will suggest as a purchase quantity. The user can choose any number, however you may set the default here.
                Maximum Tickets The number of tickets that a patron can buy from the Internet for this performance.

                If specified here, the maximum is applied across all carts. i,e,. the patron cannot buy more than XX tickets to this performance, period, whether in one cart or many carts.

                If not provided, the default is from the event or system preferences, which ever is provided.

                Regardless of settings on event or performance, at no time can there be more tickets in a cart than the value in this field in Company Preferences. That is the absolute limit.
                Web Sales Stop Time Number of minutes before/after the performance start time in which to remove the performance from the Internet. If nothing specified, it uses the default from the event or system preferences, which ever is provided.
                The stop time affects emailing of PDF tickets. You cannot email tickets from the box office if the performance is no longer onsale online. This would be after the start time plus/minus any 'web sales stop time'.
                Web Sales Stop Type Indicates whether the stop time is before or after the performance begins. Typically, you want the performances to cease being sold online before the actual performance time. However, there are a couple of instances where you might need to stop sales after the performance begins, such as:
                • All Day Events - where you want online sales to be available after the gates open
                • Courses - where you may want to allow late registration, say up until the the second class
                • On Demand Streaming - where a video streamed through the ticketing site can be purchased after the original start date/time
                Live Content Availability The default time, in minutes, after the start of a performance in which a live streaming video will be available. If nothing specified, it uses the default from the event or system preferences, which ever is provided.

                Run Time and Notes

                Performance Runs (from) The date that the performance starts. it is always determined by the performance date and time of start and cannot be changed.

                The runs from .. through .. date is what is displayed in the event list online.

                Through (end date) The date range indicating when the performance ends. It is defaulted as follows:
                • For a reserved or general admission event - this is the start of the event plus the duration of the event set in the event setup. Normally you would not change this
                • For a course of many classes, this is the end date of the last class in the course plus the duration. if you want to change the 'runs through' time, click the manual button and extend/shorten the run time of the entire class.
                • For a class within a course - it is also the start date / time of the class for the duration of the particular class. Normally all classes run the same time, so you would not change this. If you needed to shorten or length any particular class, you would change it from the Classes tab
                Over-ride checkbox If the performance runs through date is not reflective of the actual class run time (or any performance of any type), click the 'Override' button and enter your own end date of the run.

                This must be after the start of the performance. If you change the start time of the performance to. be ahead of this date,, the runs through date will change, regardless if it is set on over-ride.

                Performance Notes Additional performance notes to be placed on the Internet for patrons to read. These appear beside the specific performance in the event listing on the web.

                Web Ticket Search, Selection and Display

                Web Seat Search Options You can check/uncheck to enable/disable
                • the Best Seat Search popup to search by sections or areas in the venue
                • Search by Price code to allow search by prices starting at a value. If you enable search by price code, then you can also elect to show (or hide) the base price on the popup.
                  • This is generally displayed as 'starting at $x.xx)'.
                  • Note that base price excludes any calculation of price with taxes, discounts, effect of plug in, or changes based on whether the user is logged on or not.
                Pick your Seat search options pick-your-own seat search for this performance if it is reserved seating. Pick you own can be enabled for an entire pricing map and, by default, for the performance. If you do not want pick your own for this performance, then turn it off.
                • Single Seats not allowed - means that a patron selecting tickets online will not be able to make a seat selection anywhere in the map that would leave a single ticket. This option is designed to maximize revenue and is the recommended/default option.
                • Single seat checking disabled/relaxed - means that a patron can pick any seat they want and leave single seats on the map. This maximizes patron choice, so the patron could:
                  • pick the middle seat out of three, or
                  • a single in where there are two seats left.
                  • The patron cannot, however, leave a single ticket between two others in their seat selection. (i.e. they can't pick every other seat).
                  The example to the right shows an example of what would be accepted using this rule.
                Web Seat Map Display If you are not using pick your own seating, this setting indicates how you would like the map to display for web sales. You can show only the seats available to the patron, all others are blank, or you can choose to show all the seats, those that are taken have their codes masked or not, or a generic map of the venue. These settings can be used to override the settings made on the Setup >> Company Preferences >> Web Options tab. Options are:
                • Use default in Play/Company Prefs
                • Selected seats only (sold are blank)
                • Selected and sold (mask price codes)
                • Selected and sold (actual price codes)
                • Use 'tmGifs/Map(x).jpg' for generic map
                • Do not display any map
                Pick your own seats always displays sold seats as taken, typically with an icon for a person.

                Payment Settings for the web

                Final Date If entered, this represents the final date after which all credit cards will be accepted for this performance. Before that final date, only the credit card types in the 'accepted credit card' list will be shown on the online payment window - and only if tickets for the specific performance are in the cart.

                If the patron has multiple performances in the cart, each with their own designated credit cards, then online sales will restrict the visible card types to only those that are available for all performances in the cart (i.e. it takes the most restrictive list).

                If the date is blank, then you cannot restrict credit card payments - and all cards will be accepted

                Accepted Credit Cards Click to select the credit card payment types that can be accepted online - if this performance is in the patrons shopping cart. A final date must be specified. After that time, all credit card types will be accepted.
                Note: it doesn't matter what performances the user buys, if they just happen to pick one that is restricted to a specific card, then ALL other payment methods are eliminated and the user can only use that card to check out.
                Enable Post Dated Payments Click to indicate of the patron can elect to pay for this performance using post dated payments online.
                Final Payment Date If post dated payments are accepted, indicate the date by which all payments must be made. Theatre Manager will generate equal monthly payments for the user and offer them that choice online.
                Diataxis: 

                Holds Tab

                The hold tab on each performance is used to indicate how you want any refunded tickets put back on hold, if the seat is a protected seat. This feature is called the return to holds map because it describes what happens to the seat when a patron no longer wants the ticket.

                 

                Returning Tickets to Hold Status

                Return tickets to hold for this performance If a ticket is refunded, any seat with a default hold will return to hold status. All other seats remain available for purchase.
                Use over-ride seating map for this performance Allows you to specify your own custom return-to-hold map to be used when the ticket is refunded. For example, you may want different holds on an opening night performance thank all other performances.
                Use default seating map from theatre Uses the default holds on the pricing map when the ticket is refunded.

                if you change the pricing maps 'default return to hold' settings, it only affects tickets being returned from that point on.

                Please make sure that the design of your social distance pricing maps take into account which seats are normally held on creation of a new performance and which ones are specified on the return to hold map.
                Diataxis: 

                Ticket Printing Tab

                Ticket printing options and e-ticket delivery for print at home are most often enabled and disabled in the Play tab of the Event window. You can over-ride the settings to allow them to be different for every performance.

                For the steps on Turning on Print at Home Options at the Individual Event level, Click here.

                Parts of the Ticket Printing Tab

                Box Office Settings

                  Selections are:
                • Print ticket face and any sales promotions
                • Mark tickets as printed (but don't print)
                • Print only the sales promotion ticket face
                • Print ticket face only
                • Use the same as the event setting, what ever that is currently set at

                E-Ticket Delivery

                  Selections are:
                • Tickets cannot be printed at home (patron must select mail or will-call)
                • Tickets must be printed at home (patron has no option)
                • Tickets will be printed at home (unless patron selects mail or will-call)
                Diataxis: 

                Course

                This tab relates to the management of Courses in Theatre Manager and is more thoroughly covered in the Course Management section of the online help.

                • On the left side of the Courses Tab, Class Dates and information are displayed.
                • On the right side of the Courses Tab, Report Cards issued for a Course are displayed. For more information about Report Cards, click here.

                The performance runs from and through dates are automatically calculated as follows:
                • For the primary class that is being sold, it is the beginning of the class through the end of the LAST CLASS
                • For each of the other classes, the run time is simply the start of the class to the end of the class, based on the duration of each class.
                You can change either the entire class range, or each individual class length by double clicking on the class and editing the end time.
                Diataxis: 

                Tasks

                This shows the tasks associated with the performance
                Diataxis: 

                Live Content

                Refer to the web page Live Web Content for an explanation of the process.
                While there are a number of streaming solutions and we don't recommend a particular one over the other (each has its benefits), the one that venues seem to like most is boxcast due to its variety of streaming formats.
                Live content is available for all performance sales methods. This means that live content can be accessed by patrons with mobile devices during a live in-person show.

                Live Content Type

                Content Type Which type of content will be live for this performance.

                Options:
                • Disabled for this performance
                • Video (requires selection from support list below)
                • iFrame - which embeds the content in a TM web page.
                • Customized Content
                Video Service

                The video service provider that will be used for content containing videos.

                Supported Video Providers:
                Diataxis: 

                Live Content Availability

                The length of time a live stream video can be viewed online after the performance date/time is managed at three levels. These consist of:

                The software default allows for viewing streamed performances up to six hours after the date/time of the performance. Editing the Live Content Availability setting in the Web & Reports tab of System Preferences alters the default for the system. This setting can be overridden in the Event tab on a per event bases as required. In turn the Event setting can be overridden at performance level in the Web Settings tab of the Performance Detail window.

                Examples of where the default setting might be altered include:

                • A prerecorded video where, when purchased, a patron can continue to view the video at their leisure for days/weeks following the initial performance date/time. In other words, On Demand Streaming.
                • A recorded class or course where an attending student may go back to review the lesson.
                • A recorded meeting or event where a patron is unable to attend at the time of the meeting can go back and watch a replay.

                 

                System Preferences

                The Live Content Availability setting is located in the Web & Reports tab of System Preferences. This setting is only accessible while logged into Theatre Manager as the Master User.

                 

                 

                Event

                The Live Content Availability setting is managed in the Event tab of the event setup under Web Sales Controls.

                 

                 

                Performance

                The Web Settings tab is located in the Performance Detail window. This is accessed by double clicking on a Performance anywhere in the Event setup.

                 

                 

                Diataxis: 

                BoxCast

                This shows the detail elements required for setting up BoxCast for use with live streaming in Theatre Manager.

                BoxCast is a for-pay video provider capable of playing pre-recorded and broadcast streaming video

                 

                BoxCast (Video Provider)

                Content ID The unique BoxCast content ID. The content ID is inserted into the TM Web Pages.
                Show Description Show a description of the video
                Show Highlights Show the highlights of the video. If you allow highlights, you will be asked fort the amount of 'extra space' to place below the video - in pixels
                Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the video that will be played. The aspect ratio is the ratio of height to width of the video. Most modern content is in the Widescreen 16x9 format. You can specify original broadcast TV 4 x 3
                Diataxis: 

                CineSend

                This shows the detail elements required for setting up CineSend for use with live streaming in Theatre Manager.

                 

                CineSend (paid service)

                API Key The API key for your account at CineSend
                Content ID A unique ID given to your content by CineSend
                Use Landing Page Use the landing page at CineSend that has additional links available
                Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the video that will be played. The aspect ratio is the ratio of height to width of the video. Most modern content is in the Widescreen 16x9 format. You can specify original broadcast TV 4 x 3
                Diataxis: 

                DaCast

                This shows the detail elements required for setting up DaCast for use with live streaming in Theatre Manager.

                 

                DaCast (Video Provider)

                Video ID The unique DaCast video ID. The video ID is inserted into the DaCast API on the TM Web Pages.
                Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the video that will be played. The aspect ratio is the ratio of height to width of the video. Most modern content is in the Widescreen 16x9 format. You can specify original broadcast TV 4 x 3
                Diataxis: 

                Vimeo

                This shows the detail elements required for setting up Vimeo for use with live streaming in Theatre Manager.

                 

                Vimeo (Video Provider)

                Event ID The unique Vimeo video ID. The ID is a number, like 148751763. If the Vimeo URL looks like https://vimeo.com/148751763 then the Vimeo Video ID is the numbers 148751763
                Chat ID The unique Vimeo Chat ID. The ID is a number and letter combination at the end of the URL, like https://vimeo.com/148751763/1244df87rbj2.
                Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the video that will be played. The aspect ratio is the ratio of height to width of the video. Most modern content is in the Widescreen 16x9 format.

                 

                Vimeo

                Vimeo supports both pre-recorded and live streaming content. In order to do truly private content -- content that is not also available on Vimeo's free, public website -- a subscription to Vimeo Premium is required. The subscription permits access to the "domain level privacy" feature which restricts videos playback so that it can only occur on your Theatre Manager website -- e.g. tickets.yourvenue.org. Important to also set Hide From Vimeo option on your Vimeo account to allow playback on other websites. More details on the various levels of Vimeo privacy, and their implications, can be found on the Vimeo privacy, explained website.

                If you're looking for a way to save money, then you can use lower privacy options, but beware that doing so might allow ticket buyers to share the video link with other ticket buyers, and you might miss out on ticket sales.

                 

                Setting up Vimeo in Theatre Manager

                Live Performance Detail

                1. Determine your video's Vimeo Video ID.
                2. Determine the video's Aspect Ratio
                  • Widescreen (16x9)
                  • Original TV (4x3)
                3. Open Theatre Manager
                4. Locate the Event that contains the Live Performance
                5. Locate the performance on the Events & Dates window
                6. Edit the performance
                7. Click the Live tab
                8. Select Vimeo from the Video Service drop-down menu
                9. Enter the Vimeo Video ID
                10. Select the video's Aspect Ratio
                Diataxis: 

                YouTube

                This shows the detail elements required for setting up YouTube for use with live streaming in Theatre Manager.

                 

                YouTube (Video Provider)

                Video ID The unique YouTube video ID. The ID is a mix of case-sensitive characters and numbers, like M7lc1UVf-VE. If the YouTube URL looks like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7lc1UVf-VE then the YouTube Video ID is the part after the v=: M7lc1UVf-VE
                Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the video that will be played. The aspect ratio is the ratio of height to width of the video. Most modern content is in the Widescreen 16x9 format.

                YouTube

                YouTube is a very popular video streaming service. The service itself is free, but videos are always accessible from the YouTube page. It can be a good choice for events that are free to access -- where it's not a problem that the video is accessible from youtube.com. It's not possible to restrict access to only your ticketing website with YouTube.

                 

                Setting up YouTube in Theatre Manager

                1. Determine your video's YouTube Video ID.
                2. Determine the video's Aspect Ratio
                  • Widescreen (16x9)
                  • Original TV (4x3)
                3. Open Theatre Manager
                4. Locate the Event that contains the Live Performance
                5. Locate the performance on the Events & Dates window
                6. Edit the performance
                7. Click the Live tab
                8. Select YouTube from the Video Service drop-down menu
                9. Enter the YouTube Video ID
                10. Select the video's Aspect Ratio

                video.js

                This shows the detail elements required for setting up Video.js for use with live streaming in Theatre Manager.

                 

                Video.js (open source video player)

                Download Source URL's If using a pre-recorded video then these URLs allow you to specify customized formats, optimized for certain devices. Most devices support H.264 .mp4, but additional formats can be added. See the video.js video support matrix for more details.
                Streaming Source URL's If using live streaming video then HLS .m3u8 is the only live streaming option. See the video.js video support matrix for more details.
                Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the video that will be played. The aspect ratio is the ratio of height to width of the video. Most modern content is in the Widescreen 16x9 format. You can specify original broadcast TV 4 x 3
                Diataxis: 

                Transaction List

                The following represent a list of transaction which have occurred for a selected performance. For more information on Transactions, Click here.

                You view these from the going to the Performance Tab and selecting a performance. Then click the Transactions button.

                Pricing - Price Codes

                On the Play/Event Setup Window, price codes are displayed on the right side and are for the currently selected (highlighted) performance. Clicking on the different performances will change the prices seen.

                This section is:

                • a description of the Price List,
                • Setting a Default Price Code for a performance (box office only)
                • Copying Prices from one performance to all selected. This is useful for making each weekend performance the same price as another.
                • Duplicating Prices which copies prices and promotions from another event for all the matching series codes. This is useful once you have set up the first event of a season and want to make all the other the same -and-
                • Editing Prices

                Pricing Information

                Pricing information for the selected performance on the left side displays the price list on the right side of the window. When you click on different performances on the lest, the price list will change to reflect that performance.

                If you want to change one of the prices for the performance, the just double click on it. to see the edit window on the right. Make any changes, including activating/inactivating it and save.

                If you calculate price excluding taxes and the newly calculated based price does not return the full price you want, try enter a fractional price. eg, instead of a price of $12.65, you might try adding almost half a cent to see if $12.654 works,

                In the list, from left to right the price list displays:

                Code Displays the single character code that is associated with this price. This character was assigned in the Price Code field in the Venue Map window.
                Use? Check box field. If the box is checked then the price code is available for use by the performance that is highlighted in the performance list.
                Description The description you give to easily identify the price code. For example, Adult, Child, Senior, Student. Or alternatively: Front, Mezzanine, Loge, Balcony.
                Price Displays the dollar value of the price code. For example, $10.00, 15.00... etc.
                City Displays the amount of city tax charged on the price code.
                State/PST Displays the amount of provincial / state tax that is charged on the price code.
                Federal/GST Displays the amount of Federal tax charged on the price code.
                Price + Tax Displays the total price of the price code with all taxes included.
                Enable Enable the selected price codes all at one time (you can use context menu as well, or edit them one at a time)
                Disable Disable the selected price codes all at one time (you can use context menu as well, or edit them one at a time)
                Diataxis: 

                Duplicate Prices

                In Theatre Manager , you can duplicate the prices from an entire event already built in Theatre Manager to the new event you are creating.

                1. Click on the Pricing Tab of the Events and Dates Window.

                  Pricing information should now display on the right side of the Events and Dates window.

                2. Click the Duplicate Prices button.

                  The Duplicate Price Wizard window opens.

                3. Select the event you wish to copy all prices from.
                4. Click the button.

                5. The rule here is that Theatre Manager will duplicate the pricing for each performance from an existing event. The Event you copy from MUST have the same number of performances with the same naming convention: i.e. 1-SAT, 2-FRI etc. If not the case advance to the more selective process of Copying Prices

                Copying Prices

                In Theatre Manager , you can copy prices to a single performance or group of performances, from any performance saved in Theatre Manager.

                1. Click on the Pricing Tab of the Events and Dates Window.

                  Pricing information should now display on the right side of the Events and Dates window.

                2. Select the performances that you want to Copy Prices to.

                  To do this, click on the first performance you want to copy prices to, then drag you cursor over the remaining performances from the performances list on the left side of the window. Alternately, you can click the first performance, and then hold <CTRL> (Windows) or <COMMAND> (Mac) and click each additional performance.

                3. Click the Copy Prices button.

                  The Copy Price Wizard window opens.

                4. In Step 1, select the performance to use as a Pricing Template.

                  To further refine your search, click the drop down list under the 1. You can then choose a different five search fields. They are:

                  Select a search field, and you can further restrict the search using the "from" and "to" fields to enter criteria. For example, the (picture) below displays a successful search for performance that have Play Codes starting with 07.

                5. In Step 2, you select the performance that you want to use as a Pricing Template.

                  As you select plays, their price codes are displayed on the left and the performance's price codes are displayed on the right.

                6. Choose the Price Codes you want to copy.

                  Highlight the Price Codes you want. You can select all, none, or some of the price codes to be copied.

                7. In Step 3, you choose which Attributes of the Price Code to copy.

                  There are four parts of the price code that you can copy across. The Description, the Price, Able To Use Flag, and Enabled/Disabled Promotions. To copy an attribute put a check in the box beside the attribute desired.

                8. Click the Copy button.

                Selecting a Default Price Code

                Note: Default price only applies to box office sales.

                Web sales always default to selecting the highest price because patrons generally accept any price offered. They never look to pay more, but they may look to pay less if it applies. Psychologically, if a computer offers a lower price, then people assume it must be right and nobody looks.

                The default price list only shows one line of price, so if you want to show more prices for customers online, you can edit rowTicketReserve.html to show more lines - allowing the patron to see and then pick a price easier.

                Each performance (series) can have its own default price code setting.

                1. Click on the Pricing Tab of the Event Setup Window.

                  Pricing information will display on the right side of the Event Setup Window.

                2. Select the performance to set the Default Price Code for.

                  Click on the performance from the performance list. The prices for this performance display in the price list on the right side of the window.

                3. Open the Default Price Code drop down list.

                  A list of usable price codes is displayed.

                4. Select the Price Code to be the Default.

                  Do this by clicking on a price code from the list.

                Adding New Price Codes from Venue

                Theatre Manager Supports dynamic pricing where you can change the pricing zones in a venue, change the prices, and/or change the pricing map for the performance.

                If new price zones are found when looking at pricing for a performance that do not have corresponding prices, you will see an alert dialog that asks what you want to do with those additional pricing zones. You can:

                • Cancel adding the new pricing zones - which means that the new prices will not be created. This is the best option as pricing is not changed.
                • Add the pricing zones to the performance as initially disabled, which means that the price codes are added as zero price, but not enabled for purchasing. This is a safe option since the price codes are added, but nobody can use them until you set prices.
                • Add the price zones as initially enabled, which means that the prices are instantly available as zero price tickets. This is the least safe option, but probably what you would pick if the event is not available for sale online. If a performance is available for sale online, the disabled setting is automatically be used for that performance.
                You will only receive this message to add prices if:
                • The event is still open for sales. If it has been closed or is inactive, you will not be prompted to add prices if they are different
                • You click on each performance in the prices tab to view the prices for that performance - ie the prices codes are not automatically added on change of venue.
                • there are additional price codes in the venue that are not set up for the performance
                Diataxis: 

                Promotion Tab

                The promotion tab assigns promotions to a performance. You can assign whatever promotion you want to any performance. A performance could have all available promotions or only specific promotions A performance must have at least one (1) promotion in order to sell tickets to the performance. In order to do this, there must be promotions created already. For detailed information about promotions Click Here.

                By default, ALL promotions are available to the performance when it is created.

                 

                Parts of the Promotions Tab

                Performance # Number of performance assigned in order of creation.
                Performance Code Code assigned based on the week and day of the performance.
                Performance Date The date of the performance.
                Peformance Time Time of the performance
                Sel Displays one of the four icons

                • Green Check - means that the promotion is enabled for all the selected performances
                • Red X - means that the promotion is disabled for all the selected performances
                • Yellow Circle - means that the promotion is enabled for at least one of the selected performances, but not all
                • Grey Circle - means that the promotion is enabled for at least one of the selected performances (but not all) AND there is at least one performance where the sales promotion cannot be used because the price codes it is valid for are not enabled.
                Seq# System defined number for the Promotion
                Promotion Name of the Promotion
                Promotion Type Ticket Type for G/L Posting
                Used Where the Promotion can be used for a sale
                Other Outlet Indicates if the Promotion is available at another Outlet
                Sets the Promotion as the default for the selected Performance
                Allows the promotion for use with the selected performance. Click here for information on enabling promotions for a performance.
                Disables the promotion for the selected performance. Click here for information on enabling promotions for a performance.
                Name Enter part of the sales promotion name to search for only those that match the filters below.
                Gives you alternate selections to filter the list displayed. Choices are:
                • All
                • Available by Date
                • Not available by date
                • Box Office
                • Internet
                • Selected Only
                Diataxis: 

                Maps Tab

                The Map tab allows you to view the current map, with the specific holds being used, for the performance. When you click on a performance on the left, the map for that particular pereformance is displayed on the right.

                From this tab, you can

                • View the current house dressing for a reserved seating event.
                • add and release holds for the selected performance.
                • create a different return to hold map for each performance if you want tickets returned to hold when they are refunded in a different way that the venue default.
                • Print the map with the holds right before the performance - for the front of house staff.
                • see the Hold and Sold count and their effect on online sales based on the reporting capacity settings.
                • etc
                To help manage online sales based on reporting capacity, a table below the map window shows current physical capacity, reporting capacity, sold, held (and social distance held) totals.

                The remaining seats indicated how many more seats can still be sold online. When it is negative, online sales are prevented because you have reached reporting capacity, even if there are seats left that can be sold to the performance.

                Parts of the Maps Tab

                Performance Information

                Performance # Unique performance number generated by Theatre Manager.
                Performance Code A quick reference for the performance.
                Performance Date Date of the performance.
                Performance Time Time of the performance.
                # Sold Number of seats currently sold for the performance.
                # Held Number of seats currently held for the performance.
                Sales Method Type of seating used for the performance, typically either Festival or Reserved.
                Play # Sequence number of the event.

                Additional Buttons

                Shows the current map as it appears in the Ticket Selection process.

                Shows the default holds map for the venue as set in Theatre Maps.
                Checked in Seats Map Shows the seats that have been purchased and:
                • highlights those that are checked in using a forest green colour
                • shows the seats that are not checked in using the sales promotion letter code and normal colour
                • Removes all holds from the map since they cannot check in
                Allows a seat to be held by a letter code for the selected performance.
                Allows a seat to be released for sale for the selected performance.
                Prints a graphical version of the "House Dressing" for the selected performance. Click here for more information on printing the Graphic Map by Performance.
                If you add holds in the theatre map for a performance that has already been set up, you will need to go into each performance in the event:
                • Select the Holds tab.
                • Check the Radio button .
                • Then click the Refresh button.
                • The Added Holds will populate the map for the performance.

                Seat Availability Calculations (bottom of Map)

                Physical Seats The number of seats that are physically placed on the pricing map that could be sold, held or available to be sold.
                Reporting Capacity The number of seats that is considered the maximum that could be sold. Most often, it is the same as the Physical seats in the venue. However, you can alter it to be a lower or higher number at any time.

                Making it lower has some ramifications:

                • Online, the number of seats remaining that are available is the lesser of

                  REMAIN = Reporting Capacity - Sold seats - Held seats

                • If the remain number is below zero (see description below):
                  • patrons will not be able to buy tickets online.
                  • At the box office, this will say 'held only' are available.
                Sold The number of seats sold to that performance. This should be the same number as the attendance count for that performance. You should be able to see that number of tickets assigned to patrons.
                Total Held Seats Indicates the number of 'held' seats for this performance. These are all the lower case letters of ALL types, regardless of purpose (usher, social distance, light board holds, artist holds, subscription holds - they are all counted in this number)
                (incl) Social Distance This number represents the count of tickets marked a social distance using the social distance hold letter specified in system preferences.

                Note: The total hplds - social distance holds = the number of holds assigned for some other purpose.

                This number just breaks those out for clarity.

                Remain The number of tickets remaining represents the count remaining that can be sold online.

                If the number remaining is negative, it means patrons cannot buy tickets online, even if you see tickets available on the map. This is because reporting capacity is less than the physical capacity.

                This can be useful if yo want to reserve some seats for later - just make a lo reporting capacity and increase it as time goes by.

                Red Message If you see a red message, Theatre Manager is interpreting the numbers for you.
                • Can't Sell Online Held only - means the the count of tickets 'Remaining' is negative and there are none more to sell based on the setting for Reporting quantity, even if it looks like tickets are available. Increase the Reporting quantity if you want more tickets available online.
                Diataxis: 

                Attendance Tab

                In the Attendance tab you can view the patrons who are attending a performance. As well, you can:
                • Set the attendance the day of the performance - Setting attendance allows you to track which patrons with tickets actually attended the performance.
                • Refund tickets - The refund function is for ease of use if:
                  • on the day of the performance a patron decides that they would like to refund their ticket you can do so without having to change windows.
                  • the promoter cancels the show and you want to mass refund of all the tickets back to the system and give patrons their money back, or turn it into a donation or Gift Certificate.

                  Context Menu Features

                  Use the context menu to do a lot of things to the orders such as

                  • Add tickets to an order
                  • Pay for the order if it has a balance
                  • Exchange tickets for another event if you are using this for a waitlist event or it is cancelled
                  • Assign the ticket to another patron if somebody else is picking it up
                  • Reprice the ticket for a gala so that you can add a donation when the gala ticket is purchased online
                  • etc.

                   

                  Parts of the Attendance Tab

                  Performance # Number of performance assigned in order of creation.
                  Performance Code Code assigned based on the week and day of the performance.
                  Performance Date The date of the performance.
                  Purchase # Purchase reference number.
                  First Name Patron's first name.
                  Last Name Patron's last name.
                  Company Company the patron works for.
                  Section Section the patron is seated in.
                  Row # Row the patron is seated in.
                  Seat # Seat number the patron is seated in.
                  Quantity Number of admittance per ticket.
                  Sets the attendance for the performance. This is only available on the day of the performance or after it has taken place.
                  Clears the attendance of the performance. This is only available on the day of the performance or after it has taken place.
                  Print the selected tickets for this performance that are not yet printed.
                  Does a Mass Refund of the selected tickets back to the patron using the credit card used to pay for the event.
                  Transfers the selected ticket(s) to another performance.
                Diataxis: 

                Transfer Tickets to Another Performance

                Occasionally, you may need to transfer all the tickets from one performance to another. Rather than doing this individually, you can transfer them in a batch by using the wizard on the Attendance tab of the Event setup. This can be helpful when:

                • You have cancelled the performance and need to re-seat patrons in another performance
                • You want to move a subscription package to another performance
                • You need to transfer people into a HOLD or WAIT LIST performance
                • Anytime a mass re-seating of patrons is required
                • You are considering moving all patrons to a venue with different orientation and capacity instead of simply changing venue.

                The transfer function moves all selected tickets by matching seat codes for reserved seating events (festival seating events cannot be transferred in this fashion). Tickets for festival seating events will need to be manually exchanged. Tickets are not re-priced when they are transferred and do not affect order balances.


                Tickets will not be moved if:

                • There is no corresponding seat code in the new performance
                • The Price Code is not available in the new performance
                • If some of the selected tickets in any one order cannot be moved (e.g. some tickets within the order can be transferred but others in the same order cannot - perhaps because the seat code does not exist or the seat is already booked to another patron in the new performance) the entire order will be ignored. You will then need to manually exchange all the tickets in the order.


                To transfer tickets from one performance to another:

                1. Bring up the Events List in the Setup menu, or by clicking on the icon on the main tool ribbon.
                2. Click the icon to populate the list with your events.
                3. Double click on the Event containing the performance you wish to transfer the tickets FROM.

                4. Click on the tab
                5. Highlight the performance on the left that you are transferring the tickets FROM.

                6. Highlight the ticket(s) on the right that you wish to transfer.

                  You can select some or all of the tickets, allowing you to transfer only a sub-group of the total attendance.

                7. Click the Transfer button at the bottom of the window.

                8. Enter the performance number you want to transfer the tickets TO.

                  Alternatively, you can use the icon to search for the performance.

                9. Select whether you want to transfer:
                  •    Only the selected ticket(s) (in this example, eight tickets), or
                  •    All of the tickets within this performance
                10. Click the Transfer button.

                  The Transfer Confirmation opens.

                11. After you have reviewed the information, click the Transfer button.

                  The valid tickets will be transferred to the new performance.

                Volunteer Tab

                "Volunteer" is a broad term meaning "Personnel," "Volunteers," "Staff," or a variety of other terms. The field refers to any person assigned to an activity - whether they are paid or unpaid. you may have a mixture of paid and unpaid staff within the same event, for example Ushers (who are unpaid) and Run Crew (who are compensated). Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Volunteer," while others change it to reflect their own terminology. The nomenclature in your database may be different than "Volunteer."

                This Volunteer tab displays a list of the volunteers (personnel) assigned to each performance of the event, and what their task will be during the performance.

                Parts of the Volunteer tab

                Performance Information On the left side of the window, the listing of performances including the sequence number of the performance, series code, and performance date.
                Volunteer Information On the right side of the window, the listing of volunteers assigned to a specific performance.
                Allows you to look up and add a volunteer to the selected performance.
                Brings up the Volunteer Activity Detail window for the selected patron.
                Allows you to remove a volunteer from the selected performance.
                Show volunteer working entire event Enabling the check box, displays the volunteers who are working for the entire play. Disabling shows the volunteers who are working the selected performance only.
                Diataxis: 

                Adding Volunteers to an Event

                "Volunteer" is a broad term meaning "Personnel," "Volunteers," "Staff," or a variety of other terms. The field refers to any person assigned to an activity - whether they are paid or unpaid. you may have a mixture of paid and unpaid staff within the same event, for example Ushers (who are unpaid) and Run Crew (who are compensated). Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Volunteer," while others change it to reflect their own terminology. The nomenclature in your database may be different than "Volunteer."

                Adding volunteers to an event is as easy as "drag and drop" from a contact list to the Volunteers window in Event Setup, or using the convenient button at the bottom of the Volunteers tab.

                1. Open an event through the Setup>>Events & Dates menu, or by clicking the button.

                  Proceed to the tab.

                2. Highlight the performance on the left-hand side to which you want to add volunteers.

                3. Click the button at the bottom of the window.

                  A contact lookup window of Active Volunteers opens.

                  Patrons must be listed in their patron records as active volunteers with positions they are able to perform. For more information on setting up patrons as volunteers, click here.

                4. Highlight the volunteer in the lookup that you wish to add to the performance.

                  Some patrons will appear more than once in the lookup, indicating they are capable of performing more than one position.

                  Click the button.

                  Your chosen patron now appears on the Volunteer tab of the event setup.

                5. Repeat to assign all volunteers

                After adding all your volunteers, you may want to edit the details of their assignments to be more specific on the task they are to perform (for example, Ushers may be assigned to "Orchestra" or "Balcony" or "Coat Check," and Run Crew may be assigned to "Fly Loft" or "Spot Operator" or "Grip").

                Editing a Volunteer Assignment

                After adding all your volunteers, you may want to edit the details of their assignments to be more specific on the task they are to perform (for example, Ushers may be assigned to "Orchestra" or "Balcony" or "Coat Check," and Run Crew may be assigned to "Fly Loft" or "Spot Operator" or "Grip").

                1. Open an event through the Setup>>Events & Dates menu, or by clicking the button.

                  Proceed to the tab.

                2. On the left side of the window, highlight the performance you want to add volunteers to.

                  The list of volunteers currently assigned to that performance are displayed.

                3. Click on the volunteer to change their assignment.
                4. Click the button.

                  The Activity Detail window opens.

                5. Edit the Activity Details as necessary.
                6. Click the Save button and close the Activity window to return to the Event >> Volunteer tab.

                Removing a Volunteer Assigned to an Event

                If a Volunteer is unable to perform the assignment, or you need to remove them from the Volunteers list for any reason, You can do this in the Volunteer tab of the event.

                To remove a volunteer from a performance or event, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open an event through the Setup>>Events & Dates menu, or by clicking the button.

                  Proceed to the tab.

                2. On the left side of the window, highlight the performance to remove the volunteer from.

                  The list of volunteers assigned to that performance opens.

                3. Click on the volunteer to be removed.
                4. Click the button.
                5. A confirmation dialog opens.

                6. Click the button.

                Revenue Tab

                This tab displays a detailed summary of the revenue taken in for each performance of an event. The Play is broken down into individual performances.

                Below is an explanation about each column on this tab.

                Performance Code This is the code used to track the performance by.
                Performance Date The date of the performance.
                Performance Time The time of the performance.
                # Sold The current number of tickets sold to the performance.
                # Report The number of tickets being used for reporting.
                Scanned The number of tickets where the patron was marked as attending the event, either from scanning them in using a wireless scanner or by manually setting attendance for the event.
                Price The base price pf the ticket.
                Discount The total of all discounts.
                Gross Sales The total amount of sales minus all discounts, fees, and taxes.
                Ticket Fee 1 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
                Ticket Fee 2 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
                Ticket Fee 3 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
                City Tax The total of all City taxes.
                State / PST Tax The total of all State or PST taxes.
                Federal / GST Tax The total of all Federal or GST taxes.
                Total The total of all money collected during payment. This includes fees and taxes.
                Journal No Code If the performance has occurred and you are using deferred revenue accounting, this will be the G/L number that it was posted to.

                If the sales posting is SP-000000, then:

                • the event was rolled over from deferred to earned , which can be reversed -or-
                • the event had no sales at time of rollover, -or-
                • the event was never marked as use deferred revenue in the accounting tab

                If the Journal code is something like SP-xxxxxx, then double click on the line to see the journal entry that shows the quantity of tickets sole and revenues at time or rollover during end of day.

                Note: the '$' in the status column also indicates that the performance has been rolled over to earned revenue.

                Performance # The performance number assigned by Theatre Manager based on order inputted.
                Diataxis: 

                Sales Tab

                The Sales tab displays a detailed summary of the sales analysis taken in for the event event. Each line displays the NET number of tickets that were sold, the gross sales in dollars, the amount of markups in dollars, the amount of discounts in dollars, the price before tax, the amount of tax in dollars (each tax level is broken out separately), and the net sales. The price before tax is the gross sales + markups - discounts + 3 levels of ticket fees. The Net Sales is the price before tax + 3 levels of taxes.

                Parts of the Sales Tab

                Sales Date Date of the sale
                Promotion Type Type for G/L Posting
                Promotion The name of the promotion
                Sales Total Price The total of the sales to the event / play.
                Quantity The number of tickets being used for reporting.
                Base Price The base price pf the ticket.
                Discount The total of all discounts.
                Net  Sales The total amount of sales minus all discounts, fees, and taxes.
                Ticket Fee 1 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
                Ticket Fee 2 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
                Ticket Fee 3 Total of all fees categorized to this fee.
                City Tax The total of all City taxes.
                State / PST Tax The total of all State or PST taxes.
                Federal / GST Tax The total of all Federal or GST taxes.
                Total The total of all money collected during payment. This includes fees and taxes.
                Sales Amount The total of all money collected
                Sales Quantity The numner sold
                Exchange Amount Sales that were exchanges
                Exchange Quantity Total tickets exchanged
                Refund Amount Sales that were refunded
                Refund Qunatity Total tickets refunded
                Commission Commissions Paid
                Outlet - Owner Outlet who owns the event
                Allows you to change the display summary to more closely suit your organizational needs. Choices are:
                • Promotion by Day
                • Day
                • Promotion
                • Promotion Type
                • Outlet
                • Outlet by Day
                • Outlet by Promotion
                Diataxis: 

                G/L Entries Tab

                The G/L Entries tab displays a detailed summary of the transactions created and journalized to the general ledger for the general ledger accounts defined for this play.

                Refer to how to balance the event after it closes

                Parts of the G/L Tab

                Journal Number The specific journal number associated with the G/L entry.
                Description Whether the entry is a Sales Posting, Deposit Posting, or manual G/L entry
                Date Date the G/L entry took place
                Account # The G/L Account number.
                Memo A single memo line, generated by Theatre Manager to indicate in the ledger the purpose of the entry.
                Debit The debit amount associated with the G/L entry.
                Credit The credit amount associated with the G/L entry.
                Date Posted The date the entry was posted to the G/L.
                You can adjust the summary options by choosing the drop down menu. Selections are:
                • No Summary
                • Account #
                • Journal # and Account #
                • Journal Date and Account #
                • Posting Date and Account #
                G/L entries do not include tickets from unposted sales or orders marked as reservation only. All difference lines should be zero if the event balances. Click the Clear Reservations only button, to reset the reservation only flag for all tickets sold to this play.
                Summary Table At the bottom of the window is a summary listing of the revenue from:
                • Sold tickets - this is the counts from the ticket inventory
                • Cash Flow - which is derived from transactions tracking how the tickets got to be sold or refunded
                • Non-Posted - which are tickets that have not yet been posted to the G/L
                • Reservation Only - which are tickets marked reservation only and we are not telling accounting about
                The difference across the bottom should be zero. If so, then all parts of TM are in balance for this event. You will also see a • balances • message in blue at the upper left of the subtotal area in the window. If you do not see that, you should investigate (after posting all entries).

                To the right is a commission total. That generally should have totals at the bottom that are zero as well. However, in an outlet version, if one outlet sells the ticket and the owning outlet refunds the ticket, then you will see non-zero totals. That indicates tickets were exchanged or refunded or the user by the owner of the event and the original outlet is still is due their commissions on the work they did.

                Diataxis: 

                Balancing after event completed

                We recommend doing a few things once an event is over:
                • Making sure that all parts of the event balance (tickets, compared to daily sales, compared to the general ledger
                • Verifying that all revenue is in the proper earned accounts (and nothing is left in the deferred accounts if you were doing deferred revenue accounting -and-
                • If everything balances, then close the event to prevent further ticket sales, exchanges or refunds from occurring to the event. If you subsequently find that you want to refund a ticket, you can reopen the event, then close it again after the refund is done.

                The best time to balance the event is after the last performance has occurred and after you have done end of day to move all deferred revenue into earned.

                 

                Verifying that Ticket Inventory and Financials Transactions Balance

                The quickest check is that the word • balances • appears at the top left of the lower part fo the screen. If it says this, it usually means that all the other aspects below balance.

                The meaning of the various lines ay the bottom are:

                • Sold Line is the number of sold tickets from inventory. This is the absolute revenue, most correct values for sales to the event:
                  • Quantity The number of tickets sold from inventory
                  • Ticket $ This is the values of tickets sold, less discounts - or the net sales
                  • Ticket Fee 1 The total amount of ticket fee 1 for all the sold tickets. If you have named ticket fee 1 something specific, it's name will appear here.
                  • Ticket Fee 2 The total amount of ticket fee 2 for all the sold tickets.
                  • Ticket Fee 3 The total amount of ticket fee 3 for all the sold tickets.
                  • All Taxes The value of all the taxes attached to the sold tickets (local, provincial/state, Federal
                  • Total $ The total amount of money taken in for all the tickets. it is the ticket$ + ticket fees + all taxes
                  • Commission If you set up paying commission for tickets, this will be the total commission associated with the sold tickets. it is NOT part of the Total sales, since it would be an expense payable.
                • Cash Flow Line: is the summary of all ticket transactions created from tickets sales.. The values is each column should be exactly the same as the values from the Sold Line form Inventory. If it is not, then some transactions have not been created from end of day, or somebody was playing with transactions and may have duplcaited them. Contact Arts Management support if you find they do not match
                • Non-Posted: Transactions may exist, but may not have been posited during end if day. If there are values in this row, it means you should complete end of day. before attenpting to balance.
                • Reservation Only: Some tickets may have been marked as reservation only - which is an ancient practice of selling tickets before they were paid for and not telling accounting. if you see any number is this row and you are done with the event, then
                  • Click the Clear Reservation Only button to unmark the tickets and make then enter the accounting system
                  • Run your end of day. All data in the 'non-posted' and 'Reservation only' rows should move up into the sold and cash flow lines
                  • Run a report to find receivables for the event to see if some tickets should be returned because they were school or group sales that did not attend and wouldn't be paying
                  • Start your comparison again
                If end of day has been run and the values at the bottom of this area all say the difference is 'none', then ticket inventory and transactions balance.

                That reinforces the confidence in the GL entries discussed below.

                If some lines are not quite right, there are two things that might find the difference:
                • Verify seats in the performance. This recalculates the event and performance totals based on tickets sold.
                • Run the order-transaction balance report for orders since the show started to go on sale. That might find a transaction that was not created. (which is why it is important not to force end of day balance)

                 

                Verifying that Ticket Inventory and GL are in the right place

                Once you haven 'none' in the difference row, we need to see what the make sure that the state of the accounts that post to the GL are correct.

                • If using deferred revenue accounting, you should see some of your deferred accounts in the upper list. However, they should all be zero. If they are not zero, then there are two possible problems:
                  • You might still have the last performance to roll over. If you roll over each performance on the day after, then you may need to wait till the day after the event and do end of day. That should fix it. if it does not, then its probably the next problem
                  • or, somebody changed the deferred accounts in the middle of the sales for this event. That's usually obvious one of your deferred accounts is negative and matches the amount in your other deferred accounts. That means you need to make a GL entry to put things in the right place (in theatre manager)
                • The earned accounts should match up to the Sold inventory line. If you have separated out ticket revenue, taxes and fees into separate G/Ls, then the numbers will be obvious. if you didn't. you might have to add up a few numbers to see that they are right.
                • Finally, the Net Credit should be the same as the 'Total $' in the 'Sold' column

                Marketing Tab

                In the Marketing tab, you can configure the Marketing notes for the play. You can also add the play to a mail list and include external and internal notes for your Box Office Staff. Information you enter on this page will appear on your page in the Ticket Trove iPhone and iPad app.

                Parts of the Marketing Tab

                Notification The email notification that will be sent when tickets are purchased to this play. Click here for info on work flow notifications.
                Default Mail List Allows you to assign this play to a specific mail list.
                Running Time Running time or duration of each performance in minutes. Also displays for Web Sales, facility management calendars and in the calendars exportable in .ics format.
                Genre Genre is a setting for events that is common across all Theatre Manager customers. Currently, there are about 30 classifications which will be used in the iPhone/iPad app to help customers find entertainment to their liking.
                External Sales Notes Marketing notes for both your Box Office staff and for Web Sales.
                Internal Sales Notes Marketing notes that appear to you Box Office staff, but not on the Web.
                Event Icon for Web/iPhone App If there is a graphic in the event, entering it here will display the graphic for all performances of the event.
                Tags You can add any number of tags to the event.
                Diataxis: 

                Add an Image to the Event / Play Window

                You can add two images to your web sales for each event quite easily. One image is the smaller picture to the left of each event listing. The other is a larger picture (poster style) when the event is selected online. The smaller image also serves as the picture used in the TicketTrove app. If the image is added to either of these two locations, then the TMServer (SecondGen Web Listener) will automatically pick up the image and place it on your website.

                If no image is added to the smaller box on the MARKETING tab of the event setup, then the default image from Setup>>Company Preferences>>REPORTS/MISC tab is used.


                To add an image for Web Sales and Ticket Trove, you perform the following steps:

                1. Find the Event you want to add the images to.

                  Click the Marketing tab.

                2. Open your Operating System File Manager/Finder.
                3. Drag and drop your images into the Play Icon for Ticket Trove / Web display box.

                  The Ticket Trove image must be 250 pixels high x 200 pixels wide

                4. Add the web image in the same manner as the TicketTrove icon.

                  This image has no size restraints, however for speed of loading we recommend small sized (kbs not mbs) images.

                5. Reload or Refresh your web browser to see the update image.

                Removing an Image from the Marketing Tab of an Event / Play

                To remove an image that has been saved in the Marketing Tab, you perform the following steps:
                1. Open the Marketing Tab of the Event/Play Setup.

                  For instructions on how to access the Event/Play Setup, click here.

                2. The images previously placed, display in the icon boxes on the right of the screen, click on the trashcan icon.

                  This removes the image from the database and it will no longer be displayed on the web site.

                Tasks Tab

                Any tasks associated with an event / play can also be seen in the Event / Play window. From here you can add tasks and associate them with resources, so you can create all the tasks needed for a particular event / play. These can then be added to a project and billed.

                Tasks are added on the left side. Once a task has been added, you can select the task and add the resource on the right side.

                Click on the Calendar button in the window's top toolbar to view all tasks, performances, and/or volunteers associated with the event / play in a new calendar.

                For more information on Tasks, click here. For more information on Resources, click here.

                Parts of the Tasks Tab

                Task Information

                Task # The task number as displayed in the task # field of the Task window.
                Description Name that shows in the resource list and elsewhere in Theatre Manager.
                Begin / End Date Dates as entered in the Task Detail window.
                Task Notes Any Notes associated with the task.
                Opens the Task Detail window to add a new task. Click to go to the Add Task page.
                The Detail button opens the Task window for the selected item.

                Resource Information

                Sold Resource # Displays the Project number of the Project
                Code The unique Resource Code assigned to the particular resource.
                Internal Description The internal description for the resource (shows only inside the Theatre Manager application).
                Resource Description The name of the resource.
                Quantity The quantity of the specific resource listed in the database.
                Opens the Resource Detail window to add a new resource. Click to go to the Add Resource page.
                Opens the Detail window for the selected resouce for review or edititng
                Removes the selected Resource from the list
                Opens the Resource Detail window displaying all the information on the selected resource.
                Diataxis: 

                Event Usage/References

                Diataxis: 

                Creating a New Event / Play

                The following links, describe how to insert new plays and events into the database.

                Creating New Events / Plays

                Typical time to program an entire season of 8 or so plays is usually easily done within a morning (including coffee).

                 

                Creating the event (Summary of Steps)

                To create an event from scratch, you use the steps that follow. Links are provided to explain each window in detail. The general steps are:

                • Name the event
                • Set up the Accounting
                • Enter the Marketing information and images
                • Create the performances (you can do this as many times as you need if your patterns are interesting, or want add performances later)
                • Price the tickets for the performances
                • Enable any discounting you want on the performances
                • and then you are done, ready to sell the tickets

                 

                Step by step creating the event

                1. Open the Event / Play List Window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The fields are blanked to allow you to add new data.

                3. Enter the Event / Play information.

                  Click here for more information on Event / Play Information tab.

                4. Click the Accounting tab.

                  This is more fully described in Accounting setup. If account codes for events do not vary, it can be easier to simply start by duplicating a prior event and then change the name of the duplicated one.

                  When accounting is set up, click the Save button to activate the rest of the tabs.

                  You may want to create some general ledger account number for the new event / play pror to setting up the event. If so, refer to General Ledger Accounts for more information.

                  Venues that do profit/loss by event using class codes, category codes, or job cost code (the name depends on your financial system), often use the same accounts for each event they set up and, instead, rely on the job code in end of day accounting separation in the revenues by event report.

                5. Click the Marketing tab.

                  Refer to Marketing Tab for more information. This is where you provide any images, text and genre's that will appear in the online sales module.

                6. Click the Performances tab.

                  This allows you to set up and number of performances using many different sales methods (eg a mixture of reserved, general admission, touring, classes and more, if all are related.

                7. Click the Pricing tab.

                  After performances are entered, you need to set the Base prices for each pricing zone you created in your venue. Once you set up one performance, you can copy those prices to the other performances if they are similar.

                8. Click the Promotions tab.

                  Promotions are a way of setting the valid discounts on tickets for each performance. You typically start with your menu of available promotions and disable the ones you don't want to allow for a performance. For example, you may not want group sales or certain comps on opening night.

                9. You can now start selling the event

                  The remaining tabs show information about the current state of sales such as:

                  • Maps - shows which seats are taken on any reserved seating performance at a glance
                  • Attendance - shows who is coming to the event
                  • Personnel - indicates who is working each performance if you are tracking these things for volunteers or facility management
                  • Revenue - shows total sales for each performance
                  • Sales - allows various summarizations of WHEN people bought tickets to correlate to marketing events or onsales
                  • G/L - shows the journal entries showing sales posted to the accounting system via the end of day process
                  • Tasks - shows any tasks assigned to the event for any purpose. The can be renter related tasks (move in/move out), or technical activities like maintenance and cleaning, or admin activities like backstage tours
                Diataxis: 

                Adding Performances

                Once you have created an event you can add the performances to sell tickets to.

                If you have:

                There a subtle difference when the actual ticket inventory is created.

                 

                Reserved Seating

                Tickets are created at the same time as the performance is created. One ticket is created for each seat in the theatre so that tickets always exist for every seat. This ensures that there can never be a double seating issue!

                 

                All other sales methods

                Tickets are created at time of sale and a ticket can represent an admission of a number of people (e.g. admit 10). If a ticket always represents one admission, the number of tickets created will be similar to reserved seating.

                Diataxis: 

                Step 1: Number of Performances

                The first step is to identify the primary sales method and the number of tickets that can be sold in each performance. The data required is:

                Number of Performances Enter the number of new performances you want to add.

                If you have

                • a regular pattern of performance with similar dark days, performances times, sales methods, etc, just type in the total number of performances for the event.
                • a different pattern for each week, then do a week at a time and repeat the process
                • no pattern at all, enter however many you want, move them around in the calendar at the end and then edit any outlier dates and times

                Sales Method and Map Settings

                Sales Method The sales method indicates to Theatre Manager how you want to manage the sale. The three key methods are General Admission/Festival Seating, Reserved, and Course/Classes.

                In the Sales Method drop down list, choose the primary type of seating that will be used in this performance. You can change it later on a per performance basis in the calendar.

                Sales Method Description
                Auction Item Used to sell items being used for an auction.
                Consignment Tix Used to sell tickets on the behalf of another group where they have allotted you a particular number of seats and have probably even provided you the tickets. Consignment Tix has no overselling feature.
                Festival Seating Used to sell tickets to an event that where seats are not assigned to the patron. This is often referred to as General Admission and sometimes as Rush Seating.
                Advantages
                • The performance can usually be oversold because there is some no-show factor that can be counted on.
                • The price of the tickets is usually a little less than reserved seating
                • Patrons will automatically space themselves out to create a comfortable house dressing
                • Can be used for flexible passes
                Disadvantages
                • Patrons often arrive at the venue earlier to ensure a good seat. (this can be an advantage if you have a bar)
                Inventory Could be used to sell merchandise. For example, T-shirts, Programs, etc. This is a legacy capability in Theatre Manager. Now, it is far better to use the resource based inventory management/merchandise sales.
                Reserved Used to sell tickets to an event having reserved seats. Reserved seats can only be used with theatre maps that have had seats created.
                Advantages:
                • Customers will pay a higher price for the ticket
                • Most popular ticket sales method
                Disadvantages:
                • Cannot count on a no show factor to over sell the theatre
                • House seats must be explicitly booked out
                • Causes some work for the Box Office manager to ensure the house is dressed properly
                Traveling Troupe This is used for shows that travel to various locations. This sales method enables a new performance to be created for each booking, track contact onsite, estimated class size, accommodations and some limited schedule items.
                Courses/Classes Course registration is designed to help venues manage their education curriculum, workshops and such. There are a number of features that are part of this feature like attendance reason tracking, class rosters, report cards, and more.
                Performance Type Performance type is a customizable code table field you can use to flag specific performances. You can use it for display on the web. It can also be used for reports to narrow down searching for specific performances in reports.
                Prevent Overselling This field indicates if you want to prevent sales to occur over the Max Quantity to Sell amount. It might be useful to deselect the option for outdoor events where there is no practical limit to the number of tickets that can be sold.

                This only applies to General Admission/Festival Seating.

                Set Initial Holds On a pricing map, you can set up a standard holds in the venue for house, sound, ushers, artists etc. When you click this optionL
                • reserved seating performance maps automatically get the default holds
                • general admission performance get a lump sum hold amount that matches the total holds in the graphic map

                Capacity and Reporting

                Max quantity to sell For reserved events, this cannot be changed as it is the total seats in the pricing map. For other sales methods, you can restrict the number of sales to this value.

                For example, you may normally have 400 seats in your theatre, but the designer has created a set that obstructs 50 seats. You do not want to create another theatre map, or you just don't have access to them. Enter a quantity of 350 seats to sell. That will be your house total for that event.

                Quantity to report Use this setting to indicate when you tell online sales and reports that you are 100% full. It includes all SOLD and HELD seats.

                In the prior example, If you have 400 seat house and 50 blocked seats, you can sell 350 seats. If you indicate that the Quantity to Report is 275, then web sales will stop when SOLDS + HOLDS > 275, leaving 75 seats unavailable online.

                Refer to further description of meaning of Quantity to Report in performance setup

                This option is not applicable for Traveling Troupe.

                Diataxis: 

                Step 2: Initial Sales Settings for Performances

                Initial performance settings let you set up how you would like the event to work. These can be changed:

                Initial Performance Settings

                Selling at the Box Office Checking this box allows you to sell the performance at the Box Office.
                Selling at ALL Other Outlets Checking this box allows you to sell the performance at other outlets. If you allow a performance to be sold at another outlet, you can now specify which outlets have the capability so that each performance can be sold by different people.
                Selling via the Internet Checking this box allows you to sell the performance on the Internet.
                Allow Patrons To view if not for sale If checked, then the event can be set to show online as coming up, even if not yet for sale. It allows pre-announcing events without enabling for sale.
                Set onsale date in advance of performance When creating a number of new performances, you may want to stagger when they go on sale online.

                If you enter a value for the number of days in advance of the performance, then theatre Manager will automatically calculate the onsale date based on the performance date during initial creation of the performance.

                For example, you may want to set the onsale date 3 months in advance of a long running show.

                Season Control House Checking this box allows the performance to be used in a Control House for subscribers.

                Other

                Sales Target You can enter the sales target for each performance. All performances will get the same value and is placed on some reports.

                If the target is to be different on each performance, you will have to correct it after the fact on the performance window for each performance.

                The Sales Summary-Quick report can be configured to shows this data in the parameters tab.

                Perf Flag A special flag used to denote Performance. This is typically used for a plug-in for Web Sales.
                Include in Patron Statistics Include any sales totals for this event in each patron's annual patron statistics tab at the bottom of the patron window. Normally you would want this.

                Access

                Sell Allows you to control what user access groups have the ability to sell this performance at the box office.
                Report Allows you to control what user access groups have the ability to run reports containing this performance.

                Performance Email Reminder

                Send Reminder You can indicate if you want an email reminder sent to patrons who purchase to a performance. This email can be customized to each event or performance by duplicating and editing a web page, or you can use a default one.
                Reminder in Advance Time If you do want an email reminder sent for any performance, then you can indicate how far in advance of the performance it should be sent. This value is typed in weeks, days, hours, and minutes format. Example values are:
                • 6h - for 6 hours
                • 1d - for one day
                • 1w - for one week
                • 4w - for one month
                • 1h30m - for 1 hour 30 minutes
                You can type the amount in all in minutes, or using the the format above, or use the clock icon to pick a date so that the system will calculate the actual number of minutes in advance for the reminder time.

                Any ticket to the event bought closer to the performance than the email reminder time will receive an immediate reminder.

                Single Seat Rules for Reserved Seating Maps

                Single Seats not allowed Means that a patron selecting tickets online will not be able to make a seat selection anywhere in the map that would leave a single ticket. This option is designed to maximize revenue and is the recommended/default option.
                Single seat checking disabled/relaxed Means that a patron can pick any seat they want and leave single seats on the map. This maximizes patron choice, so the patron could:
                • pick the middle seat out of three, or
                • a single in where there are two seats left.
                • The patron cannot, however, leave a single ticket between two others in their seat selection. (i.e. they can't pick every other seat).
                The example to the right shows an example of what would be accepted using this rule.
                Diataxis: 

                Step 3: Performance Date Pattern

                Date of First Performance Enter the date of the First Performance (if no performances already exist,) or the next Performance (if you are just adding another performance).

                The date that is entered here is not written in stone. It can be altered in the calendar by dragging a performance and/or it can be edited after the fact if you want to move a performance. It is meant to be used as a guide in creating all performances for the event.

                Daily Performance Pattern

                Weekdays Using the slider for each day, select the maximum number of performances (up to 10) that typically occur on each weekday

                If you have multiple performances on a specific day of the week, select that number and additional performance times will appear on the right hand side. The number of performances is to be used as a general pattern when setting up the performances date and times.

                Performance Times

                Time slots If there is a day of the week that has more then one performance then you may set a matinee time as well as an evening time. These times are to be used as a general guide line when setting up an event. They can be changed at anytime after the performance has been created.

                Performance Series Codes

                Create Codes as Refer to Performance Codes for more information
                Diataxis: 

                Performance or Series Codes

                The performance or series code provides quick reference to a performance(s) fpr an event. The content of the code should be reflective of an easy way to find the specific performance during the sales process. Performance codes can be up to eight characters or numbers.

                It is important to know that each performance within the event code MUST be unique.
                Comparable performances in multiple events can have the same series code so that you can manage or sell a subscription. Selling a subscription will sell all events (in the season package) with the same performance/series code.

                If it is important to find a particular performance (1st Friday) for several events at the same time, each series should have the same code. This becomes very usefully when a patron is booking a season subscription and would like to attend the same time every month. Establishing a consistent nomenclature for the Event and Performance codes saves time during the sales process.

                The following examples are recommended as an easy way for the sales person to verify that they have the correct performance. Codes should be in a week - day - performance format.

                Week Long Performances

                The following example would allow for easy comparison of week-long runs of shows.

                1-SAT For the performance on the first Saturday.
                2-SUN-M For the matinee performance on the second Sunday .
                3-SAT-E For the evening performance on the third Saturday.
                3-SAT-M For matinee performance on the third Saturday.
                3-SAT-A For morning performance on the third Saturday.

                Single Day Performances

                If you do not have multiple performances per day the next example would allow for an easy comparison of the days of the week.

                SAT-1 For the performance on the first Saturday.
                SUN-1 For the performance on the first Sunday .
                SAT-2 For the performance on the second Saturday.
                SUN-2 For the performance on the second Sunday.

                Multiple Performance Event/Play

                If you have multiple performances per day the next example would allow for an easy comparison of the performances per day.

                1-SAT-1 For the first performance on the first Saturday.
                1-SAT-2 For the second performance on the first Saturday.
                1-SAT-3 For the third performance on the first Saturday.
                1-SAT-4 For the fourth performance on the first Saturday.

                Single Performance for an Event/Play

                If you have an event/play with only one performance, create the performance code as follows.

                SHOW For the performance of a play where there will be only one performance.
                CONCERT For the performance of a Symphony, Band or music.
                GAME For the performance of a sporting type event/play.
                DRAW For the performance of a curling event/play.
                Diataxis: 

                Step 4: Review Performances on Calendar

                After you click the Step 3 button, the Step 3 window - Adding a Performance, opens.

                1. Review the calendar.

                  As performances can span months, use the forward - back buttons to move through the calendar.

                  You can use the middle button to switch the view to 2 week, week or daily view. In those views you can drag events to move them to another time slot or day.

                  You can also change the time of a performance by right clicking on a performance and changing the time. On the popup list, you can only select from a list of times that have already been used for performances.

                  Possible 'conflicts' will be colour coded and highlighted on the calendar and are broken into 3 parts:

                  • Performance - which means there is another performance at any time on that day and possibly in another venue
                  • Venue - which means that there is something else in that venue
                  • Task - which means that there is some tasks in the venue that may represent conflicts on those days.
                2. To finish, click the Build button.

                  To go back, push the Step 2 , or Cancel if you do not want to finish setting up the performance.

                  When you push the Build button, the Build Performance list dialog opens.

                3. Click the Build button.

                  The Adding performance verification window opens.

                4. Close the window and you are returned to the Performance tab of the Play window and the performance you entered is displayed.

                Diataxis: 

                Assign Promotions to a Performance

                By default, ALL promotions are available to the performance when it is created.

                To add a promotion to a performance, you carry out the following steps:

                1. Open the Event Setup window.
                2. Click on the Promotions Tab.

                  A list of all the performances for the event is displayed on the left side of the window.

                   

                3. Select the performance you want to add promotions to.

                  Click a performance to select it. Only one performance may be selected since each may contain different promotion data.

                4.  

                5. Select the promotions you want to use.

                  Click a promotion to select / deselect it.

                6. Click the Allow Use button.

                  A green check mark in the Sel column shows the promotion is available for the performance. The checked promotions will appear in the buy window when selling tickets to that performance.

                Disabling Promotions for a Performance

                1. Open the Event Setup window.
                2. Click on the Promotions Tab.

                3. Select the performance.

                  Click a performance to select it. Only one performance may be selected since each may contain different promotion data.

                   

                4. Select the promotions you want to remove.

                  Do this by highlighting the promotions you want to clear.

                5. Click the Disable Use button.

                  A red X appears in the Sel column shows the promotion. The X'd promotions will now not appear in the buy window when selling tickets to that performance.

                Diataxis: 

                Editing an Event / Play

                The following pages describe different options for editing an existing event.

                Editing Performances

                Each series of performances can be edited after being created. You may be required to change the time or date of the performance or some other attribute. There are different editing options for each of the different sales methods, however they are similar. Before details are explained about editing each performance type. It is useful to know how to access the series detail window so you can start editing.

                1. Find the Event with the performance you wish to edit.

                  Click here to learn how to find events.

                2. Open the Event / Play Setup window.

                  Double click on the event/paly or press the Open button.

                  The Event/Play opens.

                3. Click on the Performances tab.

                  The Performance Tab opens.

                4. Double click on a performance to open the Performance Detail Window.

                  The detail window is the same for each sales method. Depending on the sales method you may not have access to some fields. Click here for a detailed description of this window.

                Allow a Performance to be Sold at Another Outlet

                If you allow a performance to be sold at another outlet, you can now specify which outlets have the capability so that each performance can be sold by different people.

                You will need to enable the promotions for another outlet. Click here for more information on enabling promotions for another outlet.

                To allow a performance to be sold at a different outlet, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the required event.

                2. Click the Performance Tab.

                  If you have enabled the Performance Codes, you can enable Allow Selling at ALL other outlets.

                To enable selling at other outlets for specific performances:

                1. Open the selected performance.

                2. Open the Sales Management tab.

                  Click here for more information on the Sales Management tab.

                3. Enable At other outlets.

                  Outlets that can sell the tickets, for the performance can be selected from the list on the right.

                Changing a Performance From Reserved to General

                 

                Changing a Performance From Reserved to General Admission / Festival Seating

                 

                There are times when a performance sales method may need to be changed from Reserved seating to General Admission seating. The director/promoter may have changed their mind about the seating configuration, the performance may have been build incorrectly, or social impact may mandate the change.

                A performance can always be updated from Reserved to General Admission even if seats have already been sold. Tickets previously allocated to a reserved seat are simply changed to no longer reflect a seat allocation in the database. However, a performance cannot be moved from General Admission to Reserved seating after seats have been sold as Theatre Manager has no way of knowing where to seat patrons who have previously purchased. The steps below outline how to change a performance after it has been built.

                 

                1. Find the event / play you want to hold seats for.

                  Click here to learn how to find an event / play.

                  Event List

                2. Open the event / play by selecting it in the list and clicking Open or by double clicking it.
                3. Select the Performance tab

                  Performance Tab

                4. Open the Performance Detail window

                  Each performance will need to be updated one at a time.

                  Performance Detail Window

                5. Click the Sales Method drop down.

                  Sales Method Drop Down

                6. Select General Admission or Festival Seating depending on your database configuration.

                  General Admission Drop Down

                7. Click Yes to the continue message.

                  Sales Method Warning Message

                8. Select the Accounting tab in the Performance Detail window.

                  Performance Detail Accounting Tab

                9. Update the Quantity to Sell field to accurately reflect the total number of seats to be sold for the Performance.

                  Quantity to Sell

                 

                The steps above can be repeated for each performance within an event as needed. Once a performance has been updated it can be marked available for sale at the Box Office and Online.

                 

                Live Web Content

                Most events are live and in person, but in some cases you may want to have streamed content on your website while the performance is occurring. For these types of performances, use Live content settings within Theatre Manager.

                 

                Live streaming content is set up in the Live tab in the performance's detail window and is described below.
                If you set a time limit in a watch window, and somebody exceeds it, so that that cannot see their event. Clear their attendance flag and then they can re-watch the item.

                 

                Live Content Styles:

                • Video streaming for an online-only event
                • Embedded iFrame
                • Mobile-friendly "Custom Content" for the performance

                Live Video Performance (Virtual Events)

                Online-only video performances allow you to show streaming video at a specific time to ticket buyers. The video can either be pre-recorded or live streaming, depending on your selected video provider.

                 

                Supported Video Providers:


                 

                Aside: Producing Video Content

                If you're looking for tools to start recording and streaming live video, then a good place to start is OpenBroadcaster Software (OBS). The OBS Beginner Tutorial gives a good introductory video walkthrough. OpenBroadcaster Software supports a wide range of video providers. The primary way to use OBS is to send an RTMP Stream to the video provider. In turn the video provider will "duplicate" the stream and send it out to all live users. In other words, the video provider handles all the bandwidth required to broadcast your stream to hundreds, or even thousands, of users.

                 

                Live Experience

                Theatre Manager comes with a default set of web pages for a full live video experience. The experience has three parts

                1. Discovery
                2. Pre-Show
                3. Show

                 

                Discovery

                Users can enter the live show by clicking the Watch button under Tickets for Upcoming Performances in their home

                Discover Live Tickets

                Users will also be made aware of any Live tickets they have if they are logged in and have a ticket to a live performance occurring in the next 6 hours.

                 

                Watch Live Show

                Pre-Show

                The pre-show helps build excitement for the upcoming event. It has a countdown timer that let's users know when the event will begin

                 

                Pre Show

                Show

                The in-show displays a minimal frame for the video, so that the video content is front and center

                 

                Show

                Supplementary content (Coming Soon)

                Supplementary content is information that you'd like to be available on an attendee's smartphone, for the duration of the event. This type of content is most suited to events that are interactive and require audience participation. For example, an outdoor festival that might have maps to various activities. Or a "Theatre in the Wild" event where audiences can self-direct to one of several small performances in different locations.

                 

                Common Questions

                Question: Zoom is designed for video conferencing. Can it be integrated as a video streaming option?

                Answer: We've looked into Zoom however it might not be the choice that you're looking for. At least not directly embedded streaming links into the Theatre Manager web pages. Zoom makes the assumption that what you're doing is more of a webinar -- that everyone in the meeting is an active participant. For live streaming events, that's often not the case. Usually, one person is doing the filming while the others are watching.

                If you're attempting to use Zoom purely for it's easy-setup, you may want to consider one of two things:

                1. Connect Zoom to Vimeo Live
                2. Switch setups to OpenBroadcaster Software for streaming to Vimeo. It's quite easy.

                If you're using Zoom because you want audience participation, then that's something else entirely. Zoom does have integration points with web pages which would require engineering effort within your webpages to treat the interaction that it allows the audience interaction in the correct way.

                You could very easily do this kind of event outside of the live streaming portion of Theatre Manager by sending Zoom invites to the patron's email address via a Form Letter email. The attendance reports could be used to know who to let into the class or not, and you could mark attendance using a Course Attendance Report or in Theatre Manager directly.

                You may also be interested in the Managed Courses feature in Theatre Manager, which can allow user web access to setting a class attendance. That would allow the Meeting Moderator or Class instructor that isn't a Theatre Manager employee to mark attendance, and also see who is in their meeting/class.

                 

                Question: Using the free version of Vimeo, the webpage the video is embedded in appears not to be secure as I can see the video ID link in the HTML coding of the page. A patron can right click and find the static link by both via the "save as..." function or the inspect element function. The "save as..." function is the most concerning for us as it is the most simple and easily exploitable. Can the web page security be updated to prevent this?

                Answer: The Theatre Manager web sales and the Vimeo and YouTube links that are embedded in the page are secured by HTTPS, which ensures that the content streamed to your user's computers is private and can not be seen by other users. Theatre Manager requires that level of security in order to pass PCI compliance, and we take that notion of security very seriously. Theatre Manager is very secure for your users.

                When it comes to Live Streaming video though, what you're referring to is the Gate Control required for a live streaming event, such that only ticket buyers are allowed access to the stream. As of today, that is only possible with Vimeo when using the paid Premium Live Streaming Plan.

                The Vimeo feature you'd need is called "Domain Privacy", and it allows you to restrict playback of a video to only people that are viewing the video from your website, which requires a Theatre Manager login and a Theatre Manager ticket to watch. In other words, while people could copy and paste the Vimeo link, it wouldn't help them, because the video would only play through your site's tickets.yourcompanyname.com URL.

                The reason that this is the only way for true Gate Control is that it's not possible to fully obfuscate or hide the link that's embedded in the page. There are some ways to attempt to disable that right-click context menu, but many browsers won't respect those options because the same options can be used to make abusive websites. Further, there are actually many other ways that you can see the Vimeo or YouTube link beside right-click, and your patrons could copy and paste it from those as well. YouTube, for example, has no controls for Domain Privacy and so it's not possible for us to restrict the video to only your website.

                You're left with a couple choices:

                1. Trust. Hope that people just don't share the link, or if they do, hopefully it doesn't impact sales enough to matter. This option is part of the "free" package options, but your sales could be lower than they might otherwise be with good Gate Control. You could even potentially acknowledge that it's possible, and have a "plea" on the website that mentions the importance of buying a ticket -- the idea seems far fetched, but many news sites have had success with similar pleas for adblockers.
                2. Use Vimeo Professional with Domain Privacy: This will allow you full Gate Control, and it won't matter if users copy and paste links, because they won't work outside your website.

                In this instance we're at the mercy of the video CDNs -- YouTube and Vimeo -- and what their options allow us to do. Of the two choices, Vimeo is the more flexible, and the one we currently recommend. We'll continue to look for other CDNs that can guarantee tight Gate Control on the web site for live streaming.

                Diataxis: 

                Editing Price Codes

                There are two different reasons for editing price codes:

                One - to initially set up the prices for the price codes.

                Two - to alter an all ready set up price.

                1. Select the Play you want to adjust and click the Open button.

                2. Open the Pricing tab.

                  For more detailed information about the Pricing Tab, click here.

                3. Select the Performance that you want to Edit Price Codes for.

                  Do this by clicking on the specific performance from the performance list on the left side of the Play Setup window. The prices for this performance will display in the price list on the right side of the Play Setup Window.

                4. Select the the Price Code you want to edit and click the Edit Price button.

                5. Enter a description for the Price Code.

                  Common price code descriptions are Adult, Student, Senior, etc.

                6. Enter a Base Price.

                  The price that is entered here is the ticket price before taxes have been added on. If your company likes to have nice round ticket prices after taxes then you can use the Calculate Price Excluding Tax Feature. It is explained further down the page.

                7. Click Save button.

                  Doing this accepts the changes to the price code. Clicking Cancel would canceled the changes.


                Calculating Prices Excluding Taxes

                1. Enter the Selling Price you want to end up with after taxes.

                  In this example we will use $10.00 and a 7% tax rate.

                2. Click the Calculate Price Excluding Taxes Button.

                  The selling price will now display as the price before taxes. In this example the $40.00 Price Code turned into a $38.099 Price Code. Look to the calculation to see how the tax was broken out to create $10.00 final price ticket.

                3. Click Save button.

                  This accepts the changes to the price code.

                Diataxis: 

                Verifying Seats

                If you change a venue map, when there are events already on sale, you MUST verify the seats on each performance to re-index the new name to the seat in the event.

                This is an internal database verification that ensures all tickets have been created and are properly setup. The verification routine has one key function - to determine if there are any missing reserved seats. This should never happen - verification will detect and correct the issue.

                1. Click the Event button in the Theatre Manager ribbon bar.
                2. Locate the Event with the Performances to be Verified.

                3. Open the Event by double clicking on it.

                4. Select the Performance tab.

                  Single click on the performance to be verified. You can select multiple performances at a time if needed.

                5. Click the Verify Seats button.

                  The Verify Seats warning dialog opens.

                6. To continue, click the Verify button.

                  The progress bar at the bottom of the window will state the function and the progress.

                When the Verify process has completed, the Performances will no longer be available for sale at the Box Office. They will need to be marked as available before tickets can be sold.

                Setting Attendance

                You use setting attendance to keep track of how many patrons attended a performance versus the number of tickets sold. This feature is beneficial for deciding how much can be oversold to a festival house. You may have discovered there is a consistent 'no show' rate of 15% to 20% and can then adjust sales to match the trend. Another use for this feature is calculating royalties based on the number of patrons that actually attended the performance, not based on the number of tickets sold.


                It is important to remember that this feature only works if you have the ticket and the patron number printed on the ticket, or a bar code that contains one or both of those numbers.

                To set attendance, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click the button in the Theatre Manager Ribbon bar.

                2. Double click on the Play / Event to set attendance for.

                3. Click the Attendance tab.
                4. Select the performance to set attendance for.

                  Choose the performance by clicking on the corect date in the column on the left side of the Attendance Tab.

                5. Click the button.

                  The Set Attendance button is only accessible if the performance you have selected has already taken place or will be performed that day.

                6. Click the All button to set the attendance flag to "Attended" for all patrons and tickets.

                  Use this option if you are sure that all the tickets were redeemed for the performance.

                7. Click the Scan button to manually enter attendance.

                  The 'Attendance: Patrons who came' window opens.

                8. Enter the patron number, ticket number or click in the ticket number field and scan the ticket.

                  If you enter the patron number, all of the tickets the patron purchased will appear in the window. If you enter the ticket number or scanning the ticket, only that ticket will appear.

                9. Click the Accept button.

                  To speed up the process, press the <RETURN> key to accept the ticket # / Patron #. If you are using a bar code scanner, set the default to include an automatic <RETURN> after each scan. If the tickets have a bar code on them, then either the patron number or the ticket number can be scanned in. It depends on what information has been encoded in the bar code.

                  If too many tickets have been selected, and not all should be marked as attended, highlight those to remove and click the Clear Attend button. The tickets are removed from the list.

                10. Click the Finished button when all data has been entered .

                  This marks all tickets entered in the list as Attended.

                Clear Tickets Incorrectly Marked as Attended From a Play

                To clear tickets incorrectly marked as 'Attended' from a play, you perform the following steps:

                If a mistake is made in setting attendance, attendance for the entire performance (or optionally, specific tickets) can be cleared.

                If you set a time limit in a watch window, and somebody exceeds it, so that that cannot see their event. Clear their attendance flag and then they can re-watch the item.
                1. Click the button in the Theatre Manager Ribbon bar.
                2. Double click on the Play / Event to clear attendance for.

                3. Click the tab.
                4. Select the performance you want to Clear Attendance from.

                  The tickets for that performance are displayed in the attendance list.

                5. If clearing attendance for a select group of tickets, highlight them in the right hand window.
                6. Click the button.

                7. Click the All button to clear the attendance flag for all patrons and tickets.
                8. Click the button to only clear attendance for the tickets selected.

                Selecting a Performance for Attendance

                You can select a performance you want to set attendance for from the Patron Attendance window.

                To Start selecting a performance, you perform the following steps:

                1. From the main menu bar, choose Accounting >> Confirm Attendance.

                  The Patron Attendance list window opens.

                2. Enter Search Criteria.

                  The search criteria is entered in the From and To fields and is based on the field listed in the drop down list.

                3. Click the Search button.

                  A list of performances opens.

                4. Double click on a performance to select it. Once selected, the performance will open.

                5. Continue at Step 8 of the Set Attended section of Setting Attendance.

                Adding a Fee to a Ticket Price

                There are times you will want to add a fee to a ticket price. For example, adding a fee when selling tickets for another group.
                The steps below outline how to add a fee to a ticket price.

                1. Add a Fee to a Sales Promotion.
                  - For information on creating a sales promotion click here.
                  - On the promotion Calculation tab, enter the fee you wish to charge into Ticket Fee box 1.
                2. Alter the event Account tab.
                  - Select the event the fee is to be applied to. For more information on events click here.
                  - Under the event Accounting tab, specify what G/L account the ticket fee should be posted to in the Ticket Fee 1 Account box under the Earned Revenue Accounts (Fees) section.
                  - For more information on the accounting tab click here.
                3. Alter the event Pricing tab.
                  - Under the event Pricing tab, alter the prices for performances if the fee is to be built into the price.
                  - For more information on the Pricing tab click here
                4. Enable the promotion for the event performances.
                  - Enable the promotion from Step 1 under the Promotions tab.
                  - For more information on the Promotions tab click here.

                You have now successfully set-up the ticket fee. When the Sales Promotion you created is selected during the ticket sales process, it will add the fee on top of the base ticket price.

                Change the Map For an Event

                You can change the Pricing Map an event uses, even if it is reserved seating. it works best if the venues are the same and you are just changing price zones for dynamic pricing. however, you can change to any other venues (larger or smaller) with some ramificatiosn

                You can be change a venue to another while sales are occurring. The process takes moments.

                You may want to refer to how to Create a new pricing map.

                If you change to a venue that is a completely different orientation with more or fewer seats and no tickets have been sold, you may just have to verify seats for the affected performances.

                HOWEVER, if it is a reserved seating performance:

                There are rules for switching Pricing Maps. The new Pricing Map must:

                • Be active.
                • Have the same valid price codes in the new Pricing Map.
                • Have the same seating capacity and seats must be named (reserved seating only).
                • When changing the reserved seating map for an event, you can select some other Pricing Map.
                • When changing the reserved seating map for one performance, you can only select other pricing maps within the venue.
                • When changing the map for a general admission performance, you set the alternate venue as before.
                • If using the Outlet Edition, the map MUST be owned by the same outlet. People from outside your outlet cannot change pricesmaps or price codes for you.

                To change the Pricing Map, you perform the following steps:

                If the new map has a price code that is not in the map you copied from, it will NOT be available to add. Also, If you are replacing the pricing map for one or more performances, you must ensure all maps being used have the same price codes. Your pricing map can have unused price codes in its description.

                1. Click the Play/Event button.

                  The Play list opens.

                2. Find the specified event and click the Open button.

                  The Play / Event window opens.

                3. Click the Venue button.

                  The pricing map list window opens, displaying the alternate maps that match the Pricing Map rules.

                4. Choose the appropriate map and click the Select button.

                  The Change Map Confirmation opens.

                5. Click the Yes button.
                6. Verify Seats if capacities are different

                  Refer to Verifying seats which might be needed after changing venues for a performance.

                Ramifications of different Venue Orientation

                You can change the performance from one venue to another. There are situations to consider, which may alter what you want to do:
                • Case 1: all general admission performances
                • Case 2: reserved seating performance with nothing sold to it yet
                • Case 3: changing maps to a venue with the same orientation, seating and capacity - probably duplicated from another map and created for price zone changes
                • Case 4: changing map for another venue with completely different seating, orientation, size and with tickets sold

                 

                CASE 1: General Admission Performances

                You can change the venues at any time.

                 

                CASE 2: Reserved Seating Performances with no seats sold

                If there are no seats sold yet to the reserved seating performance, then there is little impact.

                • Change to the new venue (whether it has more os less seating capacity
                • Verify the seats in the performances
                • you can now sell tickets

                 

                CASE 3: Venue with same orientation and reserved seating, seats can be sold

                If a venue is really the same, with same seats, similar size, with perhaps a few seats removed for orchestra pit, or if the price zones are different for the purpose of dynamic pricing.... then change the venue that the performance is in. It is best to simply hold the seats you don't want to sell but if you must change the venue

                • It is assumed that the location of the patrons seats are the same
                • Any seat that is in a part of the venue where the seats have been removed - will become general admission and you will need to reseat them
                • Verify the seats in the performances
                • you can now sell tickets

                 

                CASE 4: Reserved seating events with seats sold and completely different venue orientations

                However, if seats are already sold, be aware of the following ramification. Seats in the new venue have the same seat numbers as the original venue. This may cause patrons to be split into different areas.

                Another approach that may help avoid the issue below is using the Transfer seats from one performance to another.

                Refer to the image and the description below:

                If you simply used the new venue and made more seats, then people may not have seats where you think.

                The left venue represents 'smaller' venue. The right venue represents a larger venue
                • The patron has seats 14 and 15 which are:
                  • Center, Row B, Seat 7
                  • Center, Row B, Seat 8
                • the same seats 14 and 15 now represent
                  • Center, Row A, Seat 14
                  • Center, Row B, Seat 1

                This happens because Theatre Manager:

                • doesn't know anything about spatial orientation.
                • all it can do is make an equivalence based on
                • they had seats 14 and 15,
                • They still have seats 14 and 15
                • but they may be called something different and you many not be together.
                so, changing a venue in this manner, while it works, is really intended for moving to spaces that are equivalently set up -- as in dynamic pricing.

                Diataxis: 

                Updating Holds on a Map

                 

                Updating Holds on a Map

                There are times when the map in a performance may need to be updated to reflect the default holds on the venue map for the event. The performance may have been built without using default map holds or the map for the event/performance may have been updated and include new holds. The steps below provide an outline on how to update the performance to reflect the holds using in the venue map:

                1. Find the event / play you want to hold seats for.

                  Click here to learn how to find an event / play.

                  Event List

                2. Open the event / play by selecting it in the list and clicking Open or by double clicking it.
                3. Select the Maps tab

                  Maps Tab

                4. Highlight the Performance(s) on the left side of the window.

                  Should you need to hold seats for multiple performances at a time simply select multiple date/times from the list on the left side of the window.

                  Selecting Multiple Dates

                5. Right click on the Map to view the options menu.

                  Options Menu

                6. Select Hold All Seats On "Return To..." Hold Map

                  Select Option from Menu

                 

                Once the holds have been updated seats will be held with the default letters from the venue map for those performances selected on the left. All holds appear as lower case letters on the map. Changing the hold colour can be done in the Box Office tab of Systems Preferences by a Master User.

                Updated Map with Holds

                 

                Deleting a Performance

                If you chose not to put on a performance for a play, you can delete the performance. However, if you have sold tickets to the performance, you will be unable to delete it -- but you can make it effectively go away by hiding it.

                Hiding a Performance

                Normally you want to delete a performance completely (see next section), but if you cant, then:

                • Find the performance as per below and try delete it, as per the instructions below
                • if it won't delete, then target="_blank">double click the performance to edit it. Change:
                  • The performance date to be the first day of the run
                  • The performance code to be something like 'DONTUSE'
                  • Set it so that it can't be on sale at the box office or online
                  • for added safety, put an on-sale date in that is AFTER the date of the performance for both online and box office - that way if anybody ever changes the onsale flags, it will prevent the performance from showing up

                Rules for Deleting a Performance:

                You can only truly delete a performance if:

                • You have "Delete" user privileges the Play information under the data tab of Employee Setup.
                • The play must not be archived.
                • No tickets have been sold to the performance.
                • No transactions created for this performance.

                To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Play List Window.

                  Click here for more information on opening the Play list window.

                2. Open the Play you want to remove the performance from.

                3. Review the Performance Tab to ensure that no ticket have been sold to the performance.

                4. Note the # SOLD column in the performance list. Quantity must be zero for each performance in the list.
                5. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Performance dialog opens.

                6. Click the Delete Button to delete the performance.

                Change The Map For Specific Performances

                Your venue is running a special event. Perhaps, one evening performance is to only have two Price Codes. All the seats on the main floor of the theatre are to be sold at the Adult Price only (your price code A) and all the raised seats are to be sold at a different Price Code, Price Code B. Or you want to implement Demand Pricing for the event where you can change the price codes for a range of seats.

                You have created a new map for your venue. Click here for more information on creating the new map. Once the map is created, you can now go on and change the map for the specified performance.

                To move from one map to another the maps must be within the same venue. They should contain the same number of seats and have identical seat codes. The maps will should probably contain the same Price Codes, however the new map may have more or less Price Codes than the original.

                If there are new price codes in the new venue, you must view event and click on price tab to receive a message to add price codes. Only then can new base price codes be added to a performance.

                1. Click the Play/Event button.

                  The Play list opens.

                2. Find the specified event and click the Open button.

                  The Play / Event window opens.

                3. Click the Performance tab. Highlight the specific performance and click the Change Map button.

                  The Pricing Map list for the selected venue opens.

                4. Choose the map you require.
                5. Click the Select button.

                  A confirmation dialog opens.

                6. To complete the change of the map for the selected event / play, click the New Map

                  You are returned to the Performance tab.

                7. Click the Verify Seats button.

                  The Verify Seats confirmation dialog opens.

                8. Click the Verify button.

                  You are returned to the Performance tab.

                9. Open the performance and review all tabs to ensure all the information is correct.

                  If you have made any changes, make sure you click the Save button.

                  You can now select seats for the special event from the special map.

                Deleting a Play / Event

                Deleting a play may only be necessary if the play was entered into the database incorrectly, inadvertently, or has been canceled. You can delete a play if all tickets sold have been refunded or exchanged out of the performance and the End of Day Wizard has been completed.

                Rules for Deleting a Play:

                You can delete only if:

                • You have Delete user privileges the Play information under the data tab of Employee Setup.
                • All general ledger detail records have been archived that are associated with this play.
                • There are no Daily Sales Summary information associated with this play.
                • The play is not a Control House for any Season Subscription Package.
                • There are no Volunteer History records assigned to this play.
                • All necessary ticket based analysis reports have been been printed for this play.

                  To delete a Play / Event, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Play List Window.

                  Click here for more information on opening the Play list window.

                2. Open the Play to delete.

                3. Click the Delete Button in the Plays window.

                  After you click the delete button the Delete Play dialog opens.

                4. Click Delete to delete the performance.

                  Clicking the Cancel button cancels the deletion.

                  If the Sales Method is Reserved Seating, then all tickets that were previously created for this series will also be deleted.

                Closing Events / Plays

                "Closing" an event / play in the Event / Play Tab removes the ability to sell tickets or change financial information for that event. A "Closed" event can still be included in reports on as long as it is still marked "Active".

                An event marked "Closed" that is not marked "Active" will not appear in the Play List, report or mail list selections, and cannot have further sales or changes in financial information. Key events / plays (such as your main stage series) should always remain "Active."

                 

                In general, you should close an event / play:

                • After verifying that the event tickets and revenue balance
                • When you are finished paying royalties and run your royalty reports
                • When you want to prevent exchanges from old events / plays (such as for subscribers)
                You should mark events / plays as Inactive:
                • When you no longer want to see them in mail list criteria and reports - perhaps after a number of years
                • If they are past rentals that are not pertinent to your general business operations.

                 

                Options to close An Event / Play

                You can do this one of three ways:

                • Perform the steps that follow to close an individual event
                • Close all events for past years using an option during year end rollover
                • Select a number of events in the event list, right click and close them

                Closing a Single Event Manually

                1. Find the event / play you want to close.

                  Click here to learn how to find an event / play.

                2. Open the event / play and locate the status selections in the Event / Play tab of the Events & Dates window.

                3. Check the box next to Closed. A Close the Play dialog opens, asking you to verify closing the event / play.

                4. Click the Closed button to mark the event / play closed.

                You can search for Closed events / plays in the Event / Play List by clicking the Closed box in the Event / Play List Window before entering search parameters. Then you can open a closed event and remove the check from the Closed Status box to re-open that event / play.

                Creating a General Admission Event & Performance(s)

                Before you add an event / play into Theatre Manager, a general ledger account number must be created for the new event / play. Refer to General Ledger Accounts for more information.

                In the Event / Play window, there are eight different account number fields in five different ticket types. The eight accounts are:

                1. Sales
                2. Exchange
                3. Refund
                4. Discount
                5. Markup
                6. Ticket Fee account 1
                7. Ticket Fee account 2
                8. Ticket Fee account 3

                The five ticket types are:

                1. Regular
                2. Season
                3. Other Type 1
                4. Other Type 2
                5. Internet

                Depending on how your accounting system is setup:

                • You may need to create only one G/L account for the entire event / play, or
                • You may need a separate account for each of the account number fields in each of the five ticket type categories.

                  To start, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Event / Play List Window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The fields are blanked to allow you to add new data.

                3. Enter the Event / Play information.

                  Click here for more information on Event / Play Information tab.

                4. Enter the Accounting information.

                  For more information on the Accounting Tab, Click here.

                5. Enter the required information on the Marketing Tab.

                  For more information on the Marketing Tab, Click here.

                6. Click the Save button.
                7. You have now created your Event. Next we add the Peformances.

                8. Click the Event's Performance tab. Then the New button.

                  The Adding Perfromance window opens.

                9. In the Sales Method list, choose festival. For more information on this window Click here.

                  Review the other fields and when complete, click the Step 2 button.

                10. In step 2, you set the pattern for the number of plays per day.

                  For more information on how to enter data in this window, click here.

                11. Click the Step 3 button.

                12. In step 3, you finalize the performance.

                  For more information on Step 3, click here.

                13. Now you have finished setting up the perfrormances, click the Build button.

                  The Build confirmation dialog opens.

                14. Click Build again.
                15. Your performance is now added to the event.

                  Click here for information on selling Festival tickets.

                Diataxis: 

                Creating an Event for Traveling Troupe Performances

                Theatre Manager has a Performance Type/Sales Mode for Traveling Troupe performances. It is a method to record each run-out performance traveling group does, including the income from the run-out, activities of the group while they're traveling, and attendance/demographic data about the audience.


                There are a few steps to setting up a Traveling Troupe performance.

                1. Create an Event under which to add the performances.

                  Typically, all traveling troupe performances are recorded under one Event. For step-by-step instructions on setting up events in Theatre Manager, click here.

                2. Assign a map to the event.

                  The traveling troupe method only sells 1 "ticket" to the venue contact for the show, so it does not matter which map is assigned here. Location details are filled out on a per-performance basis, so the map location/seats/etc are truly immaterial to this particular Event.

                3. Fill out the Accounting Tab with the appropriate accounts for the income from the various run-outs.
                4. Select a Genre from the dropdown list on the Marketing tab.

                5. Click the Save button.
                6. On the Performance tab, click the New to add a new performance.

                  You can start with just one or as many as you'd like. The traveling troupe sales method allows for quick adding of performances directly from the sales window, so not all shows need be set up at once.

                7. Select "Traveling Troupe" for the performance type.

                  This "triggers" Theatre Manager to display the traveling troupe sales window when you sell the performance. For more information about creating Performances, click here.

                8. Set up a promotion to use for traveling troupe performances.

                  Tickets and revenue for all the performances will need to be recorded under a promotion, so it is best to set one up for the specific use.

                  The calculation could be for $0 (a comp) because the sales process allows for an override of the cost of the performance to match the contracted amount for the show. For instructions for creating promotions, click here.

                  There is an option in Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables used in the Traveling Troupe sales process to record important activities/times for the chamber group (call times, rehearsals, etc).

                  For information this option in code tables, click here. To learn how to add values to code tables, click here.

                9. Set the access for the employees who will be selling the traveling troupe performances.

                  Go to Setup >> Users and Access >> Employee List. Revise the employee access settings revised to include the ability to adjust the price of the performance.

                  Select the employees one by one.

                10. On the Functions Tab of the access settings, ensure the employee(s) have a check next to Ticket Sales - Set the price of a traveling troupe performance during the sales process.

                11. Then you sell the performance to the road venue, using the primary contact at the venue as the patron to whom the performance is sold.

                  For instructions on how to do so, click here.

                12. You can also add performances on the fly from the Order window. Highlight the Travelling Troupe performance, from the right-click menu, choose New performance.

                  or

                  Click the Add Play button in the Order window toolbar / ribbon bar.

                    Note: Adding performances on the fly from the Order window requires the creation of a Performance Template with a future date that can be duplicated.

                    A Performance Template can be setup by;

                  1. Creating a Travelling Troupe Performance (just for the purpose of the template)
                  2. Next, go to the performance setup tab >> On the Template Performance Section, check the template performance checkbox and enter a description.
                Diataxis: 

                Duplicating an Event / Play

                To Duplicate and Event/Play, you perform the following steps:
                1. Select Setup >> Plays from Theatre Manager's main menu. Alternatively, click the Play button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                  The Play List window opens.

                2. For more information on finding events, click here.

                3. Highlight the Event / Play you want to duplicate.

                4. Click the Duplicate button.
                5. A duplicate event /play is now available for you to edit.

                6. Open the Duplicate Event/Play for editing.

                You can now change:

                • Information on the Event/Play Information tab
                • Accounting Tab (the information from the play/event should have been duplicated
                • On the Marketing tab, set the genre and make any notes you want to include online.
                1. When you have completed your editing, click the Save button.

                  You can now add your performances on the Performances tab. Click here for more information on adding performances.

                Diataxis: 

                Merchandise Setup (deprecated/Old Way)

                This approach is Deprecated:

                Please do not use this method any more. We suggest using resources and inventory instead.

                You can also have direct links to inventory (like t-shirts) from any web page.

                You can use Theatre Manager to sell merchandise at the Box Office and via the Web by setting up an Event for merchandise sales. To do this, you would perform the following steps:

                1. Create a new map just for merchandise sales. This will be a general admission map so only the information under the description tab will be required.
                2. Build your merchandise event using the merchandise map from above.
                3. Create a performance for each piece of merchandise.

                  Take note of the performance numbers as you build. These will be used in steps below.

                4. Duplicate and edit the tmVenueDefault.html page found in the tmVenue folder.

                  Change the name of the duplicated page to tmVenue**.html where ** represents the map number from Step 1.

                  Edit the content of the page to advertise your merchandise.

                5. Duplicate TMticketsPrice_MapDefault.html and the TMticketsSection_MapDefaultf.html pages.

                  Note the f at the end of the second page.

                  Change the work Default to the Map number from Step 1.

                  Alter the line for the map image within the page to reference the image for the merchandise item. By change the line as outlined before Theatre Manager will reference the image sharing the same item number as the performance number.

                  Locate the following:

                  F_HTML_SEATMAP&selected_only=no&img_quality=75" border="0">

                  The TMticketsPrice_Map page may look like this:

                  F_HTML_SEATMAP&selected_only=yes&selected_border=144&selected_color=007700&img_quality=75" border="0">

                  Replace both with:

                  PB_SEQ.gif" target="window_blank">

                  PB_SEQ.gif" width="392" height="200" border="0">

                  Click on image for larger view

                6. Save pictures of the merchandise in the order of the events. Alter the names of the pictures to say item**.gif where ** represents the performance the item will be sold as. Place these pictures in the tmGIFS folder within the web pages.

                Working with Auction Items

                A number of organizations are now using auctions as a standard fundraiser during the season. Theatre Manager supports the selling of auction items.

                Setup a Donation Campaign - Optional

                Most often items used in the auction are donated by other organizations. By setting up a donation campaign, these items can be tracked and receipts can be issued for the donation.

                1. Setup a donation campaign for the items received.

                  Click here for more information on setting up a donation campaign.

                2. Enter the donations to the Patron record.

                  Use the description field to describe the auction item. Using one of the donor fields, classify the gifts received. Examples of classifications are travel, gourmet, electronics, theatre, etc.

                3. Use 'Gift In-Kind' as the payment method.
                4. Print a report on the donation campaign to have a list of all auction items.

                Setting up the Event with Auction Items

                1. Create a new event called Auction with the season.

                  Click here for more information on creating an event.

                  An example would be Auction 2007.

                2. Create a new performance as 'Sales Method' Auction Item.

                  Click here for more information on adding a performance.

                  Set the 'Quantity to Sell' as the total number of Auction Items available.

                3. Create a new performance as 'Sales Method' General Admission. - Optional

                  An additional performance can be used to track admission to the auction.

                The Night of the Auction

                1. All running bids for auctions will be tracked separately at the tables.
                2. At the end of the auction, pull all the auction tracking forms.
                3. Find the winning patron in the database and sell a ticket to the auction item performance.

                  The ticket order window will have additional information for handling auction items.

                4. Enter the price and description of the item.
                5. Go to the Payment window and place the order 'On Account.'
                6. Repeat Steps 3-5 for each additional auction item.

                  If a patron has won more than one auction item, make sure to add the items to one order.

                7. When the patron comes to the Box Office to pay, go to the order in their Patron record.

                  Orders are stored on the Order tab of the Patron record.

                8. Select the order and then click on the Payment button.

                  A receipt can be printed so the patron has payment verification when they pick up their item from the table.

                Diataxis: 

                Ticket Faces

                With Theatre Manager you can customize ticket faces when printing on BOCA or Practical Automation compatible printers. You can:

                • Select the information to be printed on a ticket
                • Define where the information is printed on the ticket.
                • Determine the size of the fonts printed on the ticket.
                • Assign different ticket faces to different plays.

                The process of creating a customized ticket face does involve some trial and error to align information and font sizes. To access the Ticket faces window you:

                1. Choose Setup >> Ticket Faces from the Main Menu.

                  The Ticket Face List window opens.

                2. Click here for more information on the Ticket Face List window.

                Ticket Face List Window

                The Ticket Face List window displays the listing of the faces for your organization. From this window you can add new ticket faces, edit existing faces, duplicate an existing ticket face, delete ticket faces, print a list of your ticket faces and export the listing.

                Parts of the Ticket Face List Window

                Inserts a new ticket face. For more information on creating new ticket faces click here.
                Opens the selected ticket face for editing. For more information on editing ticket faces click here.
                Creates a duplicate copy of the current ticket face.
                Deletes the selected ticket face. For more information on deleting ticket faces click here.
                Generates a report of all listed ticket faces to the screen or default print location.
                Imports a tmf format ticket face into Theatre Manager.
                Exports a ticket face out of Theatre Manager in a tmf format.
                Merge Merges the selected ticket faces together. All ticket faces that are being merged must be based on the same file for the merge to be allowed.
                Description Search option for the ticket face. Select a search parameter that best suits the ticket face to be located.
                From Starting range of the ticket face search.
                To Ending range of the ticket face search.
                Search button to execute the search.
                Ticket# Unique number assigned by Theatre Manager to track the ticket face.
                Description Name of the ticket face.
                Outlet-Owner Outlet responsible for the ticket face.
                File Name Data the ticket face is composed of.
                Diataxis: 

                Ticket Face Detail Window

                The Ticket Face Detail window displays all of the information about a ticket.

                Parts of the Ticket Face Detail Window

                Inserts a new ticket face. For more information on creating new ticket faces click here.
                Saves changes made to the current ticket face.
                Creates a duplicate copy of the current ticket face.
                Reverts changes made to the ticket face back to the last saved point.
                Deletes the selected ticket face. For more information on deleting ticket faces click here.
                Generates a report of the ticket faces to the screen or default print location.
                Ticket Face# Unique number given to the ticket face by Theatre Manager
                Outlet Outlet responsible for the ticket face.
                Description Name of the ticket face, if it is for a ticket, receipt, renewal notice etc.
                Code used to create the ticket face. For more information on the ticket face code tab click here.
                Equations calculated prior to printing the ticket. For more information on the constants tab click here.
                Additional options for ticket printing. For more information on the options tab click here.
                Adds a line to the bottom of the ticket parameters and opens the Ticket Face Detail window. For more information on the Ticket Face Detail window click here.
                Removes the currently selected lines from the ticket face.
                Ticket DPI Conversion Allows the conversion of the row and column information to a different DPI.
                Enables printing of a sample ticket to the printer. Ensure the printer is correctly set up in the options tab. This is designed to print a sample ticket with sample information. To see an actual ticket with correct information the ticket face number must be entered into the Plays and Dates information for a particular play. Sell tickets to a test patron account and print them as a final test of the ticket design.

                Ticket Face Code Tab

                Parts of the Ticket Face Code Tab

                Row Row the calculation is applied to
                Column The column the calculation is applied to
                Rotation The rotation of the data
                Font The font used to display the data
                Height The height of the characters
                Width The width of the characters
                Calculation Exports the ticket calculations
                Add a line to the ticket face calculations.
                Remove a line from the ticket face calculations.
                Ticket DPI Conversion Allows the conversion of the row and column information to a different DPI.
                Enables printing of a sample ticket to the printer. Ensure the printer is correctly set up in the options tab. This is designed to print a sample ticket with sample information. To see an actual ticket with correct information the ticket face number must be entered into the Plays and Dates information for a particular play. Sell tickets to a test patron account and print them as a final test of the ticket design.

                Constants Tab

                You use constants to add to ticket face equations. Constants replace long lines of equation that need to be repeated or in conjunction with pick statements. A pick statement may read if the constant is not met to print one thing on the ticket but if the constant is met to print something completely different. Constants allow for more editing options and can be used as many times as is needed in the ticket face.

                Parts of the Constants Tab

                Constant #1 First constant equation.
                Constant #2 Second constant equation.
                Constant #3 Third constant equation.
                Constant #4 Fourth constant equation.
                Opens the constant equation window. For more information on creating constants click here.
                Print Ticket Depending on Value of Constant #4 If the value of constant #4 equals zero the ticket face will not print.

                Ticket Face Constants

                You use constants to add to ticket face equations. Constants replace long lines of equation that need to be repeated or in conjunction with pick statements. A pick statement may read if the constant is not met to print one thing on the ticket but if the constant is met to print something completely different. Constants allow for more editing options and can be used as many times as is needed in the ticket face.

                An example of a constant value is:

                • CON(PATRON_FIRST_NAME,' ',PATRON_LAST_NAME).
                • This statement says:

                • Print the patron's first name, a space and the patron's last name.

                Rather then having to type this information several times, CONSTANT1 can be typed to generate the patron's name. A more complicated constant may be used within the ticket face when something other then the regular ticket information is to be printer.

                In addition to acting as a constant, line #4 can be set to require a value equaling something other then zero. If the value of the equation is zero, a ticket will not print. This feature can be used when a ticket is not required if a patron meets specified conditions.

                Adding a Constant

                1. Open the Ticket Face List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the ticket face you are adding a constant to.

                  Single click on a ticket face to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.
                4. Click the Constants tab.

                5. Click the Lookup button.

                  The Constants Detail window opens.

                6. Enter the Constant equation.

                  To enter information under 'Calculation', click on 'Category' drop-down list.

                  Once you have selected an option, click the 'Available Fields' drop-down list.

                  This pop-up menu has two columns.

                  The left column is the fields to be entered and the right column is the sample information. Select a field (for example - company name). The information that appears in the field calculation (D_COMPANY) instructs the printer to put the company name (found in Company Preferences) in this location on the ticket.

                  You can type this information into the field calculation, however, if all event data is typed onto the ticket face, this prevents the tickets from being able to be used for other events. Click here for more information on Calculations.

                7. Click the Save button.

                  The Constant has now been added to the ticket face and can be used in conjunction with other equations.

                Options Tab

                Parts of the Options Tab

                Print to Port

                Printer #1 Option 1 for ticket printing. Any ticket printed using this ticket face will be sent to the printer specified in the hardware setup as printer #1

                This allows you to print a batch of tickets to two printers with different stock in them, depending on the event purchased. Printers do not have to be identical types or models or ports.

                Printer #2 Option 2 for ticket printing. Any ticket printed using this ticket face will be sent to the printer specified in hardware preferences identified as printer #2.

                This allows you to print a batch of tickets to two printers with different stock in them, depending on the event purchased. Printers do not have to be identical types or models or ports - they have to be the same manufacturer.

                Dual Path Printer

                Ticket Printer Path #1 Port 1 on the ticket printer. Select this option if the ticket should print to this port.
                Ticket Printer Path #2 Port 2 on the ticket printer. Select this option if the ticket should print to this port.

                Logo

                This capability is NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE. PCX images must be 1-Bit Black & white (not 24 bit colour or shades of grey). There is no support provided from AMS with the feature.
                Some printers support downloadable pcx graphic files. PCX is is an old black and white graphics format, not often used anymore. You can only use 1-Bit (i.e. black and white) 200 DPI impages and is not as clean as pre-printed logos on tickets. Choosing to have the printer do this affects the printer performance because of the large amount of data required for the image.
                PCX Logo File File name of the logo to be printed on the ticket
                Search button to locate the logo file.
                Opens the logo in it's designated program for viewing.
                Opens the folder the logo resides in.

                Creating a Ticket Face

                1. Open the Ticket Face List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Ticket Face List window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  An empty Ticket Face Detail window will open.

                3. Enter the name for the ticket face in the description field.
                4. Click the Save button.

                5. Click the Add button.

                  The Ticket Face Detail window opens.

                  For more information on the Ticket Face Detail window click here.

                6. Enter a Calculation.

                  To enter information under 'Calculation', click on 'Category' drop-down list. Select an option and click the 'Available Fields' drop-down. The left column of this pop-up contains the fields to be entered and the right column shows sample information. Select a field (for example, company name). The information that appears in the field calculation (D_COMPANY) instructs the printer to put the company name (found in Company Preferences) in this location on the ticket.

                  You can type information directly into the field calculation, however, if all event data is typed onto the ticket face, it can not be used for other events. Click here for more information on Calculations.

                7. Click the Save button.

                  The equation is added to the ticket face.

                8. Click the Constanats tab.

                9. Enter constants as needed.

                10. For example, you need to have your ticket face for a single performance ( the second Saturday) not print the price for that night and the pricing is applicable to 3 promotions.

                  You would enter the Constant PB_SERIES_CODE='2-Sat'+SC_DESCRIPTION='MTP Single Tickets'|SC_DESCRIPTION='Manager Discretion Comp'|SC_DESCRIPTION='Media Comp'

                  For more information on adding constants click here.

                11. After you have entered your constant, click the Save button.
                12. Click the Options tab.

                13. Select the default printer settings for this ticket face.

                  For more information on the Options tab click here.

                14. Click the Ticket Face Code tab.

                15. Click the Save button.

                  The changes to the ticket face have now been saved. Click the Test Ticket button to preview the ticket.

                Editing Ticket Faces

                1. Open the Ticket Face List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Ticket Face List window

                2. Select the search option.

                  Choose from the drop down the most effective search option.

                3. Enter the From and To range.

                4. Click the Search button.

                  A list of ticket faces meeting the search criteria opens.

                5. Select the ticket face you want to change.

                  Single click on a ticket face to select it.

                6. Click the Open button.

                  The Ticket Face Detail window opens.

                7. Make changes to the ticket face as needed.

                  For more information on editing lines in a ticket face click here.

                  Use the Revert to undo changes to the last saved point.

                8. Click the Save button.

                  The changes to the ticket face have now been saved.

                Formatting Ticket Faces

                The best way to determine the effect of changing row, column, font or any other item is to print tickets after changing one or two parameter. To edit the row parameter you perform the following steps:

                1. Double click on a line to open up the Ticket Face Detail window.

                2. Change the row parameter.
                3. Click the Save button.

                  The changes have now been accepted for this line.

                4. Click the Test Ticket button.

                  A sample ticket will print for review.

                Row Placement

                When you are formatting ticket faces, you need to think in Rows and Columns.

                Row

                The number of rows on a ticket face is dependent on the resolution of the ticket printer in dots per inch (DPI). The total number of rows is equal to the total number of dots that could be printed in the height of the ticket. To calculate the total number of rows available, multiply the DPI of the ticket printer, times the height of the ticket. For example:

                • If a printer has 200 DPI resolution, it prints 200 dots per inch. A two inch high ticket will have 400 dots or rows.

                  By entering 300 into the row perimeter, you instruct the printer to start printing the information at the 300th dot, or 1.5 inches from the top of the ticket.

                • If the printer is 100 DPI there are 200 dots in the height.

                  By entering 150 in the row parameter, you instruct the printer to start printing the information at the 150th dot or 1.5 inches from the top of the ticket.

                Column Placement

                The number of columns is dependent on the resolution of the ticket printer in dots per inch (DPI). The total number of columns is equal to the total number of dots that could be printed in the width of the ticket. To calculate the total number of columns available multiply the DPI of the ticket printer times the width of the ticket.
                • If the printer has 200 DPI resolution, it prints 200 dots per inch. A 5 inch wide ticket will have 1000 dots or columns.

                  By entering 300 into the column parameter, you instruct the printer to start printing the information 1.5 inches from the left edge of the ticket.

                • If the printer is 100 DPI there are 500 dots in the width.

                  By entering 150 in the column parameter you instruct the printer to start printing the information 1.5 inches from the left edge of the ticket.

                Font Name

                The fonts you can use are dependent on those built into the printer firmware. Historically, the FGL standard specifies some that are expected to be in any Practical Automation, Boca or Datamax S-Class printer that supports the FGL language. You can see them in the popup list below:

                Beside the name of the font, there is a number bracketed number. This refers to the number of dots (or pixels) in each character.

                A (5 x 7) font means that the font is designed to print each character 5 dots wide and 7 dots high on the ticket face.

                You can alter the size of the font by changing the height or width parameter in the ticket face to make it bigger in one or both directions.

                Font Height

                Height allows you to customize and stretch the font height (in pixels).

                For example:

                • if the font selected is (5 x 7) pixels -and-
                • the height set at 4
                the vertical size of the font will change. The height of the font will be multiplied by 4 and print at 28 instead of 7.

                Font Width

                Width allows you to customize (stretch) the font width (in pixels).

                For example:

                • if the font selected is (5 x 7) pixels -and-
                • the width set at 2
                the final printed size of the font will change. The width of the font will be multiplied by 2 and print at 10 pixels wide instead of 5.

                Font Rotation

                Rotation allows you to print information both horizontally along the ticket and vertically across on the ticket.

                The options are:

                • NR (No Rotation) means no rotation and information is printed horizontally along the ticket face.
                • RL (Rotate 90+) means rotate the text clockwise (to the left) and print from the top to bottom.
                • RR (Rotate 90-) means rotate the text counter clockwise (to the right) and print from the bottom of the ticket to the top.
                • RU (Rotate 180) means print the text upside down on the ticket face.

                Note: the row and column settings indicate where the text starts to print. If you are printing using the rotation RR from bottom to top, then you may wish to have a row that is near the bottom of the ticket (and vice versa for RL)

                Calculation on Ticket

                There are two ways to enter information into the field calculation area of a ticket. You can type the information directly into the field calculation area or use the two pop-ups to select from a list of commonly available fields.

                Both methods can be used to build a ticket. Available fields are divided into several groups.

                Default Data Enables the placement of information about the company contained in the Company Preferences setup. For example, the company name, address, and telephone numbers.
                Theatre Information Enables the placement of information about the Theatre pricing Map associated with the play. For example:
                • the theatre name & address
                • the section/row/seat names.
                • entry zones if you are using those

                With COVID19, you may want to add an entry zone (per the image to the right) which are set up in the pricing map entry zones
                Play Information Enables the placement of information about the Plays and Dates associated with the ticket. For example, the play title, play date and time, and play sponsor.
                Ticket Information Enables the placement of information about the ticket sold to the patron. For example, the price paid, price discounts, and the ticket serial number. The ticket serial number is a unique number generated by Theatre Manager for each ticket.

                The unique number can be printed on any ticket along with the ticket bar code field in ladder format as shown in the picture or as a QR code if using Microcom printers. All you have to do is select the bar code and make sure it prints clearly and entirely on the ticket (but not on a perforation).

                Some interesting ticket calculations:

                Pass/GC/Member Data Enables the placement of information about the pass, gift certificate, or membership sold to the patron. For example, purchase date, expiry date, member type, control number, and online redemption password.
                • The control number is a unique sequential number generated by Theatre Manager for each membership used for tracking purposes.
                • The redemption code is a random 15 character string generated when each pass/GC is sold and should be printed on the 'pass' ticket face if the pass is intended to be redeemed online by somebody other than the patron who purchased it. Note: it can also be printed on a form letter if passes are generated on paper documents. The redemption code cannot be seen on any screen for obvious reasons.
                In other words:
                Order Information Enables the placement of information about the order created when the ticket was sold to the patron. For example, the order date and total order dollar amount outstanding.
                Payment Information Enables the placement of information about the payment made by the patron. For example, payment type, total payment value, and the credit card number.
                Patron Information Enables the placement of information about the patron. For example, the patron name, address, and telephone numbers.
                Donation Information Enables the placement of information about the donation made by the patron. For example, the campaign, donation date, and the total donation amount outstanding.
                Donation Receipt Data Enables the placement of information about the donation receipt as it pertains to donation of a patron. For example, the receipt number, date the receipt was issued and the value of the receipt.
                Miscellaneous Information Enables the placement of printer created information. For example, drawing boxes, drawing lines, and printing the internal ticket printing counter. The internal ticket printer number is a number generated by the printer every time a ticket is printed. If the same ticket is printed 4 times, each ticket will have an unique number.

                Calculation Commands

                Quick reference information for Calculation Commands

                Cheatsheet

                 

                Calculation commands are great if you know the name of the field and you want to manipulate it.

                However, sometimes you may need to add a new field from a pick list in order find the name of what you want.

                The third line of the sample screen C_HOME_PHONE has no formatting in the field calculation.

                This instructs the printer to left justify the home phone of the patron starting in row 15 and column 1040. To justify the phone number place the field in brackets and prefix it with the letters 'jst'. Follow the field (inside the bracket) with a comma and a single quote to start the formatting instructions, enter the formatting instructions, and close with a single quote.

                For example, jst(C_HOME_PHONE,'-8') formats the field calculation to allocate 8 spaces for the home phone number and to right justify when printing.

                String Justification

                String Description Example
                jst ()

                jst(string1,number1,string2,number2,string3,number3,...) Returns a string containing the specified string left or tight justified with sufficient spaces added to make a total length specified by number.

                The jst() function also includes concatenation. If number is negative the resulting string is right justified, if the number is positive the string is left justified; number must be in the range of 1 to 999.

                • jst('This is left justified',30) gives |This is left justified   |
                • jst('This is right justified',-30) gives |  This is right justified|
                ^n (caret) Causes the data to be centered in the field n characters wide.
                • jst('This is centered',^30) gives | This is centered |
                -n (minus) Causes the data to be right justified in a field n characters wide.
                • jst('This is Right',-20) gives |*******This is Right|where * represents spaces
                $ Places a $ sign in front of the data.
                • jst(PS_TOTAL_PAID,'$' gives $12.00 if the ticket price paid was 12.00
                Pc Causes the part of the field not filled by the data to be filled by character c.
                • jst(PS_TOTAL_PAID,'-7P*' gives '**12.00' if the ticket price paid was 12.00
                X Causes the data to be truncated if its length exceeds the field length. The default is not to truncate.
                • jst('abcdef','4') gives 'abcdef'
                • jst('abcdef','4X') gives 'abcd'
                U Causes the data to be converted to upper case.
                • jst('this IS upper Case','U' gives 'THIS IS UPPER CASE'
                L Causes the data to be converted to lower case.
                • jst('this IS lower Case','L' gives 'this is lower case'
                C Causes the data to be capitalized.
                • jst('this IS Capitalized','C' gives 'This Is Capitalized'
                Nnn Causes the data to be treated as a fixed decimal number with nn decimal places.
                • jst(0.235,'N') gives '0.235'
                • jst(0.235,'N2') gives '0.24'
                E Applies to numbers only and displays a blank when the number is zero.
                • jst(0,'N2') gives '0.00'
                • jst(0,'N2E') gives ' '
                , Applies to numbers only and adds commas as number separators.
                • jst(1234,'N2') gives '1234.00'
                • jst(1234,'N2,') gives '1,234.00'

                String Functions

                String Description Example
                cap()

                Returns the capitalized representation of a string, that is, the first letter of each and every word in the string is capitalized.

                • cap('tHeATre MANAGER') returns 'Theatre Manager'
                con(string1, string2, [,string3] ...)

                Returns a string concatenating or combining two or more string values.

                 

                Theatre Manager will build concatenations. Simply select more than one field from the available fields list when editing the field calculation. To format the concatenation simply treat the concatenation as one field calculation.

                • con(C_FIRST_NAME,'/',C_ADDRESS1,'/',C_POSTAL_CODE).

                First name, address, and postal code information together on the same line and places a slash between each item. Formatting is limited to the group of fields linked together.

                • jst(con(MS_SECTION,', Row ',MS_ROW_NUMBER,', Seat ',MS_SEAT_NUMBER),'^38x').

                Centers section, row, and seat number in a space 38 characters wide. A comma and row precede the row number and separate it from the actual number. A comma and seat precede the seat number and separate it from the actual number.

                • jst(con(dtw(PB_PERFORM_DATE),', ',dtm(PB_PERFORM_DATE),dtd(PB_PERFORM_DATE),dtcy(PB_PERFORM_DATE),' Time: ', jst(PB_PERFORM_TIME,'T:h:N A')),'^50')

                Prints 'Saturday, December 21 1998 Time: 8:00 PM'. The printing would be centered in a 50 character space.

                len() Returns the length of the string, that is, number of characters.
                • len('abcd') returns '4'
                • len('abcd') + 15 returns '19'
                low() Returns the lower case representation of a string. Any non-alphabetic characters in the strings are unaffected by low().
                • low('tHeATre MANAGER') returns 'theatre manager'
                • low('1234') returns '1234'
                mid( string, position, length) Returns a substring of a specified length, starting at a specified position, from a larger string. If position is less than 1 it is taken as 1, that is the first character; if it is greater than the length of the string, an empty string is returned. If length is greater than the maximum length of any substring of string starting at position, then the returned substring will be the remainder of string starting at position..
                • mid('Theatre Manager',9,3) returns 'Man'
                • mid('Theatre Manager',9,24) returns 'Manager'
                pos(substring, string) Returns the position of a substring within a larger string. The substring must be contained within string in its entirety for the returned value to be non-zero.
                • pos(' ',J. Smith') returns 2 (the position of the space character)
                • pos('Mouse','Mickey Mouse') returns 8
                • pos('mouse','Mickey Mouse') returns 0 - note the case of the substring
                upp() Returns the upper case representation of a string. Any non-alphabetic characters in the strings are unaffected by low().
                • upp('tHeATre MANAGER') returns 'THEATRE MANAGER'
                • upp('1234') returns '1234'
                • upp(mid(dtw(PB_PERFORM_DATE),1,3)) returns 'MON'
                tStringFields.$splitString( String1, width, segment) Returns the Nth segment from the string string where the string is broken into even word boundaries that are no no longer than width.

                CR's LF's, Tabs are converted to spaces and double spaces are then removed from within the string.

                example: tStringFields.$splitString(P_PLAY_TITLE,1)

                will take a long string like P_PLAY_TITLE and find entire words within the width of 40 characters and return only those.

                eg, for a title like:

                • The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night Time
                • 40 characters is: The Curious Incident of the Dog In the N
                • The last space before the 40th character is the space before the 'N'
                • segment #1 is: The Curious Incident of the Dog In the
                • Segment #2 is: Night Time
                this can let you split titles and orient them dynamically on a ticket
                tTicket.$getReceipt( Pixels) Prints a Moneris EMV receipt on the ticket printer using the font and rotation indicates. The receipt starts printing at the row and column specified. Each successive line will be separated by the number of DPI in the parameter. This function is best if it is the only thing in the calculation. If the payment was not taken through a Moneris EMV machine, you will want to print regular payment information instead. A sample payment receipt has been created for you that you can import which handles both EMV and internet credit card receipts in one ticket face.

                Date/Time Functions

                The date/time functions operate on a datestring to return date values or strings representing some part of a date/time. A datestring is a string recognizable as a date using a date format.

                String Description Example
                dat(datestring| number [,dateformat])

                Converts a datestring or number to a date value using a second optional argument, a dateformat string. The date formatting string can be composed of the following symbols:

                • Y Year 98 (no century)
                • y Year 1998 (with century)
                • C Century 19
                • m Month short form (JUN)
                • M Month number (06)
                • n Month long form (June)
                • D Day of month (12)
                • d Day of month (12th)
                • W Day of week (5)
                • w Day of week long form (Friday)
                • V Day of week short form (FRI)
                • E Day of year (between 1 and 366)
                • G Week of Year (between 1 and 52)
                • F Week of Month (between 1 and 6)
                • dat('Dec 21 11','MDY') returns '122111'
                • dat('Dec 21 11','D m Y') returns '21 DEC 11'
                • dat('Dec 21 11','w, d n, y') returns 'Wednesday, 21st December, 1911'
                • dat('Dec 21 98','V m D Y') returns 'WED DEC 21 98'
                dim(datestring,number)

                Increments a datestring by a number of months. Months containing different numbers of days are accounted for.

                Jan 31 96 increased by one month gives Feb 29 96, but beware, Feb 29 96 decreased by one month (using a negative number) returns Jan 29 96, not Jan 31 96.

                • dim(dat('Dec 21 98',3)) returns 'Mar 21 99'
                dtcy(datestring)

                Returns the year and century of a datestring as a string.

                • dtcy(dat('Dec 21 98')) returns '1998'
                dtd(datestring) Returns the day part of a datestring unless it is part of a calculation when it is returns as a number.
                • dtcy(dat('Dec 21 98')) returns '21st'
                • dtcy(dat('Dec 21 98')) + 0 returns '21'
                • dtcy(dat('Dec 21 98')) + 1 returns '22'
                dtm(datestring) Returns the month part of a datestring.
                • dtm(dat('Dec 21 98')) returns 'December'
                dtw(datestring) Returns the week part of a datestring.
                • dtw(dat('Dec 21 98')) returns 'Monday'
                • upp(mid(dtw(PB_PERFORM_DATE),1,3)) returns 'MON'
                dty(datestring) Returns the year part of a datestring.
                • dtcy(dat('Dec 21 98')) returns '98'
                tim(timestring[,timeformat])

                Converts a timestring to a time value using a second optional argument, a timeformat string. The time formattinG string can be composed of the following symbols:

                • H Hour (between 0 and 23)
                • h Hour (between 1 and 12)
                • N Minutes
                • S Seconds
                • s Hundredths
                • A AM/PM
                • tim('13:25:57','h:N A')) returns '1:15 PM'
                • tim('13:25:57','h:N.S A')) returns '1:15.57 PM'

                Lookup Functions

                The lookup functions provide a method for selecting items from a list of values.

                String Description Example
                max(value1[,value2]...)

                 Returns the maximum value from the list of values. The values should all be numbers when numeric comparison is used or all strings when string comparison is used.

                • max(3,6,2,7) returns '7'
                • max('dagger','dog','digger') returns 'dog'
                min(value1[,value2]...) Returns the minimum value from the list of values. The values should all be numbers when numeric comparison is used or all strings when string comparison is used.
                • min(3,6,2,7) returns '2'
                • min('dagger','dog','digger') returns 'dagger'
                 pick(number,value0,value1,[value2]...)

                Selects an item from a list of string or numeric values. The number argument is rounded to an integer and used to select the item. value0 is returned if the result is 0, value1 if the result is 1, value2 if the result is 2, and so on. If the number is less than zero or greater than the number of values in the list, then an empty value is returned. The list of values can be a mixture of string and numeric values.

                • pick(2,'A','B','C','D') returns 'C'
                • pick(2>4,'A','B','C','D') returns 'A', as 2 is not greater than 4, thus it is False, where False equals 0.
                • pick(2<4,'A','B','C','D') returns 'B', as 2 is less than 4, thus it is True, where True equals 1.
                • pick(pos('A','DEF')>0,'Price Not Found','Price Found') returns 'Price Not Found'
                • pick(pos('A','ABC'),'Price Not Found','Price A','Price B','Price C') returns 'Price A'

                Number Functions

                String Description Example
                abs(number)

                Returns the magnitude of a real number ignoring its positive or negative sign.

                • abs(1002) returns '1002'
                • abs('-203.45') returns '203.45'
                • abs('12ABC') returns '0'
                int(number)

                 Returns the integer part of a number; it does not round to the nearest integer.

                • int(23.1056) returns '23'
                • int('-2.66') returns '-2'
                • abs(int('-2.66')) returns '2'
                mod(number1,number2) Returns the remainder of a number division, that is, when number1 is divided by number1 to produce a remainder; it is a true modulus function.
                • mod(6,4) returns '2'
                • mod(6,4) returns '2'
                • mod(9,1.5) returns '0'
                rnd(number,dp) 

                Rounds a number to a specified number of decimal places by dp .

                • rnd(2.105693,2) returns '2.11'
                • rnd(0.5,0) returns '1'

                Labels

                Entering a label, or string of characters that will be the same on every ticket, is accomplished by placing the label in single quotes.

                Ontario Face Value Requirements for Ticket Price

                On July 1, 2018, Ontario (Canada) introduced a law regarding the primary/secondary ticket market. While it has direct applicability to Ontario, it might also be of benefit to other locales.

                • The content of the 'Fave Value' of a ticket is set up in Company Preferences->Ticket Options
                • For e-tickets, the display of the face value is enabled in the Web Options Tab. if set, then print at home tickets and web carts will automatically show the face value along with final price.
                • There is a ticket face calculation (illustrated below) that calculates the Face Value for the ticket face prior to printing it. All you need to do is include it on your ticket faces. where desired

                Adding Face Value field to a ticket face

                • add a new calculation to the ticket face
                • Select Ticket Information as the category
                • Select Sale Price (using Face Value calculation) to insert the field into the ticket face
                • Place the face value field where you want it on the ticket and save
                • Make sure to test your ticket
                • Repeat for all affected tickets.

                QR Codes and Printer Compatibility

                As of September 2021, we are aware of two ticket printers that can print QR codes on the ticket face:
                • Any Microcom ticket printer manufactured 2018 or later. (any purchased from Arts Management will certainly work)
                • Any Boca printer with FGL language version 46 or later. You many need to talk to Boca to make sure - the firmware comparability list is below

                Practical Automation does not support QR codes at time of writing and older printers are not field upgradeable.

                Sample Ticket with QR code

                 

                Inserting QR code into a Ticket Face

                To add a QR code to a ticket face, you need to make sure that the area yo want to print it on is big enough and is high contrast.. Usually that means an ALL-WHITE stub area. If the area you chose to print the QR code on has darker coloured background you may find scanning times increased.

                The steps are:

                1. Insert a new calculation line in your ticket face.
                2. Select Ticket Information from the Categories field
                3. Select QR code from the Available Fields in the image to the right.
                  • That will add the correct calculation to your ticket face as per the image below
                  •  

                    If you are using a Boca printer you will need to update the default QR code with additional characters. Where the default code looks like:

                    con('<QR6,1,1,2>ticket=',PS_SEQ,'~010patron=',PS_C_SEQ,'~010')

                    backets will need to be added to the con statement following the QR references to make the code look like this:

                    con('<QR6,1,1,2>{ticket=',PS_SEQ,'~010patron=',PS_C_SEQ,'~010}')

                4. Change the Column to about 890 or so - so that it prints on the stub. The ticket example above uses 890 in the ticket face code shown in the next diagram.
                5. The Row might need to be adjusted a little to move the QR code away from the edge of the ticket and center it across the narrow part of the ticket. The ticket example above uses 100 in the ticket face code shown in the next diagram.
                6. You may need to remove some of the other fields that are on the stub area of the ticket face
                7. Test the ticket face with QR code
                  • Do a test print to see that it works
                  • Do a test scan of the ticket using your scanners to see that it works. Working only means that the scan is successful and that the ticket will likely be rejected as not being sold, or not for this day, etc
                8. Adjust the ticket face as necessary and reprint and retest

                 

                Sample QR Code from the above ticket exmaple

                 

                Explaining the QR code format

                <QR#,#,#,#>{barcode text}

                NOTE: You should not change the parameters in the QR code without talking to AMS support. Only adjust the position of the QR code on the ticket face using the Row and Column settings.

                All of the Quick Response (QR) bar code command parameters are optional. If omitted default values will be used. The QR command and the barcode text is all that is required. For example the command {Arts Management} will create a Quick Response 2D barcode for the text “Arts Management” using all default values.

                The Parameters, explained in order, are:

                • Point Size - between 3 and 16
                • Apply Tilde - either 0 or 1
                • Encode Mode - either 0,1, or 2
                • Error Correction Level - between 0 and 3
                • {Barcode text}
                Point size we have found that '4' to '6' are suitable sizes for a bar code on a ticket stub
                Apply Tilde When Apply Tilde is equal to 1, the tilde (~) may be used to recognize some special characters in the input data.
                • If set to 1, you can use the format ~ddd if you want to specify the ASCII code of the character to be encoded. Default is off. For example
                  • If you enter the following text in the Data field: ~029AB you will actually be encoding GSAB where GS is a delimiter ASCII 29 character. This can be used in a single string to encode GS and RS characters (GS = ASCII 29 and RS = ASCII 30). Other commonly used ASCII codes are ~009 for a tab and ~013 which is a return function. These are useful when encoding multiple fields in a single symbol.
                  • Theatre Manager Linea Pro Scanners use ~010 to represent a new line between data values and this cannot not be changed.

                    1 is the default for Theatre Manager and is required

                Encode Mode The data represented in the symbol may be compressed by changing the encoding mode, if certain text is being encoded. Valid values are:
                • 0 for Byte (upper and lower case letters)
                • 1 for Alpha-Numeric (upper case letters only) - default for theatre Manager
                • 2 for Numeric
                Error Correction The level of Reed Solomon error correction level placed in the symbol. More error correction creates a larger symbol that can withstand more damage. Valid values are:
                • 0 for Level M, 15% recovery capacity
                • 1 for Level L, 7% recovery capacity
                • 2 for Level H, 30% recovery capacity - default for Theatre Manager - may be changed.
                • 3 for Level Q, 25% recovery capacity
                {barcode text} Do not change any values in this - otherwise ticket scanning will not work.

                QR Code for Scanning Gifted Tickets

                Scanning tickets that have been gifted to another patron in the database require the gifted patron number be included in the QR code inserted on the Ticket Face. The existing ticket face with a QR code can be updated to include the gifted patron number:

                 

                1. Open the existing Ticket Face that has a QR code

                2. Locate the line of code in the Ticket Face that looks like this:

                  con('<QR6,1,1,2>{ticket=',PS_SEQ,'~010patron=',PS_C_SEQ,'~010}')

                3. Double-click to open this line of code.
                4. Replace the entire code with this updated version:

                  con('<QR6,1,1,2>{ticket=',PS_SEQ,'~010patron=',pick(PS_INTENDED_FOR_C_SEQ>0,PS_C_SEQ,PS_INTENDED_FOR_C_SEQ),'~010}')

                 

                Any tickets that have previously been Gifted and printed prior to updating the ticket face code can be unprinted and reprinted. This will ensure they can be scanned at the time of entry.

                Exporting Ticket Faces

                1. Open the Ticket Faces List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the ticket face to be exported.

                  Single click on a ticket face to select it.

                3. Click the Export button.

                  The Export Ticket Face dialog opens for your operating system.

                4. Browse to the location to save the file.
                5. Give the file a unique name the file.
                6. Click the Save button.

                  The ticket face will be exported as a .tmf file to the specified location.

                Diataxis: 

                Adding Accented Letters to a Ticket Face

                Printing accented letters on tickets limits you to using Font F13.

                This means for any field that has an accented letter within it, the line must use font F13 (other lines of coding can be any other font you wish). This is the only available font within the default language for the ticket printer that uses the extended ASCII character set.

                Click here to download a table of Font 13 codes or refer to the table at the bottom of this help page.

                Why don't thermal printers support accents in all fonts?

                Automatic printing of French or other European characters is not easily done using ticket printers. To understand why, is a bit of a trip through computer history. ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding system based on the English Alphabet. ASCII codes represent text in computers, communications equipment, printers and any other device that uses text. ASCII first came from telegraphic codes. Its first commercial application was a code for teleprinters. It began in the 1960s and the last update to the character set was in 1986. It was the standard world wide until 2008 when it was surpassed by UTF-8.

                As computer technology spread, the ASCII character set spread with it and the Europeans decided to get creative and put some accented characters in some of the empty slots in the character set -- where these characters was not standardized into the exteneded ASCII set until the 1970's. Because of this the characters are non-standard and their placement in the listing in irregular.

                Because this was a large problem, they invented UTF-8 (about 1992 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTF-8) , the universal character set. UTF 8 is designed to hold 2 billion plus character combinations, including the entire Chinese character set. All new computers, realizing that foreign language is a benefit, support this. Theatre Manager is fully UTF8 -- you can put accented characters into the database. You can print them on reports. You can add them to emails. all those products also understand UTF8 so characters are no issue.

                Unfortunately, it is not the same for the ticket printers. Ticket printers do not understand UTF 8. They are limited to ASCII and a few variations. The only font supplied with the printers is the extended ASCII set in Font 13. Click here to access the Practical Automation Printer manual.

                 

                How to use FONT 13 to get accented characters

                In some instances, a Play or Event title or other piece of information you need to print on a ticket face, includes an accented letter. The following instructions will allow you to make that edit.

                1. Chose Setup --> Ticket Faces to open the Ticket Face List Window.

                  For more information on the click here.

                2. In order to have accented characters appear on a ticket face, you will need to HARD CODE the accent onto the ticket face. For Example, to have Théatre appear on a ticket face,

                3. Create a new ticket face, or a duplicate of an exiting ticket face.

                  This will allow you to continue using the original ticket face for your events that do not require any accented characters. For more information on designing ticket faces, please click here.

                4. Double-click the line of ticket face code to edit to include the accented text.

                  This opens the Ticket Face Detail window for that line of code.

                  For information about formatting ticket faces, click here.

                5. Select Font F13 from the Font Drop Down Menu. .

                  Selection of any font, other than F13, will print "?" for the character. Any other fonts available do not reference the extended ASCII character set.

                6. Click here to download a table of Font 13 codes.

                7. Enter the Code con(chr(128),'a devrait 'chr(136)'tre moi')

                  To add the title:Ça devrait être moi

                8. Font 13 Characters and Numbers

                  Click here to download a table of Font 13 codes.

                  DecCharDescriptionDecCharDescription
                  128
                  Ç
                  Latin upper case C with cedilla192
                  Graphic Character
                  129
                  ü
                  Latin lower case u with diaeresis193
                  "
                  130
                  é
                  Latin lower case e with acute194
                  "
                  131
                  â
                  Latin lower case a with circumflex195
                  "
                  132
                  ä
                  Latin upper case A with circumflex196
                  "
                  133
                  à
                  Latin lower case a with grave197
                  "
                  134
                  å
                  Pilcrow sign198
                  ã
                  Latin lower case a with tilde
                  135
                  ç
                  Latin lower case c with cedilla199
                  Ã
                  Latin upper case A with tilde
                  136
                  ê
                  Latin lower case e with circumflex200
                  Graphic Character
                  137
                  ë
                  Latin lower case e with umlaut201
                  "
                  138
                  è
                  Latin lower case e with grave202
                  "
                  139
                  ï
                  Latin lower case i with umlaut203
                  "
                  140
                  î
                  Latin lower case i with circumflex204
                  "
                  141
                  ì
                  Double low line205
                  "
                  142
                  Ä
                  Latin upper case A with grave206
                  "
                  143
                  Å
                  Section sign207
                  "
                  144
                  É
                  Latin upper case E with acute208
                  ð
                  Latin lowercase eth
                  145
                  æ
                   ligature209
                  Ð
                  Latin uppercase Eth
                  146
                  Æ
                  Latin upper  ligature210
                  Ê
                  Latin upper case E with circumflex
                  147
                  ô
                  Latin lower case o with circumflex211
                  Ë
                  Latin upper case E with umlat
                  148
                  ö
                  Latin lower case o with umlaut212
                  È
                  Latin upper case E with accent
                  149
                  ò
                  Latin lower case o with grave213
                  Latin lower case dotless i
                  150
                  û
                  Latin lower case u with circumflex214
                  Í
                  Latin upper case I with accent
                   151
                  ù
                  Latin lower case u with grave215
                  Î
                  Latin upper case I with circumflex
                  152
                  ÿ
                  Latin lower case y with umlaut216
                  Ï
                  Latin upper case I with umlaut
                  153
                  Ö
                  Latin upper case O with umlaut217
                  Graphic Caracter
                  154
                  Ü
                  Latin upper case U with umlaut218
                  "
                  155
                  ø
                  Small slashed zero219
                  "
                  156
                  £
                  Pound Sign220
                  "
                  157Ø Large slashed zero 221
                  "
                  158
                  x
                  Times222
                  Ì
                  Latin upper case I with grave
                  159
                  ƒ
                  Latin lower case f with hook223
                  Graphic Character
                  160
                  á
                  Latin lower case a with acute224
                  Ó
                  Latin upper case O with accent
                  161
                  í
                  Latin lower case i with acute225
                  ß
                  Eszett or Sharp S
                  162
                  ó
                  Latin lower case o with acute226
                  Ô
                  Latin upper case O with circumflex
                  163
                  ú
                  Latin lower case u with acute227
                  Ò
                  Latin upper case O with grave
                  164
                  ñ
                  Latin lower case n with tilde228
                  õ
                  Latin lower case O with tilde
                  165
                  Ñ
                  Latin upper case N with tilde229
                  Õ
                  Latin upper case O with tilde
                  166ªfeminine ordinal indicator 230
                  µ
                  Micro sign
                  167
                  º
                  Degree Symbol231
                  þ
                  Lower case letter Thorn
                  168
                  ¿
                  Inverted Question Mark232
                  Þ
                  Upper case letter Thorn
                  169®Registered Trade Mark - note it is not the 'tm' symbol233
                  Ú
                  Latin upper case U with acute
                  170
                  ¬
                  Not sign234
                  Û
                  Latin upper case U with circumflex
                  171
                  ½
                  Fraction one half235
                  Ù
                  Latin upper case U with grave
                  172
                  ¼
                  Fraction one quarter236
                  ý
                  Latin lower case y with acute
                  173
                  ¡
                  Reversed Exclamation Mark237
                  Ý
                  Latin upper case Y with acute
                  174
                  «
                  Left-pointing double angle quotation mark238
                  Graphic character
                  175
                  »
                  Right-pointing double angle quotation mark239
                  "
                  176
                   
                  Graphic character 240
                  "
                  177 " 241
                  "
                  178
                   
                  " 242
                  "
                  179 " 243
                  "
                  180 " 244
                  "
                  181
                  Á
                  Latin upper case A with acute245
                  "
                  182
                  Â
                  Latin upper case A with circumflex246
                  "
                  183
                  À
                  Latin upper case A with grave247
                  "
                  184©Copyright248
                  "
                  185
                   
                  Graphic Character 249
                  "
                  186 " 250
                  "
                  187
                   
                  " 251
                  "
                  188
                  " 252
                  189
                  ¢
                  Cent Sign253
                  "
                  190
                  ¥
                  Yen254
                  "
                  191
                  Graphic Character 255
                  "

                Adding Quotes to Text on a Ticket Face

                There are times when the text on a Ticket Face may be required to appear in quotes. This can be done with the use of single quotes around a set of double quotes. An example would be:

                ' "I have quotes" '

                The text opens and closes with single quotes. Within the single quote are double quotes that will appear on the ticket as a part of the text. You can have as many double quotes as are required within the single quotes.

                Deleting a Ticket Face

                Once a ticket face has been deleted, it is gone. If a particular ticket face is not useful at present, you can mark it inactive by removing the check from the Active box on the Ticket Face Detail Window for that ticket face.

                To delete a ticket face, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Ticket Faces List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                2. Select the ticket face to delete.

                  Single click on a ticket to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The delete confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The ticket face is removed from Theatre Manager.

                Accented Characters and Ticket Faces

                Tickets, whether they are being printed to a Practical Automation, BOCA, Datamax or other printer, utilize a programming language known as FGL (Friendly Ghost Language).

                FGL will print some accented characters, however, it will only print in Font F13. Since Font F13 is generally impractical for text usage on an entire ticket face, and to allow clients to use the entire range of fonts provided by Practical Automation/BOCA printers, Theatre Manager strips accents before it sends the ticket data to the ticket printer.

                In order to have accented characters appear on a ticket face, you will need to HARD CODE the accent onto the ticket face. For Example, to have Théatre appear on a ticket face,

                • Start by creating a new ticket face, or a duplicate of an exiting ticket face. This will allow you to continue using the original ticket face for your events that do not require any accented characters. For more information on designing ticket faces, please click here.
                • Make a line that says "Theatre" on the ticket face.
                • And a second line that says "`" (that's an accent).
                • Place the accent appropriately on the face so it appears over the e.

                This will work for hard coded words, but not for database generated fields such as names.

                So while Theatre Manager can print the accented é to a regular printer (for reports and such), it will not print to a ticket printer because of the print language used by the printer.

                For Macintosh alternate keys (for non-ticket printing usage) click here.

                For PC alternate keys (for non-ticket printing usage) click here.

                Mail Lists Setup

                Although Mail Lists does technically fall under System Setup, the category itself is so big and so often used by clients, it has it's own place in Theatre Manager's Online Help. Click here to access Mail Lists help.

                System Tables

                Many setup items fall under the System Tables category. Most of the customizable or drop-down fields that must be populated in Theatre Manager fall under System Tables. Please find links to all of these items below.

                Code Tables

                Code Tables are used to control the values selected in user defined fields. The values entered for each Code Table category appear in a Drop Down, Pop Up field, or Calculated fields. You can add new values to the Code Tables, when nessesary, and you create as many values for the Code Tables your company requires.

                You access the Code Tables through the Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables Menu.

                The Code Table Data Window opens.

                Diataxis: 

                Inserting Values

                To insert a value into an existing code table, you perform the following steps:

                1. In the left column of the Code Tables Data window, highlight the table you want to insert a new value.
                2. Click the New button in the Code Tables Data window ribbon bar.

                  The Code entry dialog opens.

                3. Enter the new code.
                4. Set the status of the new code.

                  When inserting, the default is always "Active".

                5. Click the Save button.

                  The new code is now saved and added to the code table.

                Diataxis: 

                Editing Values in a Code Table

                You can edit the value of a entry in a code table but by changing it you will be changing all records which used the previous value.

                1. Double Click the value you would like to edit.

                2. Change the value as needed and click the Save button.

                  The value will be changed in the code table and on all records which contained that value.

                Diataxis: 

                Changing Value Status

                Changing the status of a code table value is a good way to remove a value from use temporarily.

                To change the status of a Code Table value, you perform the following steps:
                1. Select the Code Table and Table Etrey value you would like to change the status of.

                2. Click either the Activate or Inactivate Buttons depending on which status you would like to change the value of.
                Diataxis: 

                Setting or Removing a Default Value

                Some code tables allow setting up a default value to be used when inserting a new record into Theatre Manager. For example, if the salutation code table had a default value of "Mr. and Mrs." This feature reduces the amount of time it takes to input information into Theatre Manager. Values that do not change each time a new record is inserted can be predefined.

                Setting a Default

                1. Select the value from the appropriate code table.

                  Single click the value to highlight it.

                2. Click the Set Default button.

                  A bullet should now appear beside the value, signifing the default code table value.

                Removing a Default

                1. Select the default value from the appropriate code table

                  Single clicking the value to highlight it. This will be the value that is marked by the bullet.

                2. Click the Remove Default Button

                  The default should now be removed. If the bullet has disappeared the process was successful. There is no longer a default value.

                Diataxis: 

                Merging Code Table Values

                Merging Code Table Values can take some time as it depends on how many values you are merging and the number of times they have been merged. Make a backup of your database before you perform a merge on code table data. Click Here to learn how.

                1. Select the values that you would like to merge.

                2. Click the Merge button.

                  The Duplicate Search Options Window will open.

                3. Select the value you would like to merge all data into then click Merge

                  A Warning Window will open asking you to confirm the merge.

                4. Click Yes to continue with the merge.
                Diataxis: 

                Deleting Values

                To determine if you can delete data from a code table, check the Delete Button. If the button is inaccessable (greyed out) no data can be removed from the table. Once a code has been assigned to a record it cannot be deleted. If you want to prevent further use of an value, and you can not delete it, disable it. Click here for more information in changing the status of a vaule.

                To delete a value, you perform the following steps:

                1. Choose the code value to be deleted

                  Do this by single clicking the value.

                2. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete a Record confirmation dialog opens.

                3. Click the Delete button to complete the deletion

                  The Value is now be deleted and has been removed from the table.

                Diataxis: 

                Reloading Table Values

                When you launch Theatre Manager, the current values from the Code Tables are loaded into memory. Adding new values or editing existing values does not reload the values stored in memory for other employees currently logged onto Theatre Manager. To see any changes made, all users need to re-launch Theatre Manager to see all changes made by other users updated in memory.

                To reload all the changes made to the code tables, you need to perform the following steps:

                1. Close Theatre Manager.
                2. Start Theatre Manager.

                  Any changes made to the code tables will be visible and available.

                Diataxis: 

                Code Table Options

                The pages that follow provide specific details about the various options available inside Code Tables.
                Diataxis: 

                Access groups

                Security levels or Access groupings define functional groups of people as per the examples in the screen below. These access groups can be
                • As broad as a department
                • As specific as a person or two

                To use this feature, you need to do three things:

                • Create a list of departments of access groups to suit your needs in this code table
                • Assign an employee to one or more access groups
                • Assign a specific record to one or more groups using the access field on each record. If the employee matches any one of the groups, they will be able to see the data. This applies to:
                  • Donation records
                  • Ticket Sales
                  • Ticket Reporting
                  • Tasks
                  • Mail Lists
                  • Donation Campaigns
                  • Play Access
                  • Performance Access
                  • Volunteer Activities
                  • and more
                Diataxis: 

                Using Access Groups

                Certain types of records within Theatre Manager may need restrictions as to who can view/edit them. If this is the case you will see a field on the screen labelled 'Access' as per the first image.

                When you click on the popup, there are 3 options to choose from and which are explained below. These security access groupings are defined in code tables and need to be assigned to an employee.

                All Groups If you have access to all groups (form employee prefernces) or if the current record allows access by all employees, you will be able to set that 'all groups' have access.

                This setting means that anybody may view or edit this particular record.

                My Access The setting allows you to change the access of the current record to provide at least the same access that you have.

                You cannot remove groups that you do not have access to, so that means if you only are assigned the box office and finance groups, and the existing record has box office and marketing, marketing will still have access.

                Custom If you select this option, you will see a floating window like the image below. You will only see groups to which you are assigned and you can indicate which ones other employees will need to access the record.

                If there are groups to which you do not belong and that are part of the security for this record, you will neither see them, nor be able to change them and they will always be put back onto the security string.

                This means you can

                • give or take away access to groups you belong to
                • but not groups that you do not.

                Diataxis: 

                Country

                The Countries in the code table list appear in the Country drop down list in the Patron window, Default Data, Maps, Web Sales, and other places using the Country drop down list in Theatre Manager.

                You can shorten the list by setting countries to inactivate, or if a country is not a 'System' country, it can be deleted from the code table. If a country is not in the Code Table, it can be added.

                For 'System' countries, Theatre Manager has built in controls for phone numbers, postal codes, and more. Currently these are:

                • Canada
                • USA
                • Australia
                • New Zealand
                • Depending on the region, defaults can be set. For more information on setting a country as a default in the Company Defaults, click here.

                  For more information on how to access the Country table click here.

                  For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Course Attendance Reasons

                Course Attendance Reasons must be setup in Setup > >System Tables >> Code Tables before they can be used in Courses.

                The field settings are:

                • Attendance Reason - this is a short description to appear online in the patrons' attendance record. Examples: 'away' or 'sick'
                • Expanded Description - is a longer description for lists for the attendance reason. Examples:
                  • 'cannot attend - personal reason' or
                  • 'caught the current flu going around'
                • set the status to be active or in active
                • indicate that the attendance reason as being patron usable. If this flag is set, then a patron can use this excuse to set their own attendance to a class within a course using the online module. For example, if a student could not attend one day in a drama class, ballet class, swim class or pilates session they can indicate why they cannot come so that the instructor knows who will be present that day.

                Staff can use all reasons that are active, including those that are marked not patron usable

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                To see where and how Course Attendance Reason is used in Courses, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Course Level

                Course Levels must be set up in Setup> > System Tables >>Code Tables before they can be used in Courses and Report Cards.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Course Report Card Categories

                Report Card Categories also have to be setup before Report Cards can be used. Go to Setup>>System Tables>>Code Tables to find Report Card Categories and assign values to it.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Course Report Card Ratings

                Just like Categories, Report Card Ratings have to be defined in Code Tables before they can be used. Go to Setup>>System Tables>>Code Tables to find Report Card Ratings and assign values to it.

                For instructions on assigning values to Code Tables, click here.
                Diataxis: 

                Default Posting Accounts

                Specific general ledger asset and income accounts are required to be defined prior to Creating Sales Entries and performing Deposits.

                Refer to the section General Ledger Accounts to create the account information. Click here for more information.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Because these code table values are defaulted, you may not insert a new default account or delete an existing account, however, you can edit an existing account. The result values are the types of default accounts that must be set up in Theatre Manager.

                You must assign a General Ledger Account number to each of the defaulted values. The general ledger accounts you use must be created to carry out the sole purpose of the default value.

                For example: Once you have an accounts receivable account, that account will only be used as an accounts receivable account.

                Note: The donation main bank account and the transfer bank account have special meaning cannot be the same.

                Refer to the help on setting up Restricted Donation Accounts for more information.

                 

                Editing a Default Account

                The default accounts should not need to be edited or changed very often. There may be times which you need to.

                For example: When upgrading Theatre Manager, sometimes new default accounts are added, or you may desire to change the account numbers on a yearly basis. Before editing a default account ensure that there is a general ledger account number that is set up.

                Refer to Creating General Ledger Accounts for more information.

                1. Double click on the account to be edited.

                  The Entry of Account Description Window opens.

                2. Enter the G/L account number.

                  If you do not already have a general ledger account number setup in G/L accounts do so now. Entering a G/L Account number here, will assign a general ledger account to the default account in code tables.

                  For example: The default account "Exchange Fees" is assigned the G/L Account # 4 - 2000 - 200. Therefore all revenue generated from exchange fees will be posted to that account number.
                3. Enter an account purpose (or description).

                  This field should be already filled in. You may change the name if you like, but it is not recommended.

                4. Click Save

                  The changes have now been saved.

                Diataxis: 

                Special accounts for Outlet Setup

                Please take care setting up the accounts below. They are design to act like 'revolving accounts' for sales an receivables. If set up properly, the periodic outlet balancing process should be relatively straight forward.
                Account Purpose Account Type Description and what happens in your outlet What happens in the other outlet
                A/R Ticket Sales Other Outlets Owe You Asset If you allow another outlet to sell your tickets, an entry will be made to this account for the amount that they owe you. This is why it is normally an Asset account (receivables)

                The offset account for the tickets will be the accounts in the accounting tab of the event setup window

                The other outlet will have taken the payment for the tickets and they will owe you money.
                • The payment is debited the asset accounts (in their books) that they have set up in the payment code tables under their outlet.
                • The offsetting credit will be their A/P Ticket Sales owed to other outlets. This is described below.
                In general, tickets the other outlet sells is owed to you, less commissions.
                A/R Commissions owed from other outlets Asset When you sell tickets for another outlet, you can receive a commission for the sale (if they set one up in Commission Setup

                The amount that the other outlet owes you

                • is debited in this receivables account
                • and is credited to the special Commission Income account (below)
                Commission setup has an accounting tab.

                When a commission is owed to an outlet, the accounts in the commission tab are used for the outlet:

                • Commission Cost of Sales is Debited
                • Outlet Payable Account is Credited
                A/P Ticket Sales owed to other outlets Liability This is the account used to track money you owe to the other outlet after selling one of their tickets. It is the reverse of the description of the 'A/R Tickets sales other outlets owe you' under the last column - what happens in the other outlet. Essentially, your outlet:
                • puts money for the sale into your bank
                • owes the other outlet
                This is also the reverse of the description of the 'A/R Tickets sales other outlets owe you' under the third column - what happens in your outlet other outlet.
                Commission Income from all other outlets Income When you sell a ticket for another outlet, any commission due to you is offset into this account. (see 'A/R Commissions owed from other outlets - fourth column') When another outlet sells your ticket, the commission payable is placed into the account in the commission setup. (see 'A/R Commissions owed from other outlets - third column')
                Diataxis: 

                Donation Campaign Category

                The Donation Category Code Table values are displayed in the Description Tab on the Donation Campaign set up window and are used to categorize donations for online sales.

                items appear online in the sort order (alphabetical) and the external name is used to categorize and provide headers for each group. You can access various categories online using direct links in emails or web pages

                Suggested values to enter into this code table for external name are:

                • Gifts to Capital Campaign
                • Donations to Individual Campaigns
                • Support our Educational outreach

                There are 3 fields:

                • External Name - see above
                • Internal Name - which can be the same as external name, or if you prefer a different set of names, for internal use, enter them instead
                • Sort order - which is the order in which the categories will be displayed online. You may want this to be different than the alphabetical sort order of the names for marketing purposes. Eg, Individual Donations are in the middle of the alphabet, but you may want them to be first in the online web page, so make the sort order for this a a '1' and for Gift Certificates, make that a 2 or a 3, etc.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Donor Asset Types

                Donor Asset Types must be set up in Setup> > System Tables >>Code Tables before they can be used in the Patron Management Assets tab (for statistics).

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Donor Giving Capacity

                The Donor Giving Capacity values are displayed on the Donor Tab on the Patron Window. Click here for more information on the Donor Tab.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Donor Moves Management

                The Code Table Moves Management is used to track interactions with Donors and Potential Donors. Moves Management can be used to track Patrons as relationships are built, donations given and contributions increase.

                Click here for more information on the Donor Tab.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Donor#1 Popup Field

                The Donor 1,2,3 pop-up code tables represent the values under the Notes Tab of Donation Details.

                These fields can be made manditory fields through the Mandatory Data Tab in Company Preferences. You can also change their names in the Appearance Tab of Company Preferences. This way you to customize Theatre Manager to your venue's requirements.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Donor#2 Popup Field

                The Donor 1,2,3 pop-up code tables represent the values under the Notes Tab of Donation Details.

                These fields can be made manditory fields through the Mandatory Data Tab in Company Preferences. You can also change their names in the Appearance Tab of Company Preferences. This way you to customize Theatre Manager to your venue's requirements.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Donor#3 Popup Field

                The Donor 1,2,3 pop-up code tables represent the values under the Notes Tab of Donation Details. They can also be made manditory fields through the Mandatory Data Tab in Company Preferences and their names can be changed in the Appearance Tab of Company Preferences. This allows you to customize Theatre Manager to your venue's requirements.

                click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Facility Calendar Types

                Calendar Types are set in new Tasks as they are inserted into the Calendar in Facility Managment. There are "permanent" system Calendar Types built into Theatre Manager.

                Facility Calendar Types are built-in codes you do not have to set up. While you cannot change the meaning of each of these, you can change the description to something more meaningful to your organization.

                These are used as the general types for the Facility Task Types you will use to define the type of each task.

                Click here, to learn more about Calendars.

                Diataxis: 

                Facility Project Types

                Facility Project types are used to assign a particular type to a project, such as Wedding, Conference, etc.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Facility Resource Groups

                Resource Groups are categories for different types of Resources in Theatre Manager's Facility Management module. Resources can be grouped under different headings. The default heading in Theatre Manager is the Generic Resource.

                Click for more information about Resources, Resources, Inventory and Merchandise.

                The default setting in Theatre Manager is the Generic group. Other groups can be added as needed.

                Groups might be for internal resources and those sold on line. Examples might be:

                • Typical internal resource groups
                  • Light devices
                  • Sound equipment
                  • Rooms
                • Resource groups that might also be sold online could be
                  • Merchandise
                  • CD's and Music
                If you wish, you can add a sub category to the resource group in another table to collect like type items for display online.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Facility Resource Sub Groups

                Resource Sub Groups are sub categories of resources within a resource group in Theatre Manager's Facility Management module. Resources can be grouped under different headings. The default heading in Theatre Manager is the Generic Resource.

                Click for more information about Resources, Resources, Inventory and Merchandise. The default setting in Theatre Manager is the Generic group. Other groups can be added as needed.

                Resource Sub Groups are intended to be sub-classification within a resource group when items are sold online. For example, a resource group of Merchandise might have subgroups like

                • Men's t-shirts
                • Womens t-shirts
                • Hat's
                When inventory resources are assigned to the subgroup, they are lumped together online making it easier for people to buy something. In the Men's t-shirts example, all items in that category will be lumped together and a pop-up will show the sizes and colours so that all a patron has to do is select the size.

                i.e. there is one Men's t-shirts with a bunch of sizes/colours on the web pages.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Facility Task Types

                The Facility Task Types are those that appear in the Task Information Window, Task Type drop down.

                1. To enter a new task type, click the new button.

                  The Task Type Add window opens.

                2. In the Calendar Type tab, select the Calendar Type the task is to be associated with, from the drop down list.

                  You can also choose a color for the task on a calendar.

                3. Click the Save button.

                  The Default Security tab is now available.

                  You can now choose a security level. Security indicates which groups of employees can view/change information for tasks of these types when they are created. You can change any of these and they will apply to the next task of this type created. Prior tasks are not affected.

                Diataxis: 

                Facility Volunteer/Personnel Pricing Levels

                The types of activities your organization's volunteers engage can not only be set up, assigned and tracked inside Theatre Manager but if you have the Facility Module, Pricing Levels can be established and changed to reflect things like Overtime and Stat Holidays. You define pricing levels for the volunteer on the Facility Billing tab of a Volunteer's Activity window.

                • Click here for more information on the Facility Billing tab.
                • For more information on volunteer management inside Theatre Manager click here.
                • For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.
                Diataxis: 

                Folder Names

                The Code Table Folder Name is used to categorize and organize Folders within Theatre Manager. At the current time, these Folders can be found when saving Form Letters or Mail Lists

                You can create folders where you can store Form Letters and Mail Lists. It makes it handy to separate them by department, for example. You could have a Development folder and a Box Office folder. The Box Office would store all their Mail Lists in the Box Office folder - then when the Development staff go looking for a Mail List, they don't have to wade through all the Box Office Mail Lists to find their own. Folders can be used as search options in the Form Letter List and Mail List windows to ease the search time for the desired Form Letter or mail List.

                The folders can be divided by department or person, or any other division you want.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Gender

                The gender table contains the following genders as a minimum. You may add more if there are options that you need for your venue. For example, we have heard that some students are now indicating that the 'Prefer not to Say'.

                The Gender code table is also linked to the salutation table. If people pick a salutation, you can indicate the gender that is to be associated with the salutation. For example, Mr. generally translates to 'Male'. If a patron picks that as a salutation, Tm will help by setting their gender to Male, if it is set to the default of 'Unknown'

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Letter Types

                Letter types are displayed in the Form Letters Window accessable through the Letters Tab.

                Types allow you classify the types of letters that can be created and sent to patrons

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Media Types

                The Media Types are used to maintain the type of press for members of the media.

                Click Here to view the help on Media Management.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Member, Pass and Gift Certificate Categories

                The Member Category Code Table values are displayed in the Description Tab on the Member type set up window and are used to categorize passes and gift certificate for online sales.

                items appear online in the following sort order:

                • Alphabetical by the 'sort order' of the category (multiple categories can have the same sort order), then by
                • External name used to categorize and provide headers for each group, then by
                • The actual pass/gift certificate name within the category
                You can create online links to various categories online using direct links in emails or web pages

                Suggested values to enter into this code table for external name are:

                • Gift Certificates
                • Memberships
                • Subscriptions
                • Passes

                There are 3 fields:

                • External Name - see above
                • Internal Name - which can be the same as external name, or if you prefer a different set of names, for internal use, enter them instead
                • Sort order - which is the order in which the categories will be displayed online. You may want this to be different than the alphabetical sort order of the names for marketing purposes. Eg, Subscription Passes fall towards the end of the alphabet, but you may want them to be first in the online web page, so make the sort order for this a a '1' and for Gift Certificates, make that a 2 or a 3, etc.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Mktg Field #6

                The Marketing Code Table values are displayed in the Marketing Tab on the Patron Window. They can also be made manditory fields through the Mandatory Data Tab and their names can be changed in the Appearance Tab of Company Preferences. This allows you to customize Theatre Manager to your own venue's requirements.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Mktg Field #7

                The Marketing Code Table values are displayed in the Marketing Tab on the Patron Window. They can also be made manditory fields through the Mandatory Data Tab and their names can be changed in the Appearance Tab of Company Preferences. This allows you to customize Theatre Manager to your own venue's requirements.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Mktg Field #8

                The Marketing Code Table values are displayed in the Marketing Tab on the Patron Window. They can also be made manditory fields through the Mandatory Data Tab and their names can be changed in the Appearance Tab of Company Preferences. This allows you to customize Theatre Manager to your own venue's requirements.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Order Reasons to Buy

                The Reasons to Buy (or why did patron buy) code table is used to maintain what made the patron purchase tickets. This code table is used on the payment window. This can be used for determining the effectiveness of the marketing tools your company is using.

                It is recommended that this code table be somewhat specific and contain between 10 and 25 key possible reasons for why patrons buy from your organization. Examples might be:

                • some newspaper sources
                • some social media sources
                • some sources based on annual activities like subscriptions, fundraiser, or donation
                • some sources based on referrals like friends

                The Revenues by Why Did Patron Buy report is a great way to summarize this data for relevant events and periods of time.

                You can make collection of this data mandatory for all orders by enabling the reason to buy option in System Preferences.
                For all values in this table, you will want to take care in where you make them available.
                • Available at box office
                  • will likely be checked for most reasons, but may not be checked for reasons like Facebook Referral or what have you.
                  • You may also any to disable seasonal things when not appropriate such as Subscription or Christmas Flyer and then enable them again when appropriate.
                • Available on internet
                  • should be unchecked for reasons that a customer should not pick.
                  • e.g. <forgot to ask> is not really suitable for online sales.
                For online donations, you will want a code table entry that:
                • indicates that the order is for donations (e.g if the word donation is in the reason to buy list, it is probably sufficient)
                • is active
                • has the Available on internet unchecked so it cannot be picked during online ticket orders.
                • is placed in the tmcheckoutdonationreasontobuy.html web page for donation only onliny orders.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Pass/G.C. Card Status

                The member card status codes are displayed on the Member Card Window. They are used as a reference as to the status of the card. Each card status may be set as 'active' or 'inactive'. Inactive card types do not count towards the maximum access card limit for a pass/Gift certificate setup-> edits tab.

                Click here for more information on the Member Card window.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Patron Age Codes

                The Code Table Age Codes is used to categorize personnel and/or volunteers into particular age ranges. If the age is unknown, then an age code Unknown may be useful. Age codes could also be specific birth years if required.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Patron Location

                The Code Table Patron Location is used to categorize the locations or categories that can be found though-out patron data entry for:
                • phone numbers
                • addresses
                • e-mail addresses
                • web site addresses
                Note: for addresses, you can indicate if 'Company/Title' should be printed on the address label or form letter address. This field would be checked for 'work' addresses, and not for 'home'. If the company name is not marked to be printed on an address (in codetables), it never will for labels or form letters

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                 

                Default Locations used at the Box Office

                Every code table can have a default value indicated by the '•' at the left of the code table entry. This is important to set for the Location table as it affects which location is used by default. In the example below:

                • Home is the default location, so it will appear in the new patron entry screen.
                • Home is allowed to be used for:
                  • Phone numbers so the default for all phone numbers entered at the box office is 'home'. If you don't want that for a specific phone number, you much change it on the patron window
                  • E-mail - which is shown as the default for email entry
                  • Web site - which is shown as the default for web sites
                  • Address - which is shown as the default for addresses
                • Home is not allowed for fax in this example. The default for fax will be one of other locations that allows fax numbers

                 

                Default Locations used on the web Site (for new patrons)

                Locations on the web are a bit more granular and refer to the code tables for values, but do not use the code tables for position of usage.

                For example, on the web you may want to:

                • Only allow certain items to be entered
                • duplicate some of them (like allow entry of multiple phone number)
                • Change the order in which they are presented

                to do this, you edit the file called constantPATRONCONTACTNEW.txt that is in the tmTemplates folder. In that file, you would have a number followed by a tab, followed by the name of the location from the code table. The number reflects the meaning of the contact data. Always put Email first. The following is an example:

                4 tab Home   where

                • 4 means email per the legend -and-
                • Home is the value to use which must exist in code tables and be valid for that entry

                so a reasonable list of entries are:

                Number Value Description
                4 Home the default email address is 'home' it does at the top opf the new patron web page
                1 Home the default mailing address is also 'home' which goes in the address section of the web page. If you put a second address in this table, you could allow patrons to enter a work address or leave it blank.
                2 blank A blank entry means take the default location for a phone from the code tables. In the example of the code table above, it would also be 'home'
                2 Work means add a second entry field for another phone number and label it 'Work'
                2 Cottage means add a third entry field for another number and label it 'Cottage'

                The above table do not have any entry for 3 (faxes) or 5 (web sites), so those options will not be presented to the user.

                 

                Default Locations used on the web Site (for existing patrons)

                There is a similar file called constantPATRONCONTACTEXISTING.txt with the same rules for existing patrons. Theatre Manager will always show all the data in the patron record and no more. If you want to have some empty fields for additional data, you can add more to the template.

                For example, if you want to allow up to 3 phone numbers, then you might have a table of

                • 2 tab Home
                • 2 tab Work
                • 2 tab Mobile
                Theatre Manager will fill the appropriate ones in from the patrons record and leave blank ones it cannot find, so the patron may add them if they wish.

                 

                Default Locations used on the web Site (for existing patrons)

                There is a similar file called constantPATRONCONTACTLIMITED.txt with the same rules if you are using limited profile patrons to specify what those phone or emails will be called when a patron fills them in.

                Diataxis: 

                Patron Name Suffixes

                Name Suffixes are chosen from the Patron window. These can be included when sending letters to patrons.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Patron Relationships

                Patron Relationship tracking is a convenient way to know the nature of the relationship amongst patrons such as: whether two people share a subscription and sit together, who works on external Boards together, or what guardians can pick up a minor after a class.

                The example below provides some ideas for the relationship code table that you can enhance to suit your business and CRM requirements.

                Making a relationship entry under one patron automatically makes an entry under the other patron. The code table allows you to create terminology that clearly defines both sides of the relationship. For example:

                • in a family relationship you could use Parent/Child to show who is the parent in the relationship and who is the child.
                • a work relationship could be supervisor/employee.
                • some relationships might use the same words like coworker/coworker.
                • some political relationships could be Knows the Mayor/Is known by the Mayor

                Use any pair of words that helps you define the relationship.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Patron Salutations

                The Patron Salutations code table is used to maintain the salutations on the patron and employee windows.

                Default Gender Setting the gender allows the gender to be automatically tagged in the patron's record when a salutation is applied to a patron's record. Then there is no guessing as to who you are talking with. Gender can be used in search criteria for reports, exporting and mail lists and are created in the gender table.
                Status Allows the salutation be changed between Inactive or Active. Some salutations are not changeable and are marked as Permanent or System. This field is searchable.
                Available At Select areas where the salutation can be used in the Box Office, Development, or Internet. More than one choice can be used. This field is searchable.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Setting Patron Salutation As Mandatory On Patron Insert

                To make the salutation a mandatory field whenever a new patron record is created:
                1. Go to Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables.
                2. Scroll to Patron Salutation.

                  A blank salutation is set as a default by Theatre Manager. The default value in a code table is marked with a dot to the left of the entry.

                3. Highlight that blank salutation and click the Remove Default button.

                  This removes the blank default salutation.

                4. Remove the blank salutation using the Delete button.

                  If it has been used in a patron record, you will not be able to remove it. Mark it inactive.

                5. To mark a value inactive, follow instructions found here.
                Diataxis: 

                Patron Type

                The Code Table Patron Type is used to sort patrons records into categories. This information is used for Patron Records.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Payment Methods

                The Payment Methods Code Table is used for setting up various forms of payment types used to pay balances on orders such as credit cards, cash, interac, cheque, other, etc.
                • The payment Code is the abbreviated form that is found throughout Theatre Manager.
                • The Payment Method is the full description of the payment type that appears online and at the box office.
                • Security Group Access provides
                  • Ability to set which groups of people can use the payment method. It means you can set access to some of the custom payments to certain people. Eg. There may be some different ones for education, development, group sales or inter departmental transfer payment types.
                  • Security cannot be use for the 7 built in payment methods below (eg ~CASH, ~CHECK ,etc)
                • The G/L account column displays the GL asset account that a particular payment is posted to.
                • The Sort Order allows you to organize the payment method display order where paymetns are listed online and at the box office. this way you can put your commonly used items at the top of the list. Sort order is 10 characters, alphabetic
                • Payment types are one of:
                  • Credit Card - can be used with merchant providers or EMV devices to authorize cards. You must have contracted with your merchant provider to use each card type you want to accept. There are some specific values for the payment code if the payment type is 'Credit Card'. These are:
                    • VISA - for Visa
                    • MCARD - for Mastercard
                    • DISC - for Discover
                    • DCCB - for Diners Club
                    • INTRAC - for Interac (debit) in Canada
                      • currently only supported for Moneris EMV cards.
                      • You cannot accept INTRAC without using an EMV device.
                      • This method is removed from the payment list when doing refunds -- but it can be used for EMV refunds since the choice of refund method is then based on the card the patron actually uses.
                    • JCB - for JCB cards
                    • UPAY - for Union Pay (Chinese branded)

                    This will ensure that Theatre Manager validates for the required number of digits for each card type, and have the correct numeric algorithm. An error message is displayed if the numbers are not entered correctly, to assist card entry.

                    Before changing the merchant provider for a credit card payment method, please read about the ramifications
                  • EFT - (Electronic Funds Transfer) can be used, amongst other things, for post dated payments and produce an export file during end of day. The export file is formatted to your bank and will cause funds to be transferred from patrons to your account.
                  • System - are 7 special built in system payments that cannot be deleted (only inactivated) like cash, check, voucher, pass/gift certificate redemption and gift in kind. They cause Theatre Manager to behave in a distinct way and ask for special data to be entered for that payment method.

                    These built in payment methods are:

                  • Other - can be used for any other payment methods such as intra-campus PO's or payment entered in another system and recorded in TM - those which cannot be accommodated in the standard payment methods

                Please refer to Rounding of Cash Payments if you are in Canada or another country that requires rounding of certain payment methods.

                While this features is typically used for cash, you can use on any payment method

                For information on how to access the payment method table click here.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Inserting a New Payment Type

                Inserting a New Payment Type is used to add options to the Payment Methods category.

                1. Create a general ledger account number.

                  Entering a new payment type in Code Tables requires entering a General Ledger Account number for the card type in the Chart of Accounts.

                2. Open Code Tables.

                  Click Here to learn how to access the Code Tables Window.

                3. Click on Payment Method.

                4. Click the New button.

                  The Payment Methods Insert Window opens.

                5. Enter the payment code.

                  This is the short form of the payment description. This text appears as the code table lookup value.

                6. Enter the payment description.

                  This is the full description of the type of payment that you are creating. This text appears as the code table result value.

                7. Enter the GL account number.

                  This is the GL number that you created in step one. Type in the full 8 digit account number or use the drop down list on the right side of this field to manually select the account number.

                8. Select the payment type.

                  Click on the radio button that best describes the type of payment method you are inserting.

                9. Select mandatory fields.

                  If a customer is paying via credit card, you must decide which credit card fields must be entered before payment can be accepted. The fields you may make mandatory are credit card number, credit card expiry date, credit card authorization number, and process card via credit card server. The last selection is available using Theatre Manager's Credit Card Authorization.

                  Selecting yes for any of these fields makes them mandatory fields.

                10. Select the Merchant Charges tab.

                  For Credit Card processing a Merchant #, Service Charge G/L Account Number and Percent of Dollar Value or Dollar Charge Per Transaction are required.

                11. Click the Save button.

                  The new payment type has now been created and is ready for use.

                Diataxis: 

                Changing Credit Card Provider

                Before changing the merchant provider for a credit card payment method, please about

                Generally there are two aproaches:

                • Create new credit card payment methods for the new merchant provider and migrate all post dated and recurring donation payments to the new provider. This is the best choice because
                  • It preserves history of which merchant did which payment
                  • Allows you to reactivate old merchant account if you need to do linked refunds for past payments (such as occurred during Covid and mass cancellations, but could just as easily occur for a cancelled concert at any time
                  • It sets up future post dated credit card payments to use the new merchant
                • Move all existing and historical credit card payment methods to the new provider so that they no longer exist under the old provider. This is rarely used:
                  • It sets up future post dated credit card payments to use the new merchant
                  • All historical data is also migrated, so future linked credit card refunds will not work, since they are for the incorrect merchant provider.

                Impact on Merchant Profiles

                In both cases, moving to a new merchant provider means any Merchant Profiles established for patrons will become useless.

                The patron merchant profiles will be recreated under the new merchant account as each patron purchases in the future. They cannot be transferred from one merchant provider to another.

                Diataxis: 

                Rounding Cash Payments

                In Canada, the penny was vanquished in 2013. This means that cash sales at the door need to be rounded up or down, depending on the price. Theatre Manager will do that for you automatically if you:

                • Go to Setup>>System Tables>>Code Tables
                • Select Payment Methods
                • Double click on the payment method you wish to setup for rounding on the right. If you are rounding the Cash payment method, then find the system ~CASH payment explicitly per the image below.
                • click on the 'Misc' Tab for the payment method and set 'Allow Payment Rounding' on
                • indicate the amount of rounding you want.
                  • Normally, this rounding amount would be $0.05 to round to the nearest nickel.
                  • You can have TM round to the nearest dime, quarter or any value you place into this field.
                • Provide a fee type that will be used to track any rounded amounts -or-create one if you do not have a rounding fee account
                  • you will need a G/L code in your chart of accounts to post the fee to.
                  • the fee should not have any tax associated with it as you are just tracking the amount of cash that you gain or lose to rounding the payment. If your payments are evenly distributed (i.e. half are rounded up, half are rounded down), the total amount in this account will approximate zero.

                Example: How does the process work?

                Lets say the value of the ticket you sell is $29.46. Any tax is calculated by Theatre Manager is purely on on the price of the ticket (not the payment) and this is what is posted to the sales accounts and all reports.

                • if the person pays by any method other than cash, you receive $29.46 in the asset account
                • if the patrons pays by cash, the order total is still $29.46 and the cash payment that is requested is rounded down to $29.45. The payment windows does this for you automatically.
                • When the person gives you cash for $29.45
                  • the ticket is still allocated the full price of $29.46 (which includes per ticket fees and taxes)
                  • the bank account for cash payments is only allocated $29.45 because that is what you received.
                  • the fee account is allocated -$0.01 as a write off
                While intended only for cash payments at the box office, Theatre Manager will round any payment type you want if you set them up this same way.

                Diataxis: 

                Deleting a Payment Type

                If a payment type has been used, it cannot be deleted.

                If you wish to discontinue a payment type, disable it. Click here to learn how.

                To delete an unused payment type:

                1. Select the payment type that will be deleted.
                2. Click the Delete button.
                3. The Delete codtable confirmation opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The payment type is now deleted. Clicking the Cancel button will abort the deletion.

                Diataxis: 

                Performance Type

                This is a versitile, customizable code table field you can use to flag specific performances. You can use it for display on the web and it can also be used like the Genre flag for TicketTrove. It can also be used for reports to narrow down searching for specific performances.

                Using this field, you can also search for specific performances during the Ticket Sales.

                If you are using this field for courses, Click here for more information.

                For information about editing values in code tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Play / Event Genre

                Genre is a general classification for events that is common to all Theatre Manager customers.

                You cannot edit the Genre Table

                Currently, there are about 70 classifications which are used in the TicketTrove iPhone/iPad app to help customers find entertainment to their liking as well as on the event search window on the web.

                For Example: Customers can look for drama, hockey games, musicals, symphonies, ballet, etc.

                Specifying a genre for an event is required.

                You will need to update the genre setting for each future event on the Events and Dates Marketing tab to help users search for specific types of events in their interest area.

                Click here for more information on the Events and Dates Marketing tab.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Promotion Sales Groups

                Sales Promotions are able to be grouped into letter codes to help make them easier to read on a report. By assigning a letter to a group of Sales Promotions, you can categorize them in a report by their similarities. For example, you can use the letter 'S' to indicate all the Season Sales Promotions (Early Bird, Season, Flex Season) into one category. Then when running reports, you can run them based on Report Subtotal Group 'S', rather than selecting the promotions one by one. In addition, when running full reports on an event, you can subtotal all your

                A - Single Ticket Sales (regular, 2 for 1, General Admission).
                D - Special Benefit Promotions (Dinner, Opening Gala, Development Events).
                G - Group Tickets (Senior homes, Brownies).
                M - Media Tickets (Critics, Editors).
                S - Season Tickets (Earlybird, Season).
                Z - Comp Tickets (Listed with a 'Z' so they appear last in reports)

                Or any categorization you choose.

                You can set names for these categories so they are more meaningful to your organization in the Code Table setup for Promotion Sales Group.

                For information about editing values in code tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Province/State Code

                The Province/State Code Table is a list of Provinces and States in North America and recognized American states throughout the world. This list is primarily used for Web Sales.

                The name Province can be changed to State (and vice versa) in the Appearance tab of Company Preferences. For more information on changing the title click here. Altering the Sort Value allows you to determine whether Provinces or States appear at the top of the list. They are assigned to Groups which sorted alphabetically. Each Province/State is then sorted numerically within the group.

                For example, Provinces might be in Group 'A', and States in group 'B'. Within the Group, you would assign the Provinces A01, A02, A03, etc. The States would be given Sort Values of B01, B02, B03, etc. Since A comes before B, the Provinces would come above the States in the list. American users would do the opposite.

                Depending on the region a default can be set. For more information on setting a Province or State as default click here.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Subscription Date Change

                The values from this table are displayed on the Season Subscription Detail Window. They reflect if a patron changed the date which they were attending plays for their subscription. They also allow for better marketing records to be kept and provide another value which can be used in reports and form letters.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Subscription Location Change

                The values from this table are displayed on the Season Subscription Detail Window. When the patron is renewing, you can record if they changed their season seats and where in the theatre they moved to.

                This means better marketing records can be kept and provide another value which can be used in reports and form letters.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Subscription Renewal Status

                The values from this table are displayed on the Season Subscription Detail Window. They allow for better marketing records to be kept and provide another value which can be used in reports and form letters.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Tag Groups

                Tag groups are ways to conveniently group a number of different tags that you want to associate with records.

                Tag Types allow you group or classify the tags in the tag setup tables

                 

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Transaction Source

                Allows for reporting on the appropriate sales source. Used in the Box Office tab of the employee window, it indicates the department the employee works in.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Transaction Types

                The Transaction Types Code Table is a system table and cannot be changed. The values found here are a list of all the possible types of transactions that can be created and found in Theatre Manager. The result value is the actual transaction name, while the lookup value is a short form that is usually found on transaction reports, or inside the patron transaction tab. If you come across a transaction lookup value that you don't recognize, visit this code table to find its definition.

                The Transaction type Values are:

                Code Value Transaction Description Type Sort Key

                PATRON or AUDIT

                AC Patron Card Viewed by Authorized User N audit
                ACR Coupon Redeemed N audit
                AEI Patron Change-Internet N patron
                AIT IT system notification N audit
                ALI User logged in N audit
                ALM Email password to user N audit
                ALO User logged out N audit
                ALX Lockout/multiple failed PW attempts N audit
                AM Patron Merged N patron
                AP Audit of Pricing/Promotion Setup Changes N audit
                APD Audit of non deposited payment deleted N audit
                AS Patron Added N patron
                ASI Patron Added-Internet N patron
                AT Audit of Operator Over-Rides N audit

                CREDIT CARD (No longer supported after Version 6)

                COU Credit Card Fee Over/Under Y credit
                CRD Credit Received Deduction Y credit
                CS Credit Card Fee Y credit
                CTF Credit Card Fee Transfer From Patron N credit
                CTT Credit Card Fee Transfer To Patron N credit

                DONATION

                DEF Donation Exchange From Y donation
                DET Donation Exchange To Y donation
                DR Donation Refund Y donation
                DRB Donation Benefit Refund Y donation
                DRC Donation Soft Credit Refund Y donation
                DS Donation Y donation
                DSB Donation Benefit Y donation
                DSC Donation Soft Credit Y donation
                DTF Donation Transfer From Patron N donation
                DTT Donation Transfer To Patron N donation
                DU Donation Unprint N donation
                DUR Donation Reprint N donation

                FACILITIY

                FEF Facility Management Exchange From Y facility
                FET Facility Management Exchange To Y facility
                FR Facility Management Refund Y facility
                FS Facility Management Sale Y facility
                FTF Facility Management Transfer From Patron N facility
                FTT Facility Management Transfer To Patron N facility

                MEMBERSHIP

                MEF Pass/G.C. Exchange From Y membership
                MET Pass/G.C. Exchange To Y membership
                MR Pass/G.C. Refund Y membership
                MRB Pass/G.C. Benefit Y membership
                MRR Pass/G.C. Manual Redemption Y membership
                MS Pass/G.C Y membership
                MSR Pass/G.C. Redeemed For Y membership
                MTF Pass/G.C. Transfer From Patron N membership
                MTT Pass/G.C. Transfer To Patron N membership

                FEES

                OEF Order Fee Exchange From Y fees
                OET Order Fee Exchange To Y fees
                OR Order Fee Refund Y fees
                OS Order Fee Sale Y fees
                OTF Order Fee Transfer From Patron N fees
                OTT Order Fee Transfer To Patron N fees

                PAYMENTS

                PD Payment Post Dated Y payments
                PDD Payment Post Dated Deposited Y payments
                PDR Payment Post Dated Refund Y payments
                POF Payment Move From Order Y payments
                POT Payment Move To Order Y payments
                POU Payment Over/Under Y payments
                PT Payment Y payments
                PTF Payment Transfer From Patron N payments
                PTT Payment Transfer To Patron N payments

                INVENTORY

                RIAD Resource Inventory Adjustment N inventory
                RICI Resource Inventory Check In N inventory
                RICO Resource Inventory Check Out N inventory
                RIEN Resource Inventory Tracking Ended N inventory
                RIH Resource Inventory Held N inventory
                RIPR Resource Received by patron N inventory
                RIR Resource Inventory Released N inventory
                RIST Resource Inventory Tracking Started N inventory

                RESOURCES

                REF Resource Exchange From Y resources
                RET Resource Exchange To Y resources
                RR Resource Refund Y resources
                RS Resource Sale Y resources
                RTF Resource Transfer From Patron N resources
                RTT Resource Transfer To Patron N resources

                EXCHANGES

                TEF Ticket Exchange From Y exchanges
                TET Ticket Exchange To Y exchanges

                REFUNDS

                TR Ticket Refund Y refunds

                SALES

                TS Ticket Sale Y sales

                MISC

                ACR Coupon Redeemed N misc
                TTF Ticket Transfer From Patron N misc
                TTT Ticket Transfer To Patron N misc
                TU Ticket Unprint N misc

                OUTLET

                XR Outlet-Donation refunded for another Outlet Y outlet
                XS Outlet-Donation sold for another Outlet Y outlet
                YR Outlet-Pass/G.C. refunded for another Outlet Y outlet
                YS Outlet-Pass/G.C. sold for another Outlet Y outlet
                ZEF Outlet-Ticket exchange from for ticket own Y outlet
                ZET Outlet-Ticket exchange to for ticket own Y outlet
                ZR Outlet-Ticket refund for ticket owned by Y outlet
                ZRC Outlet-Commission Payables to Other Outlet Y outlet
                ZRS Outlet-Sales Payable to Other Outlet Y outlet
                ZS Outlet-Ticket sale on behalf of another Y outlet
                ZSC Outlet-Commission A/R from Other Outlet Y outlet
                ZSS Outlet-Sales A/R from Another Outlet Y outlet

                Click here to download a PDF of the Transaction Types Codes List

                Diataxis: 

                Traveling Troupe

                The Traveling Troupe code table affects the Traveling Troupe buy window. The result values are listed on the troupe buy window in the order you would like them to be displayed (Lookup Value). The Result values are important "times" for the traveling troupe. A call time is assigned to each value in the buy window. This is so a troupe manager can print a daily report of the troupes activities for the members of its troupe.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Units of Measure

                This is a listing of the various units of measure recognized by the program. They are "permanent" system values built into Theatre Manager and cannot be edited or amended.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Activity

                The types of activities your organization's volunteers engage in can be set up, assigned and tracked by Theatre Manager. This page shows you how to set up those activity types.

                Refer to the video help on volunteer management for more information.

                Click here, for more information on setting up Volunteer Activities.

                Diataxis: 

                Adding Volunteer Duties

                To set up volunteer activities, you perform the following steps:

                1. Go to Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables and scroll down to select Volunteer Activity.

                2. Click the New button to open the Volunteer Activity Insert window.

                3. Give the new activity a specific name so anyone will be able to decipher its purpose. It will also appear on reports and search criteria.
                4. Optionally, if tracking hours or if hours do not match the task or performance it is associated with
                  • Enter the number of hours before and after the performance that the volunteer is expected to be there. For example, if the performance starts at 7:30 pm, you might expect an usher to arrive 1 hour before and stay a half hour afterwards. If these two fields are set, they add extra time to the volunteer record before event start and duration of performance. Thus a 2 hour performance might result in a time credit of 2 + 1 before and 0.5 after, or 3.5 hours. This will show on the calendar in Facility Management.
                  • Alternatively, you can specify a fixed number of hours to credit to the staff/volunteer for doing this activity. This approach is more suitable for things like directors, actors or volunteer office staff who might be given a time allotment, regardless of the duration of the event.
                  • If either of the above are provided, they become defaults during data entry. If not provided, the setup can specify the total time if you want the time to be fixed, rather than based on calendar input.
                5. If you want this activity to have special colouring on the calendar, select a color other than black.
                6. On the Duties tab, enter any default duties for this position.
                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Activity Status

                The Status tab is used to indicate if the volunteer/personnel activity code is active or inactive as well as where it might be used.

                Diataxis: 

                Web Permissions for Personnel Activity

                This feature is designed to work in conjunction with the Web Services to give a permission Staff member/volunteer to accomplish various tasks within the web module -AND/OR- Producers (regular Patrons) the ability to see and export sales and attendance information.

                The permissions will allow:

                If this activity code is associated with the person for a particular event, the following indicates what they can do online. The employee/volunteer will need to pull up the event/performance online in a web browser.

                Permission Meaning
                View performance Revenue Allows the Producer or Promoter of an event to view performance revenue for the event that they are assigned to
                View attendance This means that the Volunteer/Employee/Promoter can view the patron information for people who have purchased to the event o the course.
                Set attendance This means that the employee/volunteer can set or clear attendance reasons for the patron for each class or event using a tablet or computer. This is not meant for high volume attendance tracking - more for courses and really small events.
                Add (sell to) patrons If enabled, the employee/volunteer can add NEW patrons to the course. It is designed for those kinds of classes where people can just show up - and then be enrolled by the instructor.
                Remove (refund) patrons If enabled, the employee/volunteer can remove people from the course/class and issue a refund to the patron in form of a credit (eg pass/gift certificate).
                Reschedule performance Allows the employee/volunteer to change the date and time of a class within the course
                Duplicate performance Allows the employee/volunteer to add extra classes to the course.
                Diataxis: 

                Course Management - web access

                The typical setup for web access for instructors of courses is illustrated to the right. Typically, they will be one or more of:
                • Set Attendance
                • Add (sell to ) patrons
                • Remove (refund) patrons
                • Reschedule Performance - which is important of its a course which means they can change the date of the performance
                • Create New Performance - which lets them add a new date for a course

                The web permissions are described more fully in the Web Permission Page.

                If you create this type of activity and add it to a patron, you can:

                • assign it to a course (or any event and/or performance for that matter) -AND-
                • they will be able to manage it online to do the activities you have assigned above

                Event Producer/Promoter - Web Access

                The typical setup for web access for the producer or promoter is illustrated to the right. Typically, they will be one or more of:
                • View Performance Revenue
                • View Attendance

                The web permissions are described more fully in the Web Permission Page.

                If you create this type of activity and assign it to a patron, you can:

                • assign them to an event (or performance) -AND-
                • they will be able to, at any time, view or download:
                  • the revenues for the event (or performance) -AND/OR-
                  • retrieve limited information about the patrons who are attending the event
                If a promoter has a few events at your venue, you just need to assign them promotor permission to each of the events and they will see them online.

                You can even track which events they have viewed and how often by looking at web logs.

                Volunteer Activity Facility Setup

                If you have the Facility Management module, on the Facility tab, enter all of:
                • Default billing rate - which is what we wish to bill the person out at to the renters.
                • Default hourly cost - which is the default hourly cost of using the person in this volunteer activity. It can be overridden by setting pay rates on the employee facility set up window
                • Sales Tax Code - which is used to add taxes to the expenses and income
                • Use deferred accounts if set, then any facility project marked as using deferred accounts will use the deferred account entered below. If neither the project, nor the activity uses deferred accounts, then only the earned accounts need to be specified.
                • Accounts
                  • Deferred Expense Account - the deferred account into which future expenses will be placed if using deferred accounting for the project. This is typically a liability account
                  • Earned Expense/Cost of Goods Account - the earned account for expenses This is typically either an expense of cost of goods account. When the project ends, this is where the expenses will be rolled over into.
                  • Deferred Income Account - the deferred account into which future income will be placed if using deferred accounting for the project. This is typically an asset account
                  • Earned Income Account - the earned account for income. When the project ends, this is where the invomce will be rolled over into.

                 

                Review Rates

                To see current billing rates for anyone already associated with this activity, click the Review Rates button. The same window will pop up if you change the default billing rate, giving you an opportunity to change or leave alone the billing rate for anyone associated with the activity.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Awards

                Personalizing your volunteer recognition component of your program is the best form of showing appreciation for the contribution of volunteers. In this code table, you add the details for your awards.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Custom Field 1

                The Custom Volunteer Field 1 (Volunteer Eye Color) field can be customized to suit client needs. The field can be renamed and drop down options edited to reflect client needs. This drop down field is found in Patron Records and Personnel Management.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Custom Field 2

                The Custom Volunteer Field 2 (Volunteer Hair Colour) field can be customized to suit client needs. The field can be renamed and drop down options edited to reflect client needs. This drop down field is found in Patron Records and Personnel Management.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Custom Field 3

                The Custom Volunteer Field 3 (Volunteer Instrument) can be customized to suit client needs. The field can be renamed and drop down options edited to reflect client needs. This drop down field is found in Patron Records and Personnel Management.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Custom Field 4

                The Custom Field #4 (Volunteer Vocal range) code table can be customized to suit client needs. The field can be renamed and drop down options edited to reflect client needs. This drop down field is found in Patron Records and Personnel Management.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Hour Ranges

                The Volunteer Hour Ranges code table Used to summarize volunteer hours in the Volunteer Hour Summary Report.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Shift

                The Volunteer Shift code table can be customized to suit client needs. The field can be renamed and drop down options edited to reflect client needs. This drop down field is found in Patron Records and Personnel Management.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Status

                The Volunteer Status can be customized to suit client needs. The field can be renamed and drop down options edited to reflect client needs. This drop down field is found in Patron Records and Personnel Management.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Workflow Notifications

                The Workflow tab allows you to create and manage different notification types for Internet and Box Office Sales.

                Click here for more information on WorkFlow Notifications.

                For information about editing values in Code Tables, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                Sales Promotions

                Sales promotions are used during the ticket purchase process to indicate how the base ticket price is to be altered to arrive at the final ticket price. A sales promotion is a discount, a markup, or a combination of both that is added to a ticket at the time of purchase. A ticket sold at "full" price has a sales promotion that has a no markup and no discount.

                Markups and discounts can be percentages or fixed amounts. For Example:

                • A half price sales promotion has a 50% discount.
                • A group discount could be $4.00 off the regular price.
                • A special promotion that includes a reception, may have a markup of $4.00 added to the regular price.

                A sales promotion can combine a discount and a markup. For Example:

                • You could have a special seniors price which is always $7.00 that combines a 100% discount with a $7.00 markup.

                Ticket prices before tax are calculated as:

                Ticket Price = Ticket Base price - Sales Promotion Discount + Sales Promotion Markup.

                Sales Promotions Codes are accessed through the Setup >> System Tables >> Sales Promotions Menu.

                The Sales Promotions window opens.

                Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                Diataxis: 

                Sales Promotions List Window

                Sales promotions are used during the ticket purchase process to indicate how the base ticket price is to be altered to arrive at the final ticket price. A sales promotion is a discount, a markup, or a combination of both that is added to a ticket at the time of purchase. A ticket sold at "full" price has a sales promotion that has a no markup and no discount.

                Markups and discounts can be percentages or fixed amounts.

                For Example:
                A half price sales promotion has a 50% discount.
                A group discount could be $4.00 off the regular price.
                A special promotion that includes a reception, may have a markup of $4.00 added to the regular price.

                A sales promotion can combine a discount and a markup.

                For Example:
                You could have a special seniors price which is always $7.00 that combines a 100% discount with a $7.00 markup.

                Ticket prices before tax are calculated as:

                Ticket Price = Ticket Base price - Sales Promotion Discount + Sales Promotion Markup.

                Promotions must be available at other outlets before a performance can be sold at the other outlets.

                Sales Promotions Codes are accessed through the Setup >> System Tables >> Sales Promotions Menu.

                Parts of the Sales Promotions Window

                Inserts a New promotion. For more information on inserting new sales promotions click here.
                Opens the edit window for the selected promotion. For more information on editing sales promotions click here.
                Creates a copy of the sales promotion.
                Deletes the selected promotion. For more information on deleting sales promotions click here.
                Generates a report of the listed sales promotions to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out the listed sales promotions in a tab-delimited format.
                Sets the selected promotion as the default.
                Enables the selected promotion.
                Disables the selected promotion.
                Promotion Search option for sales promotions
                From Starting point for search
                To Ending point for search
                The type of promotions you wish to view: All, Active, Inactive
                Promotion The descriptive name of the promotion.
                Desc (External) The external description of the sales promotion to be printed on a ticket or displayed on the internet.
                Group Group letter the promotion belongs to.
                Map Letter Letter that will appear on the map for this promotion.
                Coupon A coupon is required for this promotion.
                Discount $ The dollar discount for the promotion.
                Discount % The discount percentage for the promotion.
                Markup $ The dollar markup for the promotion.
                Markup % The markup percentage for the promotion.
                Ticket Fee 1 Ticket Fee 1 value.
                Diataxis: 

                Sales Promotion Code Window and Detail Tab

                The Sales Promotion Detail window is where you enter new, or edit sales promotions.

                The Sales Promotion Code window can be broken into 3 parts:

                1. The toolbar / ribbon bar. Click here, for more information on the buttons and what they do.
                2. The Name and Status of the current promotion.
                3. The Tabs. These are:
                • Description - As Described on this page.
                • Calculation - Click here for a description of this tab.
                • Edits - Click here for a description of this tab.
                • Plug In - Click here for a description of this tab.
                • Performances - Click here for a description of this tab.
                • Transactions - Click here for a description of this tab.

                Parts of the Detail Tab

                External Description The descriptive name of the promotion.
                Exclude Price Codes The price codes which the promotion cannot be used with.
                Report Subtotal Group Select from the drop down list, the appropriate grouping to use to subtotal similar promotions together on reports. You can add more groups in the Promotions Sales Groups. Click here for more information.
                Map Display Letter The letter to display on a graphical map when a ticket is sold using this promotion.
                Subscription Hold Letter The hold letter to display on a reserved seating map in a control house, when a ticket is held for a subscriber using this promotion as part of the subscription process.
                Ticket Type for G/L Posting The ticket type to which the promotion applies. Availble are:
                • Regular
                • Season
                • Other Type 1
                • Other Type 2
                • Other Type 3
                Ticket Face # Sales promotions can print an extra ticket under certain conditions, for example a restaurant voucher if it is a Dinner and Show promotions.
                Diataxis: 

                Calculation Tab

                This is a very powerful tool to help you figure out ticket pricing if you are applying fees, discounts and commissions.

                This window is broken into four columns:

                • Ticket Pricing Options
                • Tax Rate
                • Calculation Options
                • Sample Price Calculator

                Notes about tax rates set in this window:
                • The tax rate for the base price and effect of markup and discount are set in the event setup. (the upper tax rate highlighted in the image)

                  It are not set here since each performance can have different taxation rates than the service fees and are only used here to test things under various rates (since TM doesn't know which event you mean).

                • The tax rate on ticket fees are set in the promotion window and used everywhere (the bottom 3 that are highlighted in the sample above)

                 

                Parts of the Calculation Tab

                Ticket Pricing Options   Tax Rate Calculation Options

                Enable or disable

                Sample Price Calculator
                Price

                =Base Price for Ticket Price Code

                -Discount Used to decrease the base ticket price by a fixed dolar amount OR by a percentage This tax rate setting is only for sample calculator to provide an idea.

                The Actual Tax Rate comes from tax rate on the performance.

                Apply the Dollar Discount First. This means that any percentage discount is applied after the dollar discount is applied. For example: 1$ off and then 10% off that calculation is different than $1 off the original price plus 10% off the original price. Displays what the values you have entered do to change the price.
                +Markup Used to increase the base ticket price by a fixed dolar amount OR by a percentage Apply the Dollar Markup First. This means that the dollar amount is added to the price and then any percentage amount is added on top. Eg. $10 added to the price, followed by 10% on the total is different than $10 added to the original amount plus 10% of the original price.

                Always add the Markup - means add the markup amount even if the price of the ticket starts at zero (comp) or gets discounted to zero. it is away of making a ticket a fixed price and can be used for things like a youth ticket anywhere in the venue or a fixed amount of a tip added at dinner theatre, even to comp tickets.

                and round to the nearest Indicates if the base price is to be rounded BEFORE adding fees and taxes.
                • 0=No rounding before fees and taxes
                • other values could be used to indicate rounding to nearest:
                  • $0.05 (five cents)
                  • $0.10 (ten cents)
                  • $0.25 (twenty five cents)
                  • $0.50 (fifty cents)
                  • $0.18 (eighteen cents)
                  • $1.12 (dollar twelve)
                +Ticket Fee 1 A ticket fee added to the base ticket price by a fixed dolar amount OR by a percentage Choose the tax to apply from the Drop Down List Always Add Fees
                +Ticket Fee 2 A ticket fee added to the base ticket price by a fixed dolar amount OR by a percentage Choose the tax to apply from the Drop Down List
                +Ticket Fee 3 A ticket fee added to the base ticket price by a fixed dolar amount OR by a percentage Choose the tax to apply from the Drop Down List
                and round to the nearest Indicates if the base price is to be rounded AFTER adding fees and taxes.
                • 0=No rounding after fees and taxes
                • other values could be used to indicate rounding to nearest:
                  • $0.05 (five cents)
                  • $0.10 (ten cents)
                  • $0.25 (twenty five cents)
                  • $0.50 (fifty cents)
                  • $0.18 (eighteen cents)
                  • $1.12 (dollar twelve)
                Commission Table Opens the Commisions Setup Lookup to apply a commission

                If a performance is to be sold at another outlet, the promotion slected will require a Commission.

                Diataxis: 

                Edits Tab

                Parts of the Edits Tab

                Use For Sales Enable the appropriate check boxes for this promotion:
                • Via the Box Office
                • Via the Internet
                • At Another Outlet
                • Include in Patron Statistics
                Can be sold between Enter the dates for when the tickets can be sold From and Through
                Can be used

                Enable the appropriate check boxes for this promotion

                • For tickets sold before the date of performance
                • On the day of sale of the performance
                Base Price The Lowest and the Highest price of the ticket the promotion can be appied to
                Maximun Use The maximum number of time a promotion can be used
                For Example: the first 50 tickets get a discounted rate
                Coupon Requirements BOX OFFICE has a special meaning. It tells the system that in order to get this promotion/discount, the patron must present a coupon to you at the box office that verifies eligibility for the discount. An example might be:
                • An entertainment book 2 for 1 coupon where you want the patron to provide you with proof that they have the coupon as payment
                • Military or AAA discount (or similar) where the patron must show the affinity card to get the discount
                • age related discounts where the patron must show proof of age to get student or senior pricing

                In such cases, the order ticket print status is automatically set to HOLD @ WILLCALL FOR COUPON regardless if the patron asks to have their tickets mailed.

                This feature can be used to exclude batch printing all tickets in an order if the order contains at least one ticket with this sales promotion.

                ONLINE has a slightly different meaning. If you mark that a coupon is required for an online sales (for the same reasons as above) and the ticket is printed-at-home, Theatre Manager will:

                • Allow Print-at-home for the tickets (that need coupons) along with the rest of the tickets.
                • The bar code on the tickets that need coupons will be invalid and cannot be scanned
                • The instructions on the ticket can contain words that indicate it must be taken to the box office to exchange for a real ticket, at which time any coupons or eligibility can be verified.
                This means if the patron buys 4 tickets (1 of which require a coupon from the web sale) the customer will still receive 4 tickets that can be printed. They won't wonder if one is missing. Instead, that one ticket will contain instructions to take it to the box office.
                Coupon Requirements Note When a patron buys online and the print at home setting requires a coupon, you must also enter a note in this field. This provides the box office staff (and the patron) some instructions what they have to do to validate the ticket. This is printed on the upper left corner of the print at home ticket, per the sample.
                Notifications If necessary, select the appropriate notification from the drop down list
                Diataxis: 

                Plug In Tab

                Plug-Ins are special code segments designed specifically for your Theatre that affect how the sales process works. For example, a sales promotion plug in might look at the number of tickets and change regular sales to group sales of tickets automatically.

                Click the Plug In button to open the the Plug In List Window.

                Diataxis: 

                Performances Tab

                The Performances tab, allows you to veiw indepth information about the Plays / Events / Performances you want to apply the promotions to.

                Parts of the tab

                Opens the highlighted Performance in the Performance Detail window for editting. Click here for more information on editing a performance.
                Disables the current sales promotion from the selected performance(s). To enable the sales performance again, you will need to edit each performance or mass enable from the sales promotion list.
                Clicking the Transactions button, opens the transactions list window to show the transactions related to the selectd performance.
                Allows you to find specific performances to select from by selecting an option.
                From / To You can further refine the displayed list by entering from or to information related to your selection in the drop down list.
                Click the Search button to find the performances that match your search critera.
                Diataxis: 

                Transactions Tab

                This tab allows you to view all the transaction related to Plays / Events / Performances. You can further refine the results of your search through making a selection in the drop down list box, or by enabling or disabling the checkboxes. Once you have the list of transactions you can use:
                Allows you to insert a new transaction record.
                Opens the Transaction Detail window for the selected transaction record.
                Deletes the selected transaction record.
                Diataxis: 

                Sales Promotion Toolbar / Ribbon Bar

                The functions available are:

                Help - opens the appropriate page in the online help.
                New Adds a new record.
                Save - Saves the current entry.
                Duplicate - Duplicates the current entry as a new record.
                Revert - reverts the current entry back to the last time it was saved.
                Delete - removes the current entry from the listing.
                Print - prints the current record to the default printer.
                Spell - Checks the spelling in the appropriate fields.

                Merging Sales Promotions

                If a number of sales promotions have been created over the years that had a similar purpose, you may find it useful to merge them if they are not longer used.

                For example: If an 'Early Bird Subscriber- 20xx' promotion was created for each and there is no possibility of re-using them, you could merge all the old ones into the current one. The discount calculations will be lost - but the meaning - on each ticket from the past - will still be clear as it will say 'early bird subscription'.

                It is suggested that you only merge promotions where the meaning is similar and they are not likely to be used again.

                The steps are:

                • Select a number of sales promotions that have similar meaning and/or can be considered the same thing
                • Click the merge button at the top of the sales promotion list window
                • Click on the sales promotion that you would like remain. All others in the list will be merged into this one promotion. You may want to pick the one that you know you used the most or the one that you like the name of best.

                Diataxis: 

                Default Promotion

                One promotion is set as the default promotion. This is the promotion that is initially displayed in the promotion portion of the sales window when selling tickets. The name of the default promotion is listed beside the set default button on the lower left portion of the promotion window.

                If no default exists, then the words "No Default" will appear beside the button.

                To mark a promotion as the default, you perform the following steps:

                1. Choose Setup>>System Tables>>Sales Promotions.

                  The Sales Promotion List window opens.

                2. Select the promotion to become the default.

                  Single click on a promotion to select it.

                3. Click the Set button.

                  The status bar displays the name of the default sales Promotion.

                Removing the Default Setting

                Just as a default promotion can be set, it can also be removed. To remove the default setting from a promotion follow the steps outlined below. If you just want to change the default promotion, you do not have to remove the current default. You can just set the new default the same way that was described in the section "Setting a Default Promotion".

                1. Select the promotion currently set to default.

                  Single click on a sales promotion to select it.

                2. Click the Clear button.

                  The bar at the bottom of the window now states No Default Sales Promotion had been selected.

                Adding a Promotion

                To Add a new promotion, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Sales Promotions window by clickinging Setup>>System Tables>>Sales Promotions.

                  The Sales Promotions list window opens.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Promotion Detail Window opens.

                3. Enter Sales promotion Name.

                  Try to give the promotion a name that is relatively self explanatory.

                  For example: If the promotion is a buy one get one free type of admission, name the promotion 2 for 1. Refer to Promotion Ideas Page for more promotion description examples.

                4. Enter the dates that the Promotion will be active.

                  The effective date is the date that the promotion takes effect, the thru date is the date that the promotion is good until. If the promotion does not have time constraints leave the date boxes empty.

                5. Enter Price Codes to be Excluded.

                  Excluded Price Codes are Price Codes that should not be effected by this Sales Promotion

                6. Assign the Promotion to a Report Subtotal Group.

                  Report Groups are a single letter or number that are used to group similar promotions together on reports. A subtotal will be printed for each group on reports. Classification of promotion codes make revenue reports more meaningful. Eg. The following groups could be used to classify your promotions:

                  A - Single Ticket Sales (regular, 2 for 1, General Admission).

                  D - Special Benefit Promotions (Dinner, Opening Gala, Development Events).

                  G - Group Tickets (Senior homes, Brownies).

                  M - Media Tickets (Critics, Editors).

                  S - Season Tickets (Earlybird, Season).

                  Z - Comp Tickets (Listed with a 'Z' so they appear last in reports)

                  These letters can be further defined in Code Table data.

                7. Select a Map Display Letter.

                  This is the letter that will appear on the seat in the Map

                8. Select the Per Ticket Fees.

                  This is where you can setup three levels of ticket fees. You can also decide which taxes will be applicable to those order fees. Once again clicking on the check box for that tax desired. Refer to Promotion Example Page for examples of Per Ticket Fees.

                9. Set Promotion Type.

                  Similar to the report groups, these classify similar sales promotions together. There are four possible selections to choose from. Regular Admission, Season Ticket, and three user defined fields. These promotion types are used in the same manner as the report groups.

                10. Click on the Calculation tab.
                11. Enter the Base Price Calculation.

                  Here is where you enter a markup and/or a discount for the promotion. You can create a discount or markup based on dollars or percentage.

                  For example: You can create a discount of $10.00 or 25 % off of a given ticket price. You can also create a markup of $5.00 or 15 % on a given ticket price.

                  You can also use the markups and discounts in conjunction with each other, such as, create a promotion that has a discount of 100 % with a markup of $7.00. This promotion used on any ticket will yield a ticket with price of $7.00.

                  You can also decide which taxes are applicable to the promotion. Click on the check box for the taxes that should be included.

                12. When complete, click Save .

                  This finishes the process and saves the promotion. Refer to the section on Selling Tickets for details on how to apply the promotion during a ticket sale.

                Diataxis: 

                Editing Promotions

                Over time, promotions can change and will need to be updated.

                To update a Promotion, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Sales Promotions window by clickinging Setup>>System Tables>>Sales Promotions.

                  The Sales Promotions list window opens. Enter any search parameters and click the Search button to display a list of promotions that match your criteria.

                2. Click on the promotion to edit.
                3. Click the Open Button.

                  The Promotion Code Detail Window opens with the data for the selected promotion.

                4. Change data as needed.
                5. Click the Save Button.

                  This saves all the data you have changed. The new data will be displayed in the Sales Promotions Window.

                Diataxis: 

                Enable a Promotion

                To Enable a batch of promotions, you perform the following steps:

                1. Select the promotion you want to enable.

                2. Click the Enable button.

                  The Enable Promotions for Performance dialog opens.

                3. To enable for a series of performance, click the Play Code button.

                  The Play List window opens.

                4. Highlight the Event / Play you want to add the promotion to and click the Select button.
                5. You can not add multiple Plays / Events at the same time. They need to be added individually.

                6. Cloose the Day of Performance from the drop down list (if the promotion is only for a specific day of the week).
                7. Cloose the Sales Method from the drop down list (if the promotion is only for a specific Sales Method).
                8. When complete, click the Enable button.
                9. The Enable Sales Promotion confirmation dialog opens.

                10. Click the Yes button.
                Diataxis: 

                Enabling a Promotion for Another Outlet

                If you want to allow a performance to be sold at another outlet, a promotion code must be enabled for that outlet. To enable a promotion for another outlet, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Sales Promotion List window.
                2. Click here for more information on opening the list window.

                3. In the search, choose the other outlet to be selling the tickets.

                  The list of available promotions for that outlet is displayed.

                Exclude Price Codes

                 

                The Exclude Price Codes field can be used to prevent a Sales Promotion from having access to the specified prices. It's designed increase the efficiency of a Sales Promotion and prevent a ticket from being sold at the wrong price point.
                  1. Open the Sales Promotions window by clickinging Setup>>System Tables>>Sales Promotions.

                    The Sales Promotions list window opens. Enter any search parameters and click the Search button to display a list of promotions that match your criteria.

                  2. Click on the promotion you want to edit.
                  3. Click the Open Button.

                    The Promotion Code Detail Window will open with the data for the selected promotion.

                  4. Locate the Exclude Price Codes fields under the External Discription field.

                  5. Enter the Price Codes to be excluded for this Promotion.
                  6. Click the Save button.
                  7. Close the Promotion Detail window.

                Disable Sales Promotions

                Sales promotions can be enabled or disabled in a batch mode using the 'Enable' and 'Disable' menu items on the sales promotion list window.

                To Disable a batch, you perform the following steps:

                1. Select the promotions you want to disable.

                2. Click the Disable button.

                  The Disable Promomotions for Performance dialog opens.

                3. Enter the information for the disabling of the promotions, when complete, click the Disable button.

                  The Disable Promotions Confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Yes button to disable the selected Promotions.
                Diataxis: 

                Deleting Promotions

                If a promotion has been setup incorrectly or expired you can delete it. You cannot delete a promotion which is being used on current tickets or transactions.

                To delete a promotion, you perfrom the following steps:

                1. Open the Sales Promotions window by clickinging Setup>>System Tables>>Sales Promotions.

                  The Sales Promotions list window opens. Enter any search parameters and click the Search button to display a list of promotions that match your criteria.

                2. Click on the promotion you want to delete.
                3. Click the Delete button.

                  Clicking the delete button opens one of the two following dialogue boxes:

                  This dialogue box opens when you try to delete a promotion code that has been used to sell tickets for an event that has not been archived, or patron transactions have not been archived.
                  To delete a promotion, all events that have tickets sold with that promotion must be archived. For further information about Archiving an Event click here.
                  Click OK to close the dialogue box. The promotion will remain in the database.

                  This Dialogue box opens when you are deleting a promotion that has never been used or no longer has tickets or transactions referenced to it.
                4. Click the delete button.

                  The promotion will then be deleted and removed from the Sales Promotions Window.

                  To cancel the deletion of the selected promotion, click the Cancel button.

                Diataxis: 

                Promotional Ideas

                This page is intended to provide you with some examples and ideas for promotions, ticket fees, promotion report groups and order fees.

                The following examples are some ideas and suggestions, they do not have to be implemented.

                Sample Sales Promotions Setup

                Single Ticket Promotions (Promotion Report Group R)
                • 2 for 1
                • Regular
                • General Admission
                • Senior Special
                • Member Discount
                • Sponsor Discount
                • Rush seating

                Complimentary Ticket Promotions (Promotion Report Group C)

                • Staff
                • Promotional
                • Media
                • Volunteer
                • Artist
                • President
                • Other

                Season Ticket Promotions (Promotion Report Group S)

                • 5 play
                • 3 play
                • Season Early
                • Season Regular
                • Flex Pass

                Group Ticket Promotions (Promotion Report Group G)

                • Group 10 +
                • Group 20 + 

                Possible Ticket Fees

                • Asset Replacement Fund
                • Ticket Handling Charge

                Order Fees

                • Order Handling Charge
                • Phone Order Fee
                • Credit Card Order Fee
                • Mailing Ticket Fee
                Diataxis: 

                Sales Rules

                Sales rules are used to provide mappings of a sales promotion and/or price codes from one promotion and/or price code to another. They can be used in conjunction with one or more of:

                Coupon codes which offer a price reduction by way of a sales promotion will require a sales rule. Memberships/Passes which convert the ticket to an average dollar per admission will require a sales rule.

                Sales Rules are designed to alter the sales promotion from one that is typically used on a regular basis to another which may be restricted for use by applying a promotion conversion. Although they are not exclusive for use for online sales this is particularly useful for the self-serve online patron to offer price reductions or special rates.

                Sales Rules which convert promotions are also useful in tracking the type of ticket(s) that have been purchase for any given event. By applying a Promotion Conversion you can then track how many tickets were sold using a specific coupon code or pass type within your ticket based report.

                Sales Rules are accessed from the Setup Menu >> System Tables >> Sales Rules

                The following window will appear.

                From this window you will click to create a Sales Rule - Promotion Conversion

                Diataxis: 

                Sales Rules Notes

                The following outlines steps to create a sales rule.

                Open the sales rule list by clicking the Setup Menu >> System Tables >> Sales Rules

                From the Sales Rule List window you will click to create a sales rule with a promotion conversion.

                The following window will appear.

                  Enter the following data under the Notes Tab setup
                  • Enter the Internal name of the rule
                  • Enter the External name of the rule
                  • Enter the Enternal note of the rule
                  • Enter the Internal note of the rule

                Sales Rule - Promotion Mappings

                The meaning of the icons on the bottom of the window are:

                Inactive Sales Rule This means that the sales rule detail line has been marked inactive. It will never be used during a sale (unless made active in the future)
                Inactive Promotion The 'TO' promotion is currently inactive. so, even if the 'From' promotion is selected during the sales process, and in active 'TO' promotion will render this particular sales rule unusable at the current time.
                No Uses Left The Sales Rule Detail has a limit on the number of uses and it appears to have been reached. If so, then this sales rule detail cannot be applied.
                Applies to already discounted tix Normally, a sales rule only apply to full price tickets. This indicates that the sales rule, when applied, is allowed to discount a ticket that has already been discounted (in a plug in)
                Price Code Excluded This can reflect one of two conditions that might cause the sales rule not to be used
                • If the 'TO' price code is blank (meaning, it is to remain unchanged if the sales rule is applied), and the 'FROM' price code is excluded from the 'TO' sales promotion, this sales rule detail cannot be applied.
                • If the 'TO' price code is specified (meaning it could be changed), and it is excluded from use in the 'TO' sales promotion, then this sales rule detail cannot be applied.
                Promotion Date Range Not Current This is not an error, per se. However, if the available date range on the 'TO' sales promotion is specified, and the current date is not within it, then this sales rule detail cannot be applied.

                 

                Inserting a sales rule

                Click from the bottom left to open and add a new Sales Rule Promotion Conversion.

                Specify the price code sale promotion combination in the FROM section that, if used to sell a ticket, will be converted to the price code and promotion in the TO section.

                NOTE: The FIRST price code/combo that is found in the TO section will be matched with the ticket sale. Any subsequent rules with the same price code/promtion will be ignored.

                NOTE: The price will change to the TO promotion regardless whether the it is enabled for the performance or not. This way, you can leave it disabled so that it can't be picked accidentally.

                Here you specify accepted promotions on tickets which can be used in this sales rule to convert the promotion on the ticket(s).

                Use the to access your sales promotion list and select the promotion.

                • You must have a different promotion on both the FROM and TO. Eg you can have a mapping from:
                  • Online Promotion 1 to subscription promotion 2 (which means translate anything online to a subscription - useful if the pass is a subscription pass
                  • but not from Promotion 1 to Promotion 1 (This ensures that you have good traceability in the revenues by promotion type of reports.)
                • Price codes can be left blank if all prices codes are to be converted. However, you can limit which price codes are acceptable if you want. Example:
                  • If you specify from Price Code A to Price Code B, then only tickets with price code A will be accepted, and the price code will become 'B'
                  • If you specify from Price code A and leave Price code B as blank, it will not change the price code
                  • If you leave the from price code blank, and the to price code blank, then no attempt is made to change the price code
                • Maximum Uses can be left blank if the rule is not restricted. However, you can limit the number of uses. Example:
                  • Enter 2 for the Maximum uses for a 2 for 1 conversion for a buy one get one promotion.
                  Click to save the sale rule - promotion conversion.

                  You can now apply the sales rule to a Coupon Code or Membership/Pass

                Sales Rule Conversion - Promotions Tab

                Parts of the Promotions Conversion Window

                Inserts a new promotion conversion for the sales rule. For more information on inserting sales rules click here.
                Saves changes made to the sales rule promotion conversion.
                Creates a copy of the current promotion conversion for this sales rule.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the current promotion conversion. For more information on deleting sales rules click here.
                Checks the spelling of fields that can be typed in.

                Convert From Price Code/Promotion

                Price Code Price code that will be changed when this sales rule is used. Leave blank to allow for all price codes.
                Promotion Promotion that will be changed when this sales rule is used.
                Opens the promotions list window in order to search for a promotion.

                Convert To Price Code/Promotion

                Price Code Price code that will be effective when this sales rule is used. Leave blank to not change the price code.
                Promotion Promotion that will be effective when this sales rule is used.
                Opens the promotion list window in order to search for a promotion.
                Maximum Uses The maximum number of uses this conversion can be used for.
                Current Uses The current number of total tickets that this sales rule has been used for.
                Pending Rules The count of tickets in shopping carts where the sales rule conversion is pending usage. It will be used when the user checks out. If the user abandons the cart, this will be decremented appropriately.

                Sales Rule Conversion - Additional Edits Tab

                There are two key fields on this window:

                • Sort order - which describes the order in which a sales rule mapping is to be applied. When attempting to apply a mapping, Theatre Manager:
                  • looks at the first rule. If the promotion/price code match and the rule can be applied, it applies it
                  • If the first mapping cannot be applied, it goes down the list attempting each mapping in turn until one applies, or it runs out of rules
                  You can edit the order of the promotion rules one at a time, or you can re-order them en masse
                • Maximum Uses - allows you to set a maximum number of uses for this promotion mapping. You cannot exceed this number of conversions and if you hit the limit, this promotion conversion is ignored going forward. Use zero for unlimited conversions.
                • Current Uses - are the number of conversions that have occurred. You can use the tickets tab to see them. Note, this number can be greater than the number of tickets if some of the tickets have been refunded.
                • Pending Rules - are those that are sitting in an active shopping cart pending use on a checkout.

                Sales Rules Conversion - Tickets Tab

                The Tickets tab shows a list of tickets that the current sales rule conversion/promotion mapping has been applied to.

                It only shows tickets that are currently sold (any that were returned will no longer appear in this list.)

                • Double click on a ticket to see its detail. From there you can get to the patron, order, etc
                • Use the search at the bottom to search for tickets by patron, order, and other choices
                • Use the retrieved search data to print reports or export directly from from this tab.

                Sales Rules Conversion - Reporting & Exporting

                Ticket data from patrons who have successfully redeemed a coupon using a Sales Rule conversion can be sent directly to one of the Attendance and Front of House reports or exported out of Theatre Manager from the Tickets Tab.

                To print, highlight the data from the Tickets list window and right-click to display the drop-down menu. Select Print Report option from the drop-down menu. Choose a House Report. The data highlighted will be sent as dynamic criteria for this House Report. The report will display on the screen for review.



                To export, highlight the data from the Tickets list window and right-click to display the drop-down menu. Select the Export option from the drop-down menu. Choose a file format and save the file to computer for review.

                If there are more than one Sales Promotion conversion mapping in a Sales Rule, reporting or exporting will need to be done for EACH conversion mapping to produce a full picture of the number of patrons who have redeemed tickets using the Sales Rule.

                Copy Sale Rules Mapping to another Sale Rule window

                If you have sales rule promotion mappings in one or more sales rules setups that you want to copy into another sales rule, it is and easy as dragging them from one window to another.

                The process is:

                1. Open the sales rule mapping tab that has the mappings you want to copy into another sales rule
                2. Open the sales rule mapping tab that you want to receive the copy of the sales rules
                3. Select the sales rules to be copied as per the diagram and drag them to the second window you have open

                4. When you release the mouse, sales promotions mappings will now be in the second sales rule as well.

                  Note: Sales rules must be unique. Any rules that already exist in the window you are copying to will be ignored during the copy process.

                5. The copied sales rules will automatically be placed last in the list and ordered to be applied last.
                  If you want the sales rules applied in a different order, refer to changing the sales rule mapping sort order/

                Reordering Sales rules en masse

                Sales rule are applied in the order that you specify. This allows you to bias the order which which you want Theatre Manager to look at things.

                For example, you may have a rule:

                1. that limits conversion from regular price in section 'A' to a very special discount, limited to the first x people.
                2. After that, you may want a rule that converts the rest of the ticket from regular price in section 'A' to a different price

                In this case, the order of the promotion mapping is clearly required to be in the same order as above. if they are not in that order, then use the mechanism below to reorder them.

                Reordering the Sales Rules Mappings

                1. Select the sales rules you want renumbered and use the context menu to select Renumber selected sales rules

                2. You will be asked to provider a number to start the reordering process at. Change this number to get the sales rules numbered in the approximate area you want them.

                  Theatre Manager will change the Sort Order of the sales rules that are selected.

                3. After you have renumbered a group, you can select other sales rules mappings and renumber them with a different starting number
                4. Repeat this process (iteratively) as often as needed to get the sales rules into the order you want them applied.

                Sales Rule Usage

                The sales rule usage tab shows you which coupons and gift certificates currently use this sales rule. If you double click on one of the line sin the list, it will take you to the coupon or gift certificate using the sales rule.

                Click the link to see where Sales Rules are set:

                Sales Rule - Deleting a Sales Rule

                Once a sales rule has been created and assigned to either a Coupon Code or a Pass/GC it cannot be deleted from Theatre Manager.

                Sales Rule - Merging Sales Rules

                Sales Rule can be created uniquely for one specific purpose, a coupon code or Pass. Often this is the case however you may find sales rules may have a dual purpose.

                You can Merge together common sales rules to become one

                Sales Rules are accessed from the Setup Menu >> System Tables >> Sales Rules

                The following window will appear.

                From the list select the rules you wish to merge.

                Click and the following window will appear.

                Select the Sales Rule into which all information will be combined and click

                Note that this cannot be undone.

                Region Rules

                Region Rule Detail Window

                Donation Giving Levels

                Donation Giving Levels are setup to allow for donations from patrons to be tracked using a giving level matrix.

                The matrixes are setup through the Donation Giving Levels Window which can be accessed through the Setup >> System Tables >> Donation Giving Levels.

                The Donation Giving Levels Window will open displaying all current Giving Level Matrixes.

                Donation Giving Levels List Window

                Parts of the Donation Giving Level Window

                Inserts a new giving level through the Giving Level Detail Window.For more information on inserting giving levels click here.
                Opens a window to edit a giving level through the Giving Level Detail Window.For more information on editing giving levels click here.
                Creates a copy of the selected giving level.
                Deletes a giving level.For more information on deleting giving levels click here.
                Generates a report of the giving levels to the screen or default print location.
                Exports the giving level list in a tab-delimited format.
                Giving Level The name of the level.
                Outlet-Owner The Outlet associated with the campaign.
                Pledged The pledged goal.
                Actual The total dollars raised to date.
                Count The number of pledges associated with the giving level.
                Soft Credit Soft Credits associated with this campaign.
                Matching Gift The total dollars raised as Matching Gifts.
                Match Count The total number of Matching Gifts.
                Balance The total dollars needed to meet the pledged goal.
                Diataxis: 

                Creating Giving Levels

                To create a new Donation Giving Level, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Donation Giving Levels window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Giving Level Detail window opens.

                3. Enter a name for the Giving Level.
                4. Click the Save button.

                5. Click the the Add button.

                  The button will become accessible once you have entered a matrix name.

                  The Giving Level window opens.

                6. Enter the name of the giving level.

                  i.e. Bronze

                7. Enter the lower limit of the giving level.

                  i.e. 1

                8. Enter the upper level of the giving level.

                  i.e. 99

                9. You can also select a Notification to be sent, by clicking the Drop Down List.
                10. On the 'BENEFITS' tab, you can:
                  • enter a description of the benefits associated with the giving level
                  • specify the non-tax-receiptable portion of the donation.
                    • For example, a give at the $100 level may include a dinner valued at $25, so the $25 would be entered as the non-receiptable portion
                    • In this way, you can assign different non-receiptable amounts and benefits at each giving level
                11. Click the Save to save the giving level.
                12. Repeat this procedure to add the different giving levels

                Example Matrix:

                • Bronze $ 0.01 - $99.99
                • Silver $ 100.00 - $499.99
                • Gold $ 500.00 - $999.99
                • Platinum $ 1000 - $1000000.99
                Diataxis: 

                Editing a Donation Giving Level Matrix

                The rules for creating a giving level are
                • you need a range for all values of money from 0.01 to 99999999999.99, whether you expect people to give at that level or not.
                • do not leave gaps in the range of numbers, and
                • and you cannot overlap a range.
                If a range overlaps, you will see a message like the one to the right imploring that they be fixed.

                In this case, all but one of the amount ranges overlap at least one other.

                Overlapping means that the end of one range is the same or after the beginning of any other range (or vice versa). Often, fixing one range to not overlap, may fix others.

                To edit a Donation Giving Level matrix, you perform the following steps.

                1. Open the Donation Giving Level window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click on the Giving Level Matrix you wish to edit.
                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Giving Level Detail window opens.

                4. Select the level to be edited and click the Detail button.

                  The Giving Level window for the selected level opens.

                5. Change the required data.
                6. Click the OK button.

                  The changes are saved and the new data is displayed in the Giving Level Detail Window.

                Diataxis: 

                Deleting Giving Levels

                Giving levels are contained in matrix. Giving levels cab be deleted as the entire matrix or a single level in a matrix. A giving level or matrix used by a donation campaign can not be deleted.

                To delete a Giving Level Matrix, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Donation Giving Levels window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the giving level matrix.

                  Single click on a matrix to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Level confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete button to delete the selected giving level matrix
                Diataxis: 

                Deleting a Giving Level from a Matrix

                To delete a level from within a matrix, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Donation Giving Levels window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the giving level matrix.

                  Do this by single clicking the value.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The giving level detail window opens.

                4. Select the level to be deleted.

                  Single click on a level to select it.

                5. Click the Delete button.

                  The delete confrimation dialog opens.

                6. Click the Delete button to delete the giving level.

                Diataxis: 

                Packages

                A package, within Theatre Manager, is designed to group together several items. These items are listed together and require fewer clicks to purchase.

                Do not confuse Packages with Subscriptions. Subscriptions sell the same seats, on the same night, using the same pricing for a patron. Packages do not define seating location or price. They simply allow for all items within the package to be sold together as a grouping.

                The Packages window is opened through Setup >> System Tables >> Packages. From this window you can add, remove and edit existing packages.

                The Package List window opens. Click here for a description of the Package List window.

                Package Setup

                Setting up a package requires you to first create the package, then Add the events / plays to the package.

                Creating a Package

                To Create a new package, you perform the following steps:
                1. Open the Package List window.

                  Click here for more information on the Package List window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Package Detail window opens.

                3. Enter the name for the package.
                4. Edit the External Name.

                  The External Name populates automatically with the information entered in the Name field. Altering this information may not always be necessary.

                5. Click the Save button.
                6. The Content tab is now available for selection.

                7. Select the tab.

                8. Add items to the package as need.

                  For details on adding items to a package, click here. Add as many items are are required for the package.

                9. Select the tab.
                10. Add any external or internal sales notes, as required.
                11. Select the tab.
                12. Check the box next to Via the Internet.
                13. This makes the package available online.

                  Only do this for testing the package, or when you are ready to have the package available for purchase.

                14. Click the button.

                  The package is now saved to the database and can be used in online sales.

                Adding Items to a Package

                1. Open the Package List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Package List.

                2. Double click on the desired package.
                3. Select the tab.

                4. Click the New button.

                  The Package Item Detail window opens.

                5. Click the Event/Play Add button.

                  The Event List window opens.

                  Click here for more information on searching for Events.
                6. Select the desired Event.

                  Single click on the event to select it. If multiple events are required for the package you must add them individually.

                7. Click the Select button.
                8. Choose the desired Performance Restrictions option.
                9. Click the Add button.

                  The Performance List window opens.

                10. Select the desired Performances.

                  Single click on a performance to select it. To select multiple performances, use the CTRL key (Windows) or the OPTION key (Mac).

                11. Click the Select button.
                12. Close the Package Item Detail window.

                  To continue to add more performances to the package, repeat the select and Add steps.

                Editing a Package

                1. Open the Package List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Package List.

                2. Select the Package to be edited.

                  Single click on a package to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Package Detail window opens.

                4. Make changes as needed.
                5. Click the Save button.

                  The changes are now saved and the window can be closed.

                Purchasing a Package

                Packages can be sold using a direct link from an organizations main web site to the package.

                The individual performances within a package do not need to be made available for online sales. This allows you to define the performances within the package, to be available as a package only, and not as individual performances in the online sale.

                Performances can be made available for single ticket sales within the online sales and still be a part of a season package.

                Deleting a Package

                1. Open the Package List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Package List.

                2. Select the Package to be deleted.

                  Single click on a package to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Package Detail window opens.

                4. Select the Content tab.

                5. Select the items listed in the Content tab.

                6. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Package Detail Lines confirmation window opens.

                7. Click the Delete button.
                8. Close the Package Detail window.
                9. Click the button.

                  The Delete Package confirmation window opens.

                10. Click the button.

                  The package is now removed from the database.

                Package List Window

                Parts of the Package List Window

                Creates a new package. For more information on inserting packages click here.
                Opens the selected package for editing. For more information on editing packages click here.
                Creates a copy of the selected package.
                Deletes the selected package. For more information on deleting packages click here.
                Generates a report of the selected packages to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out a list of the selected packages in a tab-delimited format.
                Options to search for packages by.
                Like The text used to search for a select package.
                Package # The unique sequence number for the package.
                Active Indicates the status of the package. An Active package can be made available for purchase.
                Name (Internal) Lists the internal name of the package. This is the name used to refer to the package with the organization.
                Name (External) Displays the external name of the package. This is the name seen online.
                Box Office Indicates is the package is available for sale at the box office.
                Web Indicates if the package is available for sale online.

                Package Detail Window

                Parts of the Package Detail Window

                Creates a new package. For details on setting up a new package click here.
                Saves changes made to the package detail window.
                Creates a copy of the current package.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the current package. For more information on deleting packages click here.
                This feature is not available in this window.
                Checks the spelling of text within the fields displayed in the current tab.
                Package # The unique sequence number for the package. This is used when creating links to the package within the online sales.
                Name The name of the package within Theatre Manager. This name is used for internal purposes.
                Status Indicates the status of the package. An active package can be made available for purchase.
                Opens the Sales Management tab.
                Opens the Content tab.
                Opens the Notes tab.

                Package Sales Management Tab

                Parts of the Package Detail Sales Management Tab

                External Name The external name of the package. This is the name displayed in the online sales.
                At the Box Office When checked, the package is made available for sale at the box office. The Future Onsale Date indicates the date and time the package will be available for sale at the box office.
                Via the Internet Checking the box indicates the package can be purchased online. When a date and time are entered into the Future Onsale Date field the package will not appear online until this indicated date.
                At Other Outlets Check this box to allow other Outlets to sell the package. A date and time can be entered to indicate the onsale date of the package for other outlets.

                Package Content Tab

                Parts of the Package Detail Content Tab

                Item # The unique sequence number for the item within the package.
                Type The type of item in the package. At this time only Events can be added to packages.
                Description The name of the Item added to the package. If the item is an event the event code and title are displayed.
                Outlet-Owner The company the item belongs to.
                Adds a New Item to the package.
                Opens the Package Item Detail window for the selected item.
                Removes the selected Item from the package.

                Package Item Detail Window

                Parts of the Package Item Detail Window

                Creates a item to add to the package. For details on creating new items click here.
                Saves changes made to the item detail window.
                Creates a copy of the current item.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the current item detail and returns to the package detail window.
                This feature is not available in this window.
                Checks the spelling of text within the fields displayed.
                Package Item # The unique sequence number for the item within the package. This is generated by Theatre Manager.
                Type The item type to be added to the package.
                Status Checkbox indicates if the current package is active or not
                Event The Event to be added to the package.
                Opens the Event List window. This can be used to locate the event to be added to the package.
                Performance Restrictions Only one option can be selected. All performances, except those listed will add all the performance for the event excluding those in the list below. Only listed performances will add only those performances for the selected event to the package.
                Opens the Performance List window. This window can be used to select the desired performances for the package. The Performance Restrictions will be applied to the selected performances.
                Removes the selected performance from the package.

                Package Notes Tab

                Parts of the Package Detail Notes Tab

                External Sales Notes These notes appear online and are visible to patrons during the online sales process. Often additional details regarding the package are entered here for patron reference.
                Internal Sales Notes Internal Sales Notes are visible within Theatre Manager only and cannot be seen by the general public.

                Donation Campaigns

                Donation Campaigns are setup to track to what campaign received donations from patrons.

                The campaigns are setup through the Donation Campaign Window accessed through the Setup >> System Tables >> Donation Campaigns Menu.

                The Donation Campaign List window opens.

                To see all the Donation Campaigns, click the Search button.

                For more information on the Donation Campaign List window click here

                To further refine your search, you can select from the drop down list, choose an item to search for, enter text and click the Search button.

                Diataxis: 

                Donation Campaign List Window

                Parts of the Donation Campaign Window

                Accesses the Help section for this window.
                Inserts a New campaign through the Campaign Detail Window. For more information on inserting campaigns click here.
                Opens a window to edit a campaign through the Campaign Detail window. For more information on editing campaigns click here.
                Deletes a campaign. For more information on deleting campaigns click here.
                Generates a report of donation campaigns to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out a donation campaign list in a tab-delimited format.
                Opens the Donation Giving Levels Window. For more information on giving levels click here.
                Merges two campaigns.For more information on merging campaigns click here.
                Opens the DonorSearch Analytic List Window.
                Category The code table category assigned to the donation campaign for online ordering and categorization
                Campaign The name of the donation campaign.
                Actual Dollar value the donation campaign has collected to date.
                Solicitor The main solicitor for this campaign.
                Notification Message sent to inform user of activity to this campaign.
                Pledged The total pledges to date.
                Soft Soft Credits associated with this campaign.
                Outlet-Owner The Outlet associated with the campaign.
                Count The number of pledges to date.
                Giving Level The giving level matrix that is being used by the donation campaign. Click here to learn how to set up a giving level matrix.
                Campaign Flag Include the campaign in patron statistics tab
                Diataxis: 

                Creating a New Donation Campaign

                To review Quick Reference information on Creating a Donation Campaign, You can choose

                Cheatsheet

                Screencast

                Creating a Donation Campaign

                To Create a new donation campaign, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Donation Campaign List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Campaign Detail window opens.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window.

                3. Enter the name of the campaign.
                4. Enter the time period of the campaign.
                5. Enter the solicitor for this campaign.

                  This field is defaulted to the current user. The Employee Lookup button can be used to display a list of all current Employees.

                6. Select a ticket face.

                  This prints an extra ticket for a donation and can only be used by thermal printers.

                  A ticket face is usually not necessary. Only add one if:
                  • You want to print a specific looking receipt on a ticket printer for box office donations that emulates CRA needs (the tax receipt report should be used instead)
                  • You like to have a sort of paper audit of donations at the box office to hand to development or finance (there are great reports for that too, meaning this isn't usually required)

                7. Select the Notification type.

                  This will send an email to whomever has been setup to receive emails based on this type of Notifications. This does not have to be entered.

                8. Click the Accounting tab.
                9. Enter in the Accounting information for this campaign.

                  If this is a Restricted Campaign (one which deposits to a bank account OTHER THAN the Operating Account, check the Restricted Campaign box and fill in the appropriate Bank account.

                  Different G/L Accounts can be selected for prior fiscal years, current fiscal year, and future fiscal years. For more information on creating G/L accounts click here.

                  Click here for more information on this window.

                10. Select the Edits tab.
                11. Select the giving level matrix to use for the campaign.

                  Click here to learn how to setup giving levels.

                12. Select the access to be given to the campaign.
                13. Determine if a receipts should be printed for this campaign.
                14. Select the edit controls on the benefit amount.
                15. Click here for more information on this window.

                16. Click the Statistics tab.
                17. Enter the target amount for the campaign.
                18. Click the Save button.

                  Click here for more information on this window.

                19. Close the Campaign Detail window.

                  The campaign will be saved and displayed on the Donation Campaign window.

                Diataxis: 

                Campaign Detail Window

                All the details of a campaign can be entered, edited and kept track of in the Campaign Detail window. This page explains the details of the window and its tabs.

                 

                Parts of The Campaign Detail Window

                Opens a new Campaign Detail window to enter a new campaign.
                Saves the currently open campaign.
                Creates a duplicate of the currently open campaign.
                Can be clicked while editing to revert back to the last time the open campaign was saved.
                Deletes the Campaign currently open.
                Checks the spelling in the appropriate fields.
                Campaign Name Enter the internal name for the campaign.
                Outlet Allows you to chose between any outlets avaialbe for your organization.
                Access Groups Specify which groups of people can access the data
                The Description tab is where you enter the descriptive information about the Campaign. It is described on this page.
                The Accounting tab is where you enter the Account information for the Campaign. Click here for more information about the Accounting tab.
                The Edits tab is where you define where donations to the campaign can be accepted and the Giving Level Matrix. Click here for more information about the Edits tab.
                The Statistics tab shows all the total donations for the selected campaign. Click here for more information about the Statistics tab.
                The Notes tab lets you enter text notes for the campaign. Click here for more information about the Notes tab.
                The Donations tab shows you the list of donations to the campaign. From here, you can open, delete, make payments and print the selected donation. Click here for more information about the Donations tab.
                The G/L Entries tab shows you the list of G/L Entries to the campaign. From here, you can add, open and delete, G/L entries. Click here for more information about the G/L Entries tab.
                The Transactions tab shows you the list of Transactions related to the campaign. From here, you can add, open and delete, Transactions. Click here for more information about the Transactions tab.
                Diataxis: 

                Description Tab

                Campaign Name The name of the donation campaign.
                External Name Name to be displayed on the internet.
                Category Assign the donation to a category that can be used to group and sort the campaigns in online web pages. These are set up in Donation Campaign Category code tables.
                Campaign Starts Ends The time period that the campaign is running.
                Ticket Face (Optionally), you can select a ticket face to be used for donations. Click the Ticket button to open the Ticket Face List window. Select a ticket face to be printed for a donation receipt. This function can only be utilized by thermal ticket printers.
                A ticket face is usually not necessary. Only add one if:
                • You want to print a specific looking receipt on a ticket printer for box office donations that emulates CRA needs (the tax receipt report should be used instead)
                • You like to have a sort of paper audit of donations at the box office to hand to development or finance (there are great reports for that too, meaning this isn't usually required)
                Notification The workflow notification type that you would like to be sent out for this campaign. Click here for more information on setting up Workflow Notifications.
                Tags You can add any number of tags to the donation campaign.
                Diataxis: 

                Accounting Tab

                Parts of the Accounting Tab

                Posting Accounts

                Restricted Campaign Generally funds are deposited to the Operating Account as setup in your Default Posting Accounts.

                If you want the funds deposited to another account for this campaign, check the Restricted Campaign box and enter the correct Bank Account and transfer information below. This will cause Theatre Manager to create a general ledger clearing entry for your finance department to indicate the movement of funds via their bank interface. Refer to the example on restricted donations

                Note: you will not be able to set up a restricted donation campaign if:
                • A restricted bank account is provided for the campaign. This is a physically separate bank account from your main bank account if required by law. it is typically an asset account
                • The restricted bank account is one of the special bank accounts in code table default accounts
                • The xfer from bank account and the clearing account in code tables are the same account in default accounts
                Restricted Bank Account Restricted Bank Account for this campaign. it is normally a physically different bank account if you are tracking funds for special purposes like capital campaigns or casino/gaming accounts - as may be required by law.

                Click the button to open the Chart of Accounts lookup.

                Income "Prior Year in blue" and earlier. Prior fiscal year account for this campaign. We recommend that this be an unrecognizable account in your accounting system to prompt you to look at any posting to a prior year donation account.

                The reason for a non-sensical account number is simple: posting to prior year donation accounts usually causes auditors to be concerned because the year end has been closed and audited as far as donations for prior years which have been compared to receipts issued.

                An account number with an account name like 'Donation posted to prior year, please investigate' is a good idea.

                Click the button to open the Chart of Accounts lookup.

                Refer to the link about what happens if you change Amount, Campaign, or Fiscal Year for a Prior Fiscal Year donation for more information.
                Income for "Current Year in blue" Current fiscal year account for this campaign.

                Click the button to open the Chart of Accounts lookup.

                Deferred Revenue for "Next Year in blue" and Later If you wish to defer donations for a future fiscal year for this campaign, you can select a different account than the current year account. It would normally be a liability. During year end rollover, any donations entered in future fiscal years will be rolled into the earned accounts. Click the button to open the Chart of Accounts lookup.
                Patron is allowed to receive a benefit when giving to the campaign Applies the benefit matrix from the giving level matrix to this campaign. Click here for more information on setting up benefits for donations.
                Can be changed from the default for the giving level Allows the value of the benefit to be edited during a donation.

                Benefit Amount

                Checkbox Patron is allowed to receive a benefit when giving to the campaign.
                Checkbox Can be changed from the default for the giving level.
                Benefit Account Benefit general ledger account for this campaign.

                Click the button to open the Chart of Accounts lookup.

                Diataxis: 

                Changing Prior Year Donations

                Changing financial information about donations after your year is complete is usually not a good idea especially if its after your financial audit and approved financials have been send to the Government.

                If you need to do it, make sure you have a discussion with your accounting staff and/or auditors first.

                You will be reminded of the accounting ramifications if you happen to change any one of the following items for a donation (per the image below) that was entered for any fiscal year PRIOR to this year:
                • Campaign
                • Donation amount
                • Fiscal Year on the donation
                An other data fields on the donation can be changed at any time without financial implication and you will not see any of the messages below.
                This process mentions fiscal prior year account setup in the campaign - refer to that if you need to see hour your accounts are set up and where things will post

                Changes to Campaign, Amount or Fiscal Year

                If you change Campaign, Amount or Fiscal Year, you will see a messages similar to below below asking to confirm the change.

                If you really want to change the prior year financial data, you will see a second message to confirm the change, as below.

                 

                If you agree to both dialogs, the donation data will be changed.

                Theatre Manager will create transactions that

                • Reverses the original amount, campaign and fiscal year using the account number below that relates to the donation fiscal year
                • Create a new transaction for the new amount, campaign and fiscal year
                Thus, if you are changing a donation from the current to the past year, then you will affect prior year books. This will take funds out of out of the current year account and put into the prior year account.

                Since the Government has been told about the prior year, your finance people and auditor will need to know, so that they can amend prior year. This is especially important if it is a multi year pledge that is not full paid because of the discounting for present value that need to be done on Government forms.

                In other words, if you need to do this, make sure your finance people know. IT may not be an issue at all.. but then again, it might be very important to know.

                Sales Tab

                Accept Donation at

                Via the Donor Tab Allow the campaign to be displayed as a choice when a donation is being entered through the donor tab on the patron window.
                In conjunction with a Ticket Sale Allow the campaign to be displayed as a chouce when a donation is being given through an order created on the ticket tab in the patron window.
                Taken during a Ticket Return Allow the campaign to be displayed when a ticket is being refunded / returned for any reason.
                Accepted on the Internet Allow the campaign to be accessed via the Internet and donations made Online. Additional option, Visible in Internet List. This allows for the selected campaign to appear in the list of available donation campaigns for patrons to give to.
                • If both options are enabled, the donation campaign will appear online on this page - https://tickets.artsman.com/TheatreManager/1/login?donationcampaigns
                • If Accepted on the Internet is enabled for a donation campaign, this would apply to the campaign used for rounding up a online cart, where the donation campaign should NOT appear on the organizations donation page.
                • Another use for Accepted on the Internet is in conjunction with direct donation link where the campaign would not appear online for everyone.
                Visible in Internet List Normally, donations campaigns available online should be visible online. There may some special purpose donations that you may create a quick-add button for that do do not want to see in list. If so, uncheck this option.

                Examples might be: round up donations or quick donate on checkout window for a particular purpose.

                Sort Order Allows you to specify an online sort order for campaigns (instead of purely alphabetical). The default is a three level sort:
                • Grouping order as specified for the Campaign Category code table, if one is provided)
                • Sort order specified for the campaign in this window (if any)
                • Finally, by the Campaign Name
                Accept Post Dated Payments If post dated payments are accepted online, indicate the final payment date. Monthly payments will be set up through to the end of the payment date. You could set the date to be end of the year to get recurring yearly payments.
                At other Outlets Allows the campaign to be accessed and donations made at other outlets.

                Include in Patron Statistics

                Include in Annual Statistics Donation values will appear in patron statistics tab.

                Default values for a new Donation

                Fiscal year Normally, the fiscal year on a donation defaults to your fiscal year in which the donation falls. If you enter a donation for a future year, it will take on a future fiscal year.

                If you want to change the default behaviour for this donation campaign and force the fiscal year to be in the future, you can enter a future non-zero year into this field.

                It must be a future year (since the default of zero means the current year now and forever). And if it is always to be the next fiscal year, you will need to edit this field at year end every year.

                Accrual accounting (GAAP, FASB, IRS an CRA) says you should not set for future years. But sometimes auditors will allow deferral of subscription donations to the next year.

                NOTE: Default Fiscal/Program Years are Copied to each Donation at time of creation of the donation. After that, you can change either of then on the donation.

                Changing the default does not affect past donations - you must change them manually.

                Program Year The default program year for a donation is the calendar year on the donation date. If you wish it to be different then set a default value into this field. It must be a future year.
                Default Solicitor The primary solicitor for the campaign. You can select or change the solicitor, by clicking on the Solicitor button to open the Employee Listwindow to select or change a solicitor for the Campaign.
                Diataxis: 

                Edits Tab

                Parts of the Edits Tab

                Print Controls On Receipts

                Print receipts for this Campaign Allows receipts to be printed for this campaign and you may (optionally) set a minimum donation mount if desired for receipt printing.

                You can choose the conditions under which you want to print tax receipts in Canada.

                Email Receipt for Online Donor If checked and the patron donates online, a single one receipt per payment style donation receipt will be created and attached to the patron's web confirmation.

                You will be warned if your company preference setup contains no:

                The above images should be in place to so that the tax receipt looks complete (and in Canada, contains all the required information for tax receipts).

                This option is not available:

                • if you are not printing receipts for the campaign -or-
                • the online donation amount does not meet the minimum amount required for a receipt
                  • If the online donation amount does not meet the minimum amount required for a tax receipt, then no tax receipt will be sent. The receipt option will remain the default for the campaign.
                If Over A certain Amount If an amount is entered, then any single donation that is under the specified amount will never get a tax receipt printed in the batch printing or automatic emailing of receipts.

                Note: Receipts are generated for each payment towards a donation. As long as the donation is over the threshold for receipting, each payment gets a receipt. If you are expecting multiple payments, you may want to consider selecting Annual Statement Style receipts when entering the donation - to minimize any administrative burden.

                For example: A donation might be $100 (and entitled to a receipt). if the patron pays with post dated payments for $10.00 each, monthly, each payment will get a receipt (i.e. 10 receipts, regardless if the receipt is under the threshold). Printing the Annual Statement Receipt might be one way to reduce receipting effort if the payments are small and donations are large.

                Default Tax Receipt Options Theatre Manager has a number of tax receipt options that you can set for each donation.

                You can set the default for the campaign, which will be copied to each new donation when the donation is created.

                Suggested Donations Online

                Suggested Amounts You can enter a list of suggested donation amounts - and if you do, then the online donation module will have buttons that let the patron quickly pick that amount as a donation - without having to enter information. The patron will always have the ability to enter a custom amount.

                If you have no suggested amounts, then the patron will be required to type in a value for the donation.

                If you drag some of the giving levels to this list, Theatre Manager will take the minimum value in the range for that giving level and add it to the list. You might want to take most popular ranges and drag onto this field for quick entry.

                Giving Level Matrix

                Giving Level The giving level matrix that will be used for the campaign. For information on setting up a Giving Level Matrix for use here, click here.
                Opens the Giving Level (inserting) window, allowing you to add more levels to the campaign. Click here for more information on adding levels.
                Opens the Giving Level window, allowing you to edit the selected Giving Level. Click here for more information on editing levels.
                Allows you to delete the selected Giving Level. Click here for more information on deleting a level.
                Diataxis: 

                Statistics Tab

                The statistics are kept as a total for all Donations to this Campaign. Targets are useful for long term capital campaigns. Theatre Manager does not support targets on an annual basis for ongoing/annual campaigns.

                Parts of the Statistics Tab

                Total Target Goal for the campaign.
                Show on Internet Shows the progress to date on the web pages in the internet.

                It will show the progress on the:

                Non-Financial Donation Amounts

                Prospects The total value of prospect donations for the campaign.
                Soft Pledges The total value of soft pledge donations for the campaign.
                Soft Credits Total value of soft credits allocated for the campaign.

                Donation Amounts Affecting G/L

                Actual Total amount received.
                Total Donations Total number of donations for the campaign.
                Hard Pledges The total pledged amount for the campaign.
                Matching Gifts The amount of matching gifts for the campaign.
                # Gifts Matched The number of matching gift donations for the campaign.
                Written Off The total value of donations written off against this campaign.
                Balance Owing Total balance owing on donations for this campaign.
                Diataxis: 

                Notes Tab

                An area for any internal notes about this particular campaign. The Notes tab is not a mandatory field when setting up a Campaign.

                Parts of the Notes Tab

                External Sales Notes Enter any notes about the campaign that you would like patrons to see online - that might help them decide to give to this campaign.
                Internal Sales Notes Enter any notes about the campaign that are for staff only
                Icon You can drag a 200 pixel wide by 250 high image to this area - which will be shown during online sales in the list of donations
                Diataxis: 

                Donations Tab

                Parts of the Donations Tab

                There are some actions you can do to one or more donations from the context menu that are not available on the toolbar:

                Status Icon based indicators on the various aspects of the donation.
                Order # The order number is a reference number for the order.
                Prog Yr Program Year.
                Use Indicates the source detailing hose the donation was received.
                First / Last & Company Name Name of the patron making the donation.
                Campaign Name Name of the campaign the donation was applied to.
                Fiscal Year The accounting Fiscal Year the donation was made.
                Donation Date Date the donation was made.
                Pledge Amount The amount the patron pledged to this donation.
                Actual Amount The actual amount the patron has confirmed they will donate towards their original pledged amount.
                Giving Level What level of giving the donation is at.
                Balance Outstanding balance of the pledged amount remaining to the paid.
                Total Receipted The amount of the donation that has been issued paayment/receipts.
                Soft Credit The total amount of Soft Credits that have been applied to the donation.
                Program Name How the patron would like to be recognized on the program.
                Diataxis: 

                G/L Entries Tab

                Parts of the G/L Entries Tab

                View Selection Drop-down (set to All G/L Entries in the example) Choose which entries you want to see in the list and then click the lookup button to view the list. The default is All G/L Entries.
                Journal # The unique Journal # for the entry
                Description The type of journal entry it is (ie. Sales Posting)
                Date The posting date for the entry.
                Debit The Debit amount of the entry (if applicable)
                Credit The Credit amount for the entry.
                Not available.
                Opens the selected entry for viewing/editing.
                Not available.
                Diataxis: 

                Transactions Tab

                The Transactions tab allows you to view the specific details surrounding the audit transactions of the selected campaign.

                Seq # The transaction reference number.
                Trans Date Date the transaction took place
                Journal No Journal Entry reference number.
                Code Theatre Manager reference code used to determine the type of transaction.
                Transaction Desc Brief description of what the transaction was.
                Order # Reference number used to tract the components of the order.
                Diataxis: 

                Delete a Campaign

                1. Open the Donation Campaign window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click on the campaign you want to delete.

                  The campaign must not be tied to any transactions in order to be deleted.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  A Delete confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The donation campaign has now been deleted.

                Diataxis: 

                Editing a Donation Campaign

                1. Open the Donation Campaign window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the campaign you wish to edit.

                  Single click on a campaign to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Campaign Detail window opens.

                4. Change the required data.
                5. Click the Save button.

                  The changes are saved and the new data is displayed in the Donation Campaign window.

                Diataxis: 

                Merging Donation Campaigns

                1. Open the Donation Campaigns window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the campaigns to merge.

                  Do this by holding <CTRL> (Windows) or <OPTION> (Mac) as you click the campaigns.

                3. Click the Merge button.

                  The Merge Donations window opens.

                4. Choose the Campaign the others are to be combined into.
                5. Click the Merge button.

                  A merge confirmation dialog opens.

                6. Click the Merge button.

                  The campaigns are merged and displayed in the Donation Campaigns Window as the campaign you chose to merge the files into.

                  Other Campaigns are deleted after the procedure is complete
                  If the campaigns were going to different GL entries in your accounting system, you may want to make a manual GL entry in your accounting system to reflect the merged numbers.
                Diataxis: 

                Membership, Pass, G/C Types

                Passess, Gift Certificates and Memberships are bought by a patron and may (depending on your company) entitle them to a monthly newsletter, advanced ticket purchases, or discounts on ticket sales. Memberships can also be setup to allow a set number of free admissions with purchase. Gift Certificates are purchased for a dollar denomination and then given to another patron who can use the gift certificate as cash to purchase tickets for a performance. Passes can be setup to provide free admissions to a predefined number of performances; as well passes can be setup as "Average cost per Admission" the pass is purchased for a set price and allows x number of admissions. when the pass is redeemed Theatre Manager will override the price code and change the price to the denomination of the pass.

                Setting up Pass G/Cs and Memberships is performed throughout the Pass G/C Member Types Window. The window is accessed through the Setup >> System Tables >> Pass G/C Types Menu

                The Member Types Window opens.

                Click here for a detailed description of this window.

                Finding a Pass G/C Type

                To Find Types, you perform the following steps:

                1. Select Setup >> System Tables >> Pass G/C Types Menu.

                  The Member Types Window opens.

                2. To refine your search, you can choose from the drop down list, turn off or on the Active/Inactive flags, enter text in the description box and click the Search button.

                  Or leave blank and click the Search button for a complete list of Memberships.

                  The results which fit your parameters will be displayed.

                  To access a membership double-click it.

                Diataxis: 

                Pass G/C Types List Window

                Through this window you can add, edit, delete, view the details and verify Pass G/C types.

                Parts of the Pass G/C Types List Window

                Accesses the Help section for this window.
                Inserts new Pass G/C type. For more information on inserting Pass G /C/ types click here.
                Edits the selected Pass G/C type. For more information on editing Pass G/C types click here.
                Copies the selected Pass G/C type.
                Deletes the selected Pass G/C type Click Here to learn how to delete member types.
                Generates a report of the Pass G/C types to the screen or default print location.
                Exports a list of Pass G/C types.
                Verifies the selected Pass G/C type. For more information on verifying member types click here.
                Description Description of the Pass G/C type which will be displayed in all Pass G/C pull down menus.
                Purchase $ Dollar value of the Pass G/C type at time of purchase.
                Redeem $ Dollar value representing how much of the Pass G/C has been redeemed/used (or the value of items for which it has been used)
                Issue Qty Number of this Pass G/C type to be sold.
                Redemption Method Method of redemption for the selected Pass G/C type. For more on the redemption methods, click here.
                Notification Lists any workflow notifications that have been setup for this Pass/G.C.
                Rule Name Lists any Sales Rules that may be associated with this Pass/G.C.
                Diataxis: 

                Creating a Membership, Pass, Gift Certificate

                "Membership" is a broad term meaning "Gift Certificates," "Flex Passes," "Vouchers," "Other Income" or a variety of other forms. Since the name of the field is customizable, some organizations may retain the term "Membership," while others change it to reflect their own terminology such as "GC/Pass," "Gift Certs." or even "Other Income." The nomenclature in your database may be different than "memberships."
                Theatre Manager sells four key items: Tickets, Donations, Memberships and resources. While "tickets" allow admission to an event and "donations" are gifts from patrons for which a tax is receipt is usually printed, "memberships" can take on a variety of other items.

                Memberships are often seen as a payment method, as in a Gift Certificate or Flex Pass. They are used to exchange value from the membership to a ticket purchase. For example, a Gift Certificate can be purchased, and exchanged at a later date (used as a payment method) for tickets or other items for sale. Similarly, a Flex Pass is purchased, and exchanged for tickets at a later date.

                Memberships can also denote affiliation with a group, such as a Symphony League, Actors Club.

                And finally, Memberships can also be a methodology for getting payments for non-ticket/non-donation items into Theatre Manager such as rental income, playbill advertising, and concession income.

                For more information on determining the membership type that best suits your needs click here.

                To Create a new Pass, Gift Certificate or Membership, you perform the following steps:

                1. Go to the Setup Menu >> System Tables >> Pass G/C Types (remember, yours may be called "Pass," "GC/Pass," "Gift Certificates" or some other name).

                  The Pass G/C Types window opens.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Pass G/C Detail window opens for entry.

                3. Give the Membership an INTERNAL name that you will know the membership by within your organization.

                  You will have an opportunity to change the EXTERNAL name (the name by which your patrons will know this membership) on the Description tab.

                4. Proceed to each tab in the Membership Setup.
                Diataxis: 

                Description Tab

                The Description tab is the first of the setup tabs in a new membership. Many of the fields in this tab are optional.

                 

                Parts of the Description Tab

                Pass GC Type Internal Name used during the sales process at the box office - which may be different than the external name.
                Category Select a category for the pass or gift certificates. These are created in the Member Category code table. The categories are used to group similar pass types for display on the pass/gift certificate sales web page.
                Access Groups Specify which groups of people can access the data
                Active A pass or gift certificate must be marked active in order for it to be sold or redeemed. Refer to the compete list of redemption rules.

                If you no longer wish to sell passes/GC's, but still allow redemptions, enter a final date that they can be sold that is prior to today.

                External Name Name by which the patrons will know this membership (this name appears on the web).
                * Available From Date and time the membership will be available for sale.
                * Available Till Date and time the membership will no longer be available for sale. This does not mean "redeemable" until.
                * Ticket Face The ticket face that will be used for this membership. If a ticket is to be printed for this membership, then the ticket coding must be based on Member Data.
                * Exclude Price Codes If, during the redemption of this membership, any specific Price Codes in the Event Setup are to be unable to be used by this Membership, then those Price Codes need to be listed here.
                * Notification If an internal email notification is to be sent when this particular membership is sold, it must be indicated here.
                * External Sales Notes Enter notes regarding what this Membership/Pass/GC is for and it will appear in the online notes beside each pass/gc. This as a marketing opportunity to communicate with your online patrons.
                * Internal Sales Notes Notes regarding what this Membership/Pass/GC for internal use only.
                * Tags You can add any number of tags to the membership type.

                * indicates an optional field

                Diataxis: 

                Redemption Rules Tab

                The Redemption Rules tab controls how the pass works and how it can be redeemed. There are 5 different types of Memberships that can be created in Theatre Manager. Each one serves a specific purpose, yet remains flexible in the parameters you determine. The 5 types are:

                1. Free Admission
                2. Dollar Value
                3. Average Dollar Per Admission
                4. Can't Buy A Thing
                5. Use Promotion

                While a pass seems like something you are selling, it really is, first and foremost, a payment method.

                People buy passes or gift certificates with the expectation that they can redeem them. After all, it is their money. Some passes can be limited to the amount of money that can be redeemed, after which Theatre Manager will require and up-charge.

                Most passes and gift certificates should be tax exempt (but may include the total intended redemption value that includes taxes)

                At time of sale, the value of the entire value of the pass is generally deferred in a liability account. When a portion of it is used to pay for tickets, the ticket will have the actual taxes payable calculated that the time of the sale of the ticket -- and the passes redemption value covers the entire cost of the ticket.

                Tax is never allowed on a 'Dollar Value' or an 'Average Dollar Admission' type of pass to enforce those rules

                Method of Redemption

                Free Admission Free Admission is simply that - a "free admission." If you are giving away a ticket to an event in a radio giveaway or an auction, you can create a Free Admission pass. This allows the recipient to exchange the free admission pass for an admission ticket to any event. You can limit the events applicable to the pass in the "Valid Plays" tab of the Membership setup. Special Considerations:
                • The number of free admissions can be controlled by changing the # of Passes issued on the right side of the screen.
                • If the passes are going to be free, then the "Can be sold for a zero value" on the EDITS tab must be selected.
                Dollar Value A Dollar Value pass is essentially a Gift Certificate. If the patron gives you $50 to use at a later date, then redeems the pass to purchase tickets, it should be set up as a Dollar Value. Special Considerations:
                • Typically, the "# of Passes Issued" is set to 0, and the "Purchase Amount" is set to $0. Then on the EDITS tab, the "Value Can Be Changed During Purchase" option is selected so Gift Certificates can be sold in any amount.
                • In most U.S. States, and all of Canada, Gift Certificates never expire and should be set as such in the EDITS tab.
                • The General Ledger accounts for "Dollar Value" and "Average Dollar Per Admission" are typically liability accounts as they start out as a credit to the patron and then are used as a reduction of that credit.
                • Tax is not allowed on this Pass Type.
                Average Dollar Per Admission This is more commonly known as a "Flex Pass" where a patron purchases a pack of "x" admissions for "y" price. The Flex Pass is then redeemed for tickets on whatever schedule the patron wishes. The parameters can be set such that the patron can use one, some or all admissions on the same performance. Average $ per Admission passes (or better known as "Flex Passes") are rapidly becoming more popular than the traditional "all-in" subscriptions.
                Special Considerations:
                • The values for "# Passes Issued" and "Purchase Amount" must be set for an Average Dollar Per Admission type.
                • Theatre Manager will split the Purchase Amount equally across all available redemptions. So if the Flex Pass is $100 for 5 admissions, regardless of the actual price of the ticket, Theatre Manager will attribute $20 ($100/5) to each event where the pass is redeemed.
                • Tax is not allowed on this Pass Type.
                You may set a "Maximum per admission" to limit the value to which the pass can be applied.

                Using the above example, you set a Maximum per admission of $25. If the recipient attempts to redeem the pass on an event where the ticket price is $30, Theatre Manager will apply $25 from the pass to the ticket, and leave a balance owing of $5 to be paid in some other form.

                This allows the box offie the flexibility of up-charging for more expensive nights even when a patron buys a lower price pass - and creating a win-win from a customer service perspective.

                Can't Buy A Thing This is used as a true membership such as a Symphony League, Community Players, or other membership group. This can also be used to track sales that are merchandise, concessions, advertising sales, rental fees or other miscellaneous forms of income.
                Special Considerations:
                • Can't Buy A Thing and Use Promotion are the only two membership types where "Grace period before approval needed to renew expired memberships" (on the EDITS tab) can be employed. This is because these are the only two true membership types, whereas the previous three are based on admissions.
                Use Promotion This pass type is designed to allow pass holders reduced admission prices for a specific time period. When this pass is used, the price of the tickets changes from their original promotion to something else using the sales rules mapping.
                Examples of this membership type are:
                • Annual movie pass
                • Alumni who receive a "2 for 1" discount on tickets
                • Musicians who receive a dollar discount on tickets purchased
                • or patrons who belong to an elite club within your organization who, as a benefit of membership, receive a set discount on tickets.

                Redeemable By


                There are four options for who can redeem the pass or gift certificate.

                Purchaser only Only the patron who purchased the pass will be able to redeem it. This is good when you wish to limit the pass to the owner alone.

                Online Redemption Rules:

                • The patron can see this pass and redeem it without a password because it is assigned specifically to them.
                • No other patron can redeem this pass (including household members)
                Any Household Member Any member of the same household can redeem the pass. This is good for a flex pass where you may want it redeemable by the patron, their spouse or any other members of the household.

                Online Redemption Rules:

                • The patron who owns the pass can see and redeem it without a password because it is assigned specifically to them.
                • Other household members can see the pass and use it without a password when they choose 'Redeem passes' at the cart or checkout page.
                • Patrons outside the household will be unable to use the pass
                Any Patron (Visible to Purchaser) This pass can be redeemed by any patron in the database. This type of redemption is good for Gift Certificates or Raffle/Give-Away vouchers where you do not know the final user at the time of the sale.

                Online Redemption Rules:

                • The patron who owns the pass can see and redeem it without a password because it is owned by them.
                • All other patrons will need both the pass control number and the redemption password.
                If a pass that may be redeemed by any patron is to be used online, then the BOX OFFICE MUST also give the patron the redemption password. It is 15 characters long and can be printed on the 'pass' ticket face or on a form letter based on passes/gift certificates.
                Any Patron (Not Visible to Purchaser) This pass can be redeemed by any patron in the database. This type of redemption is good for Gift Certificates or Raffle/Give-Away vouchers where you do not know the final user at the time of the sale.

                Online Redemption Rules:

                • All PATRONS will need both the pass control number and the redemption password.
                • Even the patron who purchased it cannot use it without the password because it is not visible in their account
                For this redemption method, ALL Patrons (including the one who purchased the pass) will need to enter the pass redemption password. The pass will not show on anybodies account until it us used at least once.

                Redemption Options for Passes

                Depending on the type of Membership, you may be able to specify certain parameters about how it operates. The available fields will grey out or become available as appropriate.

                # of Passes Issued For Free Admission or Avg $/Admission, you can indicate how many passes will be issued with this membership. The number can be zero, as long as on the EDITS tab, you indicate that the value can be changed during purchase.
                Purchase Amount The cost of this membership. The value can be set to zero as long as one of two conditions are met on the EDITS tab. Either:
                • "Value can be changed during purchase" or
                • "Can be sold for a zero value" are enabled.
                The former is ideal for Gift Certificates. The latter is for use with a Free Admission type of pass.
                Redeemable Amount The value of the pass during the redemption process. This is usually the same as the Purchase Amount, however can be different. For example, you may have a "Holiday Gift Certificate" where the Redeemable Amount is higher than the Purchase Amount. To achieve this, set the Purchase Amount at $1, and the Redeemable Amount at $1.10. This will increase your Gift Certificate value to 10% more than the Purchase Amount.
                Sales Rules Sales Rules are mappings for converting one Sales Promotion to another Sales Promotion. They can be really useful when redeeming gift certificates online to show how the origina price was changed.

                Internet Options for Pass or Gift Certificate Redemption

                At your discretion, you may choose to make some Memberships redeemable online. For example, a Flex Pass holder or Gift Certificate owner may be able to redeem their Membership for tickets online.

                Redeem via the Internet This checkbox indicates whether the selected Membership can be redeemed online. If enabled:
                • The patron will be able to see all the passes associated with their account online on a pass/gc redemption web page
                • A patron can redeem passes/gift certificates online that were given to them by another patron if they know both:
                  • the pass number -and-
                  • the redemption code.
                  The redemption code is a secret serial number unique to each pass/gift certificate that is generated when it is sold. The Box Office staff can only see this redemption code if it is printed on a ticket face or on a form letter based on Passes/Gift Certificates. This is for security reasons and also that they do not need the redemption code to use the pass at the box office.

                  Under certain circumstances, Theatre Manager may support redemption codes embedded in track III on specialty cards - contact sales to find out more about the encoding and where to source cards.

                Refer to rules regarding payment of pass before use for the sub-options.
                Renew via Internet If the Membership is renewable (applies to "Can't Buy a Thing" and "Use Promotion" only), this checkbox indicates if the pass is renewable online.
                Diataxis: 

                Redeemable via Internet Options

                If you decide to allow the pass or gift certificate to be redeemed online, you have two options:
                • Must be fully prepaid for. This is the default option and means that the pass or gift certificate must be paid for by the patron before it can be used online. This includes making postdated payments towards the value of the pass.
                • Might be unpaid. If this option is selected, it means that a patron can redeem the pass or gift certificate online before it is even paid for. Enabling this option requires that the employee has the function security enabled for Payments - use pass that has not been fully paid for'
                  This option exposes you to Risk and is not recommended.

                  If a pass or gift certificate is not paid for and the patron uses it to see a show, you risk being left with a receivable that the patron might never pay for after seeing the show. In effect, it means you gave away a comp ticket unwillingly.

                Diataxis: 

                Accounting Tab

                The Accounting tab determines where the funds go to during a sale, and are drawn from during the redemption.

                If the method of redemption is Average $/Admission or Dollar Value Gift Certificate. taxes will be ignored as GAAP treatment is to defer taxes on financial instruments until the time of redemption via a ticket purchase. At that time, taxes on the ticket are taken from the value of the redemption. You may want to include taxes in the total cost.

                Parts of the Accounting Tab

                Tax Rate to Apply

                Tax Rate A drop down to select the tax rate applied to this membership. If there is no tax rate for this membership, then select "None."

                Default Fiscal Year

                Fiscal Year Normally, passes and gift certificates are sold for the fiscal year that you are currently in. If this is the case, leave this field blank.

                However, sometimes there is a time where you are selling passes now for a future fiscal year. If that is true, enter the future fiscal year that the pass is for (normally the next year). When selling the pass, TM will use the default fiscal year for the pass, or the current fiscal year of the venue, whichever is greater. This prevents defaulting to a prior fiscal year.

                General Ledger Accounts

                Income for FY20xx and Earlier For many membership types (Free Admission, Dollar Value, Average Dollar Per Admission), the income account is normally a liability account. As the membership is sold, the liability goes up. As the membership is redeemed, the liability goes down.
                Deferred Revenue FY20xx and Later If the usable redemption period of a membership or gift certificate falls within the upcoming year, rather than the current fiscal period, you may want to consider deferring the revenue in a liability account. During data entry of the pas/G.C., you will need to specify the future fiscal year. If you do this, then revenue will be rolled over into the current year during year end rollover.
                Benefit Expense Account If there is a difference between:
                • the sale amount of the membership, and
                • its redeemable value
                then enter the GL account to which the difference should be applied. This is normally considered as a marketing expense for selling/promoting the gift certificate.

                For example, if you have a holiday Gift Certificate promotion where if you buy a Gift Certificate for $100, but receive a redeemable value of $110, you will want to attribute the $10 expense to the marketing GL line. Use of this membership benefit amount ties back to the Redeemable Amount on the Type tab.

                Unearned Income Write-Off Account If the membership expires (as set in the Edits tab), then any unearned income will be moved to the GL account indicated here when the pass is manually written off.
                Diataxis: 

                Sales Management Tab

                The Sales Management tab is the third - and possibly most important - of the setup tabs in a new membership. You must carefully consider each of the check boxes and options in this tab as your selections control how the Membership can be sold and redeemed.

                Parts of the Sales Management Tab

                Allow pass/g.c. to be Purchased

                Via Member tab on the patron screen This option allows the membership to be sold using the BUY button on the patron record on the MEMBER tab.
                In conjunction with a ticket sale This option allows sales staff to sell the membership using the Member tab on the left-hand side of the Order Window during the ticket sale process.
                As a ticket refund ("store credit") This would be selected if the membership is a voucher that is issued to a patron to rectify customer service situations. Instead of issuing a cash refund, a voucher/pass/gift certificate may be issued for a future ticket purchase.
                Via the internet This option allows the membership to be sold online.
                Visible in Internet List Normally, pass/GC types available online should be visible online. There may some special purpose ones that you may create a quick-add button for that do do not want to see in list. If so, uncheck this option.
                Sort Order Allows you to specify an online sort order for pass/GC types (instead of purely alphabetical). The default is a three level sort:
                • Grouping order as specified for the Pass/GC Category code table, if one is provided)
                • Sort order specified for the Pass/GC type in this window (if any)
                • Finally, by the Pass/GC Name
                Accept Post Dated Payments If you wish to offer a payment plan for this Membership online, indicate the final payment date in this field.

                Include in Patron Statistics

                Include in Annual Statistics Checking this option will include sales of this membership when generating annual patron statistics reports.

                Icon for TicketTrove/Web

                Icon Place any 200x250 pixel image there which will appear online in the pass/gift certificate web sales page that you can create a direct link to via eblasts or from other web sites or web pages.

                Pass/G.C. Management for Other Outlets

                Sales Rules at Other Outlets If you have the Outlet Edition of Theatre Manager, you may choose to allow sales of a particular pass/g.c at other outlets. If so, you will be able to select which outlets may or may not be able to sell a specific pass/g.c.
                Redemption Rules at Other Outlets If you have the Outlet Edition of Theatre Manager, you may choose to allow redemption of a particular pass/g.c at other outlets. If so, you will be able to select which outlets may or may not be able to redeem a specific pass/g.c.
                Diataxis: 

                Edits Tab

                The Edits tab is the fifth of the setup tabs in a new membership. You must carefully consider each of the check boxes and options in this tab as your selections control how the membership can be sold.

                Parts of the Edits Tab


                Edit Controls on Pass G/C

                Value can be changed during purchase Allows the employee selling this membership to change some values (such as those set in the Redemption Rules tab or the pass expiry date) during the sale. This is important if you have set your Gift Certificates to sell for an unspecified dollar amount. You will need to change the $0 amount to the amount the patron wished to purchase the gift certificate for.
                Sell in even multiples of original value If the membership has a specified value, checking this option allows the membership to be sold only in even multiples (1, 2, 3...) of the original value. When an employee purchases multiples of the member type it will increase the quantity of memberships by the number of multiples purchased. The number of admissions will also be increased by the same number of multiples purchased. A Flex Pass, for example, may cost $30 for 2 admissions. By selecting this option, you can sell 4 admissions for $60, or 6 for $90, but not 3 for $30 or 2 for $25.
                Can be sold for a zero value If the membership is to be given away or "comped" (for example a "free admission" or a Radio Giveaway Voucher), then this option must be selected.
                Can be renewed after expiry date Only available for "Can't Buy a Thing" and "Use Sales Promotion" as they are the only true membership types (as opposed to admission based memberships). This option allows the membership to be renewed after the expiration date defined when the membership was sold.
                Future memberships can be redeemed now If a membership is Season Year specific (i.e. a patron purchases a Flex Pass for the 20xx season), this option allows the redemption of this pass prior to the start of the season.
                Entry scan creates festival (General Admission) seating tix If your site employs ticket scanners for audience entry control, scanning this membership card will create a festival (General Admission) ticket. There is no need for the bearer of this kind of membership to stop by the box office. They only have their membership scanned during their entry to a festival or General Admission event, and Theatre Manager will register a sale to that membership.

                Default Mail List

                You can add a patron to a mail list based on purchase of a type of pass. The patron will:

                • be added to the mail list the first time this pass is purchase
                • be added if the pass is purchased again at some future time, but the patron was removed from the mail list for some reason
                • be added to the mail list if an order containing the pass is transferred to their account
                • NOT be removed from the mail list if the pass is refunded

                Mail List Enter or lookup an option mail list that should be associated with the patron account when the pass or gift certificate is purchased.

                Defaulting the Control Number

                A Control Number is a number associated with a membership that Theatre Manager uses to identify and track the specific membership within the system. ONE of the following options must be selected for the membership.

                Defined at time of purchase This option allows the seller to manually define the Control Number used for the membership. This is typically employed when there are pre-printed membership cards or magnetically encoded gift cards that already have a Control Number on them.
                Theatre Manager Defined Theatre Manager will assign the next number in sequence to the membership. This option must be used if the membership is to be sold online.
                Next available # starting at This option allows your organization to serialize the Control Number. For example, you can indicate that all Gift Certificates start at 100,000, while 2011 Flex Passes start at 11,000. This allows for easy recognition by sales staff as to the original purpose of the membership

                Defaulting the Expiration Date

                An expiration date indicates when the membership will no longer be redeemable. ONE of the following options must be selected for the membership.

                Never Expires Indicates that the membership will never expire. In most U.S. states and all of Canada, Gift Certificates must be set to "Never Expire." Please contact your local revenue agency for laws governing your Province/state.
                Expires in xx Months This allows the membership to be used on a "rolling" basis. It will expire xx months from the purchase date.
                Expires on Date This option allows the membership to expire on a specific date, such as the end of the season year. Popular for Flex Passes, it prevents the previous year's unused admission from being carried over to the current year.

                Other fields on the Type tab

                Number of Access Cards assigned to membership Like a hotel asking how many room keys you want, Access Cards can be assigned to a specific membership allowing more than one patron to use the membership. For more information on Access cards click here. Leaving the values at 0 allows one card to be issues for a membership.
                Grace period before approval needed to renew expired membership If the membership is renewable ("Can't Buy a Thing" or "Use Sales Promotion" only) then you may indicate the number of months after expiry where the membership can be renewed without a Master User override. If engaged, this is typically set to 1 or 2 months. For example, if you plan to increase the membership price from one year to the next, you may wish to offer a grace period for the old price to those who have recently expired memberships.
                Maximum # of tickets redeemable per performance and/or event Indicates the maximum number of times this membership can be used within a single performance or event. For example, if the membership is a flex pass for 5 admissions, how many admissions can be used in a single performance? In order to encourage diversity of attendance, some organizations choose 1 performance, while others are happy for patrons to attend a single event, using all 5 admissions at once. By default, the setup allows the maximum number of admissions to be used within a single performance.
                Diataxis: 

                Valid Plays Tab

                The Valid Plays tab allows you to indicate which events the membership is able to be redeemed for. You can restrict the use of the membership to specific events simply by adding them here. An unrestricted membership would have no events listed.

                In addition, there is an option to allow over-riding the event settings when each individual pass/GC is sold. If checked, then the events in the pass/gc Valid Events list takes precedence.

                Parts of the Valid Plays tab


                Allow Setting Valid Plays Normally, this list indicates which events that any patron holding a valid instance of this pass is able to use it for -or- the list is bank so that the pass can be used for any events.

                However, if you Allow Setting Valid Plays on each Pass/GC, it means that at the time when a pass/gc is sold to a patron, you can over-ride the events in the list and specify a subset of the above (or completely different set) as per the rules below

                When the flag is enabled:

                1. If you have events in this list, then the box office can only pick from items in this list - in other words the pass must be a subset of this list. Examples:
                  • You might use this for scholarship passes. You can indicate in the pass type which items the scholarship can be for -- and then then attached to a patron, limit it to one of the events.
                  • For actor passes, you can set which event they can come to -- and restrict it to the event they are working on - or some other events, that may exclude a big show.
                2. If you have no events in this list, then the box office can pick from any event. This is useful for limiting free passes to one event or scholarships to be redeemed for a certain class or range of classes
                Play # Sequence number of the event within Theatre Manager.
                Year Season year of the event.
                Play Code The Event Code as defined in the Event Setup.
                Play Title The title of the event as defined in the Event Setup.
                # Perf. Total number of performances for this event.
                Allows you to add an event / play to the list.
                Deleted the selected play/event from the list.


                To Add an Event / Play to the list, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click the button.

                  The Event List (lookup) opens.

                2. Click the icon to generate a list of events.

                3. Highlight the events you want to allow for this membership.
                4. Click the button.
                5. Continue adding events as appropriate.
                Diataxis: 

                Statistics tab

                The Statistics tab displays a listing, year by year of the number of passes issues and redeemed and their value. This is a helpful "at-a-glance way of seeing what your organization has in terms of membership liability.

                Diataxis: 

                Patrons Tab

                The Patrons tab shows you the Patrons associated with the selected Pass G/C and Membership.

                Parts of the Patrons tab


                Status The status of their Pass G/C.
                Order # The Order number of the Pass G/C.
                Year - Fiscal The fiscal year the pass g/c was purchased.
                First Last and Company Name The patron who purchased the pass g/c.
                Control # A Control Number is a number associated with a membership that Theatre Manager uses to identify and track the specific membership within the system. A control number must be assigned with each membership, and is defined in the EDITS tab of the Membership Setup.
                Purchase $ The amount (in dollars) of the pass g/c purchased in the order.
                Issued Pass Amount The amount (in dollars) of the value of the pass g/c.
                Issued Qty. The number of admissions in the purchased pass.
                Remain $ The amount (in dollars) remaining on the pass g/c.
                Remain Qty. The remaining number of admissions left on the pass/g.c.
                Date Renewed The date the pass was renewed or purchased.
                Expiry Date The date the pass/g.c. is no longer valid.
                Opens the Detail window for the selected Pass G/C for editing. Click here for more information on editing Memberships, Passes and Gift Certificates
                Deleted the selected pass g/c, membership from the list and places a refund on the order.
                Opens the payment window for the order the pass g/c, membership is attched to..
                Write Off If you select a number of the passes in the list and use the write off function against the passes, then any with a remaining balance or quantity will be written off and GL entries created to move the unused portion to unearned income.
                Extend If you need to extend the expiry date for a number of passes at one time due to some unforeseen reason, you can:
                • Select the passes or gift certificates that you want to extend the expiry date for
                • Click the Extend button
                • A window will open that lets you change the expiry date. The default expiry options are the same as the current options under the edit tab. In other words, if the pass/GC tab is set to expire:
                  • on a specific specific date, so will the dialog
                  • never, so will the dialog
                  • in a certain number of months, so will the dialog - please make sure that you enter the number that you wish to extend
                  • You can change the expiry from never expires to a specific date for the pass, if you wish

                  Note: any attempt to try to extend a pass or gift certificate that never expires will be ignored UNLESS you:

                  • choose the option to specifically set an expiry date -and-
                  • tell Theatre Manager you mean to set the expiry date on 'never-expire' passes/GCs

                You muse have extend a pass permission in employee function setup.

                To refine your search for the correct pass g/c, membership, you can choose from the top down list, enter text and click the Search button.
                Diataxis: 

                G/L Entries tab

                The GL tab lists the general ledger entries associated with this membership.

                Parts of the G/L Entries tab

                Journal # The specific journal number associated with the G/L entry.
                Description Whether the entry is a Sales Posting, Deposit Posting, or manual G/L entry
                Date Date the G/L entry took place
                Debit The debit amount associated with the G/L entry.
                Credit The credit amount associated with the G/L entry.
                Memo A single memo line, generated by Theatre Manager to indicate in the ledger the purpose of the entry.
                Date Posted The date the entry was posted to the G/L.
                Diataxis: 

                Transactions Tab

                Parts of the Transactions Tab

                Seq # The transaction reference number.
                Trans Date Date the transaction took place.
                Journal No Journal Entry reference number.
                Code Theatre Manager reference code used to determine the type of transaction.
                Transaction Desc Brief description of what the transaction was.
                Order # Reference number used to track the components of the order.
                Type Type of pass/g.c or transaction that is referenced.
                Description of Entry Details of the transaction.
                Debit The debit amount of this transaction.
                Credit The credit amount of this transaction.
                Total The net effect of the transaction.
                Opens the selected transaction displaying the transaction details window.
                Diataxis: 

                Edit Pass G/C and Memberships

                To edit an existing Pass/g.c., you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Member Types window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the Pass/g.c. you want to edit.

                  The Pass detail window will open.

                  Click here for a detailed description of this window.

                3. Edit the data as needed.
                4. When you have completed your changes, click the Save button.

                  The changes will be saved. Clicking the Revert button will abort any changes you made to the member type.

                Diataxis: 

                Verifying Passes, G/Cs and Memberships

                This function is for future development. It is currently not an available option in Theatre Manager.


                You use Verify to change the setting on sold passes, G/Cs and Memberships to the new settings of that Type. This function should be used only on the recommendation of a support technician in proper authority.

                1. Open the Membership Types window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the member type to verify.

                  Single click a member type to select it.

                3. Click the Verify button.

                  The following confirmation window will open.

                4. Click the Yes button to continue.

                  The Member type has now been verified.

                Diataxis: 

                Deleting Pass G/C and Membership Types

                Pass, G/C and Membership types can only be deleted if they have not been purchased by a patron.

                To delete a Type, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Member Types Window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the Member Type to be deleted.

                  Single click on a Member Type to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  If the record can NOT be deleted the following dialog opens.

                  If a record CAN be deleted, the following delete confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete to confirm the deletion.

                  The type is removed from the Member Types Window.

                Diataxis: 

                Online Discount Suggestions

                A Gift certificate can be created in Theatre Manager to provides a discounted purchase price with a higher redemption value. This type of Pass/Gift Certificate is most often used for things like Black Friday sales. It could be used to provide VIP or Memberships, Boxing Day sales or or other seasonal offerings.

                The example below shows how to set up a gift certificate where the patron receives a 10% discount on the purchase cost. You can make it valid or any amount the patron purchases, or limit to a single purchase value.
                1. Create a new Pass in Theatre Manager.
                2. Under the Redemption Rules Tab sent the Redeemable Amount to be the value of purchase. In the example:
                  • the Redeemable Amount is $10.
                  • In the Purchase Amount field set the value to be 10% less than the Redeemable Amount. In the example the Purchase Amount is $9, 10% less than the $10 Redeemable Amount.

                    10% Discounted Pass

                3. Under the Accounting Tab set the Redemption/Expense Account to be the GL Account where the difference between the Purchase Amount and Redemption Amount should be posted.
                4. In the Edits Tab check the box for Value can be changed during purchase.

                  By allowing the value to be changed Theatre Manager will calculate a 10% discount on the Pass based on the Purchase and Redemption amounts in the Redemption Rules tab. The difference between these two amounts will be posted to the GL Account outlined in the Redemption/Expense Account field in the Accounting tab.

                  Pass Value Can Be Changed

                Diataxis: 

                Resources

                Tasks are a major feature of Theatre Manager's newest versions and the Facility Management module. For more information about the Facility Management module click here. To read more specifically about tasks and their place within Facility Management, click here.

                This section shows how to set up an organization's resources for use within tasks. A resource can be anything from a consumable item (like paper cups or candy bars for concession), to reusable items like tables and chairs, to rooms for rent, or even employees or volunteers whose time can be considered a resource for a task (and billed to clients using the Facility Management billing/invoicing feature). Resources can be as broadly or narrowly defined as you decide you need them to be.

                To open the Tast Resource setup, you perform the following steps:

                1. Choose Setup >> System Tables >> Resources.

                  The Resource List window opens to the All resources tab.

                For more information about the List window for Resources, click here.

                Resources List Window

                The Resource List window allows you to Add, Edit and Delte Resources from the Theatre Manager database.

                Parts of the Resource List Window

                Click on a link to learn more about the features.

                Accesses the Help section for this window.
                Inserts new Resource. For more information on inserting resources click here.
                Edits the selected Resource. For more information on editing resources click here.
                Copies the selected Resource.
                Deletes the selected Resource. Click here to learn how to delete resources.
                Generates a report of the resources to the screen or default print location.
                Exports a list of resources.
                Click to add inventory for the selected Resource. Opens the Pricing and Inventory Tab.
                Description The name of the Resource as setup in the Description Tab.
                Active/Inactive Checkboxes When checked, will pull a list of either Active or Inactive Resources (or both).
                Shows a list of All Resources.
                Shows a list of Resources that have been designated Generic Resources.
                Custom tabs are added in the System table Facility Resource Groups, Click here to go to the Resource Groups help page. Resource Groups are categories for different types of Resources. The default setting in Theatre Manager is the Generic group. Other groups can be added as needed.
                Table Columns
                Resource # The unique number in the database assigned to that particular resource.
                Code The unique Resource Code assigned to the particular resource.
                Description The name of the resource.
                Quantity The quantity of the specific resource listed in the database.
                Internal Description The internal description for the resource (shows only inside the Theatre Manager application).

                Generic Tab

                Resources can be grouped under different headings. The default heading in Theatre Manager is the Generic Resource.

                Additional groups can be added in Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables >> Facility Resource Groups. Click here for more information about adding a group in the Facility Resource code table.

                Custom Tabs

                Setting up different Facility Resource Groups in the System Code tables creates new tabs in the Resource List window. This allows you to group resources under different headings.

                Resources can be grouped under different headings. The default heading in Theatre Manager is the Generic Resource.

                Additional groups can be added in Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables >> Facility Resource Groups. Click here for more information about adding a group in the Facility Resource code table.

                Resource Detail Window

                The Resource Detail Window is where all of the specific information about a resource and it's usage is put into the Theatre Manager database.

                The following pages describe in detail the different tabs of the Resource Detail Window.

                Description Tab

                The Description tab of the Resource window is where you enter the Resource Group, the type of units, the owner, vendor any special instructions, notofications, size and color of the resource.

                Parts of the Description Tab

                Accesses the Help section for this window.
                Inserts a new Resource. For more information on inserting resources click here.
                Saves changes made to the selected Resource
                Copies the selected Resource.
                Undoes any changes made to the last saved point.
                Deletes the selected Resource. Click here to learn how to delete resources.
                Generates a report of the resources to the screen or default print location.
                Does a spell check of the record.
                Click to add inventory for the selected Resource. Opens the Pricing and Inventory Tab.
                Resource Code A unique code assigned to the specific Resource (similar to an Event Code, for example).
                Outlet The outlet to which a Resource belongs (for organizations using Outlet Edition of Theatre Manager).
                Resource Description The internal name of the Resource that will show in the Resource List Window and elsewhere in Theatre Manager.
                Status Box When checked, the Resource will be marked as an Active resource in lists.
                Resource Group The Resource Group to which a resource belongs. Theatre Manager's default Resource Group is "Generic." Click here, for information on how to add another group or groups.
                External Description the name of the resource that is viewable by the general public.
                Picture of Resource You can drag and drop an image from your computer into the Picture box. You are limited to a graphic less than 500k. Click here, for more information on adding an image.
                Unit The unit of measure for the resource for use in inventory management.
                Owner If the resource is owned (or managed), you can include that person by using the patron lookup button and searching for the owner/manager in the database.
                Vendor The preferred Vendor from whom to obtain the resource (if applicable)
                Special Instructions Include any special or important information about the resource in the Special Instructions field.
                Notifications Notifications can be set to alert employees about usage of resources if desired.
                Item Colour, Size and Picture Item colour and size description may also be included. You may also drag a picture into the picture field if you'd like.
                Tags You can add any number of tags to the resource.

                Accounting Tab

                The Accounting tab determines where the funds go for Expenses and Income.

                Parts of the Accounting Tab

                Deferred Accotning For each resource, you can indicate if expenses and income should be deferred.

                Even if you select deferred revenue accounting for the resource, it only comes into effect if the resources is attached to a project that is marked to defer revenue on the project's accounting tab.

                Expense Accounts

                Expense Tax Code The tax rate that applies to the purchase of the resource.
                Deferred Liability A liability account as set up in the Chart of Accounts to be used with this resource when it it purchased for later sale.
                Earned Expense Account An expense (or cost of goods) account as set up in the Chart of Accounts to be used with this resource when it it purchased for later sale.

                Income Accounts

                Sales Tax Code The sales tax rate used when selling/renting the resource.
                Deferred Asset The deferred income account - usually an asset to track future work (from the Chart of Accounts) to be used when this resource is sold or rented.
                Income Account The income account (from the Chart of Accounts) to be used when this resource is sold or rented.

                Resource Sales Options

                Pricing and Inventory Tab

                Parts of the Pricing and Inventory Tab

                Sales Method The three options are:
                • Component Only - the resource is intended only as part of a larger resource and is not used on its own (for example, a mic cable as part of a PA package).
                • Facility - the resource is rented or used over and over again without need of replenishment (for example, the PA package).
                • For Sale - the resource will need to be replenished as it is used (for example, paper cups).
                Resource Cost The replacement cost per unit of the resource (unit is set up on the Description Tab).
                Resource Pricing The suggested amount is how much should be charged per use of the resource. Usage is defined by the lookup button to the right of the entry field (in the example, it's set to Per Day).
                Customizable checkbox When checked, the Suggested Price can be changed when the resource is used.
                Inventory Management
                Enable Inventory Tracking checkbox Sets up the inventory management for this rental resource. If inventory tracking is enabled, then Theatre Manager will ensure that no more than the available quantity is rented at any given time.

                Click here to see how to Add Inventory Tracking.

                Enabling Inventory Tracking

                Tracking inventory allows you to specify the number of units available. If tracking is not on, Theatre Manager assumes the number of units available are unlimited. To start tracking inventory for the selected resource, perform the following steps:

                1. In the Pricing and Inventory window, click to enable Inventory Tracking.

                  If required, enter Notes about the inventory modification.

                  Optionally - You can enter the number of units to track.

                2. To start inventory tracking, click the Start button.

                  The inventory number appears on the Pricing and Inventory tab and in the Resource List.

                Adjusting Inventory Tracking

                This page is under construction.

                Removing Inventory Tracking

                You can disable the tracing of a particular resource. To remove tracking for the selected resource, perform the following steps:

                1. In the Pricing and Inventory window, click the check box to disable Inventory Tracking.

                  If required, enter Notes, such as a reason the tracking was disabled (for example, the particular unit has been replaced).

                2. Click the Stop button.

                Components Tab

                The Components Tab can be used for those resources which may require the use of various components (a PA System in the example). It is not a required tab for resource setup.

                Parts of the Pricing and Inventory Tab

                Components List Add or remove components to/from a resource here using the Add or Remove buttons at left under the list.
                Component Detail This section on the right side applies to the currently selected component resource on the component list on the left. In the example, the selected component is Speaker Cables, so the items under Component Detail apply to Speaker Cables as they are being used as a component of the PA System (the current selected Resourse)
                Component The currently selected component resource.
                Component Type Component resources are either a Standard part of the current Resource, or an Optional part of the Resource as designated here.
                Amount Used Set here how many units of the selected component resource are to be used in the instance of the current Resource.

                Notes Tab

                In the notes tab, you can enter any internal notes about this particular resource. The Notes tab is not a mandatory field to fill out when setting up a Resource.

                Usage Tab

                Parts of the Usage Tab

                Task # The unique number in the database assigned to the particular task.
                Rental Start Date The start date for the rental of the respurce.
                Rental Expected End Date The ending date for the rental of the resource.
                Description The name or description as it appears on the calendar.
                Quantity How many of the current resource are set for use.
                The New Button is grayed out on this tab as it is not possible to add usage to a Resource.
                Opens the selected Task Resource Detail window in order to edit the resource details as they pertain to that task.
                Deletes the resource from the Task.
                Opens the selected Task for editing.
                Drop-down that allows searching the Task list for All Resources, by Task Description, or by Task Begin Date.

                G/L Entries

                G/L Entries

              • The G/L Entries tab shows all G/L entries associated with the specific resource.
              • Transactions Tab

                Transactions

                • The Transactions tab shows each transaction associated with the resource. This tab and the G/L Entries tab will be populated as you use the resource and has no set up requirements.

                Adding Resources

                A Resource can be any tangible item you wish to sell through Theatre Manager. They may be a space/room rental, a concession item like food and drink or merchandise like CD's, DVD, clothing and more. The break down of resources can be as broad as a concession snack or as granular as a specific t-shirt size. The scope depends on the level of inventory tracking you engage Theatre Manager to do.

                You can have direct links to inventory (like t-shirts) from any web page.

                Adding a Resource

                1. Click Setup >> System Tables >> Resources.

                  The Resource List window opens.

                  For more information on Resource List, click here.

                2. Click the New button at the top of the window.

                  The Resource Detail Window opens to the Description tab.

                  For more information on Description tab, click here

                3. Enter a Resource Code.

                  Resource Codes are abbreviated shorthand that help quickly identify and sort items. For example, a Coffee Mug Gift Basket might be represented as MUGGIFTBSK.

                4. Enter a Resource Description.

                  The Resource Description is the internal name of the resource and will show in lists and on reports in Theatre Manager.

                5. In the Description tab enter the External Description for the resource.

                  This will be the name that appear on Invoices and is displayed online to the general public.

                6. Select a Resource Group from the drop down.

                  A Resource Group can be used to indicate a collection of like items. Examples might be a concession group for all concession items, a specific t-shirt design to group together individual size resources or a physical location to group spaces for rent in a venue. For more information on setting up Resource Groups, click here.

                7. Add a picture to the Resource Icon for Web field by dragging and dropping the image.

                8. Select the Accounting tab

                  For more information on the Accounting tab, click here.

                9. Enter the Expense Tax Code, Deferred Liability and Cost of Goods GL Accounts.

                  Expense Accounts will not effect your End of Day or GL Reports. They are added for future implementation to help with the expense side of reporting and inventory.

                10. Enter the Sales Tax Code, Deferred Asset and Income Account GL Accounts.

                11. Select the Sales tab.

                  For more information on the Sales tab, click here.

                12. In the Accept Resource at area indicate where the Resource is to be sold.
                  • In Conjunction with a Ticket Sales - Allows item to be sold at the Box Office
                  • Accept on the Internet - Allows item to be sold online
                  • Visible in Internet List/Grid - Allows item to be sold and displayed online

                13. Select the Pricing & Inventory tab.

                  For more information on the Pricing & Inventory tab, click here.

                14. Select For Sale bullet in the Resource Sale Method section of the page.
                15. Enter the retail value of the resource in the Suggested Price field.

                  If tax is to be charged on the item the Suggested Price should be the retail value less tax. Tax will be added on top of this price based on the Sales Tax Code selected in the Accounting tab.

                16. Select the Notes tab.

                  For more information on the Notes tab, click here.

                17. Insert text into the External Sales Notes field.

                  This is where marketing language is inserted and is made visible online to patrons. This text appears online in a highlighted box next to the Resource Icon for Web image from the Description tab.

                 

                To access Merchandise items online a "Merchandise" or "Shop" button may need to be added to the Navigation Bar if not previously added. For instructions on how to edit the Navigation Bar click here.

                 

                Editing a Resource

                1. Click Setup >> System Tables >> Resources.

                  The Resource list Window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Resource List window.

                  Highlight a Resource from the list by single-clicking on it.

                2. Click the Open button.

                  The Resource Detail window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Resource Detail window.
                3. Edit the information for the Resource as required.
                4. Click the Save button.

                Delete a Resource

                1. Click Setup >> System Tables >> Resources.

                  The Resource List Window opens.

                  Click here for more information on the Resource List window.
                2. Highlight a Resource from the list by single-clicking on it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The Resource Record is deleted.

                Tax Tables

                The Tax Rates Window can be accessed through the Setup >> System Tables >> Tax Tables menu. The tax table displays all current taxes which have been setup for use with Theatre Manager. From the window you can also insert, edit and delete taxes.

                The Tax Rates List window opens.

                Click here for more information on the Tax Rates List.

                Tax Rate List

                Parts of the Tax Rate List Window

                Accesses the Help section for this window.
                Inserts a new Tax Rate. For more information on inserting tax rates click here.
                Edits the selected Tax Rate. For more information on editing tax rates click here.
                Copies the selected tax rate.
                Deletes the selected Tax Rate. Click here for more information on deleting tax rates.
                Generates a report of the tax rates to the screen or default print location.
                Exports a list of tax rates in a tab-delimited format.
                Tax
                The name of the tax.
                Active
                Will show either Yes the tax rate is active for use or No it is not Active for use.
                City Rate
                The portion of the tax rate that applies to City or municipality tax.
                State/PST Rate
                The percentage rate of the tax that applies to State or Provincial taxes.
                GST/Federal Rate
                The portion of the tax rate that applies to Federal or GST taxes.

                Tax Rate Detail Window

                Parts of the Tax Rate Detail Window

                Inserts new Tax Rate. For more information on inserting tax rates click here.
                Saves changes made to the selected Tax Rate.
                Duplicates the selected Tax Rate.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the selected Tax Rate. For more information on deleting tax rates click here.
                Tax Code
                Name of the tax rate.
                Setup for the City or Municipal portion of the tax code. For more information on this tab, click here.
                Setup for the State or Provincial portion of the tax code. For more information on this tab, click here.
                Setup for the Federal or GST portion of the tax code. For more information on this tab, click here.
                List of the G/L journal entries for each instance of the tax code's usage. For more information on this tab, click here.

                The names for the City, State/PST, and Federal/GST tabs can be set in Setup > System Preferences > Appearance Tab to reflect whichever is the suitable option. Our examples here show both names - but depending on your location, you may set them appropriately. More information can be found here.

                City Tax Tab

                Parts of the City Tax Tab

                Tax Number
                Your organization's tax ID number for City taxes.
                Tax Rate
                The percentage of the tax rate that applies to City taxes.
                Deferred Tax Account
                Deferral account number from your Chart of Accounts for the City tax. For more information about the Chart of Accounts in Theatre Manager, click here.
                Tax Payable Account
                Liability account from your Chart of Accounts for the City tax.

                State/PST Tax Tab

                Parts of the State/PST Tax Tab

                Tax Number
                Your organization's tax ID number.
                Tax Rate
                The percentage of the tax rate that applies to State or PST taxes.
                Deferred Tax Account
                Deferral account number from your Chart of Accounts for the State/PST tax. For more information about the Chart of Accounts in Theatre Manager, click here.
                Tax Payable Account
                Liability account from your Chart of Accounts for the State/PST tax.
                Apply To Base Sale Price Only
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to only the base price of the ticket or pass (parallel method).
                Apply To Base + City
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to the base price plus the City price set in the City Tab(cumulative method).
                Apply To Base + Federal/GST
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to the base price plus the Federal/GST tax set in the Federal/GST Tab(cumulative method).
                Apply To Base + City + Federal/GST
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to the base price plus the City tax and plus the Federal/GST tax (cumulative method).

                Federal/GST Tax Tab

                Parts of the Federal/GST Tax Tab

                Tax Number
                Your organization's tax ID number.
                Tax Rate
                The percentage of the tax rate that applies to Federal or GST taxes.
                Deferred Tax Account
                Deferral account number from your Chart of Accounts for the Federal/GST tax. For more information about the Chart of Accounts in Theatre Manager, click here.
                Tax Payable Account
                Liability account from your Chart of Accounts for the Federal/GST tax.
                Apply To Base Sale Price Only
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to only the base price of the ticket or pass (parallel method).
                Apply To Base + City
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to the base price plus the City price set in the City Tab(cumulative method).
                Apply To Base + State/PST
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to the base price plus the State/PST tax set in the State/PST Tab(cumulative method).
                Apply To Base + City + State/PST
                When selected, this option will apply the percentage set above to the base price plus the City tax and plus the State/PST tax (cumulative method).

                G/L Entries Tab

                Parts of the G/L Entries Tab

                View Selection Drop-down (set to All G/L Entries in the example)
                Choose which entries you want to see in the list and then click the lookup button to view the list. The default is All G/L Entries.
                Journal #
                The unique Journal # for the entry
                Description
                The type of journal entry it is (ie. Sales Posting)
                Date
                The posting date for the entry.
                Debit
                The Debit amount of the entry (if applicable)
                Credit
                The Credit amount for the entry.
                Not available.
                Opens the selected entry for viewing/editing.
                Not available.

                Inserting a Tax Code

                To add a Tax Code, you perform the following steps:;

                1. Click Setup >> System Tables >> Tax Tables.

                  The Tax Rate List window opens.

                  Click here for a description of this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Tax Rate Detail Window opens.

                  Click Here for a detailed description of this window.

                3. Enter the Tax Code name.

                  This is the name that will be displayed anywhere the Tax Code can be selected.

                4. Enter the tax number in the City tab.
                5. Enter the Tax Rate percentage that applies to City taxes for the overall rate.
                6. Click the Lookup button next to the Deferred Tax Account field.

                  The Chart of Accounts Lookup window opens.

                7. Select the G/L account the city tax should be applied to.
                8. Click the Lookup button next to the Tax Payable Account field.

                  The Chart of Accounts Lookup window opens.

                9. Select the G/L account the city tax should be applied to.
                10. Select the State/PST tab.

                  Click here for more information on the State/PST Tax Tab.

                11. Enter the tax number in the State/PST tab.
                12. Enter the Tax Rate percentage.
                13. Click the Lookup button next to the Deferred Tax Account field.

                  The Chart of Accounts Lookup window opens.

                14. Select the G/L account the State tax should be applied to.
                15. Click the Lookup button next to the Tax Payable Account field.

                  The Chart of Accounts Lookup window opens.

                16. Select the G/L account the State tax should be applied to.
                17. Select the Federal/GST tab.

                  Click here for more information on the Federal Tax Tab.

                18. Enter the tax number in the Federal/GST tab.
                19. Enter the Tax Rate percentage.
                20. Click the Lookup button next to the Deferred Tax Account field.

                  The Chart of Accounts Lookup window opens.

                21. Select the G/L account the Federal tax should be applied to.
                22. Click the Lookup button next to the Tax Payable Account field.

                  The Chart of Accounts Lookup window opens.

                23. Select the G/L account the Federal tax should be applied to.

                24. Click the Save button to save the tax.

                 

                Editing Tax Codes

                1. Click Setup >> System Tables >> Tax Tables.

                  The Tax Rate List window opens.

                  Click here for a description of this window.

                2. Select the tax code you wish to edit.

                  Do this by single clicking on the value.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The tax rate detail window will open with the data for the selected tax code.

                4. Change data as required.
                5. Click the Save button.

                Deleting a Tax Code

                Tax Codes can only be deleted if they have not been used for any transactions in Theatre Manager.

                1. Click Setup >> System Tables >> Tax Tables.

                  The Tax Rate List window opens.

                  Click here for a description of this window.

                2. Select the tax code to delete.

                  Do this by single clicking on the value.

                3. Click the Delete button.
                4. The Delete confirmation opens.

                5. Click the Delete button.

                Fee Tables

                The Fee Type window is opened through the Setup >> System Tables >> Fee Tables.

                The Fee Table window opens.

                From this window you add, remove and edit Fee Tables.

                Fee Type Detail Window

                Parts of the Fee Type Window

                Accesses the Help section for this window.
                Inserts a new fee. For more information on inserting fees click here.
                Saves changes made to the fee.
                Creates a copy of the current fee.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the current fee. For more information about deleting fees, click here.
                Not yet available in this window.
                Checks the spelling of fields that can be typed in.
                Description Name given to the fee.
                Outlet Outlet responsible for the fee.
                Status When checked the fee is active and can be used.
                Details about the fee. For more information on the description tab click here.
                Calculations for the fee. For more information on the calculation tab click here.
                Rules of the fee. For more information on the edits tab click here.
                An optional list of performances to which the fee can be applied. For more information on the performances tab click here.
                An optional list of member types to which the fee can be applied. For more information on the member types tab click here.
                Sales notes about the fee. For more information about the notes tab click here.
                G/L entries for the fee. For more information on the G/L entries tab click here.

                Description Tab

                Parts of the Description Tab

                External Name Name of the fee as it will appear on the internet or a ticket face.
                Effective Unitl If there is a range of dates during which you want the fee to be applied, enter a start and ending date.

                • If a start date is provided but no end date, then the fee applies after the start date forever
                • If an end date is provided but no start date, then the fee applies from now until the end date is reached
                Base Price Between Ordinarily, the fee will apply to any item in the shopping cart, regardless of price. however, if you want the fee to only apply to tickets (or donations or passes) that have a base price valued between $x.xx and $y.yy, then enter the range of prices. This allows you to structure non-refundable box office fees to vary, based on the price of the item.

                Note: the price that is checked is the base price and all taxes, fees and discounts are ignored when evaluating if the fee is valid or not.

                This might be beneficial use of fees for Road House style venues.

                G/L Account General ledger account to apply this fee to - which is normally an income account
                Search button to access a list of G/L accounts.
                Statistics Fee will be included in the patron statistics.
                Automatic Fee will be added to the order automatically based on the edit controls in the edits tab. Some fees cannot be marked as 'auto-add':
                • Any fee that is associated with mailing fee, print at home fee, or will call fee which are set in company preferences. These are managed by the system automatically
                • Any fee that is part of a payment rounding fee. These are managed by the system and set in code tables for payment methods (typically cash)
                • Any fee that is part of a pre access code

                Calculation Tab

                Parts of the Calculation Tab

                Default Fee Amounts

                $ Amount Value of the fee prior to tax calculations
                Per Order Fee is applied once to the order.
                Per Item Charge the fee in a multiple of the number of items purchased.
                Percentage Set a percentage for the fee of either the total order or the items in the order, based on the radio button choice above, rather than a flat dollar amount.
                To Maximum Maximum amount to be charged for this
                Allow fee to be changed Fee can be edited at the time of purchase

                Tax Setting

                Tax Rate Tax rate to be applied to this fee

                Sample Price Calculator

                Value of Applicable items Enter a test value for the items in an order or cart to see how the Fee calculator would work.
                Number of Applicable items Enter a test number of items in the order or cart that the fee would be applied for a number of items in the cart or order.
                Fee Amount The value of the fee based on the number and value of applicable sample items.
                City Value of the city tax based on the tax rate and Effect on fee of
                State/PST Value of the State/PST tax based on the tax rate and Effect on fee of
                Federal/GST Value of the Federal/GST tax based on the tax rate and Effect on fee of
                Net Fee Shows what the net fee would be based on the calculations
                Value plus fee The value of the applicable items plus the fee for the total cost
                Subtracts the tax from the fee amount to help you decide how to adjust fees if you want them without tax.

                Edits Tab

                You can decide what fees apply to when making a sale. If a fee is added automatically or manually, it looks at the content of the order or cart and will only apply the fee if the corresponding item(s) are in the cart.

                • Depending on which you pick on the right side of this screen, some options will disappear.
                • On the left side, you can only make the fee apply to one of the three groups. For example, if the fee applies to a payment source, it cannot apply to a ticket purchase and vice versa.

                Parts of the Edits Tab

                Allow fee to be used during

                Coupon Code Fee is tied to the use of a coupon code at checkout.
                New Sale Fee is applied to a New Sale.
                Modify Fee is applied when an order is modified.
                Exchange Fee is tied to either:
                • Echanged Tickets
                • Purchased Tickets
                Refund Fee is tied to a refund.

                Allow fee to be used when entering by:

                Box Office Applies fee when ever a ticket is sold by the Box Office.
                Before Event / Pay What You Can Applies fee when ever a ticket is sold before event/pay what you can.
                Development Applies fee when ever a ticket is sold by Development.
                Internet Sale (added by Patron) Applies fee when ever an item is purchased by the Patron through your web sales module
                Internet Sale (added by Staff/Volunteer) Applies fee when ever an item is sold by the Staff (volunteer) to the Patron as part of the manage sales process for courses and such

                Only apply fee to the following items:

                Tickets Applies fee when ever a ticket is sold.
                Regular Admission Fee is applied to any tickets sold using regular admission accounting.
                Season Ticket Fee is applied to any tickets sold using season ticket accounting.
                Other-Type 1 Fee is applied to any tickets sold using other-type 1 accounting.
                Other-Type 2 Fee is applied to any tickets sold using other-type 2 accounting.
                Other-Type 3 Fee is applied to any tickets sold using other-type 3 accounting.
                Pass / G.C. Applies fee when ever a Pass or G.C. is purchased.
                Donation Applies fee when ever a Donation is purchased.
                Resource/Inventory/Merchandise Applies fee when ever a resource (inventory item or merchandise) is purchased. Currently only applicable for online sales
                Payments at Specific Sources Applies fee when purchaced at Any Source.
                Internet / Web Sales Applies fee when purchased online.
                Telephone Order Applies fee when purchased through a Phone Order.
                Mail Order Applies fee when purchased via Mail Order.
                Patron Present Applies fee when the Patron is at the Box Office.
                Patron wants items mailed at Box Office Applies fee only when the Order Ticket Handling Option is set to Mail To Patron.

                Performances Tab

                Parts of the Performances Tab


                Leaving this list blank will default to the fee being applicable to all performances.
                You are limited to about 750 performances which is more than you should need in a year. If you need more than that, either:
                • Remove the performances that are in the past -or-
                • If you want to keep the information which performances the fee applied to, then duplicate the fee and start it anew for the next year.
                Exclude Selected Performances When selected, the fee will be excluded from the performances listed.
                Apply to Selected Performances When selected, the fee will apply to only the performances listed.
                Play The Seq # of the event(s) in the list.
                Performance The performance(s) code for the events in the list
                Date The date of the performance(s).
                Time The time of the performance(s).
                Play Title The full title of the event(s)
                Year The fiscal year of the play(s)
                Theatre Name The name of the theatre that the coupon can be used for.
                Opens the performance lookup list window to allow the selection of performances.
                Delete the current selected performance from the list.

                Member Types Tab

                Parts of the Member Types Tab


                Leaving this list blank will default to the fee being applicable to all memberships.
                Exclude Selected Member Types When selected, the fee will be excluded from the member types listed.
                Apply to Selected Member Types When selected, the fee will apply to only the member types listed.
                Member # The Seq # of the member types(s) in the list.
                Member Description Internal Name used during the sales process at the box office - which may be different than the external name.
                Redemption Method The method of redemption for the membership.
                Tax The tax rate applied to this membership.
                Active The status of the membership.
                External Notes Notes regarding what this membership is for and may will appear online for the patron to read.
                Opens the member type lookup list window to allow the selection of member types.
                Delete the current selected member type from the list.

                Resources Tab

                Notes Tab

                Enter notes in this tab that pertain to the usage of this particular fee. Notes are for internal use only.

                Patrons Tab


                As patrons incur this fee, each instance of the fee's usage will be recorded in the Patrons Tab for your reference.

                G/L Entries Tab


                As journal entries are created and posted, each instance of the fee's usage will be recorded in the G/L Entries Tab for your reference.

                Fee Table Usage

                This tab indicates where the fee has been associated with a process such as:

                • Mailing fee, print at home fee, or will call fee (all in company preferences)
                • Payment rounding fee (in code tables)
                • Coupon or pre-access code fee

                Creating a New Fee

                To create a new fee Type. you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Fee Types List.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Fee Types List.
                2. Click the New button.
                  The Fee Type Detail window opens.
                3. Enter the Fee Type Description.
                4. Enter the description details as needed.
                  For more information on the description tab click here.
                5. Click the Calculation tab.
                6. Enter the calculation information as needed.

                  For more information on the calculation tab click here.
                7. Click the Edits tab.
                8. Enter the edit preferences as needed.

                  For more information on the edits tab click here.
                9. Click the Performances tab.
                10. Enter the Performances as required.
                  • Choose The Exclude Selected Performances to ensure the fee in NOT applied to the performances you select.
                  • Choose Include Selected Performance to ensure the fee is applied to ONLY the selected perdomances between the dates entered on the Description tab.

                  For more information on the performances tab click here.

                11. Click the Notes tab.
                12. Enter notes as needed.
                  For more information on the notes tab click here.
                13. Click the Save button.

                  The fee is now saved and to be applied to future orders.

                Editing a Fee Type

                1. Open the Fee Types List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Fee Types List.

                2. Select the Fee to be edited.

                  Single click on a fee to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Fee Type Detail window opens.

                4. Make changes as needed.

                5. Click the Save button.

                Deleting a Fee Type

                1. Open the Fee Types List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Fee Types List.

                2. Select the Fee to be deleted.

                  Single click on a fee to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  A Delete Record confirmation window opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The fee is now removed.

                Order discounts (negative fees)

                The use of negative fees and the ability to change it from the default discount requires a special permission set for the employee in the function tab of employee setup, per the image to the right.

                This in the column 'window' and look for Fees - to allow the user to Enter a negative value for a fee (i.e. discount).

                It is possible to create fees that discount an entire order - essentially negative fees. This can be useful for a one time subscription discount or for refunding portions of ticket fees.

                The example below highlights some of the things you might need for setting up a negative order fee. There are variations such as if subscribers get an automatic discount vs tuition discounts that would not be automatic.

                 

                Example for Tuition Fee Discount

                Key settings for a negative fee like tuition refund would be:

                Description Tab (highlighted below)

                • Give it a name like Tuition Refund for tracking purposes
                • Use an account that appropriately identifies the refund in your accounting system.
                  Since it is a refund, it is probably an expense account or cost of goods. Please discuss with your accountant for the proper account number for tracking purposes.
                • Be sure that Do not automatically add to orders is unchecked if you want to add the fee manually such as Tuition Refunds. Click it for automatic order discount such as for Subscription Sales.

                Calculation Tab (highlighted below)

                • Make it a per order fee
                • Allow the fee to be changed if you are going to be prorating the tuition refund based on number of classes attended.
                • if your tuition is taxable, then the fee should also be taxable at the same rate. Most often tuition is not taxable.

                Edits Tab (highlighted below)

                • Apply fee to actions: Modify (optionally Exchange and Refund)
                • Apply fee at Box office only

                Coupon and Pre-Access Codes

                Coupons and pre-access codes provide a lot of versatility. Their prime purpose is to allow one or both of:
                • A discount on a certain show to a target market segment
                • Access to that event before it goes on sales to the public - or that is never on sale to the general public

                Examples of marketing activities that are supported

                1. Amex front of the line. The performance must be tagged as only accepting AMEX for a period of time.)
                2. A one time mailing discount for subscriber purchases online - for their tickets
                3. Automatic access to events based on a patron classification (mail list) once the patron logs in so you know that the access code cannot be passed around the internet - the recipients can be identified up front
                4. A wide ranging discount (eg 2 for 1) if a special coupon code is entered - including limiting the number of uses of that sale promotion within a section of the venue
                5. Scaled discounts based on the first x people get '10%' in an area, the next Y people get '5%' based on sales rules
                6. Limited access to subscribers to an add on show after the fact. The general capability can be extended (using plugins) to any people that satisfy a dynamic set of criteria such as donors in the past 6 months to certain campaigns that also have bought other specific events.
                7. and much more - refer to the explanation of each window.
                The Coupon Codes window is accessed through Setup >> System Tables >> Coupon Codes.

                From this window you can add, remove and edit Coupon Codes.

                Diataxis: 

                Coupon Codes List Window

                Parts of the Coupon Code List Window

                Inserts a new coupon code. For more information on inserting coupon codes click here.
                Opens the selected coupon code for editing. For more information on editing coupon codes click here.
                Creates a copy of the current coupon code.
                Deletes the current coupon code. For more information on deleting coupon codes click here.
                Generates a report of the coupon codes to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out a list of the coupon codes in tab-delimited, comma delimited and two Excel formats.
                Options to search for coupon codes by, including the Coupon Name (Internal), Coupon Code, whether the coupon is Active, and which Outlet it is available for.
                From Starting point for the search.
                To Ending point for the search.
                Coupon Name Name of the coupon code.
                Coupon Code Name of the verbal code used to enact coupon as payment.
                Outlet-Owner Outlet responsible for the fee.
                Mail List Name Displays the name of the mail list the coupon is restricted to.
                Start Date Date that the coupon is available for use.
                End Date Date that the coupon is unavailable for use.
                Max. Uses Maximum number of times that the coupon may be used before becoming inactive.
                Current Uses Current number of times that the coupon has been used.

                Coupon Codes Discount Detail Window

                Coupons are used to enable pre-access to tickets and/or cause a discount on tickets during the checkout process. The intention is a code may be mailed or given to a group of patrons who may, at checkout on the web or at the time of payment at the box office, specify the coupon code and get tickets or receives a discount if there are any uses left on them.

                Parts of the Coupon Code Discount Detail Window

                Inserts a new coupon code.
                • For more information on creating coupon codes for discounts click here.
                • For more information on creating coupon codes for order fees click here.
                • For more information on creating coupon codes for presale access click here.
                Saves changes made to the coupon code.
                Creates a copy of the current coupon code.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the current coupon code. For more information on deleting coupon codes click here.
                Checks the spelling of fields that can be typed in.
                Internal Description Internal name given to the coupon code.
                External Description External name given to the coupon code to be displayed on web.
                Coupon Code Verbal code used by patrons to enact coupon code as a form of payment.
                Status When checked the coupon is active and can be used.
                Folder You can assign a folder name to the coupon code so that you can search by that if you wish.
                Details about the coupon code. For more infomation on the Availability Tab click here.
                Promotions for the coupon type. For more information on the Promotions Tab click here.
                Applicable performances for the coupon. For more information on the Performances Tab click here.
                List window of patrons and orders that have used the coupon code. For more information on the Redemptions Tab click here.

                Availability Tab

                Redemption Details

                Redeemable From Date that the coupon is available for use.
                Redeemable Until Date that the coupon is no longer available for use.
                Accesses a calendar to select dates.
                Restricted to Mail List Coupon is only available to members of selected mail list. Any other patron who tries to use the coupon will be told that it is invalid.
                Accesses the Mail List Lookup window to select Mail List.
                Auto Add on Web If a mail list is specified for the coupon, you can decide how the coupon gets into the patrons cart. Choices are:
                • Never - means that the coupon is not automatically added to the patrons cart when they sign in. The patron will need to specify the coupon code after logging in in order to receive the benefits that the coupon conveys (like pre-access)
                • Only if Patron is on the selected maillist - means that the coupon will automatically be added if the patron signs in online. They have to take no action to receive the benefits of the coupon. It could be used to create automatic discounting of certain ticket prices for certain performances using a sales rule.
                • Any household member on maillist. - will auto add the coupon for any member of the patrons household when they log in. This conveys the patrons benefits over to their partners or dependants.

                Coupon Usage Type

                Applies discount when used Check this box if this coupon code could apply a discount to tickets via sales rules tab or orders (using a one time discount)
                Presale access via internet Check this box if this coupon code will allow patrons to purchase tickets to certain performances before they are available to the general public.

                If you provide a list of performances in the performance tab, then:

                • Each time the coupon code is entered on the event list
                • The event list will show only the selected performances that are in the performance tab per the image to the right.
                Note: if the patron clicks search or leaves this page, then all other performances will be added to the mix. Entering the coupon code again will show only the performances again.

                Overall Coupon Usage Limits

                Max Coupons available The number of times that this coupon can be used before it becomes inactive. Leave blank to disable this feature.
                Used Coupons The current number of times that this coupon has been used.
                Coupons in web carts The number of coupons currently in shopping carts.

                Redeemable At Sales Sources

                Box Office Check this box if this coupon can be used in conjunction with a sale at the Box Office.
                Internet Sales Check this box if this coupon can be used in conjunction with a Web Sale.

                Sales Rule Tab

                Parts of the Sales Rules Tab

                Sales Rules The rule which will be applied to convert the tickets from one promotion and/or price code to another. For information on sales rules promotion conversion, click here
                Opens the Sales Rule list in order to select a sales rule.
                One Time Order Fee Order fee applied to the coupon.
                Max Use per coupon Maximum number of tickets per order that this coupon can be used to receive a discount.

                Performance Tab

                Parts of the Performance Tab

                Event/Play # The # of the event/play(s) the coupon can be used for.
                Event/Play The name of the event/play(s) that the coupon can be used for.
                Performance The performance(s) that the coupon can be used for.

                When the patron enters the pre-access coupon online, then any event in the list of performances will be displayed in the performance list to make it easier to select the events. Immediately after the pre-access coupon is entered, the other events will disappear for this one time only -- effectively making the pre-access coupon a quick filter to the events.

                In addition, the coupon shows in the shopping cart with a button to let the patron show the events again.

                For performances that are in the permitted list:

                • if the performance is not on sale on the internet, it will become visible and able to be sold based on the pre-access code
                • If the performance is in the past, it will not be shown. This allows you to offer pre-acces coupons through the run of an event
                • If the performance is marked as postponed or cancelled, it will also show if its marked visible on the internet. Since those performances are already visible, the coupon code shows them - they are just unable to be purchased.
                • performances that are subscription control houses will not show based on a coupon since they are special puprose
                Date The date of the performance(s).
                Time The time of the performance(s).
                Event/Play Title The full title of the event/play(s) that the coupon can be used for.
                Year The fiscal year of the event/play(s) that the coupon can be used for.
                Theatre Name The name of the theatre that the coupon can be used for.
                Perf # The performance number.
                Opens the performance lookup list window to allow the selection of performances that the coupon is valid for.
                Delete the current selected performance from the list of valid performances for the coupon.

                Redemptions Tab

                The redemptions tab displays a list of every instance when the coupon was redeemed.

                The Redemptions tab will show Coupon redemptions only. Pre-Sale access only allows access to an event and is not tracked within the code. Pre-Sales access is best tracked by Sales Rule, Promotion Conversion

                For more information and sales rules - promotion redemptions click here.

                Pre-sale access can be limited to members of a Mail List by selecting the Mail List on the Availability tab.

                Notes Tab

                The Notes Tab of a Coupon or PreAccess Code is where content regarding the code can be placed. The field accepts plain text or HTML code. Text from this field appears on the ticketing site beside the Coupon or PreAccess Code in the web cart. This is a great marketing opportunity to communicate with your online patrons.

                Resources Tab

                Implementing Coupon Codes

                For further information on creating a coupon for discounts, click here.

                With Restricted Access Codes, please be aware of the following:

                If...

                1. on the availability tab if you set your Max Coupons to 10
                2. on the promotion tab set you set the max use per coupon to 2
                3. and in the promotion conversion detail you set the Maximum Uses to be 20 ( 20 tix max ).

                The following occurs

                • If everyone only buys 2 tickets per order, the coupon will remain available for all 10 coupons available.
                • If someone buys 4, only two ticket will be affected by the coupon.
                • If you reach either the 10 coupon threshold or the max uses of 20 no more discounts will be offered.

                The following topics indicate how to implement coupon codes for redemption and/or presales access within Theatre Manager

                Creating a Coupon Code for Ticket Discounts

                Using Theatre Manager, you can create Ticket Discount coupon codes.

                You can create coupon codes for both ticket discounts and presale access. For more information on creating coupons for presale access, click here.

                With Restricted Access Codes, here is an example of restricting the coupon to 10 coupons of 2 redemptions for a maximum of 20 tickets:

                1. on the availability tab if you set your Max Coupons to 10
                2. on the promotion tab set you set the max use per coupon to 2
                3. in the promotion conversion detail you set the maximum Uses to be 20 ( 20 tix max ).

                The following occurs

                • If everyone only buys 2 tickets per order, the coupon will remain available for all 10 coupons available.
                • If someone buys 4, only two ticket will be affected by the coupon.
                • If you reach either the 10 coupon threshold or the max uses of 20 no more discounts will be offered.

                To create a Coupon Code for Ticket Discounts, you perform the following steps:

                1. Click here to learn how to access the Coupon Codes List window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Coupon Code Discount Detail window opens.

                3. Enter the Coupon Code Description.

                  The internal description will only be displayed in Theatre Manager and the external description will be displayed for web sales.

                4. Enter the code that the Patron will use to receive the coupon discount in the Coupon Code box.

                  Example: 2FOUR1

                5. Enter the availability dates detail as needed. ( blank for unlimited )

                  For more information on the availability tab click here.

                6. Add a Mail list if restricting the coupon to only patron on a particular Mail List.

                  Leave blank if coupon is unrestricted and can be used by any patron

                7. Select option for Auto Add
                8. Check Coupon Usage Type

                  Note that the default on insert is Applies discount when used

                9. Click the Save button.

                  The promotion, performance and redemption tabs are now available.

                10. Click the Promotions tab.

                  For more information on the promotions tab click here.

                11. Click the New button and create a promotion conversion.
                12. For more information on promotion conversions click here.

                13. Click the Performance tab.
                14. Click the New button.

                  For more information on the performance tab click here.

                  The Performance List Lookup window opens.

                15. Select the performance(s) that the coupon will be used for.

                  To select multiple performances, use the CTRL key (Windows) or the OPTION key (Mac).

                16. Press the Select button.
                17. Click the Save button.

                  The Coupon Code has now been created. Click here for more information on editing a Coupon Code or click here for more information on deleting a Coupon Code.

                Creating a Coupon to Add/Remove an Order Fee (Online)

                You can create coupon codes for both order fees and presale access. For more information on creating coupons for presale access, click here.

                1. Create the order fee.

                  Click here for more information on creating fees.

                2. Ensure the fee you create has the option checked to be allowed to be used during coupon code.

                3. Open the Coupon Codes List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Coupon Codes List window.

                4. Click the New button.

                  The Coupon Code Discount Detail window opens.

                5. Enter the Coupon Code Description.

                  The internal description is displayed in Theatre Manager and the external description is displayed for web sales.

                6. Enter the code the Patron will use to receive the coupon discount in the Coupon Code box.
                7. Enter the order fee number in the One-Time Order Fee Field/Box.

                  You can search for the order fee by pressing the Search button.

                  The fields described above, are the only fields required to be filled out on the Availability tab for the order fee coupon to work. The other fields do not apply or are optional. For more information on the Availability tab click here.

                8. Click the Save button.

                  The promotion, performance, and redemption tabs are now available.

                9. Click the Performance tab.
                10. Click the New button at the bottom of the window.

                  For more information on the Performance tab click here.

                  The Performance List Lookup window opens.

                11. Select the performance(s) the coupon will be used for.

                  To select multiple performances, use the CTRL key (Windows) or the OPTION key (Mac).

                12. Press the Select button.
                13. Click the Save button.

                  The Coupon Code has now been created. Click here for more information on editing a Coupon Code or click here for more information on deleting a Coupon Code.

                Creating a Coupon for Presale Access

                You can set-up coupons to allow patrons to have presale access to buy tickets online before they go on sale to the general public.
                You can set-up coupons to be used both presale access, as well as ticket discounts or order fees. For more information on:
                1. Ensure the performance has a future onsale date.
                  • Go to Events/Plays
                  • Select the Event/Play
                  • Click on the Performances tab
                  • Double-click on the performance
                  • Click on the Sales Management tab
                  • Input future on sale dates for the internet and/or box office. (if you want people to buy online, you need to enter a date for at least online sales -- box office could always be on sale)
                  • Save
                  Make sure that there is a sales promotion on each performance that allows it to be bought online

                  Click here for more information on Events/Plays and Performances.

                2. Open the Coupon Codes List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Coupon Codes List window.

                3. Click the New button.

                  The Coupon Code Discount Detail window opens.

                4. Enter the Coupon Code Description.

                  The internal description will only be displayed in Theatre Manager and the external description will be displayed for web sales.

                5. Enter the code that the Patron will use to receive the coupon discount in the Coupon Code box.

                  This code can be manually entered by patrons on the web, or manually at the box office. If the coupon is 'auto-add' on web, then a mail list must be supplied to limit the distribution and the coupon will only be added to the cart if the user logs in.

                6. Enter the availability Redeemable date (optional)

                  The dates and times you enter will be before the future onsale date you entered in Step 1. You only need this if you want to limit the dates that the coupon will be available to use. If you want the coupon to work right away, leave the dates blank.

                7. Indicate if the coupon should auto-add on the web (optional)

                  This is handy for pre-sales access where if the patron logs in, the coupon code will automatically add to the cart for only the patron or anybody in the household. If that occurs, they can see performances that others cannot see without doing much more than logging in.

                8. Set the Coupon Usage Type

                  A coupon can be used to apply discounts to tickets that are purchased -or- to only provide access to specific performances in advance of general sale on the web -or- a coupon can perform both those features simultaneously.

                9. Click the Save button.

                  The Presale access via internet field, promotion, performance and redemption tabs are now available.

                10. (optional) If you want to limit the coupon to specific patrons, enter a mail list number in the Restricted to Mail List field.
                11. Place a check in the Presale access via internet box.
                12. Place a check in the Redeemable at Sales Source - Internet Sales box.
                  The fields described above are the fields required to be filled out on the Availability tab in order for the presale coupon to work. The others do not apply or are optional. For more information on the availability tab click here.
                13. Click the Performance tab.
                14. Click on the New button at the bottom of the window.

                  For more information on the performance tab click here.

                  The Performance List Lookup window opens.

                15. Select the performance(s) that the coupon will be used for.

                  To select multiple performances, use the CTRL key (Windows) or the OPTION key (Mac). The selected performances will need to have the future onsale date set as in Step 1.

                  If a performance does not have a check in "Allow Selling - Via The Internet" under Event >> Performance Tab, if it is added to the Coupon Code Performance Tab, online ticket selling will still be available. Online selling will only be available until the future onsale date, when tickets go on sale to the public.
                16. Press the Select button.
                17. Click the Save button.

                  The Coupon Code for Presale Access has now been created and can be used online.

                Enabling Coupon as a Payment Method

                If you do not see Coupon listed as a payment method type on the payment method drop down, it will need to be activated.

                To set Coupons up as a payment method, you perform the following steps:

                1. Choose Setup >> System Tables >> Code Tables to access the code table window.

                  The Code Table window opens.

                2. Select Payment Methods in the Code Table list.

                  For more information on Code Table Payment Methods, click here.

                3. Double-click on Coupon in the Code Table Entries list.

                4. Set the coupon to be Active.
                5. Select the coupon availability.

                  Select whether the coupon payment method will be available as a payment method at the Box Office, Internet Sales, Development or a combination of the three.

                6. Click the Save button.
                7. Close the detail and code table list window.

                  Coupon is now be available as a payment method.

                Using Coupons at the Box Office

                Coupon codes can be redeemed at the box office provided box office is selected under the coupon code's availability tab. For more information on the Availability Tab, click here.

                1. Access the Payments window during the order before the payment is to be made.

                  For more information on accessing the payment window, click here.

                2. Select Coupon as the Payment Method.

                  Coupon # and Coupon Quantity Boxes will now be displayed.

                  If coupon is not an entry in the drop down list of payment methods, you will need to enable it. For more information on enabling coupon as a payment method, click here.

                3. Type the coupon code in the Coupon # box.

                  Alternatively you can look-up the coupon code by using the Search button. This button opens the Coupon Code List window. For more information on the Coupon Code list, click here.

                4. Enter the quantity of coupons to be applied to the order in the Coupon Quantity box.
                5. Click the Accept Payment button.

                  A confirmation dialog opens. The coupon will have been applied to the order and the order total will change.

                  If the coupon is not accepted, ensure the coupon code is set-up to allow the selected performance, price code and promotion.

                6. Choose another payment method to finish processing the order.

                  For more information on creating payments, click here.

                Editing a Coupon Code

                1. Open the Coupon Codes List window.
                  Click here to learn how to access the Coupon Codes List.
                2. Choose the Coupon Code you want to edit.
                  Single click on a package to select it.
                3. Click the button.
                  The Coupon Code Discount Detail window opens.
                4. Make changes as needed.
                5. Click the button.
                  The changes are now saved and the window can be closed.

                Deleting a Coupon Code

                1. Open the Coupon Codes List window.
                  Click here for more information on accessing the Coupon Codes List.
                2. Select the Coupon Code to be deleted.
                  Single click on a Coupon Code to select it.
                3. Click the button.
                  The Delete Record confirmation window will open if the selected Coupon Code has not been used in any transactions.
                4. Click the button.
                  The Coupon Code is now deleted.

                How the Web Sales Pages Work With Coupon Codes

                By default the coupon button in the TMcart page takes you back to the TMtickets page so you can buy more tickets. If your customers tell you they are "stuck" when entering a code, this may be the reason.

                You have set up a pre-sale coupon, but how does the website manage it?

                The idea of when a coupon/Pre-Sales Code is entered on the Event Listing page is to STAY on that page because the Event Listing will be updated with any NEW events that you coupon / Pre-Sales Code gives you.

                For example, I have set up a presale coupon for our event Classic Vaudville. This has been sent out to selected patrons.

                When they click the Add Code button, the event list displays the event that coupon is good for.

                The patron now clicks the buy button and the Seat Selection window is displayed.

                Our patron clicks the Find Best Seats Available button.

                The seats are the ones they want, so they click the Add Tickets to Shopping Cart button.

                The Cart is displayed. The tickets are in the cart and the coupon discount has been applied. The next step is to choose go to checkout and make payment.

                However, if the patron has NOT noticed the Coupon, they may then enter the Coupon Code again and click the Add Coupon button.

                By default the coupon button in the TMcart page takes you back to the TMtickets page so you can buy more tickets. If your customers tell you they are "stuck" when entering a code, this may be the reason.

                If your intention is to give only discounts with your coupons, then it would make more sense for the patron to be directed to the Shopping Cart page after entering in their coupon so they can SEE that the coupon was entered, and if they ALREADY purchased tickets that the coupon is applicable for, they will see the discounted ticket price there too.

                Report Card Templates

                A report card template can be assigned to a specific course to evaluate Patrons/students enrolled in that course. The report card allows a standardized grading system to be used for all students, and the template can be used across multiple classes as a "base" form.

                For more information about report cards, click here. For more about how to set up and utilize courses within Theatre Manager, click here.

                Diataxis: 

                The Report Card Template List Window

                To access templates for Report Cards, go to Setup > System Tables > Report Card Templates:

                Parts of the Report Card List Window

                Inserts a new report card template For more information on inserting report card templates click here.
                Opens the selected report card template for editing. For more information on editing report card templates click here.
                Creates a copy of the current template.
                Deletes the current report card template. For more information on deleting report card templates click here.
                Generates a report of the list of report card templates to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out a list of the report card templates in a tab-delimited format.
                Template drop-down
                Options to search the report card template list.
                From
                Starting point for the search.
                To
                Ending range for your search.
                Template #
                The unique number for that report card template in the database.
                Template
                The name assigned to the report card template.
                Entered
                The date that report card template was entered into the database.
                Updated
                The date the report card template was updated.
                Active
                Indicates if report card template is marked Active.
                Diataxis: 

                Adding a Report Card Template

                Categories must be set up before adding Report Cards. Click here for more information on setting up Report Card Categories.

                To create a template for Report Cards, you perform the following steps:

                1. Select Setup >> System Tables >> Report Card Templates.

                  The Report Card Template List window opens.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Report Card Template Insert Window opens.

                3. Enter a descriptive name for the new template.
                4. Click the Add Categories button.

                  The Categories list populate from the Report Card Category code tables. Click here for more information on setting up Report Card Categories.

                5. Click on each Category in turn, and enter specific items for Ratings in the fields on the right.

                  For example, under Contribution, one item might be Class Participation and another might be Peer Feedback.

                  These are the items for which students will be given Ratings. For information about setting up Report Card Ratings, click here.

                  Continue entering Descriptions.

                6. When you have completed entered Categories and Items in each Category for Ratings, click the Save button.

                  The Usage Tab in the Report Card Template displays the instances of the Template's use in Courses. You can also add report cards to or delete report cards from a Course from the Usage Tab.

                  For more information about assigning Report Cards, click here.

                Editing a Report Card Template

                To edit an existing Report Card Template, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Report Card Template List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Choose the template edit.

                  Single click on a template to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Report Card Template Insert window will open.

                4. Change any data as necessary..
                5. When you have completed makeing your changes, click the Save button.

                Deleting a Report Card Template

                To permanently remove a Report Card template, you perform the following steps:
                1. Open the Report Card Template List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Report Card Template List.

                2. Select the report card template you are deleting.

                  Single click on a template to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Record confirmation window opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The template is now deleted.

                City Lookup Table

                The City Lookup Table allows for automated insertion of the City, Province / State, Country when a specified Postal / Zip Code is entered.

                The City Lookup Table Window is accessed through the Setup >> System Tables >> City Lookup Table menu. If you already have a large database of patrons, Theatre Manager can automatically create a lookup list. Depending on the size of your database this process may take upwards of one hour.

                The City / Postal Code Window will open.

                Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                List Window

                Parts of the City / Postal Code Lookup Window

                Postal Code / Zip Code
                The range of the postal / zip codes that apply to the location.
                City
                The city with which the range is associated.
                County
                The range of the Counties (US) which apply to the location.
                Province / State
                The province / state with which the range is associated.
                Country
                Country of the entry as it appears in the Country table of Theatre Manager.
                Area Code
                Telephone area code for the entry.
                Time Zone
                Time zone the entry falls in.
                Inserts a new lookup value. Click here for more information on adding new values to the table.
                Opens an existing code value for editing. Click here for more information on editting the selected value.
                Duplicates the selected value.
                Deleted the selected value. Click here for more information on deleting the selected value
                Imports a list of pre-defined codes. Click here for more information on how to import a list of predefined codes.
                Exports the lookup list. Click here for more information on exporting the lookup list.
                The Verify button, checks that the latitude and longitude for full addresses in Canada and the US is set correctly.

                Lookup Detail Window

                The Lookup Detail Window allows you to enter additional values, or edit and existing value on a one-by-one basis. This can be useful if there are specific towns that are included in a particular postal/zip code that do not already exist on the list.

                For more information about the tab, click here.

                For more information about the tab, click here.

                Postal Code Tab

                Parts of the City / Postal Code Lookup Detail Window
                Postal Code Tab

                Postal Code
                Postal or zip code for the entry.
                City or Town
                City the range is associated with.
                County
                County the range is associated with.
                Province
                Province or state the range is associated with.
                Country
                Country of the entry as it appears in the Country table of Theatre Manager.
                Area Code
                Telephone area code for the entry.
                Time Zone
                Time zone the entry falls in.
                Observe Daylite Savings Time
                Indicate if the entry observes daylite savings by checking this option.
                Creates a new item in the lookup list.
                Saves changes made to a code.
                Copies an existing Code.
                Removes changes made to the Code up to the last save point.
                Deletes the selected value.

                Geographical Info Tab

                Parts of the City / Postal Code Lookup Detail Window Geographical Info Tab

                Latitude
                The accepted "center" (North/South) of the postal / zip code area.
                Longitude
                The accepted "center" (East/West) of the postal / zip code area.
                US FIPS55 Code
                Used for US zip codes, this is a specific categorization by the Geographic Names Information System. For more information, click here.

                Inserting a Lookup Value

                To insert a lookup value, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the City/Postal Code Lookup List Window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Postal Code Lookup window opens.

                3. Enter the range of the postal / zip code

                4. Enter the city or town to which the entered range applies
                5. Enter the county to which the entered range applies.
                6. Enter the province/state to which the entered range applies.
                7. Use the drop down to select the Country to which the range applies.
                8. Enter the Area Code to which the range applies.
                9. Use the drop down to select the Time Zone to which the range applies.
                10. Check the box if this postal code participates in the Daylight Savings Time program.
                11. On the Geographical Info tab, enter the Latitude, Longitude, and (optionally) the USGS FIPS 55 Code.
                12. Click the Save button to save the changes.

                  To cancel the insert, click the Revert button.

                Editing a Lookup Value

                To edit a lookup value, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the City/Postal Code Lookup List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the lookup value you wish to edit.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Postal Code lookup window for the selected value opens.

                4. Modify the details as needed.
                5. Click the Save button to save the changes.

                  To cancel the edit click the Revert button.

                Deleting Existing Lookup

                1. Open the City/Postal Code Lookup List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the lookup value to delete.

                  Single click on a value to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete City Lookup warning dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete button to continue with the deletion.

                  Clicking the Cancel button aborts the deletion.

                  The deletion will be confirmed with the following confirmation message.

                Importing Values

                You can import your own list of values from a tab or comma delimited file into your database using the steps below.

                1. Open the City/Postal Code Lookup List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the Import button

                  The Import Data window opens.

                3. Click the Select button.
                4. Select the file you wish to import.

                  Do this by single clicking the value.

                5. Click the Open button.

                Exporting a City Lookup Table

                1. Open the City/Postal Code Lookup List Window

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the Export button.
                3. Choose the export format.

                  The Select Postal Code Export File opens for your Operating System..

                4. Browse to where the file will be saved and name the file.
                5. Click the Save button.
                6. The table will be exported to the location using the file name assigned.

                Diataxis: 

                Volunteer Signup Templates

                This function allows the Volunteer Manager to create a small survey for specific shows to ask patrons/volunteers to pick which shows or performances that they'd like to participate in. The idea is the patron would access the ticketing web site, sign in and then indicate their preferences.

                You access Volunteer Signup templates through the Setup >> System Tables >> Volunteer Signup Templates.

                The List Window opens.

                Add a Volunteer Signup Template

                To add a Volunteer Signup Template, perform the following steps:

                1. Access Volunteer Signup templates through the Setup >> System Tables >> Volunteer Signup Templates.

                  The List Window opens.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Schedule Template window opens.

                3. Enter a Name for the template and the Start and End dates a Volunteer can signup.

                4. Click the Save button.
                5. To add template details, click the New button.

                  The Schedule Template Detail is where you enter the information to query the volunteer for their responses to signing up for activities and any preferences they may have for doing these activities for some selected performances.

                Invoice Comments

                Invoice Comments are printed at the bottom of invoices for statements, payment reminders, and confirmation notices.

                You access the Invoice Comments Window through Setup>>System Tables>>Invoice Comments Menu.

                The Invoice Comments window opens.

                Diataxis: 

                Invoice Comments List Window

                The parts of the window are as follows:

                Inserts a New comment through the Comment Detail Window. For more information on inserting comments click here.
                Opens a window to edit a comment through the Comment Detail Window. For more information on editing comments click here.
                Deletes a comment. For more information on deleting comments click here.
                Generates a report displaying the list of comments to the screen or default print location.
                Exports the selected invoice comments in text tab-delimited format.
                Description Search options for locating comments.
                From Starting range to search by.
                To Ending range to search by.
                Description Description of the comment.
                Minutes Prior Time prior to the event to arrive.
                Outlet Owner Outlet responsible for the comment.
                Changed By User initials of the last employee to edit the comment.
                Diataxis: 

                Invoice Comments Detail Window

                Standard comments can be maintained for the various types of invoices, statements, payment reminders and confirmation notices that are sent to patrons.

                Parts of the Invoice Comment Window

                Insert a New comment through the Comment Detail Window. For more information on inserting comments click here .
                Saves comments when edited in the Comment Detail Window. For more information on editing comments click here.
                Creates a copy of the current comment.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes a comment. For more information on deleting comments click here.
                Checks the comment for spelling errors.
                Description Brief description of the nature of the comment.
                Arrival Special field. If it is >0 then a default arrival time will show on invoices that are printed. if is = 0 then no message will arrive. The Message cannot be chaged based on arrival time.
                Comment The comments.
                Diataxis: 

                Adding Invoice Comments

                To Add invoice comments, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Invoice Comments window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Invoice Comment Detail window opens.

                3. Enter a name for your comment in the description field.
                4. Enter the details of the comment.
                5. If applicable, enter the number of minutes to arrive before the performance.

                6. Click the Save button to save the comment.

                  The comment is saved and added to the Invoice Comment window.

                Diataxis: 

                Editing Invoice Comments

                To Edit Invoice Comments, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Invoice Comments window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the comment you wish to edit.

                  Single click on a comment to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Invoice Comment Detail window opens.

                4. Change data as needed.

                5. Click the Save button to save the changes.
                Diataxis: 

                Printing an Invoice and Adding the Comments

                To print an invoice, you perform the following steps:

                1. In the Patron Window, click the Order tab.

                  For more information on opening Patron records, click here.

                  For more information on the Order tab, click here.

                2. Highlight the Order you want to print the invoice for, and click the Invoice button.

                  The Print Invoice Criteria window opens.

                  You have the option to page through the criteria using the tabs, or the Next button.

                3. To add the Invoice Comments, Click the Next button to navigate to the Footer tab.

                4. To have the comments print, enable the Print tear off section check box.
                5. Enter a Performance Start warning time, if applicable.

                6. From the Additional Comments drop down list, choose the comment you want to have printed on the invoice.
                7. When you have determined all the criteria for your invoice is correct, click the Done button.

                  Your invoice prints.

                8. The Invoice comments print on the bottom of the invoice.

                Diataxis: 

                Deleting Invoice Comments

                1. Open the Invoice Comments window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the comment to delete.

                  Single click on a comment to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  A Delete confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.
                Diataxis: 

                Plug-in Modules

                Plugins are customized special code segments written by Arts Management specifically tailored to perform business rule logic to automatically alter prices on tickets, memberships, gift certificates, fees, donations, and/or mail lists for patrons who purchase either online, or via the box office. Their purpose is to enforce site specific rules during the sales process.

                The organization describes a business rule / reason why to alter a patrons shopping cart purchases, then Arts Management writes customized code to perform that action. Plugin code may be required to change/adapt over time, depending if the business rules or requirements change within the organization from year to year.

                The "how does a plugin work" is not as important from your viewpoint, as having a clearly defined business rule/requirement to Arts Management for each situation. Whats important is that a business rule offers an A or B solution. If conditions X, Y, and Z are met, then perform action A. If conditions P & Q are met, perform action B. etc. It can also be as simple as if condition R is met, perform action C.

                Plugins cycle through the defined business rules each time an item is added or removed from the shopping cart. If any of the business rule conditions "match" items within the cart, then the those items are processes through the special code segment to alter their default state (i.e. alter their price, price code, and/or sales promotion —> the most common alterations).

                Plugins allow patrons to utilize web sales for their purchases by receiving their justified discounts without having to contact the box office directly. Plugins are also utilized in the box office to automatically provide patrons their justified discounts; without having the box office staff to remember each business rule to determine discounts patron may be applicable for.

                For example, plug-ins could achieve the following kinds of special rules:

                • if more than 10 tickets are purchased, automatically change them to a group sale
                • provide preferred seating areas to donors of a certain level
                • limit ticket sales to certain events at certain times of the year to people who buy subscriptions
                • automatically convert ticket sales from single tickets to subscriptions if the customers buys a certain number of tickets.
                • automatically give subscribers (or frequent buyers) discounts on subsequent tickets.
                • prevent a sale for next season unless a donation is received.

                Plug-ins may be associated with specific sales promotions and also when checking out an order.

                If you want a plug-in, you must contact Arts Management and speak with someone in Software Development department. Sales Plug-Ins are customized code, our standard custom programming rate per hour will apply.

                Diataxis: 

                Purchasing a Plug-In

                If you want a plug-in, you must contact Arts Management and speak with someone in Software Development department. As Sales Plug-Ins are customized code, our standard custom programming rate per hour will apply.

                Plug-in List Window

                For information about how to access the Plug-in List Window, click here.

                Inserts a New Plug-in through the Plug-in Detail Window. For more information on inserting plug-ins click here.
                Opens the selected Plug-in Detail Window for editing. For more information on editing Plug-ins click here.
                Duplicates the selected Plug-in.
                Deletes a Plug-in. For more information on deleting Plug-ins click here.
                Generates a report displaying the list of Plug-ins to the screen or default print location.
                Exports the selected invoice comments in text tab-delimited format.

                Plug-in Detail Window

                Access the Plug-in Detail window by going to Setup > System Tables>Plug-in Modules and selecting the plug-in from the list of plug-ins. For more information on how to access the Plug-in List Window, click here.

                Insert a New Plug-in through the Plug-in Detail Window. For more information on inserting Plug-ins click here .
                Saves Plug-ins when added or edited in the Plug-in Detail Window. For more information on editing Plug-ins click here.
                Creates a copy of the current Plug-in.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes a Plug-in. For more information on deleting Plug-ins click here.
                Checks the Plug-in for spelling errors.
                Exports the selected Plug-in.
                Imports a new Plug-in.

                Inserting a Plug-in Purchased from AMS

                1. Open the Plug-in List Window.

                  For information on how to access the Plug-in List Window, click here.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Plug-in Detail window opens.

                3. Enter a Name for the Plug-in in the Name Field.
                4. Drag-and-drop the .TM2 file containing the Plug-in Code provided by AMS into the PlugIn Code field.

                5. If you have been informed that your plugin is designed to work with a specific sales rule, enter it into the window. Otherwise entering anything here will do nothing.
                6. Click the Save button.
                7. Your new plug-in is ready to use.

                Editing a Plug-in

                1. Open the Plug-in List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the Plug-in to edit.

                  Single click on a Plug-in to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Plug-in Detail window opens.

                4. Click the Export button.
                5. Save the export file.

                  Save the export .TM2 text file in a known location where you will have easy access to it.

                  Do NOT use change or remove the 3 character (.TM2) filename extension. Theatre Manager requires this unique filename extension when importing plugins.

                6. Edit the plug-in's .TM2 text file in Notepad++, BBEdit, or any other true text based file editor.

                  Do NOT use Windows WordPad, Windows NotePad, Microsoft Word, TextEdit, SimpleText, or other non-text based file editors. Using these types of editors will alter the plugin file data structure and rendering the file unreadable by Theatre Manager.

                7. Using the text editor, change the plugin export .TM2 file as required.

                  If your unsure on how to make changes to your customized plugin, or do not feel confident in making minor changes, please contact Arts Management Systems. We are here to help you.

                  Hint: Make a note of the update date and changes made within the plugin .TM2 text file. The top section of the source code is an area of comments that record changes made to the file. This will help assist debugging the plugin in situations where a change to the plugin has an undesired effect.

                  Hint: To easily locate where you are in the text file, the display of line numbers offers an easy indicator.

                  If your using BBEdit, goto Edit Menu >> Text Options >> enable Display Line Numbers.

                  If your using Notepad++, goto Settings Menu >> Preferences >> Editing >> enable Display Line Number.

                8. Click 'Save' in the text editor to save your changes.

                  Hint: Save the changes to a new plugin .TM2 file rather then overwriting the existing .TM2 file. This will allow quick ability to revert back to the prior version of the plugin in situations where a change to the plugin has an undesired effect.

                9. On Theatre Manager's Plugin Detail Window, either:

                  Drag & Drop the external plugin .TM2 file into the "Plugin Code" area.
                  - or -
                  Click the Import button to select the external plugin .TM2 file.

                  After the plugin code has been updated, at the bottom of the window it will indicate "Successfully read and updated the Plug-In code".

                10. Click the Save button to save the changes.

                  The changes to the plugin code will take effect immediately.

                  Theatre Manager will not save changes made to the plug-in code, where those changes resulted in a coding syntax error. As well, attempts to import an updated plugin .TM2 file edited with a non-text based editor may result in Theatre Manager unable to save the changes.

                Deleting a Plug-in

                1. Open the Plug-in List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Plug-in List.

                2. Select the Plug-in to be deleted.

                  Single click on a Plug-in to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Record confirmation opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The Plug-in is now deleted.

                Merchant Accounts

                Merchant Accounts are used in Theatre Manager to:
                • Provide the required details to communicate with the credit card processing provider
                • Set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Merchant so that you can take customer information and process repeated payments as selected back institutions. The banks supported by EFT are currently limited - if the setup does not show your bank, please contact us.

                Merchant Accounts are accessed by selecting Setup >> System Tables >> Merchant Accounts.

                The Merchant Account List window opens.

                For more information on the Merchant Account List window click here.

                Merchant Account List Window

                Parts of the Merchant Account List Window

                Inserts a new merchant account. For more information on inserting merchant accounts click here.
                Opens the selected merchant account for editing. For more information on editing merchant accounts click here.
                Creates a copy of the current merchant account.
                Deletes the current merchant account. For more information on deleting merchant accounts click here.
                Generates a report of the merchant accounts to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out a list of merchant accounts in a tab-delimited format.
                Opens the Merchant Profiles window displaying credit card profiles for this merchant account.
                Merchant # Unique number used to define the merchant account.
                Merchant Description Name of the merchant account.
                Active Active status of the merchant account.
                Emerg Emergency Mode enabled for merchant account.
                Status Indicates if credit cards belonging to this merchant can be used in the box office an/or via web sales.
                Provider Name of the Merchant Provider contracted to authorize cards.
                Server Id The merchant Server Id for credit card authorizations.
                Description The merchant provider you contracted with to authorize credit cards.
                Country The currency/country that the merchant provider authorizes in at time of checkout.
                Outlet-Owner Outlet responsible for the merchant account.

                Merchant Account Detail Window

                There are two types of merchant accounts as follows:
                • Credit Cards - which is used to describe how who processes your credit cards directly from Theatre Manager.
                • EFT - Checks - which is used to tell Theatre Manager how to process direct deposit checks to a bank. It supports some banks (contact us if you wish to use this and your bank is not listed). EFT can also be used as a convenience tool for recurring (but not direct deposit) transactions from an external agency like Canada Helps.

                The purpose of the merchant type is dependant on the software type selected half way down the screen.

                Credit Card Merchant Account
                EFT Account

                Parts of the Merchant Account Detail Window

                Inserts a new merchant account. For more information on inserting merchant accounts click here.
                Saves changes made to the currency merchant account.
                Creates a copy of the current merchant account.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the current Merchant Account. For more information on deleting merchant accounts click here.
                Checks the spelling of text fields within the merchant account detail window.
                Account Name Title for the merchant account.
                Status When checked the merchant account is available for use.
                Configuration settings for the server software of the merchant account. For more information on the software type tab click here.
                Access information for the credit card server and/or software. For more information on the connection info tab click here.
                Authorization settings for credit card authorization. For more information on the authorization tab click here.
                End of Day wizard settings for the merchant account. For more information on the settlement tab click here.
                Currency conversion settings (if applicable) for the merchant account. For more information on the currency tab click here.
                Merchant profile setup information for the service provider associated with the merchant account. For more information on the profiles tab click here.
                Merchant contact information for the service provider associated with the merchant account. For more information on the miscellaneous tab click here.
                The staff members in Theatre Manager who are permitted to use this merchant account. For more information on the Employees tab click here.
                The payment methods enabled for use with the merchant account. For more information on the Employees tab click here.

                Software Type Tab

                Parts of the Software Type Tab

                Point of Sale Credit Card Software

                Enable Card Use
                • At the Box Office - When checked credit card processing is enabled for the Box Office
                • By the Web Listener - When checked credit card processing is enabled for Web Sales
                Emergency Mode When enabled, you can accept credit cards without Authorization.

                Use this option rarely and disable it as soon as Credit Card Servers become available again! You are accepting risk on your part should cards be declined later!

                Click here for more information on Using Emergency Mode.

                Server Software Credit card processing software Theatre Manager will be communicating with.
                Merchant Provider Merchant provider responsible for credit card authorization.
                Merchant Number Merchant or client ID number issued by the merchant provider and is placed on the credit card receipt. In this example, PNS is the number for Paymentech.

                Connection Info Tab

                The Connection Info tab is where you define how Theatre Manager should access the credit card server. The fields that are available will change, depending on the Merchant Provider chosen in the Software Type Tab.

                Parts of the Connection Info Tab

                User Id Merchant Number or Client User ID on the Credit Card Server
                Password Password for the Merchant Number or Client User ID used on the Credit Card Server
                Capture Mode You can choose Host (Bank) Draft Capture or Terminal (Credit Card Server) setting must match the settings provided by the Merchant Provider.
                Primary URL

                Port #

                IP address / name of the credit card server and Port #
                Secondary URL IP address / name of the secondary credit card server
                Terminal ID Terminal ID
                Bin Number Bin Number
                Debugging Click the Display raw response headers for troubleshooting if you are having problems isolating issues with a specific credit card processor. Normally, this is never enabled.

                If you do enable it, all credit card authorization requests at the box office will show:

                • The exact message that is sent from Theatre Manager to the service provider
                • The complete response back from the credit card provider to the specific request
                This can help the support team diagnose problems that suddenly occur with a specific credit card processor, or an unusual or unexpected error condition. The steps are:
                1. Turn on the debugging flag
                2. Start your authorization or refund from the client order or payment window.
                3. A dialog will appear with the message that will be SENT to the merchant provider.
                  COPY IT to an email or document, then click continue
                4. A second dialog will appear with the complete response from the processor.
                  COPY IT to an email or document, then click continue
                5. Repeat as often as you need to while you gather information, then disable the debugging flag
                6. Contact support and send us the messages you copied. This will help us help you describe your problem to your bank

                Authorization Tab

                The Authorization tab allows your organization to define some specifics around how the credit card merchant handles authorizations and refunds

                If following the setup steps for EMV PinPads for Moneris, you must enter the StoreID and API Key you receive from Moners into this tab otherwise pin pads will not work.

                Otherwise you may see a message like the one to the right if you try pair the devices.

                Parts of the Authorization Tab

                Duplicate Authorization Settings

                Box Office Duplicates Force without Notify checkbox - Transactions to the same card for the same value will not receive a warning indicating a possible duplicate charge to the credit card when checked. It is recommended you leave this unchecked
                Force Without Notify Transactions to the same card for the same value will not receive a warning indicating a possible duplicate charge to the credit card when checked.
                Internet Duplicates Choice of three Options:
                • Duplicate Forcing - Transactions to the same card for the same value will not be processed via the internet.
                • Always Force Duplicates - Transactions to the same card for the same value will be allowed via the internet.
                • Smart Force Duplicates - Theatre Manager will determine if the transaction should be processed based on the transaction details.
                • Smart Checking is recommended

                Fraud Prevention

                Fraud Prevention Send Address/Zip - Zip code and address is sent with the credit card information during processing for verification. This information can decrease processing fees in the USA where applicable.
                Some merchant providers charge for this feature. Also be aware that making it mandatory in your web banking merchant account might cause some card rejections. We advise NOT needing strict AVS matching

                Send Card Swipe Data - Card swipe data is sent during processing for verification. This can decrease processing fees where applicable.

                If your merchant provider complains about sending swipe data, you might want to turn this feature off

                Send CVV2/CID number - Send the CVV2 number from the back of the card.

                • Turning off this option means you pay a higher rates on cards (As of late 2018, turning it off may not be allowed by the credit card companies).
                • Turning it on means you should also require collection of CVV2 for each credit card payment method in code tables
                • IP Address Blocking - Allows the merchant provider to block web sales to specific IP Addresses.

                  1st Transaction can be refund - Some merchant providers (notably Global Payments acting on behalf of some Banks) may not authorize the first couple of transactions if they are refunds, as a fraud prevention tool. The rules are actually set by the Bank and each service provider follows them. The best approach is to avoid a refund as the first transaction..

                  It is recommended you leave this checkbox blank if you are using Global Payments. For other merchant providers, you can allow refunds as first transaction.

                Misc Authorization Settings

                Timeout Maximum time, in seconds, Theatre Manager will try to process a card:
                • 30 seconds is recommended when typing a card number into TM and then clicknig 'accept payment' to submit the card to the credit card company.
                • 90 seconds is recommended if using a Moneris P400 pin pad to allow for phone orders whee the user needs to manually typing the card number into the P400
                Note: TM will wait for a response from the credit card provider up to the time out. If the credit card provider does not tell TM that it authorized the card in that time period, you can try again. Be aware that the credit card provider could still have authorized the first attempt. You will find out about that during end of day reconciliation and may have to void it to balance.
                Last Transaction Displays the last tranaction number at the server

                Refund Capability Settings (Varies by Merchant Provider and Agreement)

                The Credit Card refund capabilities vary by merchant provider and your agreement with them. Merchant providers instituted strong rules for fraud prevention and you may find that you need to ask them for capabilities if you cannot refund credit cards. These options indicate what your contractual agreement is with them and tells Theatre Manager how to attempt to refund money.

                Allow Independent Refunds Independent refunds are when you enter the patron's credit card and refund any amount to that card. This is how credit cards worked for decades until merchant providers decided to limit this capability.

                Refer to the rules for Independent refunds and possible errors before turning this on.

                Note: you must have encrypted card data for the patron, a prior merchant profile set up for them, or contact the patron for a full credit card number in order to do independent refunds.

                Allow Linked Refunds Linked Refunds were created by visa/mastercard to force merchants to only return money to the original card for up to the amount charged on the card to avoid fraud.

                Enabling this means your merchant provider allows it. Also set the time frame so that TM knows how far back in time the payment may be before the linked refund might be denied.

                You can contact your merchant provider and they may increase the amount of time allowed.

                Allow Linked Refunds on Same Day Payments Some merchant providers seem to disallow linked refunds on the same day. That might mean you have to void the transaction before doing end of day in order to create the refund.
                Timeframe The number of days since the payment was made in which a linked refund is likely to be authorized. For any payment older than that number of days, the refund is likely to be denied.

                Associated EMV Pin Pads (currently Moneris Only)

                StoreId The store ID for pinpads for Moneris
                API Key The API key for pinpads for Moneris

                Settlement Tab

                Parts of the Settlement Tab

                Timeout
                This is the maximum time, in seconds, that Theatre Manager expects to take to send the completed deposit batch to the bank. Normally, 120 seconds is enough for most processors but if you have larger batches or are using some terminal based authorization, you may need to alter this value.

                The time out is how long Theatre Manager will wait for a response from the processor before giving up and telling you that it was unable to get any response. If a response is received from the bank processor within that time frame, no errors are generated.

                Settle Batch Frequency
                Indicates the number of days that Theatre Manager will allow process credit cards without settling the batch. After this threshold is exceeded without doing an End of Day, Theatre Manager will display a warning message telling you to close the batch and will not accept any credit cards at the box office.

                Web sales ignores this setting and will process credit cards even if the batch has not been settled.

                Notify on Quit
                If checked, an employee will be notified that a batch needs settled when they quit Theatre Manager if it finds any credit cards older than one day that are not yet deposited. In other words, you will only be told if there are cards from a previous day that have not been deposited.
                Deposit Status
                This field is checked when an end of day is in process AND a credit card deposit is currently being done for this merchant account through Theatre Manager. You cannot check this box, you can only uncheck it if you are 100% sure there is no settlement occurring for this merchant account (i.e. nobody has end of day open). Unchecking it will reset the end of day and allow a settlement to occur.

                Currency Tab

                Normally, credit card accounts are in the same currency for the country you reside in. If you are able to process credit cards in another currency, then you need to know what that is. And it needs to be in your currency exchange table. When a credit card is processed Theatre manager will:

              • Pay the local currency against the order (that is, US Dollars in the US, Canadian Dollars in Canada)
              • Charge the foreign currency equivalent against the Credit Card provider
              • Create an offset for the difference against a foreign exchange account.
              • Setup on this tab is particularly important if you are accepting foreign currencies on your website. Click here for more information.

                For more information about setting up Currency Exchange details and rates, click here.

                Parts of the Currency Tab

                Currency Country
                Select the desired country from the Currency Country drop down.
                Exchange Account
                Enter a G/L Account to allocate the difference from the exchange rate.

                Merchant Profiles

                A merchant provider may charge service fees or fixed costs for using this service to offset associated costs with maintaining customer and credit card information on their servers.

                Moneris charges money; and is not recommended for this feature.

                If you only need to save credit cards for post dated or recurring payments, PCI Schedule D - post dated may suffice for your needs.

                Contact your merchant provider customer support representative to determine if there will be any additional fees to your organization.

                Merchant Profiles are for organizations who are concerned with PCI compliance and wish (or are required to) maintain a PCI Schedule-C compliance within Theatre Manager.

                Using Merchant Profiles reduces the exposure risk by maintaining full credit card information directly on the merchant provider's secure PCI-certified servers without having the requirement to store and maintain credit card numbers within Theatre Manager's database. Using Merchant Profiles in a PCI Schedule-C setup, allow full access to Theatre Manager's features such as Post-Dated Payments, Recurring Donations, and the Auto-Renew Season Subscriptions which would typically require a credit card number to be kept on file for each subsequent payment.

                Parts of the Profiles Tab

                Enable Profiles Indicates if this merchant provider account has been enabled to store credit card payment profiles on the merchant account's server.

                You may see a message alerting you to cost if we are aware that your merchant provider charges for this service. Most do not.
                Merchant Profiles must first be activated by your merchant provider for your merchant account before it can be used within Theatre Manager. Contact your merchant provider customer support representative to enable the option prior to enabling it in Theatre Manager.
                Profiles API Login Key
                The secure API Key used to access credit card profiles on the merchant provider's server.

                This field is not required for all merchant providers It will only be enabled if its required.

                Refer to Direct Credit Card Processing Options for merchant provider specific setup information on the Profiles API Login Key requirements.

                Profiles API URL The IP Address to use to access the Credit Card Profiles on the merchant provider's server.

                This field is not required for all merchant providers It will only be enabled if its required.

                Refer to Direct Credit Card Processing Options for merchant provider specific setup information on the Profiles API URL requirements.

                If necessary, you can manage the Customer Credit Card profiles for this merchant. This will not alter the 'credit card' information that has been saved in Theatre Manager It is used to maintain the 'credit card profile' for each of your customers that has been saved to your merchant's PCI-certified secure servers from Theatre Manager. This can be used to cross reference and match the information between the two systems.
                As part of a conversoin or initialization process, you can Create Customer Credit Card Profiles for this merchant from existing credit card information saved in Theatre Manager. It is used to create the initial 'customer credit card profile' and save it to your merchant's PCI-certified secure servers.


                How Does This Work?

                Merchant Profiles allows you to store credit card numbers directly with your merchant provider, on their servers, and then access those saved credit card numbers at any time for subsequent processing without the cardholder being present.

                • During the first interaction using the customer's credit card, the credit card number and limited customer information is transmitted and saved on your merchant provider's server.
                • A unique token/key is returned from your merchant provider and stored encrypted within Theatre Manager in replacement of the customer's full credit card number profile.
                • Future interactions with the customer such as Post-Dated Payments, Recurring Donations, and the Auto-Renew Season Subscriptions, would then transmit the saved token/key rather than the full credit card number during the authorization process.
                • Your merchant provider would then cross-reference this token/key to the actual credit card number during the authorization process within their own systems. At no time is the full credit card number displayed or directly visible during the authorization process.


                What are the Benefits and Why Should I Use Profiles?

                • Merchant Profiles are for organizations who are concerned with PCI compliance and wish (or are required to) maintain a PCI Schedule-C compliance within Theatre Manager.
                • Mitigate the cost and risk of storing customer account data by keeping cardholder profiles in a secure, external database maintained by your merchant provider. This can help you reduce the risk of keeping cardholder data in-house and support your Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance initiatives by protecting data at-rest.
                • Saves time by eliminating the need to rekey a card account number and expiration date for each transaction.
                • Allows your organization to make the changeover from Schedule-D to Schedule-C PCI Settings while retaining virturally all Theatre Manager's benefits as if still functioning in a Schedule-D environment.
                • For clients currently operating in a Schedule-C environment, enabling merchant profiles would allow future interactions with our customers for Post-Dated Payments, Recurring Donations, and Auto-Renew Season Subscriptions.
                • For clients who wish to remain in a Schedule-D environment, previously used credit card numbers are masked to the box office staff members during the payment process. Providing further protection from anyone accessing a patron's full digit card number.

                  A masked card means that it will be displayed in the payment window as '#### **** **** ####'. This renders the PAN useless for all purposes. However, given the first 4 and last 4 digits of any card, you can still validate you're using the correct merchant profile for authorizing the card.

                • For clients who wish to remain in a Schedule-D environment, the function of storing previously used encrypted credit card information will remain the same - even with merchant profiles enabled. Using merchant profiles would add another layer of security protection to the full digit card number from being displayed or accessed.


                What Will I See Differently in Theatre Manager?

                If your PCI Settings are set to Schedule C to shred cards immediately after use:

                • You will not notice much difference at all from what you see now. What the box office will benefit from is the ability to create and maintain future interactions with the customer such as Post-Dated Payments, Recurring Donations, and the Auto-Renew Season Subscriptions, would then transmit the saved token/key rather than the full credit card number during the authorization process.
                • If your settings are to default the last used credit card for a patron, you will now see a masked the credit card number default for patrons who have previously purchased. The masked number is ok to accept as is for payments without changing it. The payment will use the merchant profile that was created for that credit card number.

                If your PCI Settings are set to Schedule D to retain encrypted credit card data in Theatre Manager:

                • The main change you will realize is that Theatre Manager will protect any known credit cards for patrons by only displaying merchant profile for a patron. Initially, it will appear as if all credit cards are missing from Theatre Manager, however, they still exist. They are in the background if access to them is required. After using the function to build merchant profiles for known credit cards, the transition to using merchant profiles will more seamless.
                • If your settings are to default the last used credit card for a patron, rather then displaying the full set of credit card digits, it will mask the credit card number for patrons who have previously purchased. The masked number is ok to accept as is for payments without changing it. The payment will use the merchant profile that was created for that credit card number.
                • During the payment process, if you're searching for known credit cards for a patron, it will only display credit cards that have a merchant profile created for it. Although Theatre Manager may have the credit card on file, if there is no merchant profile created for it, it will not display. If this is a concern, use the function to build merchant profiles for known credit cards, the transition to using merchant profiles will more seamless.


                Steps to Start Using Merchant Profiles

                1. Contact your merchant provider representative and have them enable the module "Customer Payment Profiles" (*read the stop sign below*) on your merchant account.

                  Each merchant provider has its own unique name for the setup and maintaining of "Customer Payment Profiles." When talking with your merchant provider, use the following name to describe the feature you'll be activating:

                  • Authorize.Net - use the feature name Customer Profiles
                  • Bambora - use the feature name Payment Profiles (Theatre Manager's interface with Bambora to maintain Merchant Profiles is currently under development).
                  • Elavon - use the feature name Card Manager Transactions
                  • Moneris - use the feature name Hosted Vault
                  • Paymentech Oribital - use the feature name Customer Profile Management

                2. After contacting your merchant provider representative and they have confirmed "Customer Payment Profiles" has been enabled on your merchant account:
                  • set Enable Profiles to "active" to activate the feature within Theatre Manager.
                  • For Authorize.Net - set the Profiles API URL.
                  • For Bambora - set the Profiles API Logon Key anbd the Profiles API URL.
                3. Save the change to the merchant information.
                4. Log out of Theatre Manager.
                5. Log into Theatre Manager to start processing credit cards as normal. Customer Payment Profiles will start to be created automatically for each credit card processed.


                Steps to Verify if Merchant Profiles are Being Created

                1. Follow the steps for Accessing the Merchant Profiles Customer List to view a patron's payment profile.
                2. If a profile exists, Theatre Manager and your merchant provider are functioning correctly.
                3. If there are no profiles, contact Arts Management Support to review your Merchant Profile Setup.


                Can I Stop Using Merchant Profiles?

                Yes, at any time. All pre-existing merchant profiles will remain within Theatre Manager's database for future use if merchant profiles is re-enabled for this merchant account.
                If your PCI Settings are set to Schedule D to retain encrypted credit card data in Theatre Manager, and if you process any new credit cards while the Enable Profiles is inactive, a merchant profile will not be created. If you choose to Enable Profiles later on, it is suggested using the function to build merchant profiles for known credit cards, to make the transition back to using merchant profiles more seamless.
                If your PCI Settings are set to Schedule C to shred cards immediately after use, and if you process any new credit cards while the Enable Profiles is inactive, a merchant profile will not be created. If you choose to Enable Profiles later on, you will require the full credit card number again before processing another new payment for that patron's credit card.
                1. Set the Enable Profiles flag to "inactive" to stop the feature within Theatre Manager. This will only inactivate it within Theatre Manager.
                2. Save the change to the merchant information.
                3. Log out of Theatre Manager.
                4. Log into Theatre Manager to start processing credit cards as normal. Customer Payment Profiles will no longer be displayed or created automatically for each credit card processed.


                If I change Merchant Providers, will the Existing Merchant Profiles continue to work with the New Provider?

                No. The Customer Payment Profile's created by the merchant provider are uniquely linked to that merchant provider and your merchant account number. Customer Payment Profiles cannot be shared between different providers or accounts.

                Building Merchant Profiles for Existing Cards

                Merchant Profiles can be created and saved on your merchant provider's secure PCI-certified servers using the existing credit card information in Theatre Manager.

                This window is used as an analysis tool to determine the critical and primary credit card profiles that should have a Merchant Profile created.

                Parts of the Merchant Profiles Creation Window

                Post Dated Payments Select to include credit cards from non-deposited (future dated) post dated payments.
                Recurring Donations (Active) Select to include credit cards from active and ongoing recurring donations.
                Season Auto-Renewal (Active) Select to include credit cards from active Season Subscriptions that are setup with Auto-Renewals. An active season is defined as the current and previous seasons.
                Cards Aged 0 - 6 Months Select to include credit cards that have been used or updated within the previous 6 months.
                Cards Aged 6 - 12 Months Select to include credit cards that have been used or updated within the previous 6 to 12 months.
                Cards Aged 12 - 18 Months Select to include credit cards that have been used or updated within the previous 12 to 18 months.
                Cards Aged 18+ Months Select to include credit cards that have been used or updated over 18 months ago.
                Recurring Donations (inactive) Select to include credit cards from inactive or completed recurring donations
                Season Auto-Renew (Inactive) Select to include credit cards from inactive Season Subscriptions that are setup with Auto-Renewals. An inactive season has the season pages flagged as inactive or is 2+ seasons ago.
                Total Profiles Selected The total number of credit cards selected to create merchant profiles.
                Maximum Profiles to Create The maximum number of merchant profiles to create during this process.
                Query Theatre Manager's database to determine the possible number of merchant profiles that can be created; the number of existing merchant profiles; and the number of known credit cards that are unable to be used for creating a merchant profile.
                A known credit card number can not be used for creating a merchant profile if any of the following applies to the credit card number:
                • has been shredded;
                • has been flagged as an inactive card;
                • has been blacklisted;
                • is assigned to a deceased patron;
                • already has an existing profile created for this merchant account.
                Start the process for creating merchant profiles for the selected credit card numbers.
                This button will only be enabled when the merchant's account setting have Enabled Profiles and credit card numbers have been selected to create profiles for.


                Before proceeding, verify that this merchant account has credit card payment types(i.e. VISA, MC, DISC, AMEX, etc.) created and assigned in code tables. If a payment method does not exist as a credit card type for this merchant, a merchant profile will not be created.
                1. Open the Merchant Profile Creation window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click Retrieve Statistics.

                  A confirmation window will open prior to proceeding.

                  Depending on the number of existing credit cards in Theatre Manager, the credit card analysis tool determining the number merchant profiles to create may take a while to complete.
                3. Click Continue.

                  A progress checklist window will open.

                4. Select the area(s) to have merchant Profiles created for.
                5. Set the maximum number of Merchant Profiles to create during this process.
                  If the Maximum Number of Profiles to Create is less than the Total Profiles Selected, the credit card list will be sorted in the following sequential order in attempts to create the most important credit card profiles first:
                  • Post Dated Payments
                  • Recurring Donations (Active)
                  • Season Auto-Renew (Active)
                  • Cards Aged 0 - 6 Months
                  • Cards Aged 6 - 12 Months
                  • Cards Aged 12 - 16 Months
                  • Cards Aged 18+ Months
                  • Recurring Donations(InActive)
                  • Season Auto-Renew (InActive)
                  • Credit card last used/updated date
                6. Click Create Merchant Profiles.

                  A confirmation window will open prior to proceeding.

                  Depending on the number of merchant profiles requested to create, the process may take a while to complete.
                7. Click Proceed.

                  A progress window will open.

                  Clicking cancel on the progress window will stop the process. All merchant profiles that have been created up to the time the cancel button was clicked, will remain.
                8. Upon Completion of the Routine.

                  A status window will open.

                  If a message that 0 merchant profiles were created after running the Building Merchant Profiles for Existing Cards function:

                  1. Verify that this merchant account has credit card payment types(i.e. VISA, MC, DISC, AMEX, etc.) created and assigned in code tables.
                  2. Verify the Profiles API Login Key and/or Profiles API URL are valid if your merchant account requires either of these 2 fields.
                  3. Contact your merchant provider representative to confirm they have enabled the "Customer Payment Profiles" feature on your merchant account.
                  4. Each merchant provider has its own unique name for the setup and maintaining of customer's payment profile information. When talking with your merchant provider, use the following name to describe the feature you'll be activating:
                    • Authorize.Net - use the feature name Customer Profiles
                    • Bambora - use the feature name Payment Profiles
                    • Elavon - use the feature name Card Manager Transactions
                    • Moneris - use the feature name Hosted Vault
                    • Paymentech Oribital - use the feature name Customer Profile Management

                Creating a Merchant Profile

                Merchant Profiles are created automatically when the Merchant Profile option is enabled for a merchant provider. When a credit card number is provided as a form of payment and a merchant profile does not already exist for this specific patron/payment combination, Theatre Manager will communicate with the merchant provider directly to get a Client Token and Payment Token assigned for the patron's payment information.

                Patrons will have a separate Client Token/Payment Token combination for each credit card number used for payment.

                Merchant Profiles are not shared between merchant providers, even if the merchant account is with the same merchant provider.

                If you have multiple merchant accounts setup for different operational unit within your organization (i.e. box office sales, internet/web sales and/or development) and each merchant account is enabled to maintain profiles, then a patron could have multiple Client Token/Payment Tokens for the same credit card if the patron provides payment with those different operational units. In most cases the organization only has a single merchant account, thus there would only be a single Client Token/Payment Token for each patron credit card.

                For patron credit card security reasons, functionality to manually enter the Client Tokens/Payment Tokens generated by a merchant provider into Theatre Manager is not allowed.

                Deleting a Merchant Profile

                1. Open the Merchant Profiles List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Merchant Profiles List window.

                2. Select the Merchant Profile to be deleted.

                  Single click on a Merchant Profile to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Record confirmation opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  A second Delete Record confirmation opens.

                5. Click the Delete button.

                  The Merchant Profile from Theatre Manager is now deleted.

                  Theatre Manager does a best attempt to delete the customer profile from the merchant provider's servers. There could be a circumstance where the customer profile cannot be deleted using the API calls from Theatre Manager. If this occurs, login into your merchant provider's web portal and delete the customer profile manually.

                6. If the Merchant Profile is referenced by other files in the system, you will be unable to delete it and Theatre Manager will not delete the customer profile from the merchant provider's servers.

                Merchant Profiles Customer List

                The Merchant Profiles List can be used to review the customer profiles created and located on your merchant provider's secure PCI servers. This list can also be narrowed to only patrons on a specific grouping by using select criteria. This window is only visible to an employee if they have been granted access under Employee Setup.

                Merchant Profiles List Buttons

                Opens the Merchant Profile Detail window for the selected profile. Click here for more information about the profile detail window.
                Deletes the merchant profile. Click here for more information on deleting profiles.
                Prints a report the of the profiles in the merchant profile list to screen or default print location.
                Exports the data from the merchant profiles list into a tab delimited format and saves it to a selected location.
                Opens the Patron record for the selected patron.

                Parts of the Merchant Profiles List Window

                Patron # The unique identifier for this patron account.
                Type Type of Patron account.
                First Name The first name of the patron.
                Last Name The last name of the patron.
                Company The company that the patron works for.
                Profile # The company that the patron works for.
                Credit Card The credit card number.
                Expiry Date Date the card will expire.
                Name on Card Name printed on the credit card used for added security when processing the card.
                Active The state of the card and if it can be selected to process credit card transactions. Expired, lost or stolen cards can be set to an inactive state.
                Blacklisted Indicates if this credit card is blacklisted for this patron. If blacklisted, the patron cannot use the card again unless this card is reset.
                Merchant # The unique identifier for this merchant account.
                Merchant Description The internal description to identify the merchant account.


                Accessing the Merchant Profiles Customer List

                There are a few ways to access the customer payment profiles, depending on the end result.

                To view all merchant profiles created for a specific merchant:

                1. Open the Merchant List window.
                2. Edit the merchant account.
                3. Click the Profiles tab.
                4. Click the Manage Profiles button.

                To view all merchant profiles for a specific patron:

                1. Open the Patron Window.
                2. Click on the Credit Card Tab.
                3. Right-mouse-click on the patron's credit card list within the patron window.
                4. Select "Merchant Profiles" from the context pop-up menu.

                To view merchant profiles for a specific patron while making a payment:

                1. Open the Payment Window for an order.
                2. Choose a credit card payment method from the list of payment options.
                3. Click on the Credit Card Lookup button.

                Merchant Profiles Customer Detail

                The merchant profile detail window can be used to review the customer profile created and located on your merchant provider's secure PCI servers.

                Parts of the Merchant Profiles Detail Buttons

                Deletes the merchant profile. Click here for more information on deleting profiles.

                Parts of the Merchant Profiles Detail Window

                Merchant The unique identifier and internal description for this merchant account.
                Card Number The credit card number.
                Expiry Date Date the card will expire.
                Name on Card Name printed on the credit card used for added security when processing the card.
                Client Token The unique identifier assigned by the merchant provider for this patron's customer information.
                Payment Token The unique identifier assigned by the merchant provider for this patron's payment information.
                Some merchants assign the same Payment Token identifier as the Client Token identifier for the customer/payment profile.

                Miscellaneous Tab

                The miscellaneous tab is used to provide contact information for your merchant provider. Please put information into these fields so that your staff will know who to contact in case of messages from the merchant provider like 'Hold Card' or 'Decline'. Clients using Orbital can use the information pictured for the name and phone number fields, then the email address of the organization's finance director or accountant. Those using other service providers will need to fill in contact details for their Merchant Provider or bank here.

                Parts of the Miscellaneous Tab

                Contact Person
                Enter the name of the Merchant Contact person when a card comes back as 'declined', 'call center' or 'hold card'
                Phone Number
                Enter the phone number of the contact person
                E-Mail
                Enter the e-mail address of the Contact person
                Opens an email to be sent to the address listed

                Employees Tab

                This is the list of employees that currently use this merchant account. If changing merchant accounts, you might need to change these employees to another merchant record.

                If you have multiple merchant accounts (or are retiring an old merchant provider), you can drag employees from the 'employee' tab in one merchant detail window to another to transfer them to another merchant provider.

                Parts of the Employees Tab

                Employee List
                Displays the Employee List of those employees who can use this merchant account.
                Opens the Employee Access window for the selected employee.click here for more information on the Employee Access window.

                Cards Tab

                This tab displays the credit cards accepted for authorization by this merchant account.

                If you have multiple merchant accounts (or are retiring an old merchant provider), you can open up the card window on both merchant providers and drag the payment types from one merchant account to another. Any post dated payments associated with the old merchant account will be transferred to the new merchant account so they can be authorized in the future properly.

                Parts of the Cards Tab

                You can add cards from the Payment Methods defined in Code Tables. Click here for more information.
                You can open and edit the selected card.
                You can remove card that are no longer accepted

                Creating a Merchant Account

                1. Open the Merchant Account Setup window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Merchant Account List window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Merchant Account Detail window opens.

                3. Enter the Account Name of the Merchant Account.
                4. Make appropriate Server Software and Merchant Provider selections in their respective drop-down menus.
                5. Enter the PNS , Account # or Merchant Number provided by the merchant provider.

                6. Click the Connection Info tab.

                  The Connection Info window opens.

                7. Enter data in the Merchant Account Connection Info tab, based on the information given by the merchant provider.

                  For more information on the Merchant Account Connection Info tab click here.

                8. Click the Authorization tab.

                  The Authorization window opens.

                9. Choose the correct authorization settings in the Authorization tab.

                  For more information on the edits and accounting tab click here.

                10. Click the Settlement tab.

                  The Settlement window opens.

                11. Enter data in the Settlement tab.

                  For more information on the Settlement tab click here.

                12. Click the Currency tab.

                  The Currency tab window opens.

                13. Enter the currency details for this merchant account.

                  For more information on the edits and accounting tab click here.

                14. Click the Misc tab.

                  The Miscellaneous tab window opens.

                15. Enter the merchant providers contact name, telephone and email address.

                  For more information on the edits and accounting tab click here.

                16. Click the Employees tab.

                  The Employees tab window opens.

                17. Use the Add button in the lower left of the tab to add employees who should use this merchant account.

                  An employee can belong to only one merchant account at a time. For more information on the edits and accounting tab click here.

                18. Click the Cards tab.

                  The Employee tab window opens.

                19. Use the New button (in the lower left of the tab) to add credit card payment methods that should use this merchant account.

                  For more information on the edits and accounting tab click here.

                20. Click the Save button.

                  The new Merchant Account is now created.

                Editing a Merchant Account

                To edit a Merchant Account, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Merchant Account List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access Merchant Account List.

                2. Select the Merchant Account to be edited.

                  Single click on a account to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Merchant Account Detail window opens.

                4. Make changes as needed.
                5. Click the Save button.

                  The merchant account is now updated and saved.

                Deleting a Merchant Account

                1. Open the Merchant Account List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Merchant Account List window.

                2. Select the Merchant Account to be deleted.

                  Single click on a Merchant Account to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Record confirmation opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The Merchant Account is now deleted.

                5. If the Merchant Account is referenced by other files in the system, you will be unable to delete it.

                How to Change a Merchant Provider

                If considering changing merchant providers, be sure to read about the impact and business ramifications for purchases done with the old provider that might need refunded un the future.
                Before beginning this process, we suggest picking a time that will naturally limit any transactions that could be processed until the new Merchant account is in place. (i.e. earlier in the morning). A switchover can usually be done in 5 minutes or less.

                If you wish, you can turn off web sales (only necessary for comfort).

                The general steps covered below are:

                1. Preparing for the switchover to a new Merchant Account
                2. Switching Merchant Information in Theatre Manager
                3. Testing the merchant account
                4. Migrating Post Dated payments to your new merchant account
                5. Updating payment Ticket Face to print your New Merchant Account Information

                Impact of Changing a Merchant Provider

                Changing your Bank is not the same as changing your merchant provider. You can change either/or at any time. Refer to the basic definitions used the credit card industry for more information on roles and responsibilities of either.
                You can change your merchant provider to any of the supported credit card processors at any time you want. But be very aware of the impact on future refunds as discussed below.

                 

                Advantages of Changing Merchant Provider and/or Processor

                You may get various benefits such as:

                • more amenable rates
                • better service when you call them for help
                • more supported features such as hosted payments online or pin pads

                 

                Disadvantages of Changing Processors

                There are disadvantages of changing service providers - most notably:

                If you suspect you might have a significant number of refunds to do for upcoming shows that are or could be cancelled, you might want to:

                • hold off on changing your merchant provider until such a time you've got a low exposure on the need to do refunds -or-
                • Migrate to the new merchant account, while keeping the old one available/active for future box office returns for a period of time - say a few months, if that option is possible.

                 

                Why are refunds problematic during Merchant Changeover?

                In recent years, merchant providers have instituted fraud policies that apply one or more of the following rules (Linked Refunds) that mean refunds

                • must within a certain number of days of authorization (normally 120, but can sometimes be extended)
                • to the same card that was used to purchase
                • with a token provided by the merchant provider (changing merchants nullifies the token)
                • up to the same amount on the original purchase
                • using the same order number
                • to the same merchant provider

                The rules above are imposed by the credit card companies and they can change at any time. If you change a merchant provider, then at least 3 of the rules above are viiolated:

                • #3 (the token),
                • #5 (the same order number),
                • #6 different provider

                The new merchant provider will not allow refunds for any charges done by the old merchant provider.

                You may need to ask the new merchant provider to approve you for independent refunds - which they may charge more for, or may not give you that permission.

                Note, that Independent refunds of a card used with a new merchant processor means you must ask the patron for their card number again. (linked refunds do not need you to get the card).

                Alternatively, you many need to keep your old merchant provider setup available for a few months for refunds only - until your risk of needing to do a refund to the old provider is past.
                Diataxis: 

                Step 1: Preparing for the switchover to a new Merchant Account

                Make sure you have all the information from your merchant provider to enter into the fields on the merchant window. If you cannot complete this section, do not go on to the next section.
                1. Set up the information for your new merchant account.
                  • Do not activate it yet -and-
                  • Set the new merchant to emergency mode
                2. Set up NEW credit card payment methods for your NEW merchant accounts
                  • You will need to go to the payment code table
                  • Create card payment types for VISA, MCARD, AMEX etc that your new merchant provider accepts
                  • Associate them with your new merchant provider created in step 1
                  • You might also want to rename your old VISA, etc payment methods to 'VISA - old merchant provider' so that you know which is which at a glance

                3. Complete the End of Day Process for your current Merchant Provider.
                4. Immediately turn your existing merchant provider into emergency mode. This will allow:
                  • Sales to continue while you complete the switchover
                  • Cards entered while in emergency mode are not authorized, but will be moved to the new merchant provider as post dated payments (due today).
                  • Those cards can then be authorized in next end of day against the new merchant account.
                  • This allows you to maximize sales uptime and minimize web sales outage to minutes.
                Diataxis: 

                Step 2: Switching Merchant Information in Theatre Manager

                Once you have all the merchant information entered from the previous step:

                1. Goto Setup >> System Tables > Merchant Accounts to see the merchant account list. You should see both your current and your future merchant records.
                2. Open both your old merchant account and your new one.
                3. Select the Employee tab on both windows
                  • Select and drag all employees from the old merchant account to the Employee tab of the new merchant account.
                  • You will see that all employee names now appear on the new merchant. From this point in, those employees will use the new merchant account.
                4. On the NEW merchant account window:
                  • Check the 'Active' flag in the new merchant account
                  • Uncheck the emergency mode setting in the new merchant account
                  • Close the new merchant account window
                5. On the OLD merchant account window:
                  • Uncheck the Active box in the old merchant account window.
                  • Close the old merchant account window
                Diataxis: 

                Step 3: Testing the merchant account

                Once the Merchant Account is updated in Theatre Manager and all Merchant Numbers have been updated. Employees will need to log out of Theatre Manager and back in for changes to take effect. Once logged back in, test the new merchant account from end to end by

                1. processing a test transaction to ensure the new merchant account processes cards correctly.
                2. Run an End of Day in Theatre Manager to ensure the transaction batches properly.
                3. Open your online merchant profile and see that the batch is there and closed, with the right amount

                Once you are sure the transactions are processing correctly you can then start up the web sales again and employees can log back into the database.

                When you make the changeover to the new merchant account, you must

                RESTART your web listeners to ensure all web checkouts use the new merchant provider

                Diataxis: 

                Step 4: Migrating Post Dated payments to your new merchant account

                Many venues use post dated payments for donation, recurring donations. subscriptions and partial or progress payments for courses.

                These credit card payments are linked to the payment method for the old merchant processor and need to be switched over to the new processor. To do so, repeat the following steps for each credit card type you now accept for your new merchant provider.

                The transfer process only does one Credit Card type at a time in case you want to split merchant accounts. User it iteratively to transfer
                • VISA from old merchant to new merchant
                • AMEX from old merchant to new merchant
                • DISC from old merchant to new merchant
                • MCARD from old merchant to new merchant
                • etc.

                1. Go to Setup->System tables and find all your payment methods. You should see a list of your payments like below:
                2. Open one of the OLD credit card payment methods associated with the OLD merchant provider. It should look like the window below.
                  • The Migrate Postdated button will be active.
                  • Click on it and a list of merchant providers will appear.
                  • Your new one should be visible
                  • select it
                3. You will be asked to confirm that all post dated payments are to be moved to the new merchant provider. Confirm if you wish to continue. If you make a mistake, you can always reverse the process and move from the new merchant provider back to the old one.

                4. Make the payment method you just transferred the post dated payments from INACTIVE so that it can't be used again.
                5. Repeat the above steps for each of the other credit cards you are transferring to the new merchant account
                NOTE: to help prevent possible mistakes transferring from the old merchant to the new, the NEW merhant account will only appear in the popup list if:
                • The new merchant account is active
                • The new merchant account is not in emergency mode
                • The same card type (eg VISA) exists for both old and new merchants.
                Diataxis: 

                Step 5: Updating Payment Ticket Face to print your New Merchant Account Information

                At the box office, if you print a receipt ticket face along with the tickets, you may need to change the merchant information on that ticket face. The ticket face likely uses data from the merchant account - yet it is wise to make sure the information is correct.

                These days, most people do not print a credit card receipt, or they email tickets

                1. Goto Setup >> Ticket Faces
                  This will open the Ticket Faces List window.
                2. Locate your Credit Card ticket Face
                3. Edit the ticket face
                4. Locate the line of code that displays your current merchant account number(s) (if they are hard coded on the ticket face). If the field is MM_MERCHANT_NUMBER, then no change is require to your ticket faces
                5. Edit the line of code to have your new merchant account information
                6. Click the Save button
                7. Click Save the toolbar
                Diataxis: 

                Commissions

                With Commission Setup, you can define the rates Outlets may charge each other for cross outlet ticket sales in Theatre Manager.

                While charging commissions is not required from Outlet to Outlet, some of the setup is required, such as the Default Posting Accounts for Commissions.

                If you have multiple Outlets, you may have multiple commission structures to accommodate your sales contracts between different Outlets. For example, you may not charge the community theatre Outlet any fees as you provide a "pro bono" service to them. For another Outlet, you may charge a "dollar fee" based on tickets sold, and another may charge you a percentage based on the value of the ticket.

                The Commission Setup window opens.

                Commission Detail Window

                Parts of the Commission Detail Window

                Inserts a new Commission. Click here to learn how to insert a new commission.
                Saves changes made to the currency commission.
                Creates a copy of the current commission.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the selected commission. Click here for more information on deleting commissions.
                Name Title of the commission.
                Status When checked the commission is active.
                You can apply a dollar and/or a 5 commission to each ticket. This tab allows you to define the parameters for the commission. Click here for more information on how to define the commission calculation.
                Commissions can be applied to various avenues of sales. This tab allows you to define where commissions are applied and which accounts the generated monies are applied to.Click here for the rules and accounting for the commission.

                Creating a Commission

                You will need at least one commission table to allow for cross Outlet sales. The value of the commission table may be $0, if you are not charging a commission between Outlets, however you will still need the setup for Theatre Manager to function correctly.

                To Create a new Commission Table, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Commission Setup window.

                  Click here for more information on opening the Commission List.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Commission Detail window Opens.

                3. Enter the Name of the commission.
                4. Enter data in the Commission Calculation tab.

                  Click here, for more information on the Coommission Calculation tab.

                5. Click the tab.

                6. Enter data in the Edits and Accounting tab.

                  Click here, for more information on the Edits and Accounting tab.

                7. Click the Save button.

                  The new Commission is now created.

                Commission Calculation Tab

                The Commission Calculation tab is where you set the parameters of how the commission is charged, including dollar amounts and/or percentages of the ticket value, and if the commission is applied before or after discounts and markups (Sales Promotions) and fees.

                Parts of the Commission Calculation Tab

                Dollar Dollar value of the commission earned. Can be combined with a percentage.
                Minimum Minimum value of commission to be applied to any ticket sale.
                Apply to Comp Tickets Commission applies to issued comp tickets.

                'Comp' tickets cannot be sold by another Outlet, however you may have internal sales staff who are paid commissions on all ticket sales - including comps - within your own Outlet.

                And/or Percent Percentage of the commission earned. Can be combined with the dollar value.

                % commission calculation on:

                Full Price Commission is charged on the base ticket price before discounts, markups or fees.
                Discount Commission is charged once the discount or markup has effected the base ticket price.
                Ticket Fee 1 Commission is charged on the ticket price including the value of ticket fee 1.
                Ticket Fee 2 Commission is charged on the ticket price including the value of ticket fee 2.
                Ticket Fee 3 Commission is charged on the ticket price including the value of ticket fee 3.
                City Commission is charged once the city tax is applied.
                State/PST Commission is charged once the state/PST is applied.
                Federal/GST Commission is charged once the Federal/GST is applied.

                Edits and Accounting Tab

                The Edits and Accounting tab allows you to set parameters regarding the avenue of sale (Box Office, Internet, Season Subscriptions), and the General Ledger (GL) accounts where commission funds will be placed for each Outlet. These GL accounts must be set up in Default Posting Accounts to be used here. Click here, for more information on Default Posting Accounts.

                Parts of the Edits and Accounting Tab

                Apply to:

                Box Office Sales Commission is received when the Outlet sells tickets via the box office.
                Internet Sales Commission is received when tickets are sold through the Outlet's internet sales.
                Subscription Sales Commission is received when season tickets are purchased through the Outlet.

                Season Subscription data is not shared between Outlets and therefore cannot be sold cross Outlet. However, you may have internal telemarketers who are paid commissions on subscription renewals within your own Outlet.

                Posting accounts when sold by:

                Owner Outlet When checked commission fees will be allocated to the designated general ledger accounts when sold by the Outlet responsible for the event. This allows you to assign commissions payable for internal telemarketing staff.
                Commission Cost of Sales General ledger account the value of commissions will be posted to when sold by the Outlet responsible for the event.
                Payroll Liability General ledger account the payroll fees are to be posted to when tickets are sold by the Outlet responsible for the event.
                Other Outlets When checked commission fees will be allocated to the general ledger accounts when sold by an Outlet other then the owner of the event.
                Commission Cost of Sales General ledger account the value of commissions will be posted to when sold by an Outlet other then the owner of the event.
                Outlet Payable Account General ledger account the payroll fees are to be posted to when tickets are sold by an Outlet other then the owner of the the event.

                Editing a Commission

                In most cases, it is better to create a new commission table rather than editing an existing one, as making changes to any commissions parameters currently in use could have adverse affects on your accounting generation. However, occasionally, you may need to edit an existing commission setup.

                To edit an existing commission table, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Commission Setup window. Click here, for more information on the Commission Setup window.

                2. Double-click the Commission to be edited.

                  The Commission Detail window opens.

                3. Make changes as required.
                4. Click the Save button.
                5. The changes are now saved.

                Deleting a Commission

                Commission Tables can only be deleted if they have not been used for sales. If you need to delete a commission table that was created in error, you may do so.

                To delete an existing commission table, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Commission Setup window.

                  Click here for more information on the Commission Setup window.

                2. Select the Commission to be deleted.

                  Single click on a Commission to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Record confirmation window opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.
                5. The Commission is now deleted.

                Device Setup

                Devices are physical hardware like ticket printers that might be associated with specific hardware as part of Theatre Manager. Once a device is set up, you can associate it with a workstation when logged into to that workstation and use hardware preferences

                This can include:

                1. You can access the list of devices ato edit them or set up some more from the Setup->System Tables->Devices menu item

                2. Use search to find and select an item to edit and then double click to change it. Use New to create a new device.

                Device List Window

                Access the list of devices ato edit them or set up some more from the Setup->System Tables->Devices menu item.

                Before they can be used, these devices must be
                • Set up, as per the information in this section
                • Then, associated with a workstation for each workstation. (On terminal server, this means each employee using the terminal server)

                Parts of the Device List Window

                Inserts a new device that can be associated with a users workstation.
                Opens the selected device to edit or configure it.
                Creates a copy of the current device.
                Deletes the device
                Generates a report of the devices to the screen.
                Exports out a list of the devices.
                Device # Unique number assigned to the device, which can then be assigned to a specific workstation
                Device Type The type of the device which can include:
                Description Description of the device to make it easier to select for a workstattion
                IP or Port Parameters The IP address for the device if IP based, or the port parameters if it is a com prt based device (increasingly rare these days)
                Port The Port number that the device listens on
                Notes Notes about the device, perhasp including serial number, or any history on the device.
                Active Indicates if the device can be used.
                Outlet-Owner Outlet who owns the Device

                Device Detail

                Parts of the Device Detail Window

                Inserts a new device that can be associated with a users workstation.
                Opens the selected device to edit or configure it.
                Creates a copy of the current device.
                Deletes the device
                Generates a report of the devices to the screen.
                Exports out a list of the devices.
                Device # Unique number assigned to the device, which can then be assigned to a specific workstation
                Description Description of the device to make it easier to select for a workstattion
                Active Indicates if the device can be used.
                Notes Notes about the device, perhasp including serial number, or any history on the device.
                Outlet-Owner Outlet who owns the Device
                Device Type The type of the device. This affects the display in the lower half of the screen which is described on separate help pages. Options include:

                Device-Cash Drawer

                Com Ports For Cash Drawer

                You can change the Com Port settings using the device manager. The instructions below reflect windows 10 and are generally similar for most versions of windows. To access the device manager, search for
                • Device Manager -or-
                • devmgmt.msc
                When it is open you will see a list of devices. Look for your Ports (com and LPT). If they are not there, your machine either does not have any of these legacy style ports, or you have not added drivers for them.

                1. Once you see the drivers as below, right click on the device you want to set the port for and select Properties

                2. In the ports setting, make sure to set the all fields. Generally, for printers or cash drawers, they are similar to below.

                  Then click the Advanced button to set the actual port

                3. On the advanced tab, set the com port name so that it matches what you set in Theatre Manager

                4. Instructions generously attributed to TrishTech

                Device-EMV Credit Card Swipe

                Moneris Pinpad Setup

                Enter:

                • A description. We suggest the pin pad type, ID and location
                • The merchant account to associate with this pin pad
                • The pin pad number provided by your merchant provider
                • Timeout - 30 seconds should be enough
                • Pinpad URL is ippos.moneris.com/Terminal
                • Port should be 443

                Once you save the EMV device record, you can try Pairing with actual the device. You will be asked to enter the pair code that you see on the device to associate it with this record. After pairing, the device should go to a ready mode.

                If you cannot pair with the device, contact Moneris to make sure the device is on cloud setting.

                After the device is set up, you must associate the EMV device to a computers hardware setup
                You will also need to provide some Merchant Settings from Moneris that activate your pinpad machines

                If you do not, you may see a message like the one to the right if you try pair the devices.

                Only Moneris cloud setup is supported (direct connection is not). This currently means only the P400 pin pad devices on cloud setting can be used. Please contact moneris to see if yours is compatible or needs replaced with a P400.
                Pin Pads are settled during end of day. if you receive any message about an imbalance on a pin pad, please refer to the Moneris Pin Pad End Of Day troubleshooting tips.

                PinPad Open Total

                You can find the current open totals (i.e processed, but not closed and sent to the bank) for each pin pad by:
                • Finding the EMV device record in the list of devices
                • Clicking the PinPad 'Batch Totals' button on the window as indicated below

                This submits the 'OpenTotal' transaction to Moneris and should come back with a window showing device totals at the top for various transactions, per the image below.

                These values can be explained to you by your Moneris representative. In general, they will show things like:

                • Transaction counts
                • Transaction Totals
                for various types of transactions sent to the pin pad.

                If you do not see the image below:
                1. Make sure your pin pad is paired with Theatre Manager - it should be if you have been accepting authorizations and it has been activated.
                2. Contact Moneris to find out why. This command is used to check totals before the End-of-Day
                3. .

                Device-Ticket Printer

                A thermal ticket printer is configured up by selecting Ticket Printer as the device type and entering the information below.

                NOTE: NEVER install any software printer drivers for any ticket printer.

                Theatre Manager does not use them and installing the printer drivers may affect the ability to print tickets and other reports.

                Theatre Manager supports several commercial ticket printers. They must have the FGL language installed in them and one of ethernet, serial, or parallel ports. (USB is currently not supported).

                • For ticket printer sharing, you must use ethernet.
                • For remote ticket printing under terminal services, parallel is recommended
                • For remote ticket printing over a VPN, ethernet is suggested

                This preference is used to setup a ticket printer that can be associated with a workstation - meaning you can set difference preferences for each machine you use.

                Refer to ticket face setup if you want to print different events to different printers or ticket stock.

                Parts of the Ticket Printers Tab

                Ticket Printer Configuration

                Printer Type Tickets can be printed to any one of the following printers (as long as it has FGL language support in it): Choose the default ticket printer the employee will print to. You may need to set up the IP address for the printer on the actual printer itself.

                Note that there are some differences in the ports, handshakes and FGL capabilities in each printer so it is important to select the right one.

                Port Name The port the primary ticket printer is attached to. Note that there are choices here that affect other fields on the screen. You can select:
                • IP Address if the printer has an ethernet port (most common)
                • Parallel, if the printer has a parallel port (windows only)
                • Serial if the printer has a serial port. Normally windows only. See note below or MacOS
                  OSX supports ethernet printers since the Mac does not have any serial ports. Some venues have reported using the Tripplite 19HS with 32 bit TM for very old serial Practical Automation printers. (apparently, they have 64 bit drivers for Catalina and up)
                The selection of the printer port (above) affects what is shown on the IP Address/Port below.
                IP Address IP address of printer if using ethernet printer. The field is not displayed for Serial or LPT printers.
                If you have a Practical Automation ethernet printer, you can find the IP address by printing the system status report

                • Power off the printer
                • Power up the printer while simultaneously pressing the F0 switch on the front continuously
                • Wait till a ticket is printed with a bunch of information. Part of that will be the IP address and subnet mask
                • You may need to Power off and On the printer again before you begin printing tickets
                Port Parameters This field will appear for serial printers. Enter the baud rate and handshake information. Typically it is 9600,n,8,1,X, meaning:
                • 9600 - for 9600 baud. This must match your physical printer otherwise nothing will happen. 9600 is the most common value.
                • n - n mean no parity. this is also a typical value
                • 8 - means 8 data bits. This is a typical value. Sometimes 7 is used.
                • 1 - means 1 stop bit. This is typical.
                • X - means Xon/Xoff protocol.
                IP Port Number IP port of printer if using ethernet printer . The field is not displayed for LPT or serial printers.

                • Practical Automation printers ship with the default port 10001 (which can be changed).
                • Boca Lemur printers ship with the default port 9100 (which cannot be changed)
                • Microcom printers ship with the default port 9100 (which can be changed).
                Print Delay Allows for a printer buffer to clear before printing the next ticket. This delay is hardware specific. If tickets are being printed on top of one another, tickets are not printed correctly, or if tickets are skipped during the printing process the print delay should be increased.
                Ticket Cutting Options If printer supports ticket cutting, there are three options to choose from: Cut each ticket, Cut after last tickets for patron, or Do not cut tickets

                Device-Ticket Scanner

                Device-USB Credit Card Swipe

                Online Forms

                Online forms allow you to create fillable forms that are required for purchase of some events. For example, you could have
                • A consent form for photography for courses and fundraisers
                • A Medical questionnaire for child related activities
                • A form for pickup and dropoff of underage people at the venue

                 

                Purpose of Online Forms

                • can be mandatory or optional. If mandatory, then a patron cannot finish checkout without a form being filled out
                • can cross events, meaning that if you fill one out for one course, it can carry across to the other.
                • can expire - as in they might last for a year, or for ever, or expire a specific date
                • can be signed by a family on behalf of another, such as a parent for a child, if so indicated on the form

                 

                General usage of Online Forms

                There really are only a few steps to using online forms

                • Make the online consent form or questionnaire
                • Find the event (or performance) that you want the from to be applicable to, and put it there
                • When people buy online, they will be required to fill out the form for the person attending the event. If a course if gifted to a child, they will fill it out on behalf of the other person.
                • and you can see all forms filled out for a patron within their record

                Form Detail Window

                Online Form Description Tab

                Enter the internal and external notes about a form

                Online Form Content Tab

                Online Content Consent Form

                Online Form Questionnaire Form

                Online Form Responses Tab

                Online Form Usage Tab

                Expiring/Reinstating Form Responses

                Short Links

                Tags

                Tags are notations that can be applied to some records within Theatre Manager (like hashtags) that can be used for searching for some data in arbitrary groupings, such as for reports, building mail lists, exporting data or using in charts.

                Start creating tags using the Tag List Window

                Once a tag is created, you can associate one or more of them with the following data records:

                Tags must exist before you can use them. Tags are created using the Setup->System Tables->Tags as shown in the image to the right.

                Diataxis: 

                Tag List Window

                The parts of the window are as follows:

                Inserts a New tag through the Tag Detail Window. For more information on inserting tags click here.
                Opens a window to edit a tag through the Tag Detail Window. For more information on editing tags click here.
                Deletes a Tag if it is not associated with any data record. For more information on deleting tags click here.
                Generates a report displaying the list of tags to the screen or default print location.
                Exports the selected tags in various export formats.
                Tag Name Search options for locating tags. You can search by various fields
                Like Enter a word or part of a word t search by.
                Tag Name Name of the Tag.
                Description Description of the Tag.
                Tag Group A way to group tags for convenient purposes. The Tag Groups are set up in code tables.
                Outlet Owner Outlet that owns for the tag.
                Changed By Last employee to edit the tag.
                Diataxis: 

                Tag Detail Window

                Tags can be created and associated with a number of data records - and used for subsequent searching of data.

                Parts of the Tag Window

                Insert a New tag through the Tag Detail Window. For more information on inserting comments click here .
                Saves tags when edited in the Tag Detail Window. For more information on editing tags click here.
                Creates a copy of the current tag.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes a tag. For more information on deleting tags click here.
                Checks the tag for spelling errors.
                Name A short name of the tag that will display on records that use the tag
                Description Brief description of the tag.
                Category Each tag can be placed in a tag category for convenience purposes. The tag categories are set up in code tables.
                Notes A longer description of the user of the tag. Currently only for informational purposes, but may be used at a future time if allowed online.
                Diataxis: 

                Add Tags

                To add tags, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Tag List window

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Tag Detail window opens.

                3. Enter the name of the tag.
                4. Enter a description of the tag.
                5. Select the tag group that you want this tag to belong to (tag groups are set up in code tables)
                6. Enter notes that describer the purpose of the tag
                7. Click the Save button to save the tag.

                  The tag is saved and added to the Tag List window.

                Diataxis: 

                Edit Tags

                To Edit Tags, you perform the following steps:

                1. Open the Tag List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the tag you wish to edit.

                  Single click on a tag name in the list to select it.

                3. Click the Open button.

                  The Tag Detail window opens.

                4. Change data as needed
                5. Click the Save button to save the changes.
                Diataxis: 

                Delete Tag

                1. Open the Tag List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the tag you want to delete.

                  Single click on a tag to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  A Delete confirmation dialog opens.

                4. Click the Delete button.
                Diataxis: 

                Tag Usage

                The tag usage tab allows you to find out where certain tags are referenced within the system.
                Diataxis: 

                Merging Tags

                1. Open the Tag List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access this window.

                2. Select the tags to merge.

                  Do this by holding <CTRL> (Windows) or <OPTION> (Mac) as you click the tags in the list to be merged.

                3. Click the Merge button.

                  The Merge Tags window opens.

                4. Choose the tag that the all the others will be combined into.
                5. Click the Merge button.

                  A merge confirmation dialog opens.

                6. Click the Merge button.

                  The tags are merged and displayed in the tag List as the tag you chose to merge into.

                Diataxis: 

                What could tags be Used for?

                Record tagging is currently available for:

                Possible use of Tags for Web Sites

                Populating a marketing web site via the REST API -- with the goals of:

                • multiple genres for events (eg dance, comedy, musical)
                • ability to set where the event might go on the web site (e.g is it at the top, or is it elsewhere)
                  • How to do it:

                    • Set up tag groups in code tables. These might be used for things like 'these tags used for web positioning' 'these tags used for genre' 'these tags used for other stuff'
                    • create your actual Tag Names. You can call them things like broadway, drama, top-of-marketing-web-site or bobs-your-uncle -- anything you want. Each tag is associated with a tag group.
                    • Assign the tags to the records you want. eg stick tags on an event per the picture below
                    • Use the REST API to pull out record per tag or to actually pull out all tags for a record. There are 3 examples at the bottom of the REST query example web page.

                  What else?

                  You can search for records associated with tags in mail lists, reports and exporting. That means you could:

                  • run a report for all plays with the tag 'broadway'
                  • export all donations for donation campaigns with the tag 'capital' and 'restricted'
                  • add all patrons to a mail list with the tag 'cool dudes and dudettes'
                  • run the api to extract all events and picture that go to the top of your marketing site.
                  • and in the future, we might use this as one way to categorize things on reveal
                Diataxis: 

                Currency Exchange

                Currency Exchange allows for the setup of exchange rates in Theatre Manager.

                The Currency Exchange List window opens.

                For more information on the Currency Exchange List window click here.

                Currency Exchange List

                Parts of the Currency Exchange List Window

                Inserts a new currency exchange rate. For more information on inserting currency exchange rates click here.
                Opens the selected currency exchange rate for editing. For more information on editing currency exchange rates click here.
                Creates a copy of the current exchange rate.
                Deletes the current currency exchange rate. For more information on deleting currency exchange rates click here.
                Generates a report of the currency exchange rates to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out a list of the currency exchange rates in a tab-delimited format.
                Currency Conv. Date Options to search currency exchange rate by.
                From Starting point for the search.
                Currency Conv. Date-Effective Date the currency exchange will take effect.
                Country From Country the money is received from.
                Country To Country the money is being used in.
                Currency Conversion Rate Percentage of the conversion rate.

                Currency Detail Window

                Parts of the Currency Detail Window

                Inserts a new currency exchange rate. For more information on inserting currency exchange rates click here.
                Saves changes made to the currency exchange rate.
                Creates a copy of the current currency exchange rate.
                Undoes changes to the last saved point.
                Deletes the current currency exchange rate. For more information on deleting currency exchange rates click here.
                Effective Date Date the exchange rate will be activated.
                Convert From Country the money is received from.
                Convert To Country the money is applied to.
                Exchange Rate Rate of exchange.
                Conversion Results Result of the conversion rate.

                Creating a Currency Exchange Rate

                Currency exchange defines the rate in effect as of a certain date and time.

                If the rates do not change for a period of time, Theatre Manager will use the last rate that is in effect. You can also change rates many times daily, if that is required in wildly fluctuating markets. We suggest using a rate with a little premium to cover the effort and hedge against risk.

                Oanda gives reasonable exchange (as well as history) that we've used for years ourselves. However, please confirm with your bank before entering a new rate. Once a patron uses the rate on a transaction, you cannot change it after the fact.

                1. Open the Currency Exchange window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Fee Types List.

                2. Click the New button.

                  The Currency Detail window will appear.

                3. Enter the Effective Date.

                  The calendar button to locate a date.

                4. Select the Convert From country using the drop down.
                5. Select the Convert To country using the drop down.
                6. Enter the Exchange Rate.
                7. Click the Save button.

                  The new Currency Exchange is now saved.

                Editing a Currency Exchange Rate

                1. Open the Currency Exchange List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Currency Exchange List.

                2. Select the Currency to be edited.

                  Single click on a fee to select it.

                3. Click the Edit button.

                  The Currency Detail window will appear.

                4. Make changes as needed.
                5. Click the Save button.

                  The changes are now saved.

                Deleting a Currency Exchange Rate

                1. Open the Currency Exchange List window.

                  Click here to learn how to access the Currency Exchange List.

                2. Select the Currency to be deleted.

                  Single click on a fee to select it.

                3. Click the Delete button.

                  The Delete Record confirmation window will appear.

                4. Click the Delete button.

                  The Currency is now deleted.

                Employees, Users and Access

                Employee access permissions, preferences, and notification setting all fall under the Users and Access Menu in System Setup.

                Employee Setup

                Employees can have various levels of access to control their ability to use the different modules of Theatre Manager. Access to Employee Setup is through Setup >> Users and Access >> Employee List.

                The Employee List window opens. Here you can enter first and/or last name information to search for a specific employee, or simply hit enter while the search fields are blank to pull up a list of all employees.

                For more information on the Employee List click here.

                Employee List

                The Employee List window can be accessed through Setup >> Users and Access >> Employee List and is used to quickly locate an employee record or to generate a quick list of employees that can be printed.

                Parts of the Employee List Window

                Opens the Theatre Manager online help.
                This button is not accessible because new employees must be added through the Patron Window. It is on the window for consistency. For more information on adding employees click here.
                Opens the selected employee record for editing. For more information on editing employee access click here.
                This button is not accessible because new employees must be added through the Patron Window. It is on the window for consistency. For more information on adding employees click here.
                Deletes the selected employee. This button is only accessible if the employee can be deleted (if they have no history tied to their login).
                Generates a report of the employee list to the screen or default print location.
                Exports out the employee list in a tab-delimited format.
                Opens the Patron Window. For more information on the Patron Window, click here.
                Open the selected Employee Preferences for the selected employee. For more information on Employee Preferences, click here.
                Merges the selected employee records into one. If you are trying to merge two patrons together that are employees, you must do a two step process:
                Initials Unique employee initials.
                Last Name Last name of the employee.
                First Name First name of the employee.
                Address Line 1 Employee address.
                Address Line 2 Employee address.
                City City the employee resides in.
                Province Province or State the employee resides in.
                Postal Code Postal or Zip Code for the employee.
                Title Job title of the employee.
                Tran Source Department within Theatre Manager the employee is assigned to.
                Outlet-Owner If using outlet edition, the outlet the user is assigned to.
                Primary Phone Primary telephone number for the employee.
                Primary E-Mail Employee's primary email address.
                Primary Fax Employee's primary fax number.
                Web Employee's web site.
                Patron # Employee's patron #.
                The fields listed above are the default columns listed for the Theatre Map List window, but the columns can be changed to suit your needs. For more details on changing column preferences, click here.

                Finding Employees in the Employee List Window

                To find an employee, you would perform the following steps:

                1. Click Setup >> Users and Access >> Employee Setup

                2. Make a selection from the drop down list and enter a value.

                  To access all employees leave the From and To fields empty.

                3. Click the Search button.

                  The results of the search are displayed in the Employee List window.

                  For more information on the Employee List window click here.

                Merging Employee Records

                Merging two patrons who are both employees requires two steps:
                • You must merge the employee record first. This has the effect of changing all the records where the changed by, entered by, printed by, etc in the first employee to be the employee that you merge into.
                • Then you can merge the patron records, since one of the patrons will no longer have an employee record.

                 

                Why must two patrons who are employees have their employee records merged first

                The rule is that you cannot merge an employee into a patron. The reason is that every record in the system it tagged with one employee's name or another for the various entered by, changed by, sold by, printed by (etc) fields -- and deleting the employee would leave a referential integrity problem -- records would have missing data.

                 

                What if I want to eliminate somebody as an employee

                As mentioned above, you can't simply delete the employee record to make them a non-employee.

                Normally you would edit their employee record and set a resigned date. This means they can no longer log in while preserving a history of what they changed in transactions - as required for PCI compliance.

                However, should you really need to remove an employee record created in error (or who resigned decades ago), there is a simple trick you can use:

                • Select all the people you don't want to have an employee record on the employee list.
                • ALSO SELECT YOURSELF (or some other template user)
                • Merge the selected people together INTO YOURSELF

                Effectively you are just assigning all the changed by information from these employees to be yourself. Then it removes person as an employee.

                Once they are no longer employees, you can merge the patron records.

                Employee Access Window

                The Employee window can be accessed in two different areas of Theatre Manager. It can be accessed through

                • the Employee List at Setup >> Users & Access >> Employee List by selecting an employee and clicking the Open button. For more information on the Employee List click here.
                • Alternatively, the Employee window can be accessed through the Patron List or Window. It can be accessed through
                  • the Patron List by searching for and highlighting the employee and then clicking the Employee button -or-
                  • through opening the employee's Patron record and clicking the Employee button.
                For more information on the Patron List, click here. For more information on the Patron Window, click here.

                Parts of the Employee Window

                Opens the Theatre Manager online help.
                This button is not accessible because new employees must be added through the Patron Window. It is on the window for consistency. For more information on adding employees click here.
                Saves any edits made to the Employee Window. For more information on editing employee access click here.
                This button is not accessible because new employees must be added through the Patron Window. It is on the window for consistency. For more information on adding employees click here.
                Reverts changes made to the employee preference back to the last saved point.
                This button is not accessible because employees cannot be deleted. For more information on removing employees click here.
                Generates a report of the employee detail and access to the screen or default print location.
                Spell checks any fields that can by typed in.
                Opens the Patron Window. For more information on the Patron window, click here.
                Opens the Password Window. For more information on the setting employee's passwords, click here.
                Open the selected Employee Preferences for the selected employee. For more information on Employee Preferences, click here.
                Allows access to be copied form one employee to another. For more information on copying employee access click here.
                For more information on the Access tab click here.
                For more information on the Data tab click here.
                For more information on the Functions tab click here.
                For more information on the Box Office tab click here.
                For more information on the Solicitor tab click here.
                For more information on the Facility Management tab click here.

                Access Tab

                Simply adding the new employee name does not provide the security you require for the information you maintain in Theatre Manager. A Master User or Outlet Administrator must indicate which type of access a new employee will be granted.

                There are five primary user level:

                User Level Can Do Cannot Do
                Master User
                • has all permissions
                • create outlet administrators for other outlets
                • change permissions in 'data' and 'function' tabs for any normal user
                A master user should only log in to creating other users.
                • change the data and functions tabs for themselves (since by definition, they have all permissions already)
                Outlet Administrator
                • has all permissions for their outlet (same as Master User)
                • create other users or outlet admins for their own outlet
                • change permissions in 'data' and 'function' tabs for any normal user for their own outlet
                • create master users
                • access data for other outlets
                • change the data and functions tabs for themselves (since by definition, they have all permissions already)
                Normal User
                • employee access is defined by the settings in the 'Data' and 'Access' tabs.
                This is the vast majority of users
                • create users
                • change any access for themselves
                • see permissions that other users have
                No Access
                • assigned as solicitors for donations
                Note: if somebody can no longer use the system it is best NOT to their access level. Instead, set the date left so you have a record of what access they had while they were able to use the system.
                • login to the Theatre Manager
                API Access Only
                • use the REST API to retrieve data from the system.
                • data they can access is dependent on the permissions in the 'data' tab
                • login to the Theatre Manager

                Venues who have purchased the Outlet Edition of Theatre Manager must have their Outlet Administrator perform employee setup functions. The Master User for the Outlet should only be used to create the Outlet Administrator Employees.

                Parts of the Access Tab

                Access Id The logon name for the employee when the default logon window is set to Access ID/Password. Refer to the PCI Security Tab of System Preferences for more information. It is also used to identify users logged in to the postgres database for logging, etc.
                Hired Date the employee was hired. The calendar lookup button can be used to select the date.

                A future date in this field means that the employee will gain access in the future, but not now. This could be used for setting start dates for interns.

                Resigned Date the employee retired, resigned or left the organization. The calendar lookup button can be used to select the date.

                Generally, this date is blank. It can be in the future if you are creating an employee with temporary access and the resigned date is when they are leaving.

                If an employee makes too many mistakes entering their password and gets locked out, this field will automatically be set by Theatre manager to prevent access. To reinstate an employee's access, a Master User or Outlet Administrator needs to:

                • Clear the date resigned -and-
                • Reset their password
                Logon Level Indicates the general user level of the employee
                • No Access An employee with no access cannot use any aspect of Theatre Manager. Their user name will not appear on the login window, it will however appear on any employee list report unless specifically excluded. A user may be given no access because they have resigned, or the company wants a database of their employee's even if some employees never use Theatre Manager.
                • Master User This employee can access any part of Theatre Manager. They are denoted by a bullet beside the user name in the login window. The Master User has unrestricted access to all modules of Theatre Manager, including the ability to change the access levels of other employees and themselves.
                • Outlet Administrator Administrative access over an outlet. They are denoted by a percent symbol beside the user name in the login window. Outlet administrators have access to all modules of an outlet excluding system settings.
                • Normal User Access to windows and functions can be restricted in various parts of Theatre Manager. These restrictions are set in the: A Normal User is not able to alter their own access levels.
                • API Access Only This level is explicit in that is only allows access to data in the database via the Data and Functions Tabs. The Normal User is not able to alter their own access levels.
                REST API Click to enable access to the REST API. This is a feature which allows access to the raw data in the database using a URL - and is typically used for web developers or for data analysis tools.
                Groups Select the functional groups that this employee belongs to. These are used to determine which records the employee can have access to. For exmaple, if somebody has both Marketing and Box Office checked, then they can access any record that is marked accessible by either Marketing or by Box Office.

                If somebody has access to 'all' areas then make sure they are all selected. These functional security access groups are set up in code tables.

                Attempts The number of times the employee has tried to login with the incorrect password since the last logon.

                Data Tab

                This is where a Normal employee's access to different data areas in Theatre Manager is set up. An employee can have various combinations of four (4) levels of access to particular areas of data within Theatre Manager. These level's are View, Insert, Edit and Delete. Uncheck all boxes next to an item to completely disable access (or just uncheck View, since no access to View precludes access to any of the other three actions).

                Master users and Outlet Admins cannot access this tab for their own user id because changing any permissions would cause them to lose Master user or outlet admin status.

                They can, however, affect settings in these tabs for other users.

                Use the filter function to highlight words of interest within the list

                The four levels of access are:
                View The employee can only look at the information in a record
                Insert The employee can add new information and change it as long as the window is open.
                Edit The employee can edit information in the specified window.
                Delete The Employee can delete the record.

                List of Data/Windows that can be Accessed

                Accounting A/P-Enter payables and expenses
                A/P Write cheques
                G/L Budget information Provides access to the setup of general ledger budgets for each general ledger account. Details on how each account is compared to the budgeted amount can be viewed
                Chart of account set up
                G/L Entries, whether manually created or generated by the system Provides access to the general ledger entries. For an employee who may need to 'close' or 'cash out' at the end of the day, it is recommended that 'view' access be granted. With 'view' access, the employee will be only able to view the sales and deposit entry created by the End-of-Day wizard, and if required print the desired reports.
                G/L tax table setup - so they can be used for sales Provides access to setup tax tables, to define the table and enter/edit the percentage of tax levied and the g/l account tax will be allocated to
                Attendance View and set patron attendance status to a performance
                Coupons Set up discount coupon codes that can be redeemed at the box office or via the web
                Credit Cards Patron Credit Card Tab
                Default Data Company Policy information (manage rules about how the system works) Provides access to Default Data settings such as Company name, mandatory data fields, data appearances (custom labels on fields), default fees on ticketing etc.
                Donor

                Attach or remove pledge reminder letters to a Donation to be sent at a future date

                Donation information for any donor record (on patron or order window-see function access)
                Manage Donor asset tracking Provides a list on the patron window where you can enter/track patron assets for the purposes of wealth management.
                Manage Donation receipts
                Manage Donation soft credits
                Manage DonorSearch Analytic Analysis Results Provides access to the DonorSearch Analytic List Window, the DonorSearch Analytic Results Detail Window, and to the DonorSearch Importing Analytic Results process. At minimum View access is required to access the DonorSearch context menu, the DonorSearch menu button in Donation Campaigns, and to query the data in mail lists and data exporting.
                Employee Change personal preferences in the employee preference window
                Manage employee data and access rights
                Facility Management Edit the contents of a task such as date, time, and participants
                Enter the resource component of a sale
                Manage filters that are used to decide what is displayed on a particular calendar view
                Manage projects and associated tasks
                "Hot Seat" analyzer to determine which seats have been used the most
                Manage task dependencies in a project using the Gantt chart
                Manager tasks that will appear on the background of a calendar such as corporate holidays or special locations
                Open/manipulate the calendar of events and to-do list items on the main calendar window
                Set or edit an alarm on a task for themselves
                Setup task resources that can be associated with a theatre or other tasks
                Fees The fee component of a sale (eq mail fee, order fee, subscription fee)
                Form Letters Create and change the form letters (anybody can use them) Provides access to the form letters module. Creating form letters and performing letter merges with information from Theatre Manager's database
                Manage form letters and letter security from the pass/g.c. window
                Manage form letters and letter security from the patron window
                Mail Lists Saved results of a query against the database used in reports or finding patrons Provides access to the setup of mail lists and the patrons who are on each of the mail lists
                Order Order information such as ticket printing status and comments
                View and edit items in the order window
                Outlet
                Creation of outlets (or departments) as a functional business entity Provides access the setup of the outlet locations and which employee is assigned to which outlet
                Set up the Currency Exchange records for multi currency web usage
                Setting up of the commission structure for sales at an outlet
                Packages Manage Packages of salable items.
                Pass GC Pass/G.C. cards to assign any number of pass/g.c.
                Patron Basic Patron information such as name and address
                Favorite seats and season subscription packages, including on the order window
                Manage and Relationships between one or more patrons Provides access to Relationship tab on the patron window, to establish relationships between two or more patrons
                Media information in the tab on the patron window

                Provides access to the setup of media information on individual patron's accounts

                Pass/G.C.  detail component of a sale (on the patron or order window-see function access)

                Pass/G.C.  detail component of a sale (on the patron or order window-see function access)

                Patron payment information and prior payments on the order window Provides access to the patron payments after they have been created
                Play Accounting information and setup for postings & taxes Provides access to the Accounting area in the play setup
                Add task resources pertaining to Facility Management
                Main window containing the play & date information Provides access to the Attendance area in the play setup
                Performance dates & management of sales parameters Provides access to the Performance area in the play setup
                Play maps and attendance information
                Play revenue and cash flow information
                Set prices and valid sales promotions Provides access to the Prices and Promotion area in play setup
                Plug-in Code Import or edit Custom Plug-in Code modules into Theatre Manager Provides access to Plug-ins, custom coded prices strategies. A Plug in is a system table setting and custom coding by Arts Management Systems to manage unique pricing structures
                Report Cards Manage report card templates to be used for course grading
                View and edit reportcards assigned to patrons and used for course grading.
                Reports Create custom reports from the templates and edit the contents (e.g. Season Renewal Notices)
                Create search criteria and ability to export generated reports
                Items added to the report queue for later printing and customized report category detail windows Provides access to the setup of reports to be created and printed during non prime time hours
                View and edit saved report criteria
                Season Reservations 'Manage Favorite Seats' for all patrons via the subscription menu
                Alter the contents of the season package for an individual patron
                Setup the contents of the season packages that can be sold Provides access to the Season Subscription Renewal Notice process
                System Setup
                City Lookup Manage values in the zip/postal code lookup table
                Codetables Code Table data used to manage valid entry values in various tables Provides access to the setup of code table settings in the System Table area of Theatre Manager. This area is best restricted to Master Users of Theatre Manager
                Donation Creation of donation campaign/funds to be used in the system Provides access to the set-up of Donation Campaigns and Giving Levels matrixes
                Fees Creation of fee types that can be applied to orders
                Merchant Account
                Creation of merchant accounts
                Pass/G.C. Creation of Pass G.C. types that can be sold Provides access to setup Membership types, to enter/edit membership styles and g/l accounts associated with each membership
                Sales Promotions Sales promotion codes used to managing discounting if tickets Provides access to the setup of ticket sales promotions and discount offers
                Sales Rules Create and manage sales rules for the discounting of tickets
                Standard Comments Standard comments that can be put on invoices, etc. Provides access to the setup of standardized comments for ticket invoicing
                Workflow Workflow Notifications -  who receives an email when certain actions occur in the system Provides access to the setup e-mail notifications
                Theatre Manage theatre capacity, layout and seating names
                Ticket Faces The layout information for a thermal ticket printer Provides access to the setup of customized ticket face coding for the thermal ticket printers
                Transaction Access transaction information on reports and windows
                Volunteer Manage volunteer recognition awards
                Manage volunteer time availability
                Volunteer activity history - record of each instance of working in the position (from volunteer or play window) Provides access to the historical information for each personnel position. Such as each individual time the personnel was an actor, producer, or usher and the unique responsibilities for each position
                Volunteer overview information and data entry window Provides access to the general personnel information on the patron window and on the personnel window
                Volunteer positions - the activities that they will do when asked Provides access to the personnel positions each of the personnel may have held
                Volunteer template setup that will be used to let people sign up for positions on the web
                Web Sales Manage shopping carts for internet sales Provides access to Web Cart tab on the patron record
                View and reset web performance statistics gathered from the apache server by the web listener

                Functions Tab

                Master users and Outlet Admins cannot access this tab for their own user id because changing any permissions would cause them to lose Master user or outlet admin status.

                They can, however, affect settings in these tabs for other users.

                When creating a new user, the default for credit card access, functions is the minimal, per PCI requirement 7.1.2
                Use the filter function to highlight words of interest within the list

                List of Functions to be Accessed

                The following fields are the various functions available in Theatre Manager:

                Accounting 'Force balance' the G/L entries in End-of-Day Wizard if the EOD balance is non-zero (not recommended).
                'Force' a credit card deposit through TM only (not recommended-should balance to CC software).
                Access or complete a till balance for another user.
                Clear the 'order-in-use' flag when a ticket sale is aborted by mistake (eg force quit)
                Create EFT bank transmission files (which sets the EFT entry as being exported)
                Create bank deposits for current payments received-Cash/Checks/Other
                Create bank deposits for current payments received-authorized credit cards only (ie. allow settlement)
                Create sales entries for tickets, donations and memberships
                Export G/L entries to a tab delimited file (which sets the G/L entry exported flag)
                Import G/L entries through the End-Of-Day Wizard
                Post sales and deposit to the G/L (that have already been created)
                Run reports permitted for user in End-of-Day Wizard
                Run the year end roll over to prepare for a new year
                Unpost sales/deposit G/L entries and reverse them from G/L
                Batch Functions Batch print any tickets that have not yet been printed
                Mass update of patron marketing fields via direct SQL
                Recalculate all patron balances based on existing order balances
                Verify if marketing record exist for patrons - normally not required
                Credit Cards Allow a refund to a credit card
                Allow clearing the black listing setting for a credit card so it can/cannot be used by a patron
                Allow empty CID or CVV2 number even if required for credit card payments
                Allow manual entry of an authorization codeif it is provided by the bank after calling merchant services
                Allow use of a black listed credit card on the payment window.
                Change to a different merchant account in the payment window (if there are multiple merchant accounts)
                Delete authorized credit card payments in TM instead of voiding on Server as well (recommended unchecked)
                Delete credit card payments for auto-renewed subscriptions during End of Day deposit process
                Deposit current/post dated credit cards (that have not yet been authorized) with authorizing the card
                Display all digits of last used charge card on payment window (otherwise remove last 4 digits to force card completion)
                Edit the credit card number on any existing payment that has not been deposited
                Last used charge card # - display all digits on payment window (otherwise remove all digits - overrides other CC display options)
                Over-ride the cash only setting for the patron and accept a credit card
                Search for a patron using a credit card number
                Shred cards older than 99999 days on the patron window
                Use 'force-duplicate' and cause a second charge for same amount for same card #/patron/batch
                Use the lookup button on the payment window to see other credit cards for the patron
                View entire card number (otherwise show **** and last 4 digits on most reports and screens)
                View past EMV PINpad requests to verify completed authorizations have a payment record
                Allow employee to enter a credit card number manually EVEN IF USING an EMV PIN PAD (affects PCI audit requirements)

                This feature should normally never be enabled. If it is, and the employee has an EMV hardware device associated with their computer, then they will be given an additional choice to manually enter a credit card into Theatre Manager for processing, rather than only being able to use the EMV device to manually enter cards. Enabling affects you CPI audit requirements.

                Donor Add donations for a patron while in the patron window
                Add donations to an order while on the ticket sales window
                Permit entering or updating prior fiscal year donations
                Clear date that commission paid for the donation
                Print donation acknowledgments to the ticket printer
                Print donation charitable receipts
                Unprint donation charitable receipts for later reprinting
                View donors summary information (all non private) at the top of the patron window
                View donors summary information (marked PRIVATE) at the top of the patron window
                DonorSearch Allow to request a DonorSearch online analysis
                Allow to retrieve and download a DonorSearch online analysis
                Allow to view a DonorSearch online analysis
                Fees Change a fee used during a 'New Sale'
                Change a fee used during an 'Exchange'
                Change a fee used during the 'Refund' process
                Change a fee used during the order 'Modify' process
                Enter a negative value for a fee (ie. discount) if able to edit fees on the order window
                Form Letters Merge letters from the form letter list or edit window
                Print or Batch Print form letters or emails that had been previously assigned to print later
                Outlet Sell tickets at All Locations (regardless of Outlet that created event)
                Pass/G.C. Able to renew the pass/g.c. if it is past its expiry date/renewal deadline
                Add pass/g.c. for a patron while in the patron window
                Add pass/g.c. to an order while on the ticket sales window
                Change the full redeemable value of the pass/g.c. from the purchase price to confer benefits
                Print pass/g.c. tickets
                UnPrint pass/g.c. tickets
                Allow Extending Expiration Dates on passes. This is available on the pass/GC setup window
                Patron Change the primary address from one address to another
                Change the primary email from one email to another
                Change the primary phone or fax from one phone to another
                Clear the cash only flag so that patron can resume using credit cards
                Clear the 'do not mail, telemarket, etc.' flags
                Merge two or more patron records into the same person and delete the others
                Merge/transfer two or more patrons into a common household
                Send a patron their email address and web password in an email
                Set the cash only flag so that patron cannot use credit cards
                Set the 'do not mail, telemarket, etc.' flags
                View annual marketing purchase statistics on the patron window at the lower right
                Payments Access and change 'Contractual Notes' on the payment screen
                Allow entry of payments that cross multiple orders
                Delete post dated payments previously entered against the order
                Use 'Gift In Kind' as payment method (means G/L account code needed)
                Use 'On Account' as payment method on any order (closes without a payment & creates A/R)
                Use 'Post Dated Payments' as a payment method which will appear in End of Day on appropriate future date
                Use 'pass/g.c.' (current) as payment method
                Use pass/g.c. (expired) as payment method
                Use pass/g.c. that has not yet been paid for as payment method
                Plug-In Code Associate existing custom Plug-in code to any data record
                Pricing Map Merge two or more pricing map records into the same theatre and delete the others
                Project Change Project from 'Eestimate' to 'Invoice' or visa versa
                Reports Print invoices for a patron from the order window or batch functions
                Run donation reports
                Run general reports (the majority of reports)
                Run sales summary analysis reports
                Run ticket revenue reports
                Sales View 'Transaction Monitoring' window
                Season Reservations Print season renewal notices
                Process a season ticket reservation using the book button
                Process season subscription auto renewals (people who get same seats each year)
                Unprint season renewal notices so they can be printed again
                Tickets Change default ticket sale/reservation setting to allow tickets to be sold as reservation only (no A/R created)
                Change the promotion/price code during a quick exchange for a performance that DOES NOT have the employee's security access privileges
                Change the promotion/price code during a quick exchange for a performance that the employee has security access to
                Confirm attendance at a performance using ticket scanner or entering ticket number
                Exchanges Exchange tickets by transferring them "en masse" from one performance to another on the attendance tab in the play window
                Exchange tickets to a performance that DOES NOT have the employee's security access privileges
                Exchange tickets to a performance that has the employee's security access privileges
                Hold tickets to prevent selling them
                Able to manually release PERMANENT social distance holds created during an online sale
                Print tickets for fully paid order
                Print tickets for partially paid order
                Recalculate a specific order balance based on its contents
                Refund tickets to a performance that DOES NOT have the employee's security access privileges
                Refund tickets to a performance that has the employee's security access privileges
                Refund tickets when the performance is no longer on sale
                Refund tickets when the performance is over
                Release all held tickets for a performance on ticket sales window
                Sell COMP tickets (where a promotion was required to reduce the initial base price to $0.00)
                Sell FREE tickets where the base price starts at $0.00 (these are not considered comps)
                Sell from the patron screen using 'buy' button
                Sell held tickets which are marked on maps as held with lowercase letter (but only to permitted hold codes in employee record)
                Sell tickets to performance that is in the past
                Sell using 'Before Event Sales' menu (no patron data captured)
                Sell using 'Quick Buy' (sell tickets first, then transfer to a patron)
                Set the price of a traveling troupe performance during the sales process
                Unprint a ticket (so it can be reprinted later)
                Use their personal setting for 'Reservation Only' ticket sales (means no transactions created until first payment)
                Reprice tickets after a pass/gift certificate has been used to pay for the ticket.

                After a pass is used, changing the price of a ticket that used the pass means that a the record of where the pass was used will be lost on the ticket (its still in the transactions). It may appear that there are less redemptions from the ticket perspective than on the pass itself. Turning this setting off prevents indiscriminate pass refunding.

                Exchange a ticket that has a promotion that the employee is not currently entitled to sell.

                If ticket has a promotion that is not on the employees 'restricted promotion' list, then they would not be able to exchange the ticket without permission on case by case basis.

                Refund a ticket that has a promotion that the employee is not currently entitled to sell.

                If ticket has a promotion that is not on the employees 'restricted promotion' list, then they would not be able to exchange the ticket without permission on case by case basis.

                Utilities Open the Data Verify utilities under 'Setup'
                Purge historical data from the database
                Web Sales Add e-mails to patron correspondence history for mass emailing later
                Start the web sales listener and become a web listener under their personal user id
                View and manage emails pending on the web to resend or cancel them
                View ticket scan statistics window

                Box Office Tab

                The Box Office tab sets an employees sales management, default merchant, sales source and other processing options.

                Parts of the Box Office Tab

                Box Office and Sales Management

                Initial Window Window that Theatre Manager will automatically open first when an employee logs on. The initial window may be different for each employee.
                Festival Seating Sales Default for selling festival tickets as a one ticket per admission or one ticket per purchase.
                Transaction Source This is the department that the employee works in.

                Click here for the Transaction Source code table

                Hold Letters These are the Hold letters that the employee can use. They can either set, or release these hold letters for any seat in any performance.

                There is a special case for PERMANENT social distance seats booked online. These cannot normally be released by anybody unless they have specific permission as shown below in the employee's permissions in the Function Tab

                Merchant # Merchant account the employee processes credit cards to.
                Merchant # Merchant account the employee uses to process credit cards.
                User Initials Employee Initials that are entered into preferences for scanner login. These can be copied from the patron record when modifying the employee's access permissions.
                Restricted Sales Promotions If you enter a list of sales promotions into this field, the employee will only be able to use those promotions when selling a tickets. If at least one of these sales promotions is not enabled for the performance the employee is trying to sell to, they will see no sales promotions and therefore, not be able to sell a ticket at all.

                Eg: if the employee can only sell a 'Group' or 'Regular' promotion and neither of those are enabled for a specific performance, then none will appear.

                A sales promotion restriction may be placed on a specific patron as well, If so, the patron sales promotions overrides the employee sales promotions. This means an employee with restricted sales promotions can always sell tickets to a patron with restricted sales promotions should the patrons sales promotions be different than the employees.
                Do not use this feature to limit access to comp tickets.

                There are two permissions in the functions tab that are specific to selling free tickets and/or discounting paid tickets to comps. If these permissions are unchecked for the employee and they need to sell a comp to a patron:

                • they will be able to see the sales comp sales promotions to start the sale -AND THEN-
                • a supervisor will need to confirm the sale of the comp by entering their initials and password.

                Recommendation for best effect

                if you wish to use sales promotion restrictions for employees, it might be good practice to:

                • Select the sales promotions you want to limit the employee to
                • Select some specific customer service comp promotions which allow he employee to start a comp sale f need be
                • and uncheck their ability to sell comps in the functions tab as shown above.

                Solicitor Tab

                The Solicitor tab shows information about the donations which the employee has taken in. The "Allow Employee to be a Solicitor" must be selected to allow the employee to accept donations under there name.

                If you wish somebody to tracked as a solicitor (like a Board member), you will need to make them an employee and give them no access to login to theatre manager.

                Parts of the Solicitor Tab

                Allow Employee to be a Solicitor When checked an employee can accept donations under their name.
                Prospects Total amount of prospective donations generated by the employee.
                Soft Pledge Total amount of soft pledges solicited by the employee
                Soft Credits Total amount of soft credits solicited by the employee
                Actual Total amount of actual donation $ solicited by the employee
                Total Donations Total number of donations that have been solicited by the employee
                Hard Pledges Amount of hard pledges solicited by the employee.
                Matching Gifts Total matching gift donations solicited by the employee.
                # Gifts Matched Number of matching gifts solicited by the employee.
                Written Off Amount of written off donations solicited by the employee.
                Balance Owing Balance of outstanding donations solicited by the employee.

                Facility Management Tab




                Parts of the Facility Management Tab

                Billing Information These settings are used for costing/billing employees in the Facility Management module. More more information about Facility Management, click here.
                Pay Period The pay period for the employee. Can be Contract Rate, Day Rate, Hourly, Monthly or Weekly.
                Overtime Rate An employee's overtime pay rate.
                Internal Employee # A payroll number or internal indentifier for an employee (could match external accounting software, etc)

                Notifications Tab

                This is a list of workflow notifications that an employee is part of and the current status of the notificaiton. You can

                • Open the particular work flow notification to alter it
                • Remove the person from the selected work flow notifications

                  Adding Employees and setting up access rights

                  The pages in this section detail how to set up Employees in Theatre Manager and grant them access to various areas of the program.

                  Adding Employees

                  1. Login to Theatre Manager as a Master User, or Outlet Administrator where applicable.
                  2. Sites set up with the Outlet Edition of Theatre Manager must have their Outlet Administrator perform employee setup functions. The Master User in the Outlet Edition is only intended for use in setting up the Outlet Administrator Employees.
                  3. Create a patron record for the employee.

                    Click here to learn how to create patron records.

                  4. Highlight the employee's patron record from the patron window

                  5. Click the Employee button.

                    A confirmation dialog opens.

                  6. Click the Yes

                    button.

                    The employee data window opens.

                  7. Click the Password button to set a password for the employee.

                    For more information on setting an employee password, click here.

                  8. Click the Preferences button to set the employee preferences.

                    For more information on setting employee preferences, click here.

                  9. Make any required changes to the Access tab.

                    For more information about the Access tab, click here.

                  10. Make any required changes to the Data tab.

                    For more information about the Data tab, click here.

                  11. Make any required changes to the Functions tab.

                    For more information about the Functions tab, click here.

                  12. Make any required changes to the Group tab.

                    For more information about the Group tab, click here.

                  13. Make any required changes to the Box Office tab.

                    For more information about the Box Office tab, click here.

                  14. Enter the information on the Solicitor tab.

                    For more information about the Solicitor tab, click here.

                  15. Enter the information on the Facility Management tab.

                    For more information about the Facility Management tab, click here.

                  Copy Access from one Employee to another

                  When inserting a new employee record it may be decided the new employee should receive the exact same access levels to Theatre Manager as a pre-existing employee. If so, copy the access from the existing employee to the new employee. This is a time saving feature so access to data and function levels do not have to be hand-picked for each employee. This function is only used for employees who have Normal Access, as Master Users already have access to everything.

                  1. Open the Employee List window.

                    Click here to learn how to access the Employee Data window.

                  2. Select the Employee to copy the access to.

                    Single click on the employee line to select it.

                  3. Click the Open button.

                    The Employee Data window opens.

                  4. Click the Copy Access button.

                    The Employee List opens.

                  5. Click the Search button.

                    These are the employees access can be copied from.

                  6. Select the Employee to Copy Access from.

                    Single click on an employee to select them.

                  7. Click the Select button.

                    This completes the process. The employee access has been copied.

                  Adding and Removing Access to Data

                  1. Open the Employee Data window for the Employee.

                    For information on how to access the Employee Data window click here.

                  2. Click the Data tab.

                    When a box is checked an employee has the selected access rights to that data. If the box is unchecked an employee does not have the unchecked level of access rights to the data.

                    For more information on the data tab click here.

                  3. Click on the desired box next to the access level to change the status.
                  4. Click the Save button.

                    Changes to the Data tab have now been saved.

                  Adding and Removing Access to Functions

                  1. Open the Employee Data window for the Employee.

                    For information on how to access the Employee Data window click here.

                  2. Click the Functions tab.

                    When a box is checked an employee has access to the function. If the box is unchecked an employee can not access the function.

                  3. Click on the box next to the function to change the status.
                  4. Click the Save button.

                    Changes to the Functions tab have now been saved.

                  Editing Employee Data

                  1. Open the Employee List window.

                    Click here to learn how to access the Employee List window.

                  2. Select the Employee to edit.

                    Single click on an employee to select them.

                  3. Click the Open button.

                    The Employee window opens.

                    For more information on the Employee Data window click here.

                  4. Change the employee data as needed.
                  5. Click the Save button to save the changes.

                  Changing Access Levels

                  The access level on an employee effects the ability to log into Theatre Manager as well as the areas of Theatre Manager an employee will have access to. It is recommended the Master User employee have Master User access and the remaining employees have variations of Normal access.

                  1. Open the Employee Data window for the Employee.

                    For information on how to access the Employee Data window click here.

                  2. Click the Access tab.

                    The current level of access is seen under the Logon Level and is marked by a bullet.

                    For more information on the access tab click here.

                  3. Click on the circle next to the logon level to change the status.
                    The options to choose from are No Access, Master User, Outlet Administrator and Normal. Descriptions of the logon levels can be found to the right of the logon levels.
                  4. Click the Save button.

                    Changes to the Access Level have now been saved.

                  Reinstating Employee Access

                  If an Employee returns to work for your organization, you can reinstate their Employee account.

                  You will also need to do this when an Employee enters an incorrect password too many times, as Theatre Manager will lock the Employee out of the program. This is designed to prevent people from accessing the database who should not have access. Fortunately, restoring a user or an employee is quite simple. It also will restore their previous access rights.

                  Theatre Manager applies a resignation date to the Employee record and removes them from the login window.

                  This process will also work in cases where the Master User has been resigned/locked out. In that case, another Employee with Master User privileges can log in and complete the following process for the Master User account. We also highly recommend setting a primary email for the Master User on its patron account so that users can choose to have an email with the password sent to that email address, in cases where the password is lost or forgotten.

                  1. Login to Theatre Manager as a Master User or Outlet Administrator.
                  2. Open the Employee List window.

                    Click here to learn how to access the Employee List window.

                  3. Check the Resigned box in the upper left of the window.
                  4. Search for the Employee.
                  5. Single click on the resigned Employee to select them.

                  6. Click the Open button.

                  7. Clear the Resigned date field.

                  8. Click the Password button to set a password for the Employee.
                  9. Click here, for more informtion on setting passwords. You can use a temporary password of your choice because the employee will be required to change their password on first login.

                  10. Close the Employee Access Data window.

                    The Employee now appears in the login window again. They will be able to access Theatre Manager using the password defined above.

                  11. Have the Employee Login

                    Note: the employee will immediately need to change their password from the temporary one above. This is ti ensure PCI compliance so that only the employee knows their password.

                  In some very rare cases, there will be no other Employees with Master User access to complete the above steps. In those instances, please enable Remote Assistance on the database server machine and contact support@artsman.com with the login id/pw combination so we can reinstate access.

                  Removing Employee Access

                  Because employees have important information tied to their accounts, such as transaction data, you cannot permanently delete them from the system. You can, however, remove their access. This removes them from the active employee list and prevents them from logging into Theatre Manager.

                  1. Open the Employee List window.

                    Click here to learn how to access the Employee List window.

                  2. Select the Employee.
                  3. Click the Open button.

                  4. Enter the resignation date.

                    Enter the last day the employee worked.

                  5. Click the Save button.

                    The employee is removed from the active employee list and will no longer be able to login to Theatre Manager.

                  Setting Employee Passwords

                  An employee password can be set, changed or reset if forgotten.

                  1. Log into Theatre Manager as a Master User or Outlet Administrator.
                  2. Open the Employee List window.

                    Click here to learn how to access the Employee Data window.

                  3. Search for the desired Employee.

                    Single click on the Employee to select them.

                  4. Click the Open button at the top of the window.

                    The Employee Data window opens.

                  5. Click the Password button.

                    The New Password window opens.

                  6. Enter the password in the New Password field.
                  7. Confirm the new password in the Retype Password field.
                  8. Click the Accept button.

                     

                    The new password is now set for the employee.

                  Employee Preferences Window

                  The Employee Preferences Window is used to set defaults for an individual user. Employee preferences may be accessed by clicking the Preferences button on the Access Tab of Employee Setup. Preferences can also be accessed through Setup >> Users and Access >> Employee Preferences. Accessing Employee preferences through the Setup menu will only show the preferences for the currently logged on employee. Changing the preferences changes the preferences for that employee no matter where they log on to Theatre Manager.

                  Parts of the Employee Preferences Window

                  Opens the Theatre Manager online help.
                  This button is not accessible because new employees must be added through the Patron Window. It is on the window for consistency. For more information on adding employees click here.
                  Saves changes made to the employee preferences.
                  This button is not accessible because new employees must be added through the Patron Window. It is on the window for consistency. For more information on adding employees click here.
                  Reverts changes made to the employee preference back to the last saved point.
                  This button is not accessible because employees cannot be deleted. For more information on removing employees click here.
                  Generates a report of the employee detail and access to the screen or default print location.
                  Spell checks any fields that can by typed in.
                  Opens the Password Window. For more information on the setting employee's passwords, click here.
                  Ticketing and membership default search criteria. For more information on the patron tab click here.
                  Sales defaults for the employee. For more information on the box office tab click here.
                  Reporting preferences for the employee. For more information on the reports tab click here.
                  Spell check default settings. For more information on the spell checker tab click here.
                  Status bar location. For more information on the windows tab click here.
                  Email setup for the employee. For more information on the Email tab click here.
                  Facilities setup for the employee. For more information on the Facilities tab click here.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Employee Prefs: Patron Tab

                  Parts of the Patron Tab

                  Patron Window Setting

                  Default Tab You can choose which tab on the lower half of the patron window you want to land on when opening a patron window to suit your work flow best

                  Default Ticket Search Criteria

                  Ticket Status Choose the types of tickets to be displayed in the ticket tab. There are three choices: All Tickets, Printed Tickets, and Unprinted Tickets. If Printed Tickets was selected then all tickets displayed would be tickets that have already been printed, or marked as printed.
                  Year of Play Choose the year of the tickets to be displayed in the ticket tab. There are 6 choices: The future year, the current year, previous year, two years prior, Current Year and All Years. If the current year was selected then all tickets displayed would be for events that take place in the current year.
                  Maximum Tickets The maximum number of ticket to be displayed in the patron window when the patron record is loading. If a patron has more tickets than the number specified in this field, in this case 300, then a message will appear when you open that patron record informing you that 300 tickets have been found would you like to add 300 more. Clicking yes will display another 300 tickets, if there are that many more. If there are less then 300 it will just display the remainder of the tickets. By clicking no, then only the first 300 tickets will be displayed.

                  Default Pass /G.C. Search Criteria

                  Status Choose the types of membership to be displayed in the membership tab. There are three choices: All Memberships, Invalid, and Valid. If Valid was selected then all memberships displayed would be active and not yet expired.
                  Year Choose the year of the memberships to be displayed in the membership tab. There are 6 choices: The future year, the current year, previous year, two years prior, Current Year and All Years. If the current year was selected then all memberships for the current year would be displayed.

                  Default Task Settings

                  Task Type Select which task you would like as your default when creating a new one
                  Completion Status Indicate if you would like new tasks set to 'Not Done', 'In Progress', or 'Done'
                  Access The default access to be set on a task when creating new tasks
                  Duration how long should your default task be? Durations are set in text format so that you can express many things. eg:
                  • 1m - means 1 minute
                  • 1h 3m - means 1 hour, 3 minutes
                  • 90m - means 90 minutes
                  • 1w 2d 6h 10m - means 1 week, 2 days, 6 hours, and 10 minutes
                  The task start time is to the nearest quarter of an hour by default. The end time is dependant on your duration setting, with the default being 1 hour.

                  Default Quick Find Sort Order

                  Find a Maximum of Determines the maximum number of values displayed in each of the categories you wish Theatre Manager to search for the quick find.
                  Search in Allows the employee to choose what values are shown when using Quick Find, and in what order they are displayed (drag and drop the listings to change their sort order).
                  Diataxis: 

                  Employee Prefs: Box Office

                  Parts of the Box Office Tab

                  Quick Buy Patron This field requires a valid patron number. The patron number entered should be for a patron who was specifically set up to act as a quick buy / before event sales patron. A quick buy / before event sales patron is a dummy patron account (not a real person), and because the patron is set in user preferences each user can have their own Quick Buy / Before Event Sales Patron.

                  Show Ticket Prices (when selling)

                  Base Price + Tax + Fee Ticket price is displayed as the base price plus tax any any fees associated with the sales promotion.
                  Base Price + Tax Ticket price is displayed as the base price plus tax.
                  Base Price + Fees Ticket price is displayed as the base price plus fees associated with the sales promotion.
                  Base Price Only Ticket price is displayed as the base price only.

                  Display Following Data In List

                  Closed orders Fully paid orders will be displayed.
                  Closed and deposited payments Payments for fully paid orders will be displayed.

                  Default Sales Mode

                  Sale Purchases are recognized as an accounts receivable at the time of purchase. If payment is made the accounts receivable is cleared. If no payment is made the tickets remain on account until payment is received.
                  Reservation Purchase is not recognized as an accounts receivable until the first payment or donation is received. This will only take effect if permitted in accounting setup in company preferences and is not a recommended practice.

                  Managing the Sale

                  Single Tickets Festival seating tickets are issued as one ticket per admission.
                  Group Tickets Festival seating tickets are issues as one ticket per event (i.e. one ticket may be good for 10 admissions). This is intended for group sales like bus tours, school performances etc. where the size of the group will vary as the tour operator/teacher firms up their numbers.
                  Selling a festival/general admission ticket as a group sale means that the ticket can never be emailed.
                  Default number of days to hold Seats Default number of days a patron seat request will be held for an event.
                  Number of hours to check carts for incomplete sales Number of hours that must pass before notification of any checked out - but incomplete - carts that might present an issue and need some action. These carts can be seen in the Shopping Cart list.
                  Display credit card authorization number Credit card authorization number is displayed in the payment window before completing a sale.
                  Email PDF confirmation of sale to patron Indicates that the Employee PREFERS to email a PDF copy of the sale confirmation to the patron for a box office or phone order. If this is:
                  • Checked: the employee will automatically see an email prompt window open after the sale is completed that will email the PDF invoice to the customer. The employee can cancel out of the emailing window and nothing is sent.
                  • Not Checked: the employee will not see the prompt, but they can manually choose to end an confirmation or invoice to the customer by clicking on the invoice at the top of the payment window.
                  Cash Drawer Port If using an electronic cash drawer, the port on which it communicates. There are some prerequisites for using the cash drawer as it is older style technology:
                  • Your Windows Machine must have a serial communication on REAL com ports (old style). It cannot be USB based com ports.
                  • Change the Port Settings in the computer for the appropriate com port to be:
                    • Baud Rate: 9600
                    • Parity: none
                    • Data Bits: 8
                    • Stop Bits: 1
                  • The payment method must also be set up so that it opens the cash drawer in the misc tab.
                  Delay /60 Sec The amount of seconds of delay before the cash drawer opens.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Employee Prefs: Reports Tab

                  Parts of the Reports Tab

                  Reporting Options

                  Show Page Setup for each report When checked the user will always be given the opportunity to change the page orientation and paper size before printing a report even if the default destination is to the screen.
                  • If you use the same printer and page size each time, you might wish to disable the feature "Show Page Setup for each Report".
                  • However, if you are using a number of different reports and page widths, you may wish to enable the feature.
                  Show Report Window As Steps Changes the criteria window to a series of Next/Previous windows rather then tabs. This assists infrequent users in entering relevant information.
                  Show Saved Criteria Options When unchecked, will remove the Save Criteria buttons to reduce the number of buttons in the criteria window for simplicity.
                  Show Report in 'Page Preview' Mode When checked, reports on screen are displayed is actual view with the paper outline.

                  Note: this is the now the default for 64 bit Theatre Manager and cannot be disabled. The reports also show thunmbnails and you can zoom in using the context menu.

                  Enable Background Report Generation When checked, reports can be sent to a background queue where they will run on a TM server instead of your workstation. It means you can have multiple reports running simultaneously and view them using the Queue button on the report window.
                  Default Criteria Filter Level Can change the default criteria filter level to make choosing fields for search criteria more simple. Options are: All, Frequently Used and Essential.
                  Default Destination A drop down list allowing users to specify the default print location. There are five options: Clipboard, File, Page Preview, Printer, Screen.
                  Removes, clears, resets any of the saved report criteria and report export settings.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Employee Prefs: Spell Checker

                  Parts of the Spell Checker Tab

                  Ignore Options

                  Ignore capitalized words Ignores capitalized words found in mid sentence. An example may be a day of the week or a country.
                  Ignore all-caps words Ignores words completely capitalized. An example may be a radio station or acronym.

                  Ignore words with numbers

                  Ignores words that contain both letters and numbers. An example may be an event code.
                  Ignore words with mixed case Ignores mixed case words. An example may be ArtsMan.
                  Ignore domain names Ignores domain names for email or web sites. Often domain names are a combination of words that run together. An example would be artsman.com

                  Suggest / Report Options

                  Report doubled words Detects same words typed side by side. An example would be the the.
                  Case sensitive Locates words that should be capitalized but are not. An example would be canada.
                  Phonetic suggestions Displays word suggestions that sound like the miss spelt word. Either phonetic suggestions or typographical suggestions must be selected in order for spell check to provide suggestions.
                  Typographical suggestions Displays word suggestions that appear similar to the miss spelt word. Either phonetic suggestions or typographical suggestions must be selected in order for spell check to provide suggestions.
                  Suggest split words Displays suggestions for words that appear to run together.
                  Auto correct Detects words within the selected dictionary marked as Auto Change and correct them without prompting. An example may be teh changing to the.

                  Language

                  Select a language to spell check in. Choices are American English, British English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

                  Accuracy

                  Fast but less accurate A fast scan of the source document which may provide less accurate spell check results.
                  Moderately fast and accurate A quick scan of the source document which moderate accuracy.
                  Slow but very accurate A slow, accurate scan of the source document.

                  Dictionaries and Glossary

                  When ignore all is selected during spell check the words are stored for future reference. Clear ignores removes these words from the stored reference.
                  Edit the spell check dictionary. Exclude, Ignore, Conditionally Changes and Auto Changes can be adjusted in the dictionary.
                  Abbreviations enter any short forms and what you would like them expanded to. These short forms work in most fields and can be used to quickly replace the text you type with a more prosaic version.

                  There are some standard (built in) short forms like:

                  • xDay - the day of the week in full format like 'Monday'
                  • xDate - the current date in full format like 'June 12, 2019
                  • xTime - the current time in 12 hour format with am/pm
                  • xNow - the current date/time in timestamp format. eg. yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS

                  so you could type a short form like xNow NSF and it would expand to 2019-08-20 6:28 am Not So Fast using both the standard abbreviation and one you created for yourself.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Employee Prefs: Windows Tab

                  Parts of the Windows Tab

                  Main Toolbar Settings

                  Settings for main Theatre Manager toolbar.
                  Icon Size Choice between Small and Large icons.
                  Text Position Can either have no text or text showing below icons.
                  Menu Position Where you would like the menu positioned on the screen: None, Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Floating

                  Window Tooltips

                  Display tooltips on windows and buttons Displays tips on windows and buttons when the mouse is hovered over top of the window or button
                  Display tooltips on a theatre map Displays seat information when mouse is hovered over top of seat on a theatre map
                  Reset Window Positions This will reset all window positions and other column and sort settings back to the default when clicked. Optionally, if you are a master user, you can reset for all user. Otherwise, only your settings are cleared.

                  The steps are:

                  • Close all windows (except this one)
                  • Click the Reset window Positions
                  • Quit Theatre Manager so that window preferences are saved
                  • Start Theatre Manager again

                  Notifications and Badges

                  Display some messages in notification centre Displays some alerts in the notification centre on your Macintosh (no Windows equivalent as of yet)
                  # Days to show update messages You can set the number of days that update notices will show in the daily notification window on startup of TM. This can be useful if you've been away and want to see auto-updates or manually installed updates. Clicking on a row in the notification window will let you click 'explain' to see the release notes.

                  Set this number to zero if you do not want any notifications than an update occurred.

                  Preferred Toolbar Icon Settings

                  Icon Size Choice between Small and Large icons.
                  Text Position Can either have no text or text showing below icons.

                  Windows Status Bar Position

                  Position Where you would like Theatre Manager status bar positioned. This status bar displays information and any errors you may receive. Options are: Bottom, Top, or Operating System Default

                  Windows Theme

                  Theme You can set the general colour theme of Theatre Manager which affects every window, instantly. Choose the theme from the drop down. Using default sets it back to the Theatre Manager default for the platform.

                  Note: a new walk-around install of Theatre Manager on your machine may automatically reset the theme to default.

                  This is an example of the window using the green theme.

                  Language/Locale Settings

                  Language Preference Sets default Language, Date and Time. Click on the drop down bar to select a language - Deutsch, English, Espanol, Francais or Italiano.
                  Date Display Click on the calendar icon to set the default date. A popup window will provide a listing date formats from which to chose.
                  Time Display Click on the clock icon to set the default time. A popup window will provide a listing time formats from which to chose.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Employee Prefs: Email Tab

                  Parts of the Email Tab

                  Email Setup

                  Primary E-Mail Automatically generated from the primary email as set up on the employee's patron record.
                  SMTP Server The company's SMTP server to send emails to/from this employee.
                  SMTP Port Usually 25 - the port used to talk to the SMTP server for email sending to/from the web listener for this employee.
                  User Id In cases where authentication is necessary, the employee's email user id login for the SMTP server.
                  Password In cases where authentication is necessary, the employee's password for their user id for the SMTP server.
                  Rate Limited Until If the field is visible, you will see a rate-limit timestamp. This indicates the next time that TM will attempt to send an email using this account since it believes you have reached your maximum allowable email limit as determined by your ISP.
                  Needs Authentication box Check this box if authentication is required to access the SMTP server. Encryption methods of NONE, LOGIN, PLAIN, CLEARTEXT, and CRAM-MD5 are supported.
                  Use SMTPS box Check this box if the SMTP server requires SMTPS for connection. TLS/StartTLS are supported automatically.
                  Click the Test Email button to send a test email using the SMTP settings as entered.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Employee Prefs: Facility Tab

                  In the Facilities tab of Employee Preferences you can effect users abilities to edit calendar items and tasks.

                  Parts of the Facility Tab

                  Unassigned Activity Patron Enter a default unassigned activity patron here as a placeholder for personnel assigned to specific project tasks to be used while those personnel are still being set up. The purpose of this patron is so that you can assign placeholders for tasks in the Facility Management module. When Theatre Manager assigns a placeholder patron, it needs to know who that patron is - so by adding it to the Employee Preferences file, Theatre Manager connects the generic patron to the placeholder.

                  This way, you can have a task that requires 5 people, but not yet know who those 5 people are. You can add 5 generic patrons to the task, then replace them with real patrons when you are ready. It is also used in the volunteer/personnel tab in events and dates to bulk set up the people needed to work a performance.

                  If you are receiving the message: "Personnel placeholding will be disabled until valid Unassigned Activity Patron # entered." then you will need to add a generic patron to this cell.

                  Others who can edit my tasks Here you can assign delegates who can edit your calendar task information. This prevents others from changing your tasks by supplying a list. Use the green plus and red minus buttons at the bottom left of the table to add or remove patrons from this list.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Work Flow Notification - Introduction

                  You must have purchased the Web Sales Module in order to use Work Flow Notifications.

                  Work Flow Notifications enable you to take common situations and have messages emailed to you.

                  Common notifications, such as, donation sales or membership sales, can be assigned on a per campaign or membership basis. They are assigned in the setup of each:

                  Notifications are only created/sent when the actual transaction record is created.

                  Note: Notifications from web sales are deferred. They will actually be sent:

                  • after creating sales entries in End Of Day
                  • by running any report that is based on transactions
                  • when the sales monitoring tool is active
                  • looking at a G/L or cash flow tab for specific event on the screen

                  There are four steps to creating a workflow notification:

                  1. Step 1 - Write the form letter.

                    For example - New Donation Notification using the Donation Data for a Patron Data.

                    • Click here to follow the steps on creating a form letter.
                  2. Step 2 - Set up the Code table for that workflow notification.

                    For example - Donation Received.

                    • Check your Workflow Notifications code table to ensure the type of notification you are creating is there.

                      The code table entry should reflect the same types of categories available for selection as you choose for Data when you create your form letter.

                  3. Step 3 - Create the Workflow Notification & Assign Recipients.

                    • Click here for the steps on creating a workflow notification.
                  4. Step 4 - The transaction that triggers the notification.

                    For example - a patron makes a donation. The workflow notification will be sent to the email addresses selected in Step 3.

                  Work Flow notifications are accessed by clicking Setup >> Users and Access >> Work Flow Notification.

                  The Work Flow Notification list window opens.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Creating a Notification

                  You must have purchased the Web Sales Module to use Work Flow Notifications.

                  Using Work Flow Notifications, you cab take common situations, such as donations being sold or changed, or patrons creating records via the internet, and send notification emails to certain employees who will be responsible for tracking changes to the database.

                  To create a new workflow notification, you perform the following steps:

                  1. Open the Work Flow Notification by choosing Setup >> Users and Access >> Work Flow Notification.

                    The Workflow notification list window opens.

                  2. Click the New

                  3. Select the Notification Type from the drop down list.

                    These Notifications are defined in the system table Workflow Notifications. Click here for more information on adding new notification types in code tables. They must exist first before you can use it here.

                  4. Select an Form Letter to use for this notification by clicking the Letter Search button

                    For more information about Form Letters, click here.

                  5. Select the Form Letter that corresponds to the notification that you are setting up.
                  6. Click the Select button.

                    The Letter/email is now attached to the Notification.

                  7. Enable the appropriate check boxes so the notification is sent when the event is added, changed or deleted.

                    These options allow you to set up and send emails to different employees for different situations. For example, not all employees will need to be notified if a donation is changed, but more will be on the list for donations being added.

                  8. Enter notes to describe what this notification is used for.
                  9. Choose if the notification will be sent for Box Office, Internet Sales, or both.

                  10. Click the Recipients tab

                  11. Choose the employees to receive this notification.

                    If an employee does not have an email address, you will need to enter one for them to be added to a notification. Click here for Employee Setup.

                  12. Click the Save button.
                  13. You should now check your notifications are being sent.

                    To test the notification, set a ticket sale notification to be triggered only at the Box Office. Then sell the ticket/membership in the Box Office, and lastly check your inbox. The notification should be sent by the system within 30 seconds.

                    If the notification is for online sales only, you have one more step to check. Web transactions will trigger the notification as soon as the online sale or donation has finished the checkout.

                    If the notification is not in the INBOX -- check your junk mail box.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Editing a Notification

                  1. To Access Work Flow Notification Setup, go into the Setup Menu - Users and Access - Work Flow Notification

                    This will open the list of all notifications that are setup in your system.

                  2. Double click on the notification you wish to edit.

                  3. Edit any of the fields as required.
                  4. Click the Save button.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Deleting a Notification

                  1. To Access Work Flow Notification Setup in order to delete a notification that is no longer necessary, go into the Setup Menu - Users and Access - Work Flow Notification

                    This will open the list of all notifications that are setup in your system.

                  2. Highlight the notification you wish to delete.
                  3. Click the Delete button.

                    The Delete Record confirmation window will appear.

                  4. Click the Delete button.

                    The notification is now deleted.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Employees Currently Logged In

                  The Employees Currently Logged In windows provides a list of all employees who are currently logged in to Theatre Manager. This can be useful to monitor access to the system at any given time. The window is automatically refreshed every 15 seconds. It operates by polling pg_Admin activity, and reporting that activity to the viewer.

                  Occasionally someone may get a message that they are already logged in at another computer and this list will identify the IP address of that computer if you need to know it.

                  The Employees Currently Logged In monitor is accessed via the Setup >> Users and Access >> Employees Currently Logged In menu.

                  If you really want to kill a session:
                  • look at the user(s) who have more than one session,
                  • click on the user's session you think is inactive. It likely has the oldest query start date
                  • click the wrench at the top that says 'Remove inactive sessions'



                  Parts of the Employees Logged In window

                  Prints the current record.
                  Exports the log file in a tab or comma delimited file.
                  Remove Inactive Sessions This will look for any sessions for any users that have been inactive for 15 minutes or more and send a terminate command to the database to kill their sessions. This should only be used if people seem to be logged in more than once and they are not.
                  Pid Process ID.This is the process ID assigned to the employee connection to the PostgreSQL database. If a user account becomes stuck in Theatre Manager, AMS Support personnel can remote in to the server and free the User based on the PID. This can also be used if a User is running an unusually large database query and uses up too much of the CPU resources. The PID can be used to stop the query and free the CPU resources back up again.
                  User Name The Access ID of the User who is logged on. This value is defined in the Employee record.
                  Application The application the User is logged into. Since this is provided by pg_Admin, the application will always be Theatre Manager.
                  IP Address The IP address of the machine where the User is logged on from. This is useful to monitor not only what users are logged in, but to which specific workstation.
                  Port The internal port that the User is currently using to access the database.
                  Query Start When pg_Admin was last checked for activity status from this User.
                  Waiting Indicates if the User is waiting for access to the database.
                  Current Query The code line in pg_Admin used to monitor the log in status of the User.

                  TLS connection status (if using Postgres 9.5 or later)

                  TLS Yes, if client is using encrypted connection to the database
                  Version The version of TLS (encryption being used.
                  Cipher Suite The encryption/cipher suite being used for the connection
                  bits the strength of the encryption

                  Disable Access to Theatre Manager

                  The Disable Access function allows you to set a time to force users to log off Theatre Manager in order to perform scheduled maintenance and other functions that require exclusive use of the database. Theatre Manager will deny users access to the database until the pre-determined time in this window.

                  A Master User can always log on to the database to reset the values in this window, regardless of whether Theatre Manager is currently unavailable to other users.

                  The Disable Access function is accessed via the Setup >> Users and Access >> Disable Access menu.



                  Parts of the Disable Access window

                  Timed Logoff Sets an immediate logoff in a specified number of minutes. For example, if you want to force all users off in 10 minutes, then enter the value "10" and click the Deny Login button. Theatre Manager will log all users off in 10 minutes.
                  Date Time Logoff Sets a future date time during which all users will be logged off, and no users will be allowed access. This is useful if the IT department is planning a machine or systems upgrade during a specified time.
                  Message Allows setting of a message to display to all users of an impending planned outage. This message uses Theatre Manager's Growl notification system.
                  Displays a list of users who are currently logged in.
                  Activates the outage as defined in the top portion of this window.
                  Cancels the planned outage, and allows users to log in normally.

                  Canceling a Disable Use of Theatre Manager session

                  If you need to cancel a Disable Use of Theatre Manager session because the planned maintenance took less time than was originally scheduled, you can easily do so by "Allowing Login" once again.

                  1. Log on to Theatre Manager as a Master User
                  2. Open the Disable Access function, located via the Setup >> Users and Access >> Disable Access menu.
                  3. Click the button.

                  For more about the Disable Access function click here.

                  PCI Access Audit Log

                  PCI DSS compliance section 10.5 requires centralization of Logs in a common log management process. The intent from the PCI council is that you could view access to login/out and card data in TM along with firewall access changes, admin access to a machine or server in a consolidated view.

                  You can export the logs from TM in Excel or tab delimited format and move them to your centralized logging mechanism.

                  The Access Audit Log is a critical part of PCI Compliance. It provides a method of electronically tracking when users

                  • Log in to the database
                  • Log out of the database
                  • Made too many attempts to log into the database and were subsequently locked out
                  • Access credit card data
                  • Use Manager overrides for payment acceptance
                  • Ran specific payment reports containing secure data
                  • TM creates audit transactions with the codes AT, ALI, ALO, ALX, ALM, and AC. When you run a report, look for these codes to identify audit transactions.
                  • And access other sensitive areas of the database
                  • Specifically, the Access Audit Log establishes a process for linking all access to system components to each individual user – especially access done with administrative privileges. It allows you to track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data as per PCI requirments.

                    For more on PCI Compliance click here.

                    The Access Audit log is located under the Setup >> Users & Access >>Access Audit Log menu.

                  Access Audit Window



                  Parts of the Access Audit Window

                  Opens the selected transaction to view details. You may also simply double click on the transaction in the list.
                  Prints the list as shown.
                  Exports the list.
                  Displays the patron record to whom the transaction is attached.
                  Seq # The Sequence number of the transaction.
                  Trans Date The date and time of the transaction.
                  Journal # If the transaction affected the General Journal, the Journal number that was affected.
                  Code The transaction code used to identify the specific transaction.

                  TM creates audit transactions with the codes AT, ALI, ALO, ALX, ALM, and AC.

                  When you run a report, look for these codes to identify audit transactions.

                  Transaction Description A translated description of the transaction code.
                  Order # If the transaction affected a specific Order, the order number willbe listed here.
                  Play If the transaction affected a specific play, the play code will be listed here.
                  Performance If the transaction affected a specific performance, the performance code will be listed here.
                  Type Whether the transaction is auditable.
                  Description of Entry A more detailed listing of the transaction, including the User name who affected the transaction.

                  Transaction Detail Window



                  Parts of the Transaction Detail Window

                  Displays the patron record to whom the transaction is attached.
                  General Information Displays the
                  • Type of transaction
                  • Patron name
                  • Date of Creation
                  • Employee name who created the transaction
                  • Revenue and Journal date
                  • Transaction #
                  Transaction Detail Displays
                  • What data was requested from the database
                  • The Employee who permitted the data to be viewed (if it was an override from creating user)
                  • What specific activity took place

                  Audit Search Options

                  There are many options for you to search for specific transactions. Using the drop-down list in the upper left corner, simply choose the criteria you wish to search by.



                  Options for searching the Transaction List

                  All Transactions Displays all transactions. Click on any column header to sort by that column.
                  Code The specific Transaction Code
                  Order # A specific order number. This may be helpful when diagnosing ledger transactions.
                  Journal # A specific General Journal number. This may be helpful when diagnosing ledger transactions.
                  Revenue Date A specific date of revenue. This may be helpful when diagnosing ledger transactions.
                  Seq # A specific Sequence number. This may be helpful when diagnosing ledger transactions.
                  Trans Date A specific transaction date. This may be helpful when examining a specific day or range of days.
                  Play #, #Perf, Tix #, Seat Code Use these to examine transactions based around a specific event.
                  Trans Patron #, Name/Company, Last Name, First Name, Company Use these to search for transactions generated by a specific patron record.
                  Play Title, Play, Performance Use these to search for transactions generated by a specific event.
                  Description, Campaign Name These will search for transactions generated by a specific donation campaign.
                  Merchant #, GL# These may be helpful when diagnosing ledger transactions.

                  System Preferences

                  System Preferences are used to manage how Theatre Manager behaves for all outlets in the database. (This also applies if there is only one outlet). The items that can be changed generally have to do with system maintenance, overall appearance and general behaviour that all users will experience.

                  Click on a link to the left to view the details of each tab in this window.

                  The System Preferences Window is accessed through the Setup >> System Preferences Menu.

                  The System Preferences Window opens.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Licence Tab

                  The License tab contains information about the components of Theatre Manger currently in use and gives your the ability to purchase upgrades.

                  Software License Profile

                  Allows for the entry of a license upgrade. For more information on entering license upgrades click here.
                  Software Features This is a list of all the possible features that Theatre Manager offers. The features that have check marks beside them are the features that the company currently has access to. In order to receive additional features that the Theatre Manager has to offer the organization must purchase a license upgrade.

                  Training Database Settings

                  This is a Training Database A venue can set up a database in training mode for use in staff development. This feature should only be used on a copy of a database to flag to Theatre Manager that it will be used in training mode. When a database is set to Training:
                  • The login window is clearly marked that the database is for training purposes (see image to right)
                  • All credit cards are automatically shredded immediately so that there are none in the training database.
                  • The database is set to PCI Schedule 'C' mode so future credit card payments cannot be saved
                  • All merchant accounts are set to emergency mode and this cannot be changed
                  • The title of all windows is changed to reflect the 'Training' database status
                  • If there were remote offsite backups being made, those are disabled -- just in case
                  • Some operational messages that emails cannot be sent, or backups have not occurred are no longer displayed
                  It is possible to change a training database back into a real one. Since, encrypted credit card are shredded immediately, they cannot be recovered and are gone forever.
                  Send Emails in Training Mode If Web Services (a TM server with a housekeeper) is set up for the training database, you can indicate if the web listeners should send out emails as part of the test process.
                  DB User Suffix If you have multiple databases on your server, you should enter a unique database marker for each one. This is appended to the employee ID's in the background so that they are unique per database. We recommend:
                  • The last 4 digits of your customer number for your production database
                  • Adding a 'T' to that number for a training database
                  • Or any scheme you like such as 'Prod' or 'training' - just make them unique
                  Diataxis: 

                  Licence Upgrades

                  Once a company has purchased a license upgrade the new Customer and License numbers need to be entered to activate the additional features of Theatre Manager.

                  1. Open Setup >> System Preferences

                  2. Click the Purchase License Upgrade button.

                    The Customer and License Number Window will open.

                  3. Enter new customer number.
                  4. Enter new license number.
                  5. Click the Accept button.

                    Theatre Manager will now automatically restart to activate the new features.

                  Diataxis: 

                  PCI Security Tab

                  The PCI Security tab allows the Master User to set the overall parameters of how Employees will log on to the database, the structure of their passwords, and important PCI Compliance considerations for managing retention of credit card data.

                  Employee Access Management

                  Logon Window Setting Offers the option to have Employees login:
                  Minimum Length Sets the minimum length of logon passwords. For PCI compliance, the minimum length is 7 characters.
                  Unique Passwords The number of unique passwords required by the system. If set to zero, then passwords are not required to be unique. If set to 2, then the same password may be shared by two employees. If set to 3, then the same password may be shared by three employees.
                  Days til Change Allowed The minimum number of days that a password must be used before it is allowed to be changed.
                  Days until Expiry The maximum number of days that a password may be used. For PCI compliance, this must not exceed 90 days.
                  Attempts til Lockout This determines how many incorrect attempts an employee may make before Theatre Manager will lock them out of the system and must be manually re-instated.
                  IP addresses that can accept cards PCI documentation indicates that any machine that touches credit card information becomes within scope of PCI compliance requirements. If you identify which machines process credit cards (such as box office), then other machines on the network that are used for reporting, management, etc, can be taken out of scope for PCI compliance.

                  To do so, you can indicate a white-list specific machines or subnet of machines that will process cards by:

                  • leaving the list blank to indicate ALL machines process cards
                  • Entering one or more specific ip address (eg 192.168.0.10) to indicate specific machines that accept cards
                  • Entering one or more subnet masks using CIDR format to indicate a range of machines. For example:
                    • 10.10.1.0/24 means all machines on the 10.10.1.x subnet.
                    • 10.100.0.0/16 means all machines on the 10.100.x.x subnet.
                  • Entering a combination of specific ip addresses or subnet masks
                  • Enter a specific IP address that is not on your network so that NO user workstations can accept credit cards anywhere
                  If a machine is whitelisted to allow entering credit cards, then those payment methods appear on the payment window as normal. Machines that are not part of the whitelist, then the credit card payment methods are removed from the payment window and the user at that workstation will not be able to enter cards at all - they will need to go to another machine with permissions to process a credit card payment.
                  Clicking this button changes options to the current PCI Standards for employee passwords and logon attempts.

                  Patron Access Management

                  Patron Password Complexity You can set the required complexity of patron passwords in Theatre Manager to two levels:
                  • Passwords must meet the minimum length only. This is the historical setting - and forces the passwords to be at least the same length as the employee PCI passwords. It does not enforce any other rules. Normally, this is sufficient and the web pages give a strength meter to people to indicate if the password is good enough, or not. The reason this is the default setting is because many people have complex enough passwords that they use with modification on various sites, simply by meeting the length criteria, but may not have a special character or some other element. It also helps avoid patron frustration.
                  • Passwords used by patrons must meet the same PCI standards enforced on employees that are:
                    • At least one upper case character
                    • At least one lower case character
                    • At least one number
                    • At least one special character
                    • and minimum length as described in your employee password settings.

                  Credit Card Management

                  Theatre Manager can implement either Schedule "A-EP", "C" or "D" for the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) - the choice is yours and is dependant on the merchant processor you've selected.

                  You can define a retention period for credit card information before it is 'shredded' per PCI DSS standard 3.1

                  Note: Users find ways to type credit card into note fields, more so when using Schedule 'C' compliance because the credit card storage capability has been disabled.

                  You can use a feature in the Patron List window to search and identify data that could be construed as clear text credit cards attached to patrons. That kind of data would be in violation of PCI guidelines.

                  A shredded card means that it will be stored in the database as '#### **** **** ####'. This renders the PAN useless for all purposes. However, given the first 4 and last 4 digits of any card, you can still search for the patron.

                  Converting from schedule D to Schedule C compliance will shred all cards currently in the database EXCEPT those set up for future post dated payments. Since that business already exists, those few cards will remain until the final post date payment is take for the patron. At that time, the card will be shredded immediately. This prevents disruption of existing commitments to patrons.

                  Generally, if you want to take post dated payments and retain the minimum card data in the database, use Schedule D with one day retention.

                   

                  Schedule C: Shred cards immediately after use Using an online payment gateway and the Schedule "C" setting means that cards will not be stored in the database. The PAN is sent to the processor to get the authorization code and token from the merchant provider. Those are stored in TM (not the card itself) and the merchant token is what is used for voiding cards. It puts the workstation in scope of a PCI device, but not the database.
                  Schedule D: Encrypted credit card data Schedule "D" compliance with about 120 days of retention is sufficient for most venues, especially if you are using post dated payments or may have to deal with refunds for cancelled events.
                  Retention Period The number of days credit card information will be retained before it is shredded in a Schedule D environment. Normally 90 days will handle most business cases, and the recommended maximum is 365 days. If you set it to one day, then all cards are shredded right away, except those that are saved for post dated payments.
                  Schedule D: Post Dated Payments This option allows storage of encrypted cards for post dated or recurring payments only. Once the last payment is authorized, the card is shredded. It effectively, is the same as the above option with 1 day retention, except that it is far more restrictive in when Theatre Manager will try to make a stored card. This should result is a venue having vastly reduced exposure risk for stored cards under PCI.
                  Generates a completely random 60 character key to use as part of the encryption key process that will be unique to the venue and re-encrypt all cards in the database.
                  Immediately shreds credit cards longer than the Retention Period as noted above.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Search Patron Data for Credit Card Information

                  Mask PAN when displayed; the first six and last four digits are the maximum number of digits you may display. Not applicable for authorized people with a legitimate business need to see the full PAN. Does not supersede stricter requirements in place for displays of cardholder data such as on a point-of-sale receipt. PCI DSS standard 3.3.

                  Use this feature to identify where there may be data attached to patrons that could be construed as a possible clear text credit card in violation of PCI DSS standard 3.3.

                  When using this search option, patrons will be listed that have a series of 3 or 4 numbers repeated 4 times. This means that anything with at least 12 contiguous digits in the various search fields might result in a match (note: it may not be a credit card).

                  Searching for at least 13 contiguous digits might find things like 4500 000 000 000 or 5200 0000 0000 0000. It doesn't matter if there are one or more spaces between the numbers or not. Data that will not be found are phone numbers like 518-444-5555. However, it may find conditions where numbers are separated by something other than spaces.

                  When searching for card information, the prospective full credit card number is subjected to the same LUHN test the bank uses to identify if it is a card. If the string of numbers do not pass the LUHN text, it will not be identified as a credit card
                  A full PCI scan on the raw files in machine with a TM database on it COULD provide FALSE POSITIVES, if you are using SVG maps and pick your own seats. The vector information for points in a map contain a lot of numbers which consistently fool disk level PCI scan's into thinking they are credit cards.

                   

                  Fields searched for possible card data are:

                  • Patron
                    • general notes, volunteer notes, donor notes, household notes, and the three customizable note fields on the notes tab
                    • marketing field #5
                    • donor publication name
                    • Special Needs Notes
                    • GST/HST numbers
                    • Client asset notes entered on the client asset setup in the 'donor' tab on the patron window.
                    • These could be entered on the various tabs in the patron window.
                  • Donation
                    • Donation notes, custom fields, donation publication name, tax receipt name and other donation text fields.
                    • These would be seen on the donation window.
                  • Order
                    • Internal and external order notes and ticket comments
                    • The order PO number
                    • These would be seen on an order payment window and can also be seen in a list of orders
                  • Subscriptions
                    • The subscription seat change requests
                  • Credit card
                    • comments or name on card
                    • These would be seen on the credit card tab on the patron window.
                  • Task/Project notes
                    • on the task comments window or the project description
                  • Staff/Volunteer History
                    • Notes on the Activity setup window
                    • Notes on the history evaluation and duties fields

                   

                  Fields not searched for any card data

                  • Transaction card number field (T_CARD_NO) is not validated as it contains reference numbers for other payments (e.g. check #'s). If somebody used any payment method that is not of type credit card -- but they typed a valid card number in the field -- there is not much Theatre Manager can do. Since there is no way to manually place an edit check on check number field to verify that it is an actual check number (that look like credit cards) after the fact in Theatre Manager because that leads to audit issues; such as changing past information which Theatre Manager doesn't allow. If there are credit card numbers in the check # field, then it's a manual task for Arts Management Support to find them and clear them. Please contact Arts Management Support directly if this applies to your specific situation.
                  • Theatre Pricing map SVG data - which can be false positive

                   

                  To search the database for credit card information, you perform the following steps:

                  1. Select Setup->Batch Functions->Check Patron Fields For PCI Data

                    Refer to the menu selection to the right

                    A window opens that allows the search to begin. Follow the instructions:

                    • Click the search button on the upper right side of the window to begin
                    • Wait a while as the system is checking many fields and many database records. It might take up to a minute on larger databases

                  2. After clicking the Search button.

                    Any patrons who have a 13 digit or longer string stored in any of the fields indicated will be displayed.

                  3. You can now go through and manually remove the data.

                    Double click on each line and it will take you to the window where Theatre Manager suspects the issue to be

                  4. Click the icon to download the checklist.

                  Shredding Credit Cards

                  In Theatre Manager, 'shredding' credit cards means removing the middle 8 digits of a credit card number so that what is stored in the database is only the first four and last four digits of the number: 1234-xxxx-xxxx-1234. Cards stored in this manner cannot be accessed for use (because those 8 digits aren't masked - they really no longer exist). Users can still search the database for a credit card using the first four and last four digits for reporting and transaction history.


                  There are two choices for 'Shredding' Credit Cards. The first method, Shredding Unused Credit Cards, allows a venue to set the number of days a credit card is stored in the usual encrypted format in the database (and is therefore available for use as a payment method for post-dated payments or in the patron's credit card tab), and then after that period, a card is considered "unused" and is shredded of its middle 8 digits.


                  The second method, setting the database to Schedule C: Shred Immediately, will shred cards and never store them in the database. This is rarely used, as it may prevent some common or desirable business functions (and maintaining Schedule D: Encrypted Credit Card data, the default PABP/PCI Compliant method will not prevent those functions).

                  Shredding Unused Credit Cards

                  this action cannot be undone!

                  The simplest solution for venues to have a higher degree of security in their database, than that allowed by the PABP/PCI compliant data encryption of the credit card numbers, is to "shred" unused or old credit cards in patron records.

                  "Shredding" removes the middle 8 digits of the number and renders the card information unusable (as it is stored - you can still swipe or enter the card again in the future with no problem).

                  To do "shred" a credit card, you perform the following steps:

                  1. Open the PCI Security Tab in Setup > System Preferences.
                  2. Under Credit Card Management, click the Shred Unused Credit Cards button.

                    A dialogue opens, asking for a retention period during which cards are considered active (and therefore, not "unused"). We recommend at least 90 days, 365 as the longest.

                  3. Click Shred Cards to immediately shred cards that have not been used in a number of days greater than that set as the retention period.

                  Schedule C Shred When Used

                  All the credit card data in theatre Manager is stored using AES256 encryption with rotating keys. An independant company has auditied the safety of the information and practices in theatre Manager to ensure it meets PCI PA/DSS 2.0 storage requirements. Visa has approved Theatre Manager as an application that can accept credit card payments using best practices.

                  A venue may choose to shred cards immediately after use for added security. This means that full card data is never stored in the database. Voids can only be done using the merchant providers internal token if you have not yet done end of day. After end of day is completed, refunds require you to input the card number again.

                  Shredding Credit Cards stores only the first and last 4 digits of a credit card number for informational purposes. For example:

                  When you shred yoiur credit card date the following business capabilities and functions are impacted:

                  • You cannot process post dated payments
                  • You will not be able to refund using the original payment/credit card number. You will have to ask the patron to give you the number again.
                  • You may not be able to refund an entire event using the card used for purchase
                  • You will be unable to process automatic season renewal.
                  • All existing payment / credit card information within the system is now unavailable.
                  • The above are only a few functions that will be impacted.

                  If your venue wants to shred credit cards after use, you perform the following steps:

                  1. Make a complete backup of your Theatre Manager Database just in case you want to change your mind later. Click here for more information on Backing up.
                  2. Chose main menu item Setup >> System Preferences.

                    The System Preferences window opens.

                  3. Click the PCI Security tab.

                  4. In the Credit Card Management section, change the radio button to Schedule C: Shred cards immediately after use.

                    The first Warning dialog opens.

                  5. Click the Yes button.

                    The second Warning dialog opens.

                  6. Click the Yes button.

                    The third Warning dialog opens.

                  7. Click the Yes button.

                    The fourth Warning dialog opens.

                  8. Click the Yes button.

                    The Confirmation the data has been shredded data dialog opens.

                  9. Click the Yes button.

                  Changing the Cryptography for Credit Cards

                  Credit cards stored in a database must be encrypted using a key that is distinct to the venue per PCI DSS standard 3.6. This must occur:
                  • Immediately after the initial implementation and data conversion has taken place
                  • on a minimum of an annual basis. If the procedure is not invoked manually, it will be done automatically during any upgrade.
                  • if there is any suspected security breach at the organization

                  To change the cryptography of credit card information at any time:

                  • Log in as Master User
                  • Go to the System Preferences->Security Tab
                  • Click 'Change Card Encryption key' button at the bottom left

                  You will see a dialog similar to the one below that asks you to confirm the step and the reasons why the step is required. Click 'Yes' to continue.

                  Some notes about this process:

                  • Theatre Manager will generate a completely random a 40 character key to use as half of the encryption key process that will be unique to the venue and re-encrypt all cards in the database.
                  • This encryption key will not be known to the user and will not be known to Arts Management
                  • You can still use theatre manager while this process occurs to sell tickets and take credit cards.
                  • This process should be performed at least annually.
                    • A venue will be reminded to do it after 350 days
                    • If it is not done, within the required time frame, then it will automatically occur during any upgrade that occurs 350 days since the last time the venue's encryption key was changed
                  • It should be performed at any time you suspect a security breach to any part of your network (make sure you also address whatever the security breach might have been).

                  Appearance Tab

                  The Appearance tab contains default text for various areas of Theatre Manager. These fields can be edited to language that best suits the organization. Click on any of the fields in the middle column to edit the text.

                  The right column contains examples or where the field is used.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Mandatory Data Tab

                  Defining Mandatory Data for Marketing Purposes

                  On the Mandatory Data tab, you can define which information is required when adding new patrons, households and companies. Normally, you would want:

                  • Patron name or company so that you can identify the patron when they call back or have tickets printed for them
                  • Full Address Information (street, city, state/province, zip/postal) so that you can mail items, obtain better credit card rates with AVS (address verification) and better identify patrons with similar names during your next interaction with them
                  • A Phone Number in case you need to contact them in cases of a show being cancelled, time altered, moved venues, or any other emergency requirement
                  • Email cannot be made mandatory at the box office since there is no guarantee that a patron has one and email addresses must be unique to a patron or household

                   

                  Full Profile vs Limited Profile (AKA Guest Checkout)

                  The behaviour of patrons can be different for phone/walk up sales and to online/web sales. You can indicate what kind of data is mandatory in either case:

                  • BoxOffice/Phone Orders the left side of the mandatory screen indicates which data is mandatory for patrons who contact you at the box office or via phone. This is considered the complete set of data for a full patron. Typically is is the name, address, and phone information described above
                  • There are good reasons to have Online Sales follow the same data requirements as box office. Implications include consolidation of all interactions with the same patron under one account.

                    It is possible to relax those rules and gather less data for online sales by indicating what the minimum data is for Partial Profile Patrons on the right side of the screen. If you gather less data than a full profile, the patron record created is called a Partial Profile patron.

                  Full profile patron information applies to BOTH box office and web sales, unless you choose to allow Guest Checkout for online sales, which has some operational and data merging implications
                  Guest Checkout causes a NEW Limited Profile Patron to be created each time the patron purchases, unless the patron chooses to supply all the mandatory information of their own volition along with password when buying online.

                  The reason a new patron is created is to allow theatre manager to provide absolute privacy between online purchases, since the patron has not provided enough identification to allow accounts to be merged automatically. If two people just happen to use the same email address, allowing each to access the others information and tickets is a privacy violation - so Theatre Manager keeps them separate

                  If you use Guest Checkout, the box office will then need to MERGE all patrons in the same household with the same name and email on a periodic basis after determining that they are, in fat, the same patron.

                  Full Profile Patron Data Requirements

                  Name Info Select what names must be given before a patron record can be saved.

                  Full profile patron information is for BOTH the box office and web patron sale data, unless you are allowing Limited Patron Profiles for online sales.

                  Patron Address Checking this box means that the patron's address must be entered before a patron record can be saved. Only one out of the two address lines need to contain information.
                  Patron City Checking this box means that the patron's city must be entered before a patron record can be saved.
                  Patron Province Checking this box means that the patron's province must be entered before a patron record can be saved.
                  Patron Postal Code Checking this box means that the patron's postal/zip code must be entered before a patron record can be saved.
                  At least on telephone number Checking this box will require a minimum of one phone number be given before a patron record can be saved.
                  Area codes on all phone numbers Checking this box will require all phone numbers given be accompanied by an area code before a patron record can be saved. These days, this option should always be enabled du to the prevalence of 10 digit dialing and cell phones

                  Payment Data

                  Why Did Patron Buy Checking this box means that the reason that the patron has made a purchase must be provided before a sale can be completed. The why did patron buy data is entered via:
                  • a drop down list that is found on the payment window.
                  • a list window on the web checkout screen if there is a ticket and/or gift certificate in the cart
                  • a hidden field in tmTemplates/tmCheckoutDonationReasonToBuy.html containing the default reason to buy for donations. (This file is normally customized for each venue). This enables a patron to check out online with only a donation in the shopping cart faster and with less questions.
                  The values listed in why did patron buy code table can be customized for each outlet. If you have made the donation reason to buy mandatory, you will need to select a value from this code table to out into tmTemplates/tmCheckoutDonationReasonToBuy.html
                  The why did patron buy code table value must be enabled to be used otherwise it will be rejected for online donations.
                  Pressing this button will set the above options to the default settings that Theatre Manager recommends.

                  Limited Profile Patron

                  Mandatory Data Options Please refer to a more complete description of the Limited Patron feature and the ramifications.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Limited Profile Patron Implications (Guest Checkout)

                  Using the Limited Profile feature is a venue choice. While it allows the patron to specify less information during checkout, it also:
                  • shifts the burden of managing correct data from the patron to the box office after the fact, including de-duplicating patrons who buy online frequently without creating an account
                  • May affect credit card rates on authorization and increase chargebacks
                  • May limit ability to deal with emergency situations like show cancellation due to weather or other conditions of force-majeure
                  Guest Checkout causes a NEW Limited Profile Patron to be created each time the patron purchases, unless the patron chooses to supply all the mandatory information of their own volition along with password when buying online.

                  The reason a new patron is created is to allow theatre manager to provide absolute privacy between online purchases, since the patron has not provided enough identification to allow accounts to be merged automatically. If two people just happen to use the same email address, allowing each to access the others information and tickets is a privacy violation - so Theatre Manager keeps them separate

                  If you use Guest Checkout, the box office will then need to MERGE all patrons in the same household with the same name and email on a periodic basis after determining that they are, in fat, the same patron.

                  Limited Profile Patrons are enabled in System Preferences->Mandatory Data tab. If enabled, it allows for Web sales checkout on the web site as an option. The limited patron profile creation and checkout web pages note which fields (e.g. name, address, etc) a venue expects the user to enter.

                  There are some general pro and cons to using the feature that we've heard from Theatre Manager users that we've listed below. Most venues that try it realize that the burden of data management shifts to the venue and eventually disable it. Most web sites that deal with any sort of shopping cart require full identification these days for fudiciary responsibility to the credit card issuers.

                    Pro's Con's
                  Full Profile
                  • Patron provides all the address and contact data for use be the entire organization
                  • Patron can achieve benefits from frequent buying such as:
                    • cumulative ticket discounts of better seat offerings
                    • aggregation of donations for recognition
                    • renewal of subscription seats
                  • Patrons can have pre-sales access based on a mail list that identifies them as belogning to a group with benefits
                  • can get replacement tickets for print-at-home easily
                  • expedited checkout in the future
                  • can review any past purchases at any time.
                  • etc.
                  • patron is responsible for managing their account
                  Limited Profile
                  • minimum requirements of name and email address make check out relatively fast for a one time thing.
                  • contact data that is elective may affect future marketing capmaigns
                  • limited ability to aggregate data for a customer as they are all separate customers
                  • patron may have limited customer service options
                    • cannot access the account later on without requesting a password reset
                    • cannot reprint any print-at-home tickets until they can log in
                    • will call tickets should require extra verification of the identity of the patron
                    • phone exchanges should require user to provide extra identification related to the purchase such as the specific credit card
                  • venue may pay more for credit card charges is there is lack of Address Verification.
                    • Some banks may actually decline cards more often in cases of limited identification sent with the credit card. Often address and zip code verification mitigates rejection and charge rates.
                    • generally, venue may be subject to more fraud (and liability if it occurs for incomplete data)
                  • the venue is responsible for managing the extra accounts that are created and merging them. Limited data tends to pollute the database (garbage in-garbage out)
                  • does not encourage repeat business
                  • etc.

                  To enable limited profile patrons/guest checkout:

                  1. Choose Setup >> System Preferences and choose the Mandatory Data tab.

                  2. Under Allow Limited Profile Patrons On there are the following selections:
                    • Web sales checkout - checking this box enables patrons with limited patron data to buy tickets.
                    • Web sales mail list add - checking this box enables patrons to sign up for mail lists giving only essential information (email address, name). Click here for more information about this feature.
                    • Credit card swipe - checking this box will enable patrons to purchase using the information on their credit card (name on the card). This is most useful for auctions and is described further here.
                  3. Make the appropriate selections for your organization's needs.
                  4. Next, you define the mandatory fields you want limited profiles to contain in the Limited Profile Web Sales Checkout Patron Data section.

                    This is where you set the minimum data patrons must provide to access the web sales checkout.

                    If you mail tickets, please make patron address, city, state and zip code mandatory.

                    If all tickets are held for will call or print at home, then set as many of these options as you'd like (even none).

                  Diataxis: 

                  Limited Profile Rules

                  This section contains some of the rules that Theatre Manager implements, depending how the limited profile patron is created.

                  Guest Checkout for Web Sales

                  Enabling Guest Checkout for online sales means that the patron:
                  • Can buy online and add items (tickets, gift certificates/passes, donations) to their cart
                  • Begin the checkout process
                  • The web sales process will ask them if they want to:
                    • Log in to a previously created account using their email/password. This attaches the cart to an existing full profile patron.
                    • Create a new Account which will ask the user to supply all information - and create a new full profile patron
                    • do a Guest Checkout which will use the data requirements on the right side of the mandatory data window. If the patron enters:
                      • Only this minimum data and no Password, a Limited Profile Patron is created during guest checkout and an employee may need to subsequently find and merge them (if its a duplicate), or capture more data later. A guest checkout cannot log back in online and see their prior purchases
                      • All the information and a Password, then a full profile patron will be created. By providing the password, the patron will be able to log in online and review prior purchases.

                   

                  Guest Checkout Options are Based on Cart Contents

                  If the Web Checkout limited profile is set, you can restrict when the Limited Profile option is available based on the contents of the cart. The choices are any one or more of:

                  • Tickets - if only tickets are in the cart, the patron can do limited profile checkout

                    Do not set this option if you are selling live streaming events (see note below)

                  • Donations - if only donations are in the cart, the patron can do limited profile checkout
                  • Pass/Gift Certificate - if only Passes/Gift Certificaes are in the cart, the patron can do limited profile checkout
                  • If Multiple items are checked, then the patron can check out using limited profile if only those checked items are in the cart. Eg if Donations and tickets are checked, then the patron can use limited profile if a donation and/or ticket are in the cart, but not if a pass is in the cart

                   

                  What the Patron Sees Online at checkout

                  If the Limited Profile Patron feature is enabled in System Preferences -> Mandatory Data, the following will apply during checkout:

                  • Patron still has the option of logging in to an existing account to see prior purchases
                  • Otherwise, a new patron will always be created if they choose the quick checkout process and provide their name & email (at minimum), and other data you deem mandatory
                  • Theatre Manager always verifies the email address.
                    • If the email address already exists in the database, this 'new' patron will be added to the existing household.
                    • If the email does not exist, a brand new household will be created.
                    A patron who checks a shopping cart out online as a Limited Profile Patron has no login credentials.
                    • Ordinarily, this means they cannot log in and see past purchase history.
                    • However, if they visit the web site and ask for their password to be emailed, they can log in with their email and password and purchase again. If they do that, they will be required to complete the patron information that they did not complete the first time (thereby becoming a full profile patron),
                    • If they never log in and simply buy again (they don't ask for their password), they will have to provide their name each time they checkout.
                    If limited profile is used, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that all events be set to require print at home - so that the customer is emailed their tickets.
                    DO NOT USE limited profile for tickets if the event delivery is live streaming (a this time). If the patron has a full account and buys the streamed event using limited profile and the same email address, this will cause the streamed event to be inaccessible.

                    This is because the patron who logs in using the email, always logs into the main account, but they cannot see events in the limited profile patron.

                  • At the box office, 'Limited Profile Patrons' are indicated on the patron list using a new icon. If you edit the patron contact card for one of those patrons at the box office, you will then have to complete the missing information before the data can be saved.
                  • You should implement a data management policy to find and merge 'Limited Profile Patrons' on an ongoing basis if you allow the feature. This is because several records are created for the same patron if they never log in, but use the same email.
                  Diataxis: 

                  "Quick Add" to a Mail List online

                  The limited profile patron feature can be used to allow patrons to do a "quick add" to a Mail List online using a quick submit form. This will allow them to be added to a Mail List without providing all the standard patron data normally required for a full log in. Instead, all that will be required is name, address and email.

                  The form is a standard part of the Theatre Manager web pages. Refer to mail list quick add feature.

                  However: If you wish to place it on your main marketing site, please contact your web designer to implement this advanced web feature in an iframe or equivalent.

                  To use this feature:

                  • the mail list be visible on the internet.
                  • You must allow limited profile patrons to be added using mail lists
                    • If the patron's email address already exists within the database and the first and last name match, the existing patron will be added to the mail list.
                    • However, if the first and last name do not match, a limited patron will be created under the patron owning the emails address.
                    • Your Box Office staff will need to be vigilant about finding duplicate patrons by email address and merging then created this way.
                  • At minimum the form will need to collect three fields in order to subscribe the patron to the Mail List:
                    • First Name
                    • Last Name
                    • Email Address
                  Diataxis: 

                  Credit Card Swipe

                  There is a convenient quick-add feature that creates a patron by swiping their credit card. This might be best used during the admittance process for Auctions. The process works as follows:

                  • You start by setting the Patron List window to search by credit card. For more info on the Patron List window, click here.
                  • Then, when you swipe a credit card, it will find the patron if that card number is in the database.
                  • If the card number does not exist in the database, TM gives you the option to quick add the patron attending the auction.
                  • Patrons added in this way will be 'limited profile patrons'. That is, the name on the card along with their credit card on file stored in the database.
                  • In an auction setting, if there are bid packets, you can give the patron the patron number created during the swipe.
                  • You can now sell auction items to this patron using the auction process.

                  As with any limited profile patron, if you edit their actual address data, you will be required to provide the minimum information normally required of the box office.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Edits Tab

                  The Edits tab contains patron data management information for Theatre Manager.

                  Data Editing

                  "Unknown" Phone Number
                  The phone number which can be used if there is no patron phone number. This number will be ignored when checking for multiple patrons.
                  First Name Connector
                  The connector which will be used to join first and last names in reports and letters.
                  Greeting Name Preference
                  The greeting preference used when sending material to patrons.

                  Auto Capitalize
                  Controls Theatre Manager's ability to set mixed case letters during entry and reduces the necessity to use the shift key. Several methods can be chosen to control this process.

                  Never Capitalize - Removes this option by always accepting exactly what is entered.

                  First Time - Capitalizes the first letter of data entered into a field the first time it is entered. When the field is edited, the changes will be saved as entered.

                  Mac: Except for <Option> <Tab> - Capitalizes the first letter of any word entered into a field unless the <Option> key is held down when <Tab> is used to move into the next field. When the <Option> key is depressed, and <Tab> is used to move to the next field, the data is recorded as entered.

                  Windows: Except for <CTRL> Click - Capatilizes the first letter of any word entered into the field unless the <CTRL> key is held down and clicking is used to move into the next field. When the <CTRL> key is depressed, and the click is used to move to the next field, the data is recorded as entered.

                  Always Capitalize - Capitalizes the first letter of any word entered into a field.

                  Disable Postal Code Edits
                  If selected, the program will not validate a Countries Postal/Zip code requirements.

                  Examples:

                  Canadian Format : xxx xxx

                  American Format: xxxxx or xxxxx-xxxx

                  New Zealand Format: xxxx

                  Disable Telephone Number Edit
                  If selected, the program will not validate a countries telephone number requirements.

                  Examples:

                  Canadian/American Format: (xxx) xxx - xxxx

                  New Zealand Format: 0800 xx xx xx or 021 xxx xxxx or 025 xxx xxx or 0Y xxx xxxx where Y is a number between 3 and 9.

                  Email Address Domain Verification

                  Never
                  E-mail addresses will not be verified when entered into Theatre Manager.
                  Internet Only
                  E-mail addresses will be verified when entered through web sales.
                  Everywhere
                  E-mail addresses will always be verified when entered into Theatre Manager. This can slow down data entry but is the most accurate.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Box Office Tab

                  Ticket Reservation Display Letters

                  Letter Display Determine if the price code or the seat code from the Buy Window shows on the seat in the map display.

                  If you change the setting to or from 'Price Code' and 'Promotion Letter', you will need to verify future performances to change the actual letter display on the map.

                  Set Colour of seats for current sale Click on this box to bring up the colour palette window. You can select both the foreground and background colours.
                  Set Colour of seats for current exchange Click on this box to bring up the colour palette window. You can select both the foreground and background colours.

                  Play Sell Warning Colours

                  Performance has begun or is over Click on this box to bring up the colour palette window. You can select both the foreground and background colours.
                  30 minutes until Performance starts Click on this box to bring up the colour palette window. You can select both the foreground and background colours.
                  1 hour until Performance starts Click on this box to bring up the colour palette window. You can select both the foreground and background colours.
                  2 Hours until Performance starts Click on this box to bring up the colour palette window. You can select both the foreground and background colours.
                  4 hours until Performance starts Click on this box to bring up the colour palette window. You can select both the foreground and background colours.

                  Held Seat Setup

                  Hold Letter Clicking on each letter brings up the colour palette window allowing you to select both the foreground and background colours. Seat hold letters are always represented with lowercase letters.
                  Hold Description You can define the meaning of the seat hold code by entering a description beside each of the 26 lower case letter codes.
                  Diataxis: 

                  Web and Reports Tab

                  The Web tab is used to set some global behavior of all Web Listeners for all outlets in the database such as:
                  • are any of them allowed to be active? (i.e. this is a global shutdown switch)
                  • the hold letter tp be used for internet sales - it is common across all outlets
                  • the hold letter to be used for social distance or associated seats. The letter selected is also common across all outlets

                  Web Sales Options

                  Enable Web Sales Checking this box enables the use of the web sales module.
                  Maximum Tickets The maximum number of tickets that can be purchased in a single web order. This is a global total for all tickets in a cart and can be overridden on the:
                  • Event window to give different limits for an entire event (meaning, a specific limit on the event cannot be more than a limit for the cart) -OR-
                  • Performance web tab to give different limits for single performance. (also cannot be more than the cart limit)
                  Regardless of settings on event or performance, at no time can there be more tickets in a cart than the value in this field in Company Preferences. This is the absolute limit.
                  Web Sales Stop Time Number of minutes before/after the performance start time in which to remove a performance from the Internet. This is the default time for all Events. This can be overridden in individual events. Click here for the steps on changing the default time on the event.
                  The stop time affects emailing of PDF tickets. You cannot email tickets from the box office if the performance is no longer onsale online. This would be after the start time plus/minus any 'web sales stop time'.
                  Web Sales Stop Type Indicates whether the stop time is before or after the performance begins. Typically, you want the performances to cease being sold online before the actual performance time. However, there are instances where you might to stop sales after the performance starts, such as:
                  • All Day Events - where you want online sales to be available after the gates open
                  • Courses - where you may want to allow late registration, say up until the the second class
                  • On Demand Streaming - where a video streamed through the ticketing site can be purchased after the original start date/time
                  Live Content Availability The default time, in minutes, after the start of a performance in which live streaming sales will be available.

                  Special Hold Letters

                  Internet Sale Specify the hold letter that will be displayed on the map when a web sale is in progress. We recommend altering the colour of this hold code to make it stand out on the map during the sales process.
                  Social Distance or Associated Seat Specify the hold letter assigned to associated seats.

                  The lower case letter q is suggested as the default.

                  These are seats that are held automatically for a patron when they buy a specific set of seats an might be used fort dinner theatre or ADA companion seats. We recommend altering the colour of this hold code to make it stand out on the map during the sales process and afterwards as permanent holds.

                  You can create unique social distance seating on each pricing map to suit your needs.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Backup Tab

                  There are 3 basic settings for backups in this window, and one setting in TM server to make it all work.

                   

                  Settings in System Preferences

                  1. Backups are always created on the local machine running a TM Server.

                    You will need to indicate the frequency and how many of these you want to retain

                  2. After a backup is completed, it can be migrated to a remote machine by the TM server.

                    You can indicate whee you want these backups to go. If you do not pick a remote backup option, then you will have no offsite backups (unless you are using other backup tools that watch for a new file in the backup directory.

                  3. You can change the Error Notification settings to indicate when you want to receive a message at login if backups do not run.

                   

                  TM Server Settings

                  Once the setting have been made in system preferences, you will need to designate a TM Server to do the actual backups. This includes the location on that machine where the backups are stored.

                  Please make sure there is adequate disk space to store all the historical backups you configured above.

                  Diataxis: 

                  Local Backup Settings

                  The schedule of backups can be set along with retention. A TM server on a designated machine will coordinate the backups.

                  See the setup below for the TM server

                  Backups Occur at Enter one or more times of the day that you want backups to run. Generally:
                  • at least two daily backups are recommended like 2:00 am and 2 pm (2:00,14:00)
                  • only one daily backup if
                    • you have streaming replication enabled -or-
                    • your database is set up on the AMS cloud - where the backups are done daily and moved offsite for you.
                    Hourly The number of hourly backups that you want the system to retain. This number can be greater that the number you want to run in any one day. i\If so, then more are kept across multiple days.

                    4 to 6 hourly backups are recommended.

                    Example: if you want to keep 9 hourly backups and do 3 backups daily, then you will have 3 backups per day (the hourlies) for each of the past 3 days.

                    Daily The number of days of daily backups that will be kept.

                    15 days (half a month) or more is recommended.

                    note: if backups are not run for 5 out of the past 15 days, then 15 days of daily backups means that 15 distinct days are kept, which will be across 20 days in total.

                    Weekly The number of weeks of weekly backups that will be kept.

                    Between 4 and 8 weekly backups are recommended

                    Like the above, this is the number of distinct weeks of backups that are kept. If you keep 4 weeks of backups, but one week got missed for some reason, then TM will keep the 5th week as well.

                    Monthly The number of months of monthly backups that will be kept.

                    12 or more Monthly backups are recommended

                    Yearly The number of years that an annual backups should kept.

                    About 5 yearly backups are recommended

                    You may want to set this to coincide with any government (IRS/CCRA) requirements for electronic storage.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Remote Backup Settings

                    This allows you to send the backups off to another machine in the office or offsite if you want to push backups to a second safe place. Its something that we recommend.

                    Backup Type You can indicate what kind of offsite backup you want - the options are:
                    • None - no offsite back will be attempted
                    • FTP - this is used to send your backup to an FTP site. TM Server will attempt secure connections and fall back if necessary. You can use tools like Filezilla to set up your own PC based storage.
                    • HTTP - will sent your backup data over HTTPS to a server.
                    • AMS Cloud - Enable this setting if you have purchased remote backup storage from AMS. Each of your backups will be sent to a secure storage location in the AMS cloud. No other credentials are required.

                      It cannot be enabled in a training or demo database.

                    Backup URL The URL that the backup will be sent to. Only applicable to the FTP and HTTP methods. For AMS cloud, this will be specified for you
                    User Name The user name to log into the remote backup location.
                    Password The password used to log into the remote backup location
                    Diataxis: 

                    Backup Status and Error Notification

                    The daily backup script will update the date of last backup in the database.

                    If the backup does not run, you can decide how long you want to wait without a backup before the message is displayed in Theatre Manager's startup notification window.

                    Last Backup The date and time that the backup script was last known to have run. If this field does not change, then backups are not running.
                    Last Size The file size of the last backup. This number should generally increase in size.
                    Prior Size The file size of the second to last backup. This should also increase in size.
                    Remind in The number of days to wait until a reminder is created at a startup that the backup did not run.
                    • This can be set between 1 and 7 days.
                    • 2 is the recommended value for venues on the AMS cloud
                    • 1 is recommended for all self hosted databases
                    Threshold Enter a threshold for the differences between the current and the prior backup sizes. If the difference is over the this threshold, you will receive a warning. We recommend it is small - like 0.5%
                    Diataxis: 

                    Enabling a TM server to do backups

                    At least one of your TM servers should be enabled for backups. You can access your TM server from the machine it is running on by typing http://127.0.0.1:3012

                    • This is preferably a listener that is NOT running on the database server so that you easily have local off-machine backups.
                    • You can enable backups on multiple TM servers if you wish. However it is better to enable push of the database instead to a remote offsite location for better risk management.

                    Normally, a backup path (shown to the right) is local to the machine. You can make it a network share if you know how to do that.

                    For example:

                    Platform Local Path Network Path
                    Windows C:\BoxOffice\Backups Log TM Server in as user that has access to network file share (i.e. set the service to login as a person with access to the share as per he sample to the right)
                    • Type share name as //Share + path
                    • Share: //pt-bkp01\Backups
                    • Path: \TheatreManager
                    • Share + Path: //pt-bkp01\Backups\TheatreManager
                    MacOS \BoxOffice\Backups You'll have to mount a remote volume that will appear in the volumes directory that you allow read/write access to
                    • Type backup path name as \volumes + path
                    • Share: \Volumes\DiskMount
                    • Path: \TheatreManager\Backups
                    • Share + Path: \Volumes\DiskMount\TheatreManager\Backups

                    Manually Initiating a Backup

                    Venues whose database and web services are hosted on the AMS cloud will need to contact support to make a point-in-time backup (eg for year end).

                    Venues who are self hosted can make a manual backup at any time. The steps are:

                    • Find the TM Server machine that was configured to run backups.
                    • On that machine, type http://127.0.0.1:3012 to start the Director and make a backup run. Or, if you are viewing this help page on the same machine that can do backups, just click the link.
                    • add /backup to the URL on the browser, or type/click http://127.0.0.1:3012/backup.
                    • This will start the actual backup process and the URL will change to backup.log to indicate it is running. A sample of a backup log file is shown to the right.
                    • Hit the browser's refresh button to see more of the log file as the backup progresses
                    • When the backup is completed, you'll see a line at the end of the http://127.0.0.1:3012/backup.log that has the full pathname of the backup file.

                    • When done, if you want to save this backup for a special purpose (eg year end, or before a large import)
                      • Use the path name to go to the backup folder -and-
                      • save the backup copy of the database named at the bottom of the long into a place for safekeeping
                      • Optionally, rename the file after the purpose of the backup, if it convenient

                    Other Tab

                    The Other tab contains details on miscellaneous information with Theatre Manager.

                     

                    Data Management

                    Keep Transactions after posting to the G/L Checking this box causes some non-financial transactions to be kept after posting to the GL. Unchecking it allows those transactions to be purged after a period of time
                    Otherwise Purge After Determine the number of days to keep the non-posting transaction records before purging them.

                    Update Management

                    Check for Updates Daily When this box is checked, your theatre Manager system will check on a daily basis to see if there is a newer version available. This should be done for PCI compliance by enabling the update checking port for this. No download will happen, it is a notification only.
                    Automatically TM Minor Updates When enabled
                    • TM will automatically pull down and update itself with newer versions. This is done via a secure connection (using TLS 1.2) to our update servers
                    • Versions that cross any release boundary that require new database fields for new features will download only after the TM server has added the new fields into the database.
                    • Listeners restart themselves after updating. Users at workstations are reminded every four hours that the release is waiting for them if they ready to install it. On start up of TM, a workstation will be automatically updated.

                    Replication Monitoring

                    Enable database replication monitoring Some sites have specifically set up live streaming database replication - in order to have a failover database with the most current information, should the machine hosting it fail.

                    Replication is done automatically for cloud venues. Self service venues who wish this feature must set it up and maintain it themselves.

                    Enabling this flag will cause Theatre Manager server to monitor the replication process and update the 'last verify' date. This can be used through the API to find out if monitoring is working. if this option is

                    • not checked - the API will return disabled
                    • checked - the API will return
                      • ok - if the last replication time check is within a recent time period
                      • yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss+00:00 - a full ISO8601 timestamp (with timezone) representing the last time that replication was verified as running. This is the same date that is shown below.
                      • None - if replication is not enabled and running for the database
                    Last Verify The date and time that the last replication verification occurred successfully.

                    Cache Settings

                    Enable cache for Theatre Manager Desktop Theatre Manager tries to optimize how it reads data from the database and will avoid reaching out to get some data in a number of cases. If you are having trouble with messages saying record not found, when it is really there, you can disable most of the cache.

                    Uncheck Enable cache for Theatre Manager Desktop to stop the cache being used for the desktop. It will apply to all workstations. You can specify mac platform and windows platforms independently.

                    Enable cache for web sales (Classic Listener) Uncheck Enable cache for web sales (Classic Listener) to stop the cache being used in the classic listeners. They have very little need for caching, so you may want to uncheck this if you have problems with some carts checking out a ticket.

                    You can specify mac platform and windows platforms independently.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Company Preferences

                    Company Preferences allows customization of Theatre Manager to work optimally with a venue. From this window many of the features and behaviors of Theatre Manager specific to the company can be modified.

                    In the outlet version of Theatre Manager, a master user will need to create a Company Preferences record for each participating company. The companies can then set their own default preferences to have different box office policies, names for entities, development defaults, etc.

                    Opening the Company Preferences Window

                    The Company Preferences Window is access through the Setup >> Company Preferences Menu.

                    The Company Preferences window opens.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Company Tab

                    The Company tab contains all the information about the company. To access the Company Preferences click Setup >> Company Preferences.

                     

                    Default Company Information

                    Short Name A shortened version of the company's name. The shortened company name is printed on all reports.
                    Company The full legal name of the company.
                    Address The location of the company offices.
                    City The city in which the company is located.
                    Province/State The province or state the company is in. The default title of this field can be changed under the appearance tab of the Company Preferences window. Click here for more information. However, if addresses are indicated to be in Canada or the USA, this field will change automatically to reflect the location.
                    Postal Code/Zip Code The postal / zip code of the company. The default title of this field can be changed under the appearance tab of the Company Preferences window. Click here for more information. However, if addresses are indicated to be in Canada or the USA, this field will change automatically to reflect the location.
                    Country The country in which the company is located.
                    Telephone The company telephone number.
                    Fax The company fax number.
                    Web Site The Internet web site for the company.
                    Web Server button Display a window showing web server SMTP settings.
                    Meeting Server button Displays a window showing meeting server settings.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Server SMTP settings

                    Please be aware: there gotcha's to using Gmail or Office 365 and we recommend against them.

                    If emails are not sending, please refer to the pending email troubleshooting section.

                    Web Email and E-blast Setup

                    Email Address The Internet Email address for the company.
                    SMTP server The email server for sending batch emails.
                    EHLO host name Some SMTP servers require you to provide the EHLO host name as part of the protocol to talk to them as an anti-spam measure. Most SMTP servers do not require this to be entered and the field should be left blank. Check with your email provider to verify - as it helps your spam score.

                    Google and office 365 may require it.

                    User ID ID name required for email authentication.
                    Password Password required for email authentication.
                    Rate Limited Until If the field is visible, you will see a rate-limit timestamp. This indicates the next time that TM will attempt to send an email using this account since it believes you have reached your maximum allowable email limit as determined by your ISP.
                    SMTP Port Port to use for SMTP. This is usually
                    • port 25 - for typical email servers
                    • port 587 - if the server suports TLS/StartTLS ( office 365 typically uses this)
                    • port 465 - if the server uses SMTPS (gmail can use this, but is known to also support port 587)
                    Timeout Timeout period.
                    Needs Authentication SMTP server requires password authentication. Encryption methods supported are:
                    • NONE
                    • LOGIN
                    • PLAIN
                    • CLEARTEXT
                    • CRAM-MD5

                    TM Server does not currently support NTLM authentication in exchange servers. Please use any of the above. use SMTPS is you are using that methodology. If using TLS/StartTLS, TM will figure that out.
                    Use SMTPS Indicate if emails are to be sent using SMTPS. This usually goes with port 465 - see explanation of difference (the exact settings are dependant on your ISP)

                    Regardless, all emails are sent using the TM server. If this checkbox is:

                    • checked, emails are sent using SMTPS protocols automatically where TLS encryption is started automatically before any SMTP level communication. You will typically need to set the port to 465.
                    • not checked, sending of emails will be attempted using the best encryption as possible. The preference is StartTLS ( email over TLS), and if that fails, then falls back to lesser protocols. You will typically need to set the SMTP port to 587 for StartTLS or perhaps 25.

                    If using gmail, you may need to use secure settings because Gmail is warning users if email comes over insecure servers and may not access email unless it is sent with TLS enabled. Google seems to support both TLS/StartTLS or SMTPS.

                    If using office365, you will likely need to uncheck this and set the port to 587 for STARTtls.

                    This sends a test e-mail to verify that all settings have been entered correctly. If you get errors with emails, please refer to the SMTP Errors web page to help diagnose issues.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Gmail as a mail provider

                    Free email providers come with limitations. Gmail is no exception and not recommended if you want to do a lot of eblasts or have high volume web sales.

                    WE RECOMMEND using a proper mail provider that will let you do what you want to - Mailgun is an option.

                    Gmail rate limits outgoing emails so make sure that you don't exceed it. If you do, emails from web services will be delayed and you need to manage your pending/unsent emails on an ongoing basis.
                    If you are using gmail as your provider, you may need to be aware of Google Apps SMTP settings to send mail from a printer, scanner, or app or use Application Passwords if using multi-factor authentication.
                    Also read about Google Bulk Sender Guildelines
                    There is also a setting that might need to be made to tell gmail to allow apps sending emails with less secure settings. (This is just Googles way of scaring you -- it isn't less secure -just google being google)
                    Diataxis: 

                    Gmail wont send due to Bad Password with Gmail SMTP Settings

                    Gmail has instituted new security measures for sending emails via Printer, Fax or third party Applications. This setting can prevent emails from being sent through Theatre Manager even when the SMTP server settings are added correctly. Any clients using Gmail for sending outgoing email should be aware of these settings.

                    It seems any application that is not a Google product is deemed a less secure app when using Gmail SMTP servers. This does not mean the application, in this case Theatre Manager, poses a security risk. It simple means Google is attempting to protect itself should the SMTP details be used in an incorrect manner. For more information on how Google perceives other applications please see the details in the article.

                     

                    How to Recognize the Error

                    When using Gmail as an outgoing SMTP provider suddenly emails stop sending. The Pending/Unsent emails list indicates the Password is wrong. When checking the Web Server settings in Company Preferences the password has been typed correctly but the emails still fail with a "Bad Password" error.

                     

                    How to Fix the Error

                    1. Login to the email account used for authenticating the outgoing email.
                    2. Locate the email from Gmail regarding security and this email address. The email content will look like the image below:

                    3. Click the link for allowing access to less secure apps. The following page should appear:

                    4. Move the slider from it's default of Off to On.

                    By altering the setting you should now be able to send outgoing email using Gmail again.

                     

                    Changing Setting In Advance

                    1. Login to the email account used for authenticating the outgoing email.
                    2. Click My Account >> Sign-In & Security >> Apps With Account Access.

                    3. Move the slider from it's default of Off to On.

                      Gmail will send an email indicating the setting has been changed. This email suggests changing the setting may lead to security issues. This is the only way to ensure outgoing email will not be blocked when using Gmail SMTP settings.

                    4. On the My Account page click the Secure Account link.

                    5. Review the Security Checkup list and locate the option for Third-Party access. Click the drop down arrow to expand the option and view the details.

                    6. Click Yes, it was me to approve the change and allow third party app access.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Office 365 as Mail Provider

                    Free email providers come with limitations. Office 365 is no exception and not recommended if you want to do a lot of eblasts or have high volume web sales.

                    WE RECOMMEND using a proper mail provider that will let you do what you want to - mailgun is an option.

                    Office 365 rate limits outgoing emails so make sure that you don't exceed it.

                    If you do, emails from web services can be delayed and you will need to manage your pending/unsent emails on an ongoing basis.

                    If you are using Office 365 server for your emails, please be aware of

                    The following is a typical example of current Office 365 settings.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Meeting Server SMTP/POP/IMAP settings

                    Please be aware: there are gotcha's to using Gmail or Office 365 and we recommend against them.

                    If emails are not sending, please refer to the pending email troubleshooting section.

                    Meeting Reminder Email Setup

                    Email Address The Internet Email address for the company.

                    Meeting Reminder Outgoing Email

                    SMTP server The email server for sending batch emails.
                    User ID ID name required for email authentication.
                    Password Password required for email authentication.
                    Rate Limited Until If the field is visible, you will see a rate-limit timestamp. This indicates the next time that TM will attempt to send an email using this account since it believes you have reached your maximum allowable email limit as determined by your ISP.
                    SMTP Port Port to use for SMTP.
                    Timeout Timeout period.
                    Needs Authentication SMTP server requires password authentication. Encryption methods supported are:
                    • NONE
                    • LOGIN
                    • PLAIN
                    • CLEARTEXT
                    • CRAM-MD5
                    Use SMTPS Indicate if the SMTP server requires SMTPS. If set, emails that are sent by the
                    • second generation server will attempt TLS variants of SMTPS protocols automatically. This accounts for ALL emails sent by Theatre Manager.
                    This sends a test e-mail to verify that all settings have been entered correctly.
                    Default Acceptance Status For Invitations Select Needs Invitation or Don't Ever Invite to indicate whether Email invitations need to be sent out or not.

                    Meeting Reminder Incoming Email

                    Server Type There are three choices that can be used to tell TM Server how to handle incoming emails:
                    • None - do not bother to try to retrieve and interpret scheduling email responses.
                    • POP3 - reading incoming scheduling emails from a POP3 server
                    • IMAP - reading incoming scheduling emails from an IMAP server. If you select this, you may need to specify an INBOX (if the default inbox is not inbox) and a a COMPLETION mailbox.
                    POP/IMAP server The email server for receiving incoming emails.
                    User ID ID name required for email authentication.
                    Password Password required for email authentication.
                    POP Port Port to use for POP.
                    Timeout Timeout period.
                    Needs Authentication SMTP server requires password authentication. Encryption methods supported are:
                    • NONE
                    • LOGIN
                    • PLAIN
                    • CLEARTEXT
                    • CRAM-MD5
                    Use SMTPS SMTP server requires SMTPS. StartTLS (Transport Layer Security) is supported automatically.
                    INBOX NAME Create a customized name for the Inbox, leave blank for the system default
                    Completion Mailbox Create a customized mailbox name for completing a meeting request, leave blank for the system default
                    This checks the POP Email server to verify that all settings have been entered correctly.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Accounting Tab

                    The Accounting tab allows changes to the company's accounting formats. Adjustments to the fiscal year and accounting format can be made here.

                    General Accounting Information

                    Fiscal Year This is the fiscal year that the company is currently in. This can be altered by clicking in the field and retyping the year if it is wrong.

                    If you are ending one fiscal year and beginning another, you must use Year End Rollover (instead of changing the fiscal year.

                    Month Start This is the month that the company's new fiscal year starts in. This can be altered by clicking in the field and retyping the month. If the fiscal start month is changed after sales information has been posted to the General Ledger accounts, it may be necessary to Recalculate General Ledger Totals.
                    Refer to complete instructions if you plan to change the last month of your fiscal year end. The general steps are below:
                    • Make sure your end of day is done
                    • Save your fiscal year end database
                    • Change the 'Month' for your fiscal year end
                    • Do your year end rollover right away before processing any further transactions
                    Store Years As - Start If selected: the year stored in the GL will be the year at the beginning of the fiscal year. i.e. 2015/2016 fiscal year dates will be stored as 2015. This also applies to the data in the supporting records.

                    For example a donation with fiscal year of 2016 means that the donation will be for the 2016-2017 season. You would search for donations in 2016 to find them.

                    Store Years As - End If selected: the year stored in the GL will be the year at the end of the fiscal year. i.e. 2015/2016 fiscal year dates will be stored as 2016.

                    For example, a gift certificate in the 2013-2014 year will be marked as 2014 (the end of the fiscal year). You would search for gift certificates for year 2014 to find them)

                    Internal Account Number Format

                    Account # Format Allows the account number to be up to 15 digits, excluding dashes, in any combination of numbers and dashes.
                    Export Format Select the Export Format to use for exporting GL entries that is most compatible with your accounting software. Options include:
                    This button will create a set of sample accounts if no accounts have been setup under Accounting >> G/L Accounts.
                    This button will edit the Data Encryption Key used for Data Encryption Proocesses.

                    Ticket Sales Deferred Revenue Rollover Options

                    Day of Performance Moves money for the performance from Deferred to Sales on the day of the performance.
                    Day after Performance Moves money for the performance from Deferred to Sales on the day after the performance.
                    Day of First Performance Moves money for the play from Deferred to Sales on the day of the first performance.
                    Day after Last Performance Moves money for the play from Deferred to Sales on the day after the last performance date.
                    During year end rollover for next season Moves money for the play from Deferred to Sales on the during the year end rollover.

                    Default Sales Mode

                    Sale Adds transactions to the Accounts Receivable ledger immediately.
                    Reservation Only Financial transactions are not created in the general ledger until the order has one or more of the following events happen to it:
                    • first payment is made on the order
                    • the order contains a donation or anything else except tickets
                    • a user un-clicks this option next time it is put on account.
                    • The user tells the system to convert some or all orders from reservation only to real orders during end of day sales posting (it could depend on if the performances that the tickets are for has passed)

                    If you allow this feature, you may wish to set a preference for each employee for their default during order creation.

                    For emphasis, we recommended against this feature being enabled, as it is not strictly accrual basis accounting. It may not be acceptable to some auditors in the US (especially if over $5M in sales). It also means that inventory reports will be overstated by the amount in reservation only, compared to the sales and accounting reports.
                    Do not allow 'Reservation Only' Will prevent the 'Reservation Only' option from appearing at checkout. This is the PREFERRED option

                    Foreign Currency

                    Other Country This is where an optional country can be selected for accepted foreign currency when selling tickets. If the organization does not accept foreign currency, set the country to the "home" country.
                    Exchange Rate This is where the exchange rate for converting from the local currency to the currency of the foreign country is entered. If the organization does not accept foreign currency, set the exchange rate to 1.000000.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Export Format Options

                    If you are exporting your data to an external accounting package, ensure you have set up the External Account information in GL Account Setup . The software uses the External Account information as the default format for your accounting system.

                    Select the export format you want to use in the company preferences accounting tab

                    Export formats supported are to the right. They are explained in detail in the help pages that follow.

                    The GL Reports can only be exported once a day. The GL Entry is flagged as being exported when it is done via the EOD Wizard so it's not exported twice by mistake.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Tab Delimited

                    Tab Delimited Export Format

                    TM Tab Delimited File format works with most accounting packages and with Microsoft Excel.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Comma Delimited

                    Comma Delimited Export Format

                    TM Comma Delimited File format works with most accounting packages and with Microsoft Excel. Each field is separated by a comma.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Excel

                    Microsoft Excel

                    Excel Workbook 97-2004 creates a .xls export file that can be opened directly in Microsoft Excel versions 97 through 2004 with no need for conversion.

                    Excel Workbook 2008 creates a .xlsx export file that can be opened directly in Microsoft Excel 2008 and higher with no need for conversion.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Banner

                    Banner FINFEED

                    Banner FINFEED creates an XML export file for use with the Banner financial package. If your organization uses Banner, then select this option.

                    Diataxis: 

                    HTE Software II

                    HTE Software II (HT2), G/L Interface File Structure

                    HTE Software II (HT2), G/L Interface File Structure creates a fixed position file format.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016

                    Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016

                    The Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 exports a tab-delimited text file containing an export line for each detail line within the G/L Entry. The deposit and sales posting are combined and exported within the same export file. This allows an exact match of each G/L Entry to crossover into Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 accounting software (line for line).

                     

                    Parts of the Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 Export File

                    Reference Journal Entry Reference Number. The Journal Number for this G/L Entry (SP-0005041, DP-0004318, GL-2021122)
                    Date The Journal Entry Date. The date is always in YYYYMMDD format.
                    Account Theatere Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Debit The Debit amount for this G/L Detail Line.
                    Credit The Credit amount for this G/L Detail Line.
                    Line Description The Journal Entry Description for this G/L Entry (Sales Posting, Deposit Posting).
                    Diataxis: 

                    iCity

                    Theatre Manager will create a comma-delimited text file (.csv) that can be used to import into iCity accounting software. iCity's ability to create unique funds, classes, departments, and objects for each GL account requires the setup of Theatre Manager's External Account field to be set in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the iCity export file, prior to performing the first export.

                     

                    iCity Accounting Software - Detail

                    The iCity - Detail format will export each detail line within the G/L Entry. Each deposit and sales posting are exported as their own separate entry within the export file. This allows an exact match of each G/L Entry to crossover into iCity (line for line).

                     

                    iCity Accounting Software - Summary

                    The iCity - Summary export creates a summarized version of the deposit and sales postings for each posting date. The deposit and sales postings lines are summarized into a single entry for each posting date within the export file.

                     

                    Parts of the iCity Export File

                    Voucher ID A sequential Line Counter for each exported entry line. Line numbers begin at 1 and increment by 1 for each associated entry line.
                    Date The Journal Entry Date for this G/L Entry. The date will be in a YYYYMMDD format.
                    Fund An associated Fund Code to the Account Number. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Class An associated Class Code to the Account Number. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    GL Department / Category An associated Department/Category Code to the Account Number. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Object The iCity account number. Theatere Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Amount The debit amount (represented as a positive value) or the credit amount (represented as a negative value) of the transaction.
                    Description The memo text for this G/L Detail Line.
                    • (detail export) The description or memo for this particular G/L transaction from Theatre Manager's journal entry.
                    • (summary export) The description will be a combination of the GL Account Description and the summary level category such as Event Code, Fee Description, Donation Campaign, Pass Description, or Resource Description.
                    Cost Centre 1 An associated Cost Center ID to the Account Number.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    Cost Centre 2 An associated Cost Center ID to the Account Number.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    Cost Centre 3 An associated Cost Center ID to the Account Number.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                     

                    Formatting the External Account Number

                    Theatre Manager's External Account number are required to be set up in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the iCity export file.

                    The format of the External Account varies based on the purpose of the GL Account. The format of this field is required to have a backslash (\) used as separator between fields. A leading or trailing backslash (\) for the External Account field should not be added.
                    • (Accounts with No Fund, No Class, No Dept, Object) The field formation will be \\\A64220
                    • (Accounts with Fund, No Class. No Dept, Object) The field formation will be F01\\\A64220
                    • (Accounts with Fund, No Class, Dept, Object) The field formation will be F01\\D710000\A64220
                    • (Accounts with Fund, Class, Dept, Object) The field formation will be F01\C2\D710000\A64220
                    • (Accounts with No Fund, No Class, Dept, Object) The field formation will be \\D710000\A64220
                    • (Accounts with No Fund, Class, No Dept, Object) The field formation will be \C2\\A64220
                    Fund F01 - A predefined Fund ID within iCity.
                    Class C2 - A predefined Class ID within iCity.
                    GL Department / Category D710000 - A predefined Department / Category ID within iCity.
                    Object A64220 - The account number that transactions get posted to.

                     

                    Diataxis: 

                    MUNIS Systems

                    MUNIS Systems, Standard Long Account Format

                    MUNIS Systems, standard Long Account Format creates a .csv (text file, comma delimited) file that can be directly opened in MUNIS with no need for conversion.

                    Diataxis: 

                    QuickBooks Desktop

                    Quickbooks Online has a different IIF format than Quickbooks Desktop. Please refer the help page for the version of Quickbooks that you are using.

                    Neither version accepts the format of the other.

                    For step by step instructions on importing IIF files into QuickBooks, visit the QuickBooks Community at Learning how to import Intuit Interchange Format (.IIF) files into QuickBooks.

                     

                    QuickBooks Desktop Pro - Detail

                    The QuickBooks - Detail export exports each detail line within the G/L Entry. Each deposit and sales posting are exported as their own separate entries within the export file. This allows an exact match of each GL entry to crossover into QuickBooks (line for line).

                     

                    QuickBooks Desktop Pro - Summary

                    The QuickBooks - Summary export creates a summarized version of the deposit and sales postings for each posting date. The deposit and sales postings lines are summarized into a single entry for each posting date within the export file.

                     

                    Parts of the QuickBooks Export File

                    TRNS The keyword for a transaction.
                    • TRNS identifies the start of a new transacation.
                    • SPL identifies each distribution line within a transacation.
                    • ENDTRNS identifies the end of the existing transacation.
                    TRNSTYPE A keyword that identifies the type of transaction.
                    • (2007-2018 export) It will default to Journal for General Journal transactions.
                    • (2019 and later export) It will default to General Journal for General Journal transactions.
                    DATE
                    • (detail export) The Journal Entry Date. The date is always in MM/DD/YYYY format.
                    • (summary export) The Journal Posting Date. The date is always in MM/DD/YYYY format.
                    ACCNT The name or account number of the QuickBook's account. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    QuickBooks is able to match on either Account Name or Account Number. Theatre Manager will place in the export file the contents of the External Account field.
                    If the QuickBooks account cannot be found, QuickBooks will automatically create the account during the import process.
                    CLASS The name of the class that applies to the transaction.
                    • (ticket sales) The value will default to the Event Code.
                    • (payments) The value will default to the Payment Method description as its defined in the Payment Methods Code Table.
                    AMOUNT The amount of the transaction. Debit amounts are always positive, credit amounts are always negative.
                    DOCNUM Journal Entry Reference Number.
                    • (detail export) The Journal Number from the sales posting or deposit posting. i.e. SP-0005044, DP-0003855
                    • (summary export) The combination of TM+yyyy+mm+dd based on the Journal Posting Date plus an extension of E+mm+dd+hh+mm+ss based on the E for exported and the exported date/time. For example, if the Journal Posting date was April 18, 2019 and the exported date was April 19, 2019 at 10:42:25am, the DOCNUM would be TM20190418-E0419104225.
                    MEMO The memo text associated with the transaction.
                    • (detail export) The description or memo for this particular G/L transaction from Theatre Manager's journal entry.
                    • (summary export) The description will identify the Journal Posting Date.
                    NAME The name of the Agency Vendor.
                    If QuickBook's has setup Vendor Name as a Sales Tax Agency for an account (i.e. tax collected account), the vendor name must be provided exactly as it was named in QuickBooks otherwise QuickBooks will reject the import file.

                     

                    Vendor is a Sales Tax Agency

                    In QuickBooks, you may have set a Vendor as a Sales Tax Agency for your tax account(s).

                    If QuickBooks is set up in this manner, the following example illustrates how to set up the External Account description. It must be set as [AccountNameOrNumber]\[VendorName] where a backslash (\) separates the 2 fields.

                    During the export process, the External Account field will be automatically parsed into the 2 separate values for ACCNT and NAME when a backslash (\) is within the External Account field.

                    Common Questions

                    QB IIF: TRNSTYPE error - if you receive this error during the QuickBook's import process, it means you have set Theatre Manager to use the incorrect QuickBook's version that you are using. The TRNSTYPE, is a keyword that identifies the type of transaction.
                    • (2007-2018 export) It will default to Journal for General Journal transactions.
                    • (2019 and later export) It will default to General Journal for General Journal transactions.
                    The solution is to alter the QuickBook's Export version in the Account Export Formats to use the correct version.
                    QuickBooks has a requirement that a valid Customer/Vendor is included when posting to the built-in Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payment accounts. QuickBooks can not assign a receivable or a payable to 'nobody', it requires a Customer/Vender that is previously set up within QuickBooks.

                    The solution is as simple as avoiding any postings directly to the QuickBooks account types of Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Rather, create a separate standard (non A/R) asset account and call it (for example) "A/R for Theatre Manager" and separate liability account and call it (for example) "A/P for Theatre Manager" and reference those account numbers in Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) used to create the export file. This way, there is no need to maintain Customers/Payees/Vendors in the export file as these accounts are just standard Asset / Liability and not linked to a special account type.

                    This way when you import the amount into QuickBooks, it will go against the standard asset account and not against the built-in accounts receivable account in QuickBooks.

                    When you want to see the details that make up the "A/R for Theatre Manager" or the "A/P for Theatre Manager" account, go directly to Theatre Manager for the details, rather than QuickBooks.

                    To recap, create a standard Asset & and a standard Liability account to use to post to in QuickBooks.

                    Diataxis: 

                    QuickBooks Online

                    Quickbooks Desktop has a different IIF format than Quickbooks Online. Please refer the help page for the version of Quickbooks that you are using.

                    Neither version accepts the format of the other.

                    For step by step instructions on importing CSV or Excel files into QuickBooks, visit QuickBooks Support at Import Journal Entries in QuickBooks Online.
                    QuickBooks help may say to turn off account numbers in Quickbooks. DO NOT TURN THEM OFF.

                    While Quickbooks indicates is able to match on either Account Name or Account Number, it is simply too much effort to keep account name matching character for character. Theatre Manager places the contents of the External Account field in the export file.

                    This is the best to match TM accounts to Quickbooks using a field that generally should never change.

                     

                    QuickBooks Online - Detail

                    The QuickBooks - Detail export exports each detail line within the G/L Entry. Each deposit and sales posting are exported as their own separate entries within the export file. This allows an exact match of each GL entry to crossover into QuickBooks (line for line).

                     

                    QuickBooks Online - Summary

                    The QuickBooks - Summary export creates a summarized version of the deposit and sales postings for each posting date. The deposit and sales postings lines are summarized into a single entry for each posting date within the export file.

                     

                    Parts of the QuickBooks Export File

                    JournalNo Journal Entry Reference Number.
                    • (detail export) The Journal Number from the sales posting or deposit posting. i.e. SP-0008480, DP-0004536
                    • (summary export) The combination of TM+yyyy+mm+dd based on the Journal Posting Date plus an extension of E+mm+dd+hh+mm+ss based on the E for exported and the exported date/time. For example, if the Journal Posting date was November 23, 2021 and the exported date was November 24, 2021 at 10:42:25am, the JournalNo would be TM20211123-E1124104225.
                    JournalDate
                    • (detail export) The Journal Entry Date. The date is always in MM/DD/YYYY format.
                    • (summary export) The Journal Posting Date. The date is always in MM/DD/YYYY format.
                    Currency A valid Currency Code. Required for multi-currency databases.
                    Default Value: CAD or USD
                    Memo The Journal Entry Description for this G/L Entry (Sales Posting, Deposit Posting).
                    AccountName The name or account number of the QuickBook's account. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    QuickBooks is able to match on either Account Name or Account Number. Theatre Manager will place the contents of the External Account field in the export file which is used to match TM to Quickbooks.
                    QuickBooks requires all new accounts to be created before importing. Be sure to add them in your chart of accounts.
                    Debits The Debit Amount of the transaction.
                    Credits The Credit Amount of the transaction.
                    Description The memo text associated with the transaction.
                    • (detail export) The description or memo for this particular G/L transaction from Theatre Manager's journal entry.
                    • (summary export) The description will identify the Journal Posting Date.
                    Name The name of the Agency Vendor.
                    If QuickBook's has set Vendor Name as a Sales Tax Agency for an account (i.e. tax collected account), the vendor name must be provided exactly as it was named in QuickBooks otherwise QuickBooks will reject the import file.
                    Location The location of the transaction.
                    You can customize sales forms by Location to make it easier to track sales by a specific site.

                    Refer to QuickBooks Support to Turn on Location Tracking. For each transaction, you can assign 1 location only.
                    When providing a Location with the transaction, the Location must be provided exactly as it was named in QuickBooks otherwise QuickBooks will reject the import file.
                    Class The name of the class that applies to the transaction.
                    • (ticket sales) The value will default to the Event Code.
                    • (payments) The value will default to the Payment Method description as its defined in the Payment Methods Code Table.
                    Classes represent meaningful parts of your company, like store departments or product lines. You can use them to get deeper insights into your sales, expenses, or profitability for each part of your business.

                    Refer to QuickBooks Support to Turn on Class Tracking. For each transaction, you can assign 1 class only.
                    When providing a Class with the transaction, the Class must be provided exactly as it was named in QuickBooks otherwise QuickBooks will reject the import file.

                     

                    Vendor is a Sales Tax Agency

                    In QuickBooks, you may have set a Vendor as a Sales Tax Agency for your tax account(s).

                    If QuickBooks is set up in this manner, the following example illustrates how to set up the External Account description. It must be set as [AccountNameOrNumber]\[VendorName]\[Location] where a backslash (\) separates the 3 fields.

                    During the export process, the External Account field will be automatically parsed into the 3 separate values for AccountName, Name, and Location when a backslash (\) is within the External Account field.

                     

                    Location Tracking

                    In QuickBooks, you may have enabled Location tracking.

                    If QuickBooks is set up in this manner, the following example illustrates how to set up the External Account description. It must be set as [AccountNameOrNumber]\[VendorName]\[Location] where a backslash (\) separates the 3 fields.

                    During the export process, the External Account field will be automatically parsed into the 3 separate values for AccountName, Name, and Location when a backslash (\) is within the External Account field.

                     

                    Common Questions

                    QuickBooks has a requirement that a valid Customer/Vendor is included when posting to the built-in Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payment accounts. QuickBooks can not assign a receivable or a payable to 'nobody', it requires a Customer/Vender that is previously set up within QuickBooks.

                    The solution is as simple as avoiding any postings directly to the QuickBooks account types of Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Rather, create a separate standard (non A/R) asset account and call it (for example) "A/R for Theatre Manager" and separate liability account and call it (for example) "A/P for Theatre Manager" and reference those account numbers in Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) used to create the export file. This way, there is no need to maintain Customers/Payees/Vendors in the export file as these accounts are just standard Asset / Liability and not linked to a special account type.

                    This way when you import the amount into QuickBooks, it will go against the standard asset account and not against the built-in accounts receivable account in QuickBooks.

                    When you want to see the details that make up the "A/R for Theatre Manager" or the "A/P for Theatre Manager" account, go directly to Theatre Manager for the details, rather than QuickBooks.

                    To recap, create a standard Asset & and a standard Liability account to use to post to in QuickBooks.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Sage 50 Accounting

                    Sage 50 Accounting Software

                    The Sage 50 Accounting Software exports each detail line within the G/L Entry. Each deposit and sales posting are exported as their own separate entry within the export file. This allows an exact match of each G/L Entry to crossover into Sage 50 Accounting (line for line).

                     

                    Parts of the Sage 50 Export File - Header Record

                    Date The Journal Entry Date. The date is always in MM-DD-YY format.
                    Source Journal Entry Reference Number. The Journal Number from the sales posting or deposit posting will be exported. The field is limited to 13 characters.
                    Comment Journal Entry Description.
                    • The combination of TM+Journal Entry Description from the sales posting or deposit posting will be exported. For example, if the Journal Description was 'Sales Posting' the Comment would be "TM-Sales Posting".
                    The field is limited to 39 characters.

                     

                    Parts of the Sage 50 Export File - Detail Record

                    Account Number Theatere Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Amount The debit amount (represented as a positive value) or the credit amount (represented as a negative value) of the transaction.
                    Comment The memo text associated to this particular G/L transaction from Theatre Manager's journal entry. The field is limited to 160 characters.
                    Project Allocation The number of project allocation lines that follow this GL Account transation. The value will default to "0" as Theatre Manager will not be allocating the Amount for each Account Number.

                     

                    Common Questions

                    Sage 50 has a requirement its data import routines are unable to import transactions that affect the linked Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Payroll Advances, Vacation Payable, or Inventory accounts if you have finished entering history.

                    The solution is as simple as avoiding any postings directly to the Sage 50 account types of Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Rather, create a separate standard (non A/R) asset account and call it (for example) "A/R for Theatre Manager" and separate liability account and call it (for example) "A/P for Theatre Manager" and reference those account numbers in Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) used to create the export file.

                    This way when you import the amount into Sage 50, it will go against the standard Asset / Liability account and not against the built-in accounts receivable account in Sage 50.

                    When you want to see the details that make up the "A/R for Theatre Manager" or the "A/P for Theatre Manager" account, go directly to Theatre Manager for the details, rather than Sage 50.

                    To recap, create a standard Asset and standard Liability account to use to post to in Sage 50.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Sage Accpac

                    Sage Accpac Version 5.6

                    Sage ACCPAC Version 5.6 creates a .csv (text file comma delimited) file that can be opened directly in ACCPAC 5.6 and higher with no need for conversion.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Sage Intacct

                    Theatre Manager will create a comma-delimited text file (.csv) that can be used to import into Sage Intacct accounting software. Sage Intacct's ability to create unique accounts, locations, departments, and classes for each GL account requires the setup of Theatre Manager's External Account field to be set in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the Intacct export file, prior to performing the first export.

                     

                    Sage Intacct

                    The Sage Intacct exports each detail line within the G/L Entry. Each deposit and sales posting are exported as their own separate entry within the export file. This allows an exact match of each G/L Entry to crossover into Intacct (line for line).

                     

                    Parts of the Sage Intacct Export File

                    DONOTIMPORT Do Not Import flag - Any row which starts with a # will be ignored during the Intacct import.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    JOURNAL A valid Journal Type within Intacct representing the type of journal entry. The field is limited to 4 characters.
                    • The value ARJ for Accounts Receivable Journal Entries, will be used for Sales Postings.
                    • The value CRJ for Credit Receipts Journal Entries, will be used for Deposit Postings.
                    • The value GJ for General Journal Entries, will be used for Manual G/L Entries.
                    DATE The Journal Entry Date for this G/L Entry. The date will be in a MM/DD/YYYY format.
                    DESCRIPTION The Journal Entry Description for this G/L Entry (Sales Posting, Deposit Posting). The field is limited to 80 characters.
                    REFERENCE_NO Journal Entry Reference Number. The Journal Number for this G/L Entry (SP-0001318, DP-0001255, GL-2020351).
                    LINE_NO A sequential Line Counter for each exported entry line. Line numbers begin at 1 and increment by 1 for each associated entry line. The Line Counter ID will reset back to 1 again for each new Sales Posting, Deposit Posting, or G/L Entry exported.
                    ACCT_NO The Intacct account number. Theatere Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    LOCATION_ID An associated Location ID to the Account Number. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    DEPT_ID An associated Department ID to the Account Number. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    GLENTRY_CLASSID An associated Class ID to the Account Number. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    DOCUMENT The Document Reference for this G/L Detail Line. The field is limited to 30 characters.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    MEMO The memo text for this G/L Detail Line. The field is limited to 1000 characters.
                    DEBIT The debit amount for this G/L Detail Line. A blank value is used for $0.00 amounts.
                    CREDIT The credit amount for this G/L Detail Line. A blank value is used for $0.00 amounts.
                    REVERSEDATE The Reverse Date for this G/L Entry. The date will be in a MM/DD/YYYY format.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    SOURCEENTITY Refers to a valid Location within Intacct. The field is limited to 20 characters.
                    Required only when the option to auto-create inter-entity transactions is enabled for journal entries and the journal entry is not balanced by location.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    CURRENCY A valid Currency ID within Intacct. The field is limited to 40 characters.
                    Any defined currency, such as USD or EUR; blank denotes base currency. Use only in multi-currency companies. This field defines the transaction currency. If no field is defined here, the system uses base currency.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    EXCH_RATE_DATE The Exchange Rate Date indicator for this G/L Entry. The date will be in a MM/DD/YYYY format.
                    Required field, unless the EXCHANGE_RATE is provided. Use only in multi-currency companies. This field determines the exchange rate as of this date.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    EXCH_RATE_TYPE_ID A valid Exchange Rate Type ID within Intacct. The field is limited to 40 characters.
                    Default Value: Intacct Daily Rate, unless a custom exchange rate is defined as the default.
                    Use only in multi-currency companies. Defines an optional custom exchange rate type. The system uses the Intacct Daily rate if no optional one is defined here.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    EXCHANGE_RATE The Exchange Rate for this G/L Entry. The field is limited to 17 characters, not including decimal point.
                    Defaults to the exchange rate of the CURRENCY on the EXCH_RATE_DATE for the EXCH_RATE_TYPE_ID. Must be a positive integer value.
                    Use only in multi-currency companies. Overrides the default exchange rate, which is the product of the CURRENCY, EXCH_RATE_DATE and EXCH_RATE_TYPE_ID.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    STATE The current State indicator for the G/L Entry.
                    • Draft for draft state.
                    • Posted(default if not supplied) for posted state.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    ALLOCATION_ID A valid Allocation ID within Intacct. The field is limited to 50 characters.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    BILLABLE The Billable for this G/L Entry.
                    • T for billable.
                    • F(default if not supplied) for non-billable.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    GLENTRY_CUSTOMERID A valid Customer ID within Intacct. The field is limited to 20 characters.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                    GLENTRY_VENDORID A valid Vendor ID within Intacct. The field is limited to 20 characters.

                    Theatre Manager does not populate this field during the export process.

                     

                    Formatting the External Account Number

                    Theatre Manager's External Account number are required to be set up in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the Sage Intacct export file.

                    The format of the External Account varies based on the purpose of the GL Account. The format of this field is required to have a backslash (\) used as separator between fields. A leading or trailing backslash (\) for the External Account field should not be added.
                    • (Accounts with No Location, No Dept, No Class) The field formation will be A23456789
                    • (Accounts with Location, No Dept, No Class) The field formation will be A23456789\L2345
                    • (Accounts with Location, Dept, No Class) The field formation will be A23456789\L2345\D23456
                    • (Accounts with Location, Dept, Class) The field formation will be A23456789\L2345\D23456\C23456
                    • (Accounts with No Location, Dept, No Class) The field formation will be A23456789\\D23456
                    • (Accounts with No Location, No Dept, Class) The field formation will be A23456789\\\C23456
                    ACCT_NO A23456789 - The account number that transactions get posted to.
                    The format of this field is defined within Intacct. If Intacct's accounts include a dash (-), include this dash (-) in the C23456 formatting at the appropriate position. For example: 00-0000 or 000-000 or 0000-00 etc.
                    LOCATION_ID L2345 - A predefined Location ID within Intacct. This ID is only required if Intacct requires it when using this account number.
                    DEPT_ID D23456 - A predefined Department ID within Intacct. This ID is only required if Intacct requires it when using this account number.
                    GLENTRY_CLASSID C23456 - A predefined Class ID within Intacct. This ID is only required if Intacct requires it when using this account number.

                     

                    Diataxis: 

                    Solomon

                    Theatre Manager will create a Microsoft Excel file that can be used to import into Solomon Accounting Software. Solomon's ability to create unique company names, accounts, projects, tasks, and sub accounts for each GL account requires the setup of Theatre Manager's External Account field to be set in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the Solomon export file, prior to performing the first export.

                     

                    Solomon Accounting Software

                    The Soloman Accounting Software exports each detail line within the G/L Entry. Each deposit and sales posting are exported as their own separate entry within the export file. This allows an exact match of each G/L Entry to crossover into Solomon (line for line).

                     

                    Parts of the Solomon Export File

                    Company The 'company database' that transactions get posted to. This description is defined within Solomon and may not match anything within Theatre Manager.
                    Theatre Manager is able to maintain multiple company names that may be in Solomon. Theatre Manager will export the Company contained the External Account field.
                    Account A 5 digit account number. Theatere Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Project Project codes are setup within Solomon. Using Theatere Manager's External Account, the export process will create the Project code for each event's sales. Refer to the section The Project Field Format on this page for more information.
                    Only Ticketed Events have the ability to have project codes. This means Donations, Passes, Fees, Payments, Facility Projects, etc. will not have project codes.
                    Cafe, Lounges, Bar Sales, Movies, etc. may be setup as ticketed events, but may not always have a project associated with them. During the setup process of the External Account field, the GL accounts that do not have a project associated with them, will not have a Location or Event Type code assigned to them.
                    Task A 4 digit number. Task numbers are setup in Solomon.
                    • (Project) The value will default to the 0000.
                    • (non-Project) The value will default to a blank field.
                    Sub A 6 digit sub account number. Sub account numbers are setup in Solomon.
                    Ref Nbr Journal Entry Reference Number. The Journal Number from the sales posting or deposit posting will be exported.
                    Date The Journal Entry Date. The date is always in YYYY-MM-DD format.
                    Debit Amount The debit amount of the transaction.
                    Credit Amount The credit amount of the transaction.
                    Description The memo text associated to this particular G/L transaction from Theatre Manager's journal entry. The field is limited to 30 characters.
                    Reconcillation,Status A reference to the reconcillation status for the bank deposit. This field is defaulted to aide in validating and importing data into Solomon.
                    • (Cash Type transactions) The value will default to the Cleared.
                    • (Non-Cash Type transactions) The value will default to a blank field.
                    Clear Date The date the transaction is cleared in Solomon. The date is always in YYYY-MM-DD format.
                    • (Cash Type transactions) The value will default to the Date column.
                    • (Non-Cash Type transactions) The value will default to a blank field.

                     

                    Formatting the External Account Number

                    Theatre Manager's External Account number requires to be set up in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the Solomon export file.

                    The format of the External Account varies based on the purpose of the GL Account. The format of this field is required to have a period (.) used as separator between fields. A leading or trailing period (.) for the External Account field should not be added.
                    • (Events with Projects) The field formation will be A23456789.B2345.C23456.L2.T2
                    • (Events with No Projects) The field formation will be A23456789.B2345.C23456
                    • (Cash Type Transactions) The field formation will be A23456789.B2345.C23456.CASH
                    Company A23456789 - The 'company database' that transactions get posted to.
                    Account B2345 - A 5 digit account number.
                    Sub C23456 - A 6 digit sub account number.
                    The format of this field is defined within Solomon. If Solomon's sub accounts include a dash (-), include this dash (-) in the C23456 formatting at the appropriate position. For example: 00-0000 or 000-000 or 0000-00 etc.
                    Location L2 - A 2 digit code representing the Location where the event is taking place.
                    Event Type T2 - A 2 character code representing the Type of Event.
                    Cash Type Transaction CASH - Include CASH to represent this is a Cash Type account number.

                     

                    The Project Field Format

                    Theatre Manager will create a Project code using the following contents:

                    The format of the Project field will always be Y234-L2-T2-E2345 using a dash (-) as a field separator.
                    Program Year Y234 - The Event Season starting year assigned to the Event in Theatre Manager.
                    Location L2 - The 2 digit code representing the Location where the event is taking place, as defined in the External Account for the Event.
                    Event Type T2 - The 2 character code representing the Type of Event, as defined in the External Account for the Event.
                    Event # E2345 - A 5 digit number representing the Event Sequence Number assigned to the event by Theatre Manager.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Unit4 Business World

                    Theatre Manager will create a fixed position text file (.txt) that can be used to import into Unit4 Business World accounting software. Unit4 Business World's ability to create unique accounts, locations, departments, and classes for each GL account requires the setup of Theatre Manager's External Account field to be set in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the Unit4 Business World export file, prior to performing the first export.

                     

                    Unit4 Business World

                    The Unit4 Business World (formerly Agresso Financials) exports each detail line within the G/L Entry. This allows an exact match of each G/L Entry to crossover into Unit4 Business World (line for line).

                     

                    Parts of the Unit4 Business World Export File

                    Batch Name A pre-defined Batch Name identifier within Unit4 Business World representing the source of the journal entry. The field is limited to 7 characters.
                    Default Value: ARTSMAN

                    (to represent ArtsMan / Arts Management Systems Ltd.)
                    Transaction Series A pre-defined Transaction Series code within Unit4 Business World representing the type of journal entry.
                    Default Value: TMTMGLSA

                    (where TM is representing Theatre Manager)
                    GL Account Code The Unit4 Business World account number. Theatere Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Cost Centre Mandatory - A valid Cost Centre within Unit4 Business World. The field is limited to 4 characters. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Project Optional - A valid Project within Unit4 Business World. The field is limited to 16 characters. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Location Optional - A valid Location within Unit4 Business World. The field is limited to 8 characters. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Payment Type Optional - A valid Payment Type within Unit4 Business World. The field is limited to 11 characters. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    If this is a deposit posting (DP-0001255) and a value is supplied, it maps to specific payment types (VS, MC, AMEX, etc.) within Unit4 Business World.
                    If this is a sales posting (SP-0001318, GL-2020351) and a value is supplied, it applies to specific revenue items to identify the type of revenue. Unit4 Business World uses this field for duo purposes depending on the GL Account being referenced.
                    Fund Mandatory - A valid Fund within Unit4 Business World. The field is limited to 4 characters. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Revenue Type Optional - A valid Revenue Type within Unit4 Business World. The field is limited to 8 characters. Theatre Manager's External Account value (name or number) will be used to create the export file.
                    Currency A valid Currency Type ID within Unit4 Business World. The field is limited to 4 characters.
                    Default Value: CAD or USD
                    Data Type Sets a preference value used during the import process to allow the import routines to know the Data Types that will be included within the import tables.
                    This field is set to the default value of 0.
                    Amount in Local Currency The amount of the transaction. Debit amounts are always positive, credit amounts are always negative.
                    Amount in Local Currency if converted to Foreign Currency The amount of the transaction. Debit amounts are always positive, credit amounts are always negative.
                    Use only in multi-currency companies. This field determines the exchange amounts for the Period Start and Period End dates.

                    Theatre Manager sets this value to be the same as the Amount in Local Currency.

                    Account Description The G/L Account Description for this G/L Account. The field is limited to 50 characters.
                    Period Start The Journal Entry Date for this G/L Entry. The date will be in a YYYYMMDD format.
                    Period End The Journal Entry Date for this G/L Entry. The date will be in a YYYYMMDD format.

                     

                    Formatting the External Account Number

                    Theatre Manager's External Account number are required to be set up in a specific format to accomodate the various aspects of the Unit4 Business World export file.

                    The format of the External Account varies based on the purpose of the GL Account. The format of this field is required to have a backslash (\) used as separator between fields. A leading backslash (\) for the External Account field should not be added.
                    • (Accounts with all fields provided) The field formation will be 4190\3205\112204\999\888\777\100
                    • (Accounts with GL, Cost Centre, Fund) The field formation will be 4190\3205\\\\\100
                    • (Accounts with GL, Cost Centre, Payment Type, Fund) The field formation will be 4190\3205\\\\VS\100
                    GL Account Code 4190 - The account number that transactions get posted to. The account number is mandatory.
                    Cost Centre 3205 - A predefined Cost Centre within Unit4 Business World. This ID is mandatory.
                    Project 112204 - A predefined Project within Unit4 Business World. This ID is optional.
                    Location 999 - A predefined Location within Unit4 Business World. This ID is optional.
                    Revenue Type 888 - A predefined Revenue Type within Unit4 Business World. This ID is optional.
                    Payment Type 777 - A predefined Payment Type within Unit4 Business World. This ID is optional.
                    Fund 100 - A predefined Fund within Unit4 Business World. This ID is mandatory.

                     

                    Diataxis: 

                    End Of Day Tab

                    This screen has an important button on it to reset the end of day process ID and is described below. You may have to do this if you receive the message about a deposit in progress during end of day wizard.

                    End of Day Wizard and Posting Options

                    Allow sales while End of Day Wizard is Open Click to allow employees to continue with the day's sales while the End of Day is being run.
                    EOD Process ID This tracks the employee's process ID that tracks who is currently doing an End of Day deposit..

                      NOTE: If nobody is in the deposit window, yet the end of day process ID is non zero, then click the Reset button to clear the process ID

                    This allows you to resume accepting payments everywhere and also do the end of day process. It also clears the merchant in use settings if you receive a deposit in progress message that prevents accepting payments.

                    Deposit Reports Required

                    Bank deposit summary by payment type When checked, a summary of all payments, sorted by type, will print automatically during End of Day. This report can also be found in Reports > Order and Payments > Bank Deposit - Totals
                    Deposit detail of all payments When checked, a detail report of all payments in the deposit, sorted by patron, will print automatically during End of Day. This report can also be found in Reports > Order and Payments > Deposit Detail
                    Cheque listing for bank deposit When checked, a list of cheque detail in the deposit (suitable for taking to the bank) will print automatically during End of Day. This report can also be found in Reports > Order and Payments > Bank Deposit - Cheque Listing

                    Next Transaction Numbers

                    Deposit Number The next bank deposit number. This value should not be set less than the current number.
                    Till Bal(ance) Number The next till balance number. This value should not be set less than the current number.
                    Sales Posting Number The next sales posting reference number. This value should not be set less than the current number.
                    Member Control Number The next member control number. This value should not be set less than the current number.
                    Date Last Deposit The date of the most recent successful (completed) End of Day Deposit in Theatre Manager.
                    Date Last Posted The date of the most recent balance of the End of Day (Post to G/L) in Theatre Manager.
                    Order Last Posted The last order number posted to the G/L during End of Day.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Box Office Tab

                    Adjustments to how the Box Office operates can be made from this tab.

                    Managing the Sale

                    Tix Sales Warning A warning notification is displayed on the screen if the number of tickets being sold is greater than this number.
                    Warn if Performance Displays a warning on screen once a performance start time has gone past the denoted amount of time.
                    Remove Performance Removes the performance from the sell list once this much time has elapsed past the start time. Users with past performance access can still sell to this performance.
                    Display past play Number of days to still list past performances.
                    Play Selection: Display Sold Out Performances Checking the box will show Sold Out performances from the Buy Window.
                    Before Event Sales: New order for each transaction Checking the box will create a new order for each ticket transaction (generally each walk up patron).
                    It is ADVISABLE to leave this checked because a new order separates each walk-up transaction so that if you need to find a specific interaction with a patron based on card used, then you can narrow down everything to the one order and a small range of theatre manager transactions. Doing otherwise leaves all items purchased in the various parts of the order (except the ticket tab) so you'll see a build up of fees, etc.
                    Warn if Receivables Over Checking the box will issue a warning to the screen when a patron's receivables exceed the value denoted.
                    Next Season Starts Denotes when the next season starts.
                    Why did Patron buy? The option selected from the drop-down will show on the Payment Window of an order as the default option for the patron's reason for buying the order. Options for the drop-down are set in Order reason to buy in Code Tables.

                    System Plug Ins

                    Checkout Plug In Allows the selection of a plug in to be used for after the order has been placed. Press the Plug In Search button to see all available plug ins.
                    Payment Plug In Allows the selection of a plug in to be used for after the payment has been taken. Press the Plug In Search button to see all available plug ins.

                    Orders and Payments

                    Hold for Pickup / Taken If selected, this option will be the default on the Payment Window and indicates that tickets are generally held to be taken by the patron or are immediately taken by the patron (walk-up).
                    Mail to Patron If selected, this option will be the default on the Payment Window and indicates that tickets are to be mailed to the patron.
                    Hold for Will Call If selected, this option will be the default on the Payment Window and indicates that tickets are to be held for Will Call for the door sale of the performance.

                    Ticket Delivery

                    Print tickets on ticket printer Indicates that people generally print tickets on ticket printers for box office sales.
                    E-Mail PDF tickets If selected, the print tickets button within theatre manager will change to print/email tickets on all places where tickets can be printed. When the print/email button is clicked on those windows, it will show a list of email addresses for the household, as well as an option to add another email for the patron. Emailing tickets sends out a PDF of the ticket that is exactly the same as if the patron had purchased the ticket online.

                    Note: PDF tickets can only be emailed if:
                    • There is no money owing on the order after the payment is made. You cannot email tickets if the order is not paid for.
                    • The performance is for the future. You cannot email PDF tickets for past performances unless the performance can still be attended/viewed in future. Refer to Web Sales Stop Time settings to see how sales can occur beyond the performance start time.
                    • The event is archived
                    • The performance does not allow 'print-at-home' tickets. If they can't get these tickets online then the box office cannot send them
                    • Print at home tickets is an available option within the system
                    Please refer to the complete list of possible reasons why an e-ticket cannot be sent.

                    When you print tickets form an order or patron window, the options for PDF printing will look like this.

                    E-Mail an Invoice If selected, the user will have the option to email invoices from the print an invoice screen on the order windows.

                    Exchange Policies

                    Collect $ for higher price If selected the difference between the exchanged tickets and the new higher priced tickets will need to be collected.
                    Collect $ for lower price If selected the difference between the exchanged tickets and the new lower priced tickets will need to be refunded.
                    Exchanged tickets retain original price If selected when tickets are exchanged for lower priced tickets the lower priced tickets adopt the price of the original tickets.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Ticket Faces Tab

                    Default Ticket Faces

                    Address Ticket The address ticket face number.
                    Default to 'Print Address Header' on payment window. When checked, this will set the Address Ticket to always be selected for printing by default on the Payment Window.

                    Credit Card Receipts

                    Receipt Ticket The receipt ticket face number.
                    Print Automatically for Patron Present credit card payments. Prints a credit card receipt automatically if a card is swiped in the box office - ie. the payment source is marked "patron present".
                    Print Automatically for Telephone and Mail Order credit card payments. Prints a credit card receipt automatically if a card is keyed in manually in the box office - ie. the payment source is marked "telephone" or "mail" order in the payment window.
                    Prompt user if receipt required when no tickets are being printed. When selected, a window will open during payment that prompts the user to select a credit card/address ticket receipt option when tickets are not being printed in the order - ie. when "Accept Payment" is clicked instead of "Print Tickets".
                    Print Receipts The number of times the credit card receipt should be printed.

                    Ticket Stock Management

                    Approx. Tickets Left The count of the number of blank tickets that you currently have in stock.

                    Ticket Face Value

                    Include The full price of a ticket is determined by the base price after applying a sales promotion. The components can include a discount, up to 3 fees and up to 3 taxes.

                    Some jurisdictions (like Ontario, Canada), require that a Face Value be determined for all tickets. You can specify which components are to be included in the face value by selecting the appropriate checkboxes.

                    If this applies to your venue, change your ticket faces to show the face value by adding or using the Face Value field

                    For e-tickets, you may need to set the Web Options to show face value on e-tickets or display the price breakdown per the image to the right.

                    Reorder Level The point at which Theatre Manager will show a reminder to you to order more ticket stock. You will get a warning if the approximate count of tickets dips below this number. We recommend setting this number to be the number of tickets you will print in an average month.

                    Since theatre manager counts each ticket that is printed, the purpose of tracking ticket inventory is so that you do not run out of tickets at a critical time. Click here for more information.

                    There are reports that can help you determine how many tickets you used.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Holds Tab

                    This section defines the appearance and release time for held seats. Held seats can be set to automatically release prior to the performance. Enter the time before the performance that the seats are to be released.

                    Held Seat Setup

                    Auto Release Holds The number of minutes prior to a performance that held seats will be released.
                    Holds to Release The letters, representing a held seat, to be released.
                    Set default holds using venue map when creating a new performance Use the map holds as the default setting when creating a new performance.
                    Holds at other Outlets. These holds codes may be released by sales people working at other outlets if they have access to those hold codes in their own outlet.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Options Tab

                    There are three sub-tabs on this window that hep you configure the patrons online shopping experience. These are:
                    • General settings such as enabling login, how login works and any lockouts.
                    • The Purchasing process that help decide flow of purchasing tickets, how passes can be used and suggested donations processes
                    • Carts and Checkout settings for display options, and checkout settings.
                    • Ticket Delivery Options settings for charging fees on various ticket delivery options

                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Options - General

                    General Web Sales Options

                    Enable Web Sales Enables sales to occur on the web.
                    • If turned ON, a directory must exist on the TM primary server for
                      • This outlet (eg 1/WebPagesEN or 2/WebPagesEN for each of multiple outlets that are active) -AND-
                      • for each language that is active for the outlet. eg WebPagesEN and WebPagesFR if both english and french are supported
                      Listeners will not start if the Director requires full web pages and either of the outlet directory and/or the WebPagesXX directory is missing. If the Director requires only custom pages, the web services will start using the current template pages.
                    • If turned OFF, patrons will receive a message that the site is down.
                    Allow Anonymous Login Enabling this feature allows patrons to shop and add items to a web sopping cart without identifying themselves first. When the patron is ready to check out and pay, they will need to either:
                    • login to an existing account -or-
                    • create a new account if they have never purchased before

                    Optionally, if you also wish to give patrons the option to checkout without creating an account you can enable the limited profile patron option. When the option is enabled and the patron checks out, they will be given 3 options:

                    • sign in to an existing account -or-
                    • create a new account if they have never purchased before -or-
                    • provide a minimum amount of data (name and email) which is sufficient to send a confirmation of the purchase
                    Note: Limited profile patrons have some benefits and disadvantages. Please review them before deciding to turn on the option.
                    Show Count down Timer When enabled, a timer will appear on the web pages menu bar beside the cart - showing how much time is left before the web listener releases all items in the cart. The timer will appear once there is something in the cart and is reset every time the patron looks at a new web page
                    Login Attempts The maximum number of login attempts before the patron's account is locked out and they must request their password to continue.

                    Coupons and Preacess codes

                    Accept active coupons When selected, patrons will be able to enter a coupon code at checkout. For more about coupons, click here.
                    Enable presale access codes When selected, patrons will be able to enter a presale access code on the Events list online in order to see shows which are not online for sale to the general public. For more about presale access codes, click here.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Options - Purchasing

                    Event List

                    Show Ticket Trove icons on play list Displays the Ticket Trove icon from the Marketing tab in the List of Events for the online sales.
                    Look Ahead Number of days in advance events should be displayed for. If this is:
                    • zero - only the current month events are shown. on the last day of the month, that would mean only todays events.
                    • non-zero - indicates the number of days (in advance of today) that events are to be displayed for. Atypical value is 45, meaning that when searching for the current month, then 45 days of events will be shown at a minimum, which will show events into the next month. This has no effect when searching for months that are entirely in the future.
                    Max Events (pagination) The maximum number of events to be displayed on any one page in the event list. If the patron requests more events than the maximum, the event page becomes paginated and the patron can go forward or backward in pages to see the rest of the events. Using 25 events for pagination is a good balance between performance and amount of data to display.

                    NOTE: the last page always shows a full list (by design). So, if you have 27 performances found by the current search, then:

                    • page one will show the first 25 events (.ie. 1 to 25) -and-
                    • page two will show the last 25 events (i.e. 3 to 27)
                    Note, Warning, Danger Alerts You can add a Note and/or Warning and/or Danger alert to your event list that will appear at the top of each page. This can be plain text, HTML or Markup. The diagram below shows some examples of using Markup to have all three of the messages appear on the event list.

                    Possible uses

                    • Covid Re-opening Rules
                    • Adding quick pick HTML for certain events

                    Example using markup

                    Example using HTML with links

                    Preferred Route to Ticket Selection

                    Use Default Route as decided by the system This describes the path taken from the event list to the seat selection for reserved seating events. There are two explicit options provided (described below).

                    Unless explicitly selected below, the web listeners will take the default path to the seat selection window as decided by Arts Man. Currently, the default path is to ask the patron where they want to sit and the number of tickets (first option), but that may change as a result of feedback from venues in accordance with dominant marketing thinking. If you prefer one option over the other, please select it.

                    Note: if not using pick your own seating in a venue, events sold in that venue will always use the ask for quantity/section approach.

                    Always ask for quantity/section before offering seats For this path from the event list to the seat selection window, the user is given an intermediate step that asks for the number of tickets they want and the section they may want to sit in. This adds one page to the selection process and has the advantage that a user will always be guaranteed seats before they start the pick your own process.
                    Proceed Directly to Pick your own This path indicates that the user will be taken directly from the event list to pick your own, with no tickets selected for them. It is one web page click shorter, but seats must be manually selected.

                    In the case of large onsales, arriving at pick your own with no saved seats may cause frustration for users if they try to pick some and find their selection being taken by others. you can:

                    • Manually modify the web page link for the event window to automatically suggest a couple of tickets and have a hybrid option.
                    • Globally disable the pick your own option temporarily during a large on-sales by picking the ask for quantity approach on this window. You can re-enable later.
                    • Disable the pick your own setting temporarily for the map you are using for the on-sale. If pick your own it not enabled then the events in that venue will use the ask for quantity approach (above) and other events using different pricing maps will use the pick your own approach
                    When you send a patron directly to pick-your-own, there is a button for a quick suggestion of seats. The quantity suggested is the same as the suggested ticket purchase quantity in the performance detail window. You can customize this per performance.

                    Ticket Selection

                    Show sales promotion on offered ticket When selected, the sales promotion's external description will be visible to patrons online during seat selection. This appears on the seat selection window where tickets are offered to the patron AFTER Theatre Manager has found them. it confirms the external sales promotion name to the patron.
                    Show price code on offered ticket When selected, the Price Code description will be visible to patrons online during seat selection. This appears on the seat selection window where tickets are offered to the patron AFTER Theatre Manager has found them. It confirms the price code that will be on the ticket.
                    Map Display This setting indicates how you would like the map to display for web sales. You can show only the seats available to the patron, all others are blank, or you can choose to show all the seats, those that are taken have their codes masked or not, or a generic map of the venue. These setting can be overridden for individual performances, click here for more information. Options are:
                    • Selected seats only (sold are blank)
                    • Selected and sold (mask seat codes)
                    • Selected and sold (actual seat codes)
                    • Use 'tmGifs/Map[x].jpg' for generic map
                    • Do not display any map

                    Passes and Gift Gertificates

                    Enable Pass/G.C. Redemption Allows Pass/G.C.'s to be used as payment online. Only those Pass/G.C.'s that have been set for redemption online in the Pass/GC setup can be used online.
                    Enable Pass/G.C. Renewal Allows the renewal of Pass/G.C.'s that have been configured to be renewed online in the Pass/GC setup

                    Donation Options

                    Suggest adding general donation in cart When selected, patrons will see a reminder at the top of a shopping cart to include a donation with their order at checkout. If clicked, the partron is taken to the donation screen to give to any campaign allowed online. Once a donation is given, the message disappears from the cart window.
                    Suggest adding round-up donation to cart If round up donation is enabled and a campaign is specified, then a message will appear in the shopping cart window and/or checkout window encouraging the patron to round up their payment to the nearest even dollar (or 5 or 10 - the amount can be easily customized in rowcartdonationroundup). Once the payment amount for the cart is an even dollar, then the message will not appear.

                    The campaign must be enabled online (and you might not want to make it visible) - and we'd suggest making a separate one that might be named like Round Up My Bill Donations or using your existing annual individual giving campaign.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Options - Carts and Checkout

                    Carts

                    Show price/fee/tax breakout if enabled, shows a breakout of ticket prices, fees, taxes etc on the checkout page as per the image to the right.
                    Show 'Face Value' price and final price in carts If enabled, this will show the face value of a ticket (as determined in the Web Options tab) on all online web pages and any e-ticket emailed to a patron.
                    Cart Timeout The number of minutes a patron can do nothing after accessing a page before the cart becomes inactive and the items released. Whenever the patron requests another page to resume shopping, the timer is reset.
                    Moneris Hosted Payments requires that your cart timeout is 60 minutes - it cannot be less. This is because Moneris payment acceptance is 60 minutes and we cannot close carts until their payment page has timed out.
                    Session Timeout The number of minutes a patron can be idle on the web site before they are logged out. This must be the same or larger than the cart timeout.

                    The difference between session and cart time out:

                    • The cart time out only releases items in the cart to others after the timeout is reached. If somebody is logged in, they stay logged in.
                    • The session timeout is when the patron is logged out (which also closes the cart if it is not closed). After that, the patron must log in again if they attempt to complete a cart.


                    • Streaming Performances We highly recommend increasing your web sales session timeout to be at least 1 week, and even up to a year. By extending the session timeout, patrons will not have to login as often which will smooth out the web experience and remove obstacles to purchase. This is especially true when patrons are logged in on mobile devices.

                    Checkout

                    Min Cart Payment You can specify a value that the cart must be before a credit card checkout would be attempted. This can be used to prevent 'bad guys' using your web site to try verify if stolen credit cards could be accepted.

                    Set it zero to ignore the check completely. Carts containing only comp tickets or ticket completely paid for by passes are ignored by this test.

                    Pay Order Balances Online When selected, patrons will be able to pay for any outstanding order balances online if the order is marked as such when putting on account. If this is disabled, then the feature of paying prior order balances is disabled completely.

                    NOTE: If a patron pays for a prior order balance online, three (or more) payments are created:
                    1. Credit Card Payment: The credit card payment amount is determined based on the total value in the cart. This INCLUDES the balance on the prior orders.
                    2. Cash payment 1: A CREDIT CASH payment is made to reduce the overall payment amount on the cart to the purchased value of new items EXCLUDING totals for prior orders
                    3. Cash Payment 2 - N: A DEBIT CASH payment is then made for EACH of the other order(s) that were added to the cart to be paid off. This allocates a CASH payment to each of the orders added to the cart to reduce its balance to zero.
                    The net effect is similar to a payment applied to multiple orders
                    Must Acknowledge Terms and Conditions When selected, patrons will be required to read/accept the terms and conditions at checkout. You may be able to place certain restrictions in the terms and conditions to cover exchange and refund policies, patron behaviour, age limits, scalping,etc.

                    Refer to tmtermsandconditions.html for more information.

                    Add Calendar to Confirmation Emails If selected, then a calendar will be attached to the outgoing confirmation email as an ICS file. This can be double clicked by the user to add their purchase dates to their calendar on their own devices.
                    Terms and Conditions You can add your extra terms and conditions here that will show when they are requested on the checkout window.

                    Covid 19 You can enter your Covid 19 policy in plain text, HTML or markup language and it will appear in the web site automatically.

                    Adding words to covid 19 tab also causes the 'accept terms and conditions' checkbox on the web site to say that there are Covid 19 conditions. We recommend using this in conjunction with event list notes so that people will see instructions both before and after ordering.

                    Notification You can set up a notification which specifies a list of email addresses that will receive a copy of all completed shopping cart emails. This can be used for audit or backup purposes.

                    If implemented, you will have to clean out the emails from the specified email account yourself and use of this feature is not recommended if you have rate limiters at your ISP (such as google mail)

                    Browser Payment API Support

                    Some web browsers support card payment options natively that allows the patron to manage their own card data within the browser and use it to pay in a web cart interface.

                    If selected, Theatre Manager will attempt to use alternate payment screens on checkout to try to simplify the payment interface.

                    If all are unchecked, then Theatre Manager does not try to take advantage of the API's in a browser and uses the existing web page payment screen that is designed to be the same on all browsers.

                    Note: these options currently cannot be used with Acknowledge terms and conditions option (above)

                    Built in Bootstrap View If enabled, Theatre Manager will show a summary of the purchase and credit card input on one modal dialog using bootstrap. This causes other checkout options like delivery options to default. It is meant to use as a quick pay option
                    Basic Card If enabled and the browser supports it, the browser will use the built in payment screen from the browser. Google chrome is currently the only browser that implements this (since they invented it). If this option is not supported by your browser, then the Built in Bootstrap view will be used (if enabled here)

                    reCAPTCHA Support

                    Google has a tool called reCAPTCHA. They state, on their web site:

                    reCAPTCHA uses an advanced risk analysis engine and adaptive challenges to keep malicious software from engaging in abusive activities on your website. Meanwhile, legitimate users will be able to login, make purchases, view pages, or create accounts and fake users will be blocked.

                    Client Key If enabled, enter the client key that you obtained from the google web site when you signed up for the feature.
                    Server Key If enabled, enter the server key that you obtained from the google web site when you signed up for the feature.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Options - Ticket Delivery

                    You can charge different online fees for the ticket delivery method the customer chooses such as :
                    • Mailing Tickets - which is generally standard since it costs money to mail tickets
                    • Hold at Will Call - which seems to be an emerging trend in some locations if the customer is given the choice of print at home and picking up tickets -- a fee such as this might bias the customer to chose to print at home
                    • Print at Home - which would charge a fee for tickets printed at home. We have not had and venue ask for this yet - but it exists for completeness
                    Any of these fees are optional. if you do not wish to charge them, set the fee to zero or leave the fee setup blank.

                    Turning off any of these options mean that cannot be selected by the patron on the checkout window, regardless of any settings for each event.

                     

                    Permitted E-Ticket Delivery Options

                    Set initial delivery option based on cart contents Tells the web server how to best set the ticket delivery options on the cart checkout page. If
                    • checked (the default), the web server picks the most appropriate ticket delivery option based on the contents of the shopping cart. For example: if the cart has events that allow e-tickets, that will be the default. If the cart has no e-tickets, the default becomes pick up at will call.
                    • un-checked, the patron must always pick a delivery option manually.
                    Mail to patron Tickets purchased on the internet are marked for printing and mailing by the box office. A Mail Fee must be entered above in order for this option to be selected. When selected, online patrons are presented with a Mail My Tickets option at checkout.
                    Mail Fee The number of the order fee designated as a Mail Fee in Fee Tables.
                    Print At Home Tickets Tickets purchased on the internet are marked as printed and patrons are presented with the option to print their own bar-coded tickets. Click here for information on turning on Print at Home for a selected event or performance.

                    If you are printing at home, you can print using one of two types of bar codes.

                    • Standard 3 of 9 bar code. This is the same as what is printed on hard ticket stock and looks like a ladder.
                    • QR code format. This is the square 2D bar code found that is typically used for quick access to web sites

                    Additional Action Items:

                    If you enable print at home tickets in company preferences, there are some other things you might also want to:

                    1. Edit some current events or performances and selectively enable print at home. Exiting events are not converted, all new events default to print at home
                    2. Buy a ticket yourself and print it to PDF to see what the ticket looks like. The default print at home ticket has space for an 'AD' that you might like to change in the default web pages.
                    3. Decide if you want to email tickets to patrons who phone in to the box office - an email ticket option will appear where the print ticket used to be to provide choice. This is useful as it also acts as a confirmation while allowing you to update email data for parsons.
                    4. Read about how to batch email ticket to patrons via the print unprinted tickets function
                    Note: The Linea-Pro scanner attachments for IOS (for iPhone/iPod) are able to scan both 3 of 9 and QR codes. The older MC55A windows mobile based bar code scanners can only scan the standard 3 of 9 bar code. If you are using those wireless scanners, do not pick QR code.
                    Print at Home Fee The number of the order fee designated as a Print at home Fee in Fee Tables. This fee will be charged to patrons who print their tickets at home. Leave blank if you don't want a fee for this option.
                    Hold for Will Call When selected, patrons online can select to have the box office print and hold their tickets in Will Call. The exception is, any ticket for a performance where the print at home setting is 'must print at home' or is 'mark ticket as printed' will be set accordingly.
                    Will Call Fee The number of the order fee designated as a Will Call Fee in Fee Tables. This fee will be charged to patrons who elect to have their tickets picked up at the box office. You do not have to have a fee - leave blank if you don't want one.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Director Tab

                    NGINX is the the web server software used by Theatre Manager and requires minimal configuration to work properly. The Director tab in Company Preferences is where you define most settings.

                    • To install and setup TM Server in web services mode, click here.
                    • For more information on the ports used by Theatre Manager, click here.

                    Parts of the Director Tab

                    To set up the 'Directors' for web sales, there are 4 settings that need to be made:

                    • Web Server - essentially indicates the URL of your ticketing web site
                    • Web Listener Template Pages - indicates which web listener inside your firewall hosts any of your customized template pages
                    • Content Security Policy - indicates which external web sites are allowed to be imbedded in your web site (normally only pixel providers)
                    • Queue Setup - indicates how to handle large amounts of unexpected web traffic
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Server Setup

                    External Web Server Ticket Sales URL

                    Web Server URL The domain for the ticketing site. Normally, this should look like

                    https://tickets.yourvenue.org

                    Web Server Port Enter the port number that the web server will be using for incoming connections.

                    Normally, leave this blank to use the standard port 443 for incoming secure connections.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Listener Template Page Location

                    Template Page Management

                    Custom Template URL This normally is the address of the primary TM Web Server which has been designated to host your template pages. It will typically be an IP Address that looks like:

                    http://192.168.x.x

                    Port # This is typically set to 8111

                    for the server that Theatre Manager uses to retrieve web page templates. This is generally never changed unless there is a desire by your network administrator to use alternate internal ports.

                    Template Folder Contains Note: TM server always gets the latest templates from its internal resources so the standard pages are always kept up to date. There are two choices for this setting to indicate how you want to store the custom pages
                    The preferred option is Only the customized pages in main directory.

                    In either case, refer to typical pages that are changed

                    All Default Pages and TMCustom folder in a sub directory Only The customized pages in the main directory
                    This is a legacy setting. It means that the web pages folder contains all the standard templates (which TM server now ignores) and a subdirectory called TMCustom that contains the custom pages. This setting indicates that any page in the web pages folder is a custom file. Thus, the directory only contains custom pages. If a page is not changed from the original templates, it should NOT be in this directory. This makes it easier to know only the pages that have been altered.

                    Last Cache Clear The date the cache on the Classic web listener was last cleared. The Clear Web Cache button to the right of this field can be used to reset or clear the cache on all currently running listeners by sending them a message that the web pages are al invalidated. Tt may take a few seconds as each listener re-reads them.

                    Note: The listeners generally detect page changes within a minute and starts using them automatically - but it will do it right away if you press this button. You can also clear the cache on the status page of any web listener

                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Content Security Policy

                    Support for xFrames and Content-Security-Policy

                    xFrame Option Your options are
                    • OFF (don’t include headers at all, everyone can put your site in an iframe)
                    • SAMEORIGIN (Only the exact same domain can use iframes)
                    • DENY (No one can put your site in an iframe) -or-
                    • Specify any number of URLS that you’d like to use (which includes same domain in addition to what you specify).
                    The implementation works by using the more modern Content-Security-Policy HTTP header, but it still includes the X-Frame-Options HTTP header both to pass your PCI test and to support legacy browsers. Unfortunately, the X-Frame-Options HTTP header does not support specifying multiple domain names, so in that case older browsers will only be able to see iframes if they are from the same domain even if you specify multiple domains in Theatre Manager.

                    We are passing both Content-Security-Policy and X-Content-Security-Policy and using Content Security Policy 1.0 — this gives support in most browsers so the fallback issues are limited to a very small number of browsers.

                    Allowable URL's When a list of allowable URL's is specified, enter the URL's that you want in this space, separated with a comma.

                    The technical meaning of the x-frame options are described in google searches.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Queue Setup

                    Web servers will generally handle average traffic on most days. This is true of all web servers, everywhere, such as Google, Apple, Amazon

                    However, there are instances when every web server in the world can get overwhelmed with requests and no amount of hardware can prevent it. Theatre Manager offers you a choice of two queueing system that are designed to become involved in periods of high load to mitigate overloading your systems.

                    When implemented, a Queue:

                    • intercepts web traffic to the servers and
                    • allows only so many people into the web store at a time, and
                    • presents a dialog to those that are waiting and not in the web store that indicates where they are line waiting for access. As people finish their cart, the next person in line is allowed in

                    Queue Setup

                    Enable Queue Click to enable one of the available queuing options.

                    Generally speaking, a queue will only engage if your sales volume reaches a specified thresh hold.

                    If you enable the queue, then select which queueing option you want.

                    Theatre Manager offers you a choice of three queueing options:

                    • Do not use a queue (no protection is provided - leave the box unchecked)
                    • Use Theatre Manager's built in queue- which is free
                    • Use a commercial, third party provider called Queue-it that you would need to pay for.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Server Built In Queue

                    Theatre Manager's built-in queue is free to use. It is self-contained within your systems and leaves the traffic to be managed by the Web Server using Nginx and a very fast caching system.

                    It should reasonably work into many thousands of simultaneous visitors to your Web Servers.

                    Built In Queue

                    Store Timeout

                    The amount of time an inactive user has before being removed from the online store. Inactivity means the amount of time the user doesn't click their mouse or enter a keystroke. In other words, if they get into the online store and don't do anything for X amount of time, the system will remove them and allow the next person waiting in the queue into the store.

                    Store Capacity

                    The number of patrons allowed into the online store at one time. For most clients, Artsman suggests setting an initial Store Capacity at 50. That means the system will allow the first 50 patrons into the online store, and the 51st person will wait in the queue until someone already in the store exits the store.

                    Info Note & Warning Note

                    The Info and Warning Note will display text to online shoppers waiting in the queue. The difference between the Info and Warning Note will be the colour of the note, with Info typically being blue, and Warning being red. However, the colours of the background for the Info and Warning Notes are determined by the Bootstrap theme the organization has selected.

                    Redis Cluster Storage DB Info

                    This is a temporary storage place for the Built In Queue to hold data for the queue system. For example, how many people are in line, what place they have in-line, etc.

                    Database Number

                    Users can select the Database number if more than 1 is available. By default, if an organization only has a single database (non-outlet clients) then the number for the database should be set to 0.

                    IP Address

                    Traditionally the database server will be set up to enable cluster storage. This address should reflect the IP of the machine where Cluster Storage is enabled in the Theatre Manager Server configuration.

                    Port #

                    The port number to access the cluster storage. The default is 8204.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Server Queue-It Setup

                    Queue-it is a pay-for-use service that creates a queue external to Theatre Manager server environment.

                    Refer to the built in queue that is free and is built into TheatreManager servers

                    External Web Server Ticket Sales URL

                    Web Server URL The domain for the ticketing site. Normally, this should look like

                    https://tickets.yourvenue.org

                    Web Server Port Enter the port number that the web server will be using for incoming connections.

                    Normally, leave this blank to use the standard port 443 for incoming secure connections.

                     

                    The Queue-it process

                    When Queue-it is enabled in Theatre Manager, the customer experience will be like:

                    • When they reach your web site they will either:
                      • Be able to enter right away if the traffic on your web site is below the thresh holds you set in the queue-it online management portal
                      • If the site is considered busy, you'll see an image lie the one on the right. (Not this was customized for the Hamilton onsale by Proctors Theatre
                    • If the patron is required to wait their turn, they'll see a countdown bar that shows their approximate place in line
                    • Once they are allowed to enter the web site, they can select tickets, add them to their cart, give donations, all the typical things supported on your commerce web site.
                    • after checkout, if the customer attempts to go and buy more tickets, they will be put back in the queue to ait their turn.
                    • NoteL: There may be a time limit in Queue-it so that if a customer takes too long in the purchase process, they could be ejected from the store
                    Diataxis: 

                    Web Listener Tab

                    The Web Listener tab controls ways that the Web Listeners operate.

                    Parts of the Web Listener Tab

                    Employee ID This is the user id under which all web sales will occur and is reserved for use by the web listener processes

                    Default Email/Eblast and Performance Settings

                    Eblast Chunks The default number of emails to send per hour through the SMTP server. Set to zero of there are no limits imposed by the SMTP server or your ISP. Set to a value a bit smaller than any hourly rate imposed by your ISP.
                    Email Retries If an email fails, the number of times that it should be retried before being marked as in error. This should normally always be zero -- and should only be changed upon consultation with AMS support.
                    Transactions - create at time of sale The web listener (like the Box Office) creates transactions at the completion of the order. However you can change this to defer transaction creation in order to improve the performance of the web listener (this is the default setting).

                    Deferring transaction creation for web sales affects when notifications are sent for web sales.

                    Google Analytics Account If you have a google analytics account number, then all you need to do is enter it here - and TM will automatically enable analytics for the entire web site. For more on Google Analytics, click here.
                    Bootstrap Web Page Footer Any code that goes here will appear at the bottom of your web site or emails. For more on eblasts, click here.
                    Web Languages The languages supported in your WebPages folder (web pages). Each is designated by a two-character language code (eg, EN for English, FR for French) and will also be designated in the name of the WebPages folder(s) inside WebPages (eg. WebPagesEN and WebPagesFR).

                    Pixel/tracking Code

                    Header If the tracking code your use is required to go into the header of the page, paste it into this area. Please test your web pages after putting anything here.
                    Footer If the tracking code your use is required to go into the footer of the page, paste it into this area. Please test your web pages after putting anything here.
                    Checkout If the tracking code your use is required to go on the checkout page, paste it into this area. Please test your web pages after putting anything here.
                    Mogo, facebook, or google pixels can be usually be placed here as required to accomplish what you want without editing web pages. You can also edit web pages directly if you have unique requirements not covered above. To test the pixel an Order will need to be processed online. The pixel will appear on the https://tickets.myvenue.org/TheatreManager/1/TMcheckoutConfirmation.htmlpage.

                    Web Page Languages

                    You can add multiple languages to your web site by doing a couple of things:

                    • Adding a folder to your web site called WebPagesXX, where XX is the language code. There will already be a WebPagesEN folder.
                    • Translating the web pages and the TMError.txt file
                    • Adding the language code 'XX' to Theatre Manager so that it knows to look for that folder.
                    • Modifying the tmnavlanguages.html file to reflect the languages you want to support
                    • Restarting your web listeners
                    Diataxis: 

                    Donations Tab

                    This tab allows the setting of the default setting for a number of features for donation management such as:
                    • the patron's name in the program when a donation is received.
                    • Charitable number (required in Canada)
                    • Typical number of donation receipts to print (normally 3 on individual receipts in Canada, 1 on statement receipts0
                    • Last used tax receipt number (normally starts at 0 and is never changed)
                    • Facsimile Signature for the tax receipt

                    Donation Program Recognition Name

                    This options determine the default program recognition name for a donation when it is entered to try to save you time. Each donation has its own recognition since a patron can give many times and may want to be recognized differently depending on the amount and/or purpose of the donation.

                    You can over-ride the default behaviour for a patron by entering a specific publication name on their patron record. While normally blank, a donor specific publication name might be useful for foundations, government grants and other such agencies.

                    Even if the default program name is suggested based on these rules, it can be changed at time of entry (or after the fact) to be anything desired such as Anonymous or some thing for In Memoriam of ... or In Honor of ...

                    Last Name, First Name If selected the name of the donor will appear on the program derived based on Last Name, First Name - if the publication name is not entered in the patron record.
                    First Name, Last Name If selected the name of the donor will appear on the program as First Name Last Name - if the publication name is not entered in the patron record.
                    Formal Name If selected the name of the donor will appear on the program as Formal Name that is in the patron record - if the publication name is not entered in the patron record.

                    Misc Donation Information

                    Next Contact Date The default number of months to set for the next contact with a donor. This value can be changed on a per-donation basis to override the default.

                    Donation Tax Receipts

                    Signature for Tax Receipts This is a facsimile signature to print at the bottom of a tax receipt. Revenue Canada has some strict rules regarding their use and acceptability for tax receipts. Facsimile signature are NOT the same as the electronic signatures and encryption required for emailing receipts.

                    Note: we recommend that the signature be a png with a transparent background (so that it lays on top of any colour or background on your pre-printed forms)

                    If you are going to enable online tax receipting, you should enter a signature and make sure there is a company report logo as well.
                    The space allotted for signatures on tax receipts has an aspect ratio of 3.75" wide and 0.75" high. Any signature image you place into this field that is not that size will be scaled up or down to match that ratio -AND- the reports will maintain the aspect ration of any picture you put in.

                    For best results, try to put in a image that is the size above (or has the same ratio if its not exactly the specified size).

                    Charitable Number The organization's government-issued Charitable Organization Number.
                    Government Web Site Revenue Canada requires that all tax receipts have their specific donation related web site on every tax receipt. If you enter the web site here, it will print on your tax receipts. if you leave it blank, it will not, but you will then need to preprint it on you charitable receipt forms.

                    There is an IRS web site a well - to our knowledge it is not mandatory on charitable receipts.

                    # of Copies The number of copies of the donation receipt to print.
                    Last Tax Receipt # This indicates the last used tax receipt number. The net printed receipt will take on the first number greater than this.

                    You can change this number forward, or backward. You will receive a message similar to the one the on the right to alert you that this is not a recommended action to skip receipt numbers.

                    Note: receipt numbers cannot be reused. If Theatre Manager discovers a receipt number that is used for a donation or was previously used and is now unprinted, it will skip to the next available receipt number automatically.

                    This means printing a receipt, un-printing it, and then printing a new receipt will always result in a NEW receipt number, even if you roll back the last receipt number.

                    Starting Address Height The space to leave between the top of the receipt and the address.
                    3 per 8.5x11" page Prints three receipts per 8.5x11" page.
                    4 per 8.5x14" legal page Prints four receipts per 8.5x14" page.
                    Comment or Issuing Location The general message on the receipt for every donation.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Data Rentention Tab

                    Theatre Manager retains a complete record of important patron interactions befitting the true nature of a CRM system. You may consider some of the data less valuable than other data and can indicate when you want this information purged from the database. Doing this helps reduce the size of the backups. It also means that the data would not be available online and can only be retrieved by reloading a monthly or annual back up of the database.

                    Some may find this interesting reading for Revenue Canada's records Retention Requirements. It covers areas such as:
                    • Tax Receipts
                    • Financial records
                    • Minutes of certain meetings
                    • etc

                    Web Logs and Shopping Cart Retention Policy

                    Purge completed carts after "xx" days After this many days, purge web logs for carts where a patron signed in. Only logs are purged, not actual carts.
                    Purge anonymous carts after "xx" days After this many days, purge web logs for carts which remained anonymous or were not attached to a patron. Only logs are purged, not actual carts.
                    Purge misc data after "xx" days After this many days, purge miscellaneous data entry online that is not confirmed or saved by the patron.
                    Purge unconfirmed mail list after "xx" hours This represents the amount of time (in hours) that a pending subscribe to a mail list will remain without confirmation to the web email. If a patron does not confirm addition to the mail list in less than the number of hours specified, the patron will be removed from the mail list.

                    If the patron does confirm they want added to a mail list after the time out, they will be re-added to the mail list in double-opt-in status (for CASL)

                    Keep cart content data Shopping carts have multiple lines that describe what the patron placed in their cart. One data element is a very important part of the checkout process as it contains data about prices, promotions, seats, donation amounts, levels, resources, etc.

                    When a cart is checked out, this data is copied to the actual tickets, donations, resources, gift certificates and is no longer needed. It is also not needed if carts are abandoned.

                    However, it can take up significant space on a database. We recommend keeping this data for about 14 days or so as part of the audit trail, should AMS have to inspect carts to resolved issues.

                    Other than that, it is worthwhile purging this data.

                    Document Retention

                    Keep etickets/calendar items Indicate how long eticket and calendar files attached to emails sent to a patron are to be kept around. This number indicates the number of days after the performance before the eticket data is cleared from the document record.

                    The document record is kept around to track that the patron was sent the information - it is only the contents that are removed.

                    Removing the content helps reduce the size of the database anf packups significantly.

                    Email, Letters and Correspondance History

                    The settings are for retaining letters and correspondence history sent to patrons. You can now purge data from the part of the database with the most text data (and takes the most space in backups). Letters can be purged 'en masse'. Two exceptions to the mass purge are:

                    • Each form letter has a preference indicating any history for it cannot be purged for and must be kept forever. For example, school contracts, artist contracts, etc should be kept. Eblast type letters are less important and after a few years should be allowed to be deleted from the correspondence history.
                    • Any form letter attached to a record that is one of, donation, donation receipt, volunteer position, volunteer history, or media can never be deleted, regardless if the letter is set to delete. These letters are typically small in number, yet important enough tax/personnel records that they remain forever.
                    You can review letter history in each patron record, or you can use the Letter recipient list to review things sent on any particular day (or use other search criteria).
                    Keep Printed Letter History for xx days The default is 0, which means - keep anything printed forever. Set to 1000 to keep any printed letter for 1000 days after it is printed.
                    Keep eblast history for xxx days. The default is 0, which means keep forever. If you set this, then anything sent from the batch email merge, or added to a patron individually by the employee to email later will be deleted.
                    Keep web listener emails for xxx days. Refers to any email originated by the web listener, in response to a customer request. Includs: requests for passwords, confirmation emails, and notes regarding patron info changes. These are less useful. The default is to remove them after 1000 days. Set it to 0 if you want to keep these forever.
                    Clear Searchable Notes in letters. The default is turned on. Letters and eblasts which are sent to people have also contained a text only version (i.e. no html, images). This means there are essentially two copies of each letter kept for each communication with a patron. The field is not used for searching, which allows the field to be emptied (and save space). It is also possible to reconstitute this data if need be.
                    Delete history for letters with no merge fields. Some letter merges and eblasts contain no merge fields. For example, a pure HTML eblast. By tracking that, the history is the same as the original letter. It is possible to always see the content, without needing to track the merged data. Any customized letter would, of course, not be the same as the original letter an not be compressed using this technique.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Appearance Tab

                    The appearance tab allows the change to the titles of common fields. A common example is province / state if the company is located in a country which uses 'states' Simply change the value to the right of the descripiton below (the text column) and click the Save button.

                    Changing these values will change the corresponding information on the web site - so care should be taken to pick words that both you and your patrons are familiar with to establish a common vocabulary.

                    Some examples of alternate titles are listed below.

                    Donor Donor, Sponsor
                    Donation Donation, Gift
                    Event Event, Play, Show, Game, Rodeo, Movie
                    Festival Seating Festival, General
                    Household Household, Family
                    Internet Fee Internet Fee, Convenience Fee
                    Media Media, Press
                    Member Member, Voucher, Pass, Gift Certificate
                    Membership Membership, Pass, Certificate
                    Patron Patron, Customer, Client
                    Performance Performance, Show
                    Personnel Personnel, Volunteer, Actor, Staff
                    Postal Code Postal Code, Zip Code
                    Province Province, State, Territory
                    Seat Seat, Chair
                    Section Section, Door
                    Social Security Social Security, Social Insurance
                    Spouse Spouse, Partner, Parent
                    Ticket Type Regular, Subscription, Group Sales, Fundraising Events
                    Venue Venue, Theatre, Arena
                    Diataxis: 

                    Mandatory Data Tab

                    This tab allows setting which fields are required on the creation of a new patron.

                    Default Data on Patron Insert

                    City Enabling this box ensures a default City is entered into the City field when a new patron is inserted. The default City comes from the city field under the Company Tab.
                    Province Enabling this box ensures a default Province/State is entered into the Province/State field when a new patron is inserted. The Province/State comes from the Province/State field under the Company Tab.
                    Postal Code Enabling this box ensures a default Postal/Zip Code is entered into the Postal/Zip Code field when a new patron is inserted. The Postal/Zip Code comes from the Postal/Zip Code field under the Company Tab.

                    Mandatory Marketing Data Fields on Patron Window

                    Patron age code Patron Age Marketing field.
                    Marketing #1 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.
                    Marketing #2 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.
                    Marketing #3 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.
                    Marketing #4 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.
                    Marketing #5 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.
                    Marketing #6 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.
                    Marketing #7 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.
                    Marketing #8 Customizable marketing field defined by the user.

                    Default Values for Postal Code on Order Insert

                    Postal Code for Before Event sales ("xx") When checked, sales entered during Before Event Sales will all pull the postal code value from the Company Tab into the Postal Code field on the Order Window.
                    Postal Code for PWYC ("xx") When checked, sales entered during Pay What You Can (PWYC) mode will all pull the postal code value from the Company Tab into the Postal Code field on the Order Window.
                    Postal Code for all other sales (default to value on patron address) When checked, all sales will pull the value from the postal code in the patron's primary address into the postal code field on the Order window.

                    Mandatory Fields On Order Window

                    Allow postal code to be entered on order When selected, a field for the postal code will appear on the Order Window and may be filled in (but is not required).
                    Require postal code to be entered. When selected, a field for the postal code will appear on the Order Window and must be filled in. It can be defaulted in the Set Default Values for Order Insert section.

                    The key reason to use this field is to capture generalize location data if your venue draws from a wide area during walk up sales.

                    Mandatory Fields On Donor Window

                    Donor #1 (Donor#1 (pop-up)) Customizable pop-up donor field defined by the user.
                    Donor #2 (Donor#2 (pop-up)) Customizable pop-up donor field defined by the user.
                    Donor #3 (Donor#3 (pop-up)) Customizable pop-up donor field defined by the user.
                    Donor #4 (Donor#4 (Char)) Customizable character donor field defined by the user.

                    Mandatory Fields On Pass/GC Window

                    Member #1 (Member#1 (pop-up)) Customizable pop-up membership classification field defined by the user that appears on the pass/gc data entry screen.
                    Member #2 (Member#2 (pop-up)) Customizable pop-up membership classification field defined by the userthat appears on the pass/gc data entry screen.
                    Member #3 (Member#3 (pop-up)) Customizable pop-up membership classification field defined by the user that appears on the pass/gc data entry screen.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Reports/Misc Tab

                    Date & Time

                    Date Format The format for the date. Use the list window for all possible options.
                    Time Format The format for the time. Use the list widow for all possible options.
                    Time Zone Select the time zone that your venue is in. When Theatre Manager starts, it will tell the server that this is the local time zone -- and if your time is different (accounting for time zone awareness), TM will inform you of the mismatch.

                    If any of your workstations are located in a different timezone than the database setting, you can set a specific time zone at a specific workstation by configuring the preferences file and set it to one from the list of timezones (its rare you would ever need to do this).

                    Maintenance Jobs

                    Maintenance Jobs Maintenance Jobs are tasks performed by TM Server that can be deferred to non-peak hours.
                    Run Between Enter the Start Time and End Time. Maintenance jobs will only run within that time interval. The default is 1:00am to 5:00am, but you can schedule this to be 23:00 (11pm) to 3:00am or any such time as you wish. You many want to schedule to be after your late-night backup.

                    Batch Printing Queue

                    The Printer Batch Queue allows users to setup reports to be created and printed during nonprime business hours.
                    Weekdays The time of day for the reports in the printer queue to start printing for Monday through Friday.
                    Weekends The time of day for the reports in the printer queue to start printing for Saturday and Sunday.
                    Warn on Quit Click to warn a 'logging off employee' if there are any reports in the Batch Printer Queue to be printed. At least one employee must remain logged on to have the reports in the queue to be printed during nonprime time hours.

                    Employee Access Management

                    Inactivity Timeout Number of minutes of inactivity before Theatre Manager will automatically log somebody out completely.

                    The auto logout is initially set to 15 minutes. We suggest about between 2 and 4 hours for this, depending on the general user habits

                    PCI compliance requires that a screen be locked after 15 minutes of inactivity. Theatre Manager will display a small window that requires the user to re-enter their password. This is a mandated requirement per PCI requirement 8.1.8

                    This lock screen will stay in place until the auto-logout timeout has expired. At that time, the user will be completely logged off.

                    In addition to the feature built into Theatre Manager for auto log out, you are encouraged to use the screen saver provisions that require passwords after the screen saver is activated.

                    Company Icons

                    Company Icon for Ticket Trove 250x200 pixel jpg that the iPhone Application will use for your logo thumbnail in the Ticket Trove Application. Click here for more information on how to add images to Theatre Manager for Ticket Trove.
                    Company Overview for the Web A description of the organization to appear in the web mobile application. It is to give the patron insight into what the organization stands for.
                    Company Logo for Reports Click on the picture to select a new graphic or drag and drop an image filento the graphic area to use a custom logo on your reports.
                    The space allotted for the logo on reports has an aspect ratio of 3.75" wide and 0.75" high. Any image you place into this field that is not that size will be scaled up or down to match that ratio -AND- the reports will maintain the aspect ration of any picture you put in.

                    For best results, try to put in a image that is the size above (or has the same aspect ratio if its not the specified size).

                    Diataxis: 

                    Facility Management Tab

                    This page is under construction.

                    Gantt Chart Default Settings

                    Wash Type
                    This is the type of bar you wish displayed on the Gantt chart in the Facility Management Projects window.
                    Fill Colour
                    Select the default fill colour for new bars in the Gantt chart.
                    Text Colour
                    Select the default text colour for new bars in the Gantt chart.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Local Time Zone and Hardware Preferences

                    This window can be used to:
                    • Set a local time zone of this workstation if you need Theatre Manager to be Time Zone aware
                    • Indicate devices connected to the workstation

                    Time Zone

                    Click to uncheck 'Default' and then select the time zone that you are working in, if it is different from the one in company preferences.

                    Devices

                    Your computer may be connected to some physical devices that are part of the point of sale process. These can include:

                    • Up to two ticket printers. The ticket printer that is actually used is dependant on each ticket face. In the ticket face options tab, you can indicate if the ticket is to print on
                      • Printer 1 - if selected on the ticket face, the ticket will print on what ever you assign to Printer1 on this window
                      • Printer 2 - if selected on the ticket face, the ticket will print on what ever you assign to Printer2 on this window
                      This feature allows you to 'gate' two tyeps of tickets to different printers. For example, subscription tickets or ticket for a renter could go to printer 2 on a different ticket stock.
                    • A cash drawer
                    • A USB credit card swipe that will take input from track II on the credit card mag strip and populate the payment window
                    • An EMV based credit card swipe that is provided by a specific merchant and is supported by Theatre Manager. At this time, only Moneris and only one specific setup of devices.

                    Each device must be previously set up before you can reference it in this window and some devices (like ethernet printers) can be shared.
                    The devices are specific to this user id and workstation. If you share workstations or use terminal server, each employee will need to set up their own devices.

                     

                    Issues preventing EMV device from being used

                    After selecting an EMV device for use with a workstation, you may see some red warning messages in the area indicated on the image to the left. If there are any, selecting a credit card during payment will NOT be enabled.

                    Typical issues that might be identified are one or more of:

                    • EMV device has not been paired with Moneris Cloud
                    • Merchant Account is
                      • not active
                      • not enabled for use at the box office
                      • in emergency mode
                      • for a different outlet to the device - which affects workstations shared amongst multiple outlets or a single person who acts for multiple outlets

                    These will need to be fixed before continuing.

                    Batch Functions

                    The Batch menu allows a number of batch functions to be performed. Batch functions are used for processing items in a group. For example, the printing of all tickets to a performance that have not been printed is done as a batch function rather than through each patron's record.
                    1. Click Setup on the main menu bar
                    2. Select the Batch Functions sub menu
                    3. Select the item you want from the sub menu

                     

                    Print Uprinted Tickets Used for the printing of all tickets that have not been printed for a performance. For more information on using the Print Unprinted Tickets function, click here.
                    Unprint Batch of Tickets Used for reprinting a previously printed batch of tickets. This removes the 'Printed' flag from the tickets. For more information on the Unprint Batch of Tickets function, click here.
                    Print Ticket Invoices Used for printing all ticket invoices that have been marked for printing. For more information on the Print Ticket Invoices function, click here.
                    Print Unprinted Passes Used for printing all passes that have not been printed. For more information on the Print Unprinted Passes function, click here.
                    Unprint Batch of Passes Used for reprinting a previously printed batch of passes. This removes the 'Printed' flag from the pass(es). For more information on the Unprint Batch of Passes function, click here.
                    Print Charitable Receipts for Donor Used for printing all charitable receipts that have been marked for printing. For more information on the Print Charitable Receipts for Donor function, click here.
                    Print Annual Summary Charitable Receipts for Donor Used for printing all charitable receipts that have been marked for printing in an Annual Statement style. For more information on the Print Annual Summary Charitable Receipts for Donor function, click here.
                    Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts Used for reprinting a previously printed batch of charitable receipts. This removes the 'Printed' flag from the receipts. For more information on the Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts function, click here.
                    Order Balances Used for recalculating the order balances of all orders within a given range. For more information on the Order Balances function, click here.
                    Patron Balances Used for recalculating the patron balances within a given range. For more information on the Patron Balances, click here.
                    Orders Currently Being Sold Opens a window displaying a list of all orders currently flagged as being sold. This is useful if a workstation crashes in the middle of an order. For more information on the Orders Currently Being Sold function, click here.
                    Worker Jobs Theatre Manager defers some data managment into worker jobs so that you can continue to use your workstation and sell tickets. The TM servers monitor the jobs and are responsible for making them run at the the right time. For example, jobs that save a users window preferences generally run right away. jobs that create indexes or purge expired data will run off hours.

                    You may receive a message at startup that some jobs have not run. You can review outstanding jobs and let ArtsMan support know - we'll make sure that they run.

                    Check Patron Field for PCI data This feature is used to search your entire database within a list of note or text data fields that might un-encrypted credit card data.

                    Under PCI rules, card data shold only be entered in the credit card payment fields. Sometimes, a user or a patorn may put a full credit card number in order notes (instead if setting up a post date payment). This will help you find out what field it might have occurred in and then correct it.

                    When the window opens:

                    • Click the search button
                    • The system may take a little while searching
                    • A list of possible violations may show up and the part of the text that Theatre Manager thinks could be card number will be highlighted, along with the name of the field
                    • Double click on the row to open a window containing the data
                    • You should be able to edit the field to remove the possible card number
                    Clear/Replace Patron Fields This function will be implemented at a later date.

                    Print or Email Unprinted Tickets

                    The Print (or Email) Unprinted Tickets function is commonly used to print all tickets for a performance that have not been printed. Multiple performances can be printed in one batch, but it is recommended that each batch be a separate performance.

                    From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Print Unprinted Tickets.

                    This will open two windows, with the Parameter window in front.

                    Parts of the Unprinted Parameters Window

                    If available, uses the default search criteria for this report.
                    If this report has previously been run, this button will add the previous criteria.
                    Opens a list of saved criteria for this report.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later and opens a dialog to name this criteria.
                    Opens the Add/Edit Parameter window to facilitate adding new criteria. Click here for more information on the Add/Edit Parameter window.
                    Opens the currently selected criteria in the Add/Edit Parameter window to allow adjustments.
                    Deletes the currently selected criteria.
                    Deletes all criteria from the Search tab.
                    Allows for adjustments to the criteria if more specialization is available.
                    Prints a listing of the criteria currently in the Search tab.
                    Tests the current criteria to see how many records will be returned. A message will appear at the bottom of the window showing the number of records to be returned.
                    Groups the currently selected criteria. This forces the criteria to take precedence in the search.
                    Ungroups the currently selected criteria.
                    The Search tab is used to enter the criteria to be used in the search of records. For more information on the Search tab, click here.
                    The Selection Limits tab is used to enter limits for the number of items to be printed. For more information on the Selection Limits tab, click here.
                    The Additional Items tab is used to mark any additional items that should be printed when the batch is printed. For more information on the Additional Items tab, click here.
                    The Sort tab is used to determine how the batch should be sorted when printed. For more information on the Sort tab, click here.

                    For more information on the Batch Printing window for batch ticket printing, click here.


                    Search tab

                    The Print Unprinted Tickets function is commonly used to print all tickets for a performance that have not been printed. Multiple performances can be printed in one batch, but it is recommended that each batch be a separate performance.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Print Unprinted Tickets.

                      This will open two windows, with the Parameter window in front.

                    2. Enter the criteria for the batch.

                      In the example above, one event and performance date have been selected.

                    3. Click the button once the criteria has been entered.

                    Selection Limits

                    Set the selections in the window. These options include:

                    Select Tickets from
                    • All orders containing unprinted tickets - Prints all unprinted tickets within any order that meets the Search criteria, regardless of payment status.
                    • Fully paid orders - Prints all unprinted tickets within any order that meets the Search criteria, but only for fully paid orders.
                    • Fully paid orders, where payments are also deposited. - Prints all unprinted tickets within any order that meets the Search criteria, but only for fully paid orders, for whom the End Of Day has been run and payments have been deposited.
                    Ticket Printing Disposition When an order is taken, the order is marked with how tickets are to be managed. When batch printing, you can include any tickets (not yet printed), that are in orders with one or more of the following status:
                    • Hold for Pickup/Emailed/Taken - this is the most used status - and typically means the patron already has their tickets since they were picked up, taken during the sale, or emailed to the patron. When selected, it might not find any still-unprinted ticket to be printed
                    • Patron wants ticket mailed - means that the patron wants the tickets in the mail. This status is normally used alone to batch print subscriptions, or in conjunction with the others to print remaining will call tickets
                    • Hold ticket to will call - is often used if it is known that the tickets wont reach the patron by mail or of the patron request to pick them up night of show at the box office
                    • Hold at Door for Coupon from Patron - some sales promotions offer a discount and may require proof of eligibility (like Active Military, 2 for 1 coupon from a newspaper, AMA card, Seniors Card, etc). If any one ticket in the order (typically sold by box office over the phone) requires proof of eligibility, then all tickets in the order will not be printed. You can excluded them from a batch print, or do its own special batch print for will call
                    Limit Batch Size (optional) Allows you to limit the batch print size to accommodate ticket printing capacity and stock currently loaded in the printer.
                    Past Plays/Events (optional) Allows you to print tickets for past events that may not have been printed, if they meet the selection criteria. This is useful if you wish to provide a patron who missed the event with a ticket (as a receipt) of their purchase.
                    and then click the button.

                    This will move to the next tab in the Parameter window.

                    Additional Items tab

                    Set the additional items to be printed. These items include (each of which are optional):

                    Print Address Ticket Prints an address ticket at the head of each order. This is useful when batch printing season tickets to be mailed.
                    Print Credit Card Receipt Prints a credit card receipt following each completed order.
                    Include Memberships Includes membership ticket faces (if one has been assigned in the membership setup).
                    Include Donations Includes donation ticket faces (if one has been assigned in the donation setup).
                    Mark Tickets as Printed Changes the ticket printed status on the ticket from "Not Printed" to "Printed." Use this option to indicate in the patron record that the tickets have been printed.

                     

                    Click the button.

                    This will move you to the next tab in the Parameters window.

                    Sort Options

                    Set the sort options for the tickets. These options include:

                    Sort Tickets By Options to sort either by Patron Last Name or Postal Code, then Patron last Name. The latter can be useful if mailing susbcription tickets by postal code.
                    And then sort by
                    • Date, Section/Row/Seat. This is useful for subscription printing.
                    • Date, Seat Code. The Seat Code is defined in the Venue Map setup. To learn more about the Seat Code, click here
                    • Section/Row/Seat, Date. This is useful for subscription printing.
                    • Seat Code, Date. The Seat Code is defined in the Venue Map setup. To learn more about the Seat Code, click here

                    When complete, click the Done button.

                    This will close the Parameters window and reveal the Batch Ticket Printing window.

                    The type of a field (character, date, numeric) influences the order that the ticket comes out. Refer to the list of field types, especially the note about character fields and it may influence how you set some up.

                    Ticket Printing - Ticket Printing Sort Order

                    The Tickets will print according to sort order choices made in dialogs. The order is influence on the Sort Type of the variable.
                    • Numeric and Date sort orders are relatively intuitive
                    • Character sort order may need leading zero's in fields to have them sort in a way you expect. (Seat Code is one we are ofter asked about)

                    Character fields use Character Sorts which is not the same as numeric sort order.

                    Examples of seat code sort order

                    • CA1, CA10, C11, CA2, CA20 are all in character sort order
                    • CA01, CA02, CA03, CA09, CA10, CA11 are also in character sort order. Leading zeros to make them appear in numerical order
                    Field Name Sort Order Sort Type
                    Patron Last Name Ascending Character
                    Patron First Name Ascending Character
                    Patron Number Ascending Numeric
                    Performance Date Descending Date
                    Performance Time Descending Time
                    Performance Code Descending Character
                    Section Descending Character
                    Row Descending Character
                    Seat Descending Character
                    Seat Code Descending Character

                    The Batch Printing/Emailing Window

                    The Batch Printing/Emailing window allows for the final options to be set prior to printing a batch.

                    Parts of the Batch Printing Window

                    Opens the Parameter window for adjustments to be made to the search parameters. For more information on the Parameters window, click here.
                    Opens the selected item.
                    Removes the selected item from the batch.
                    Reverts to the last saved search criteria.
                    Exports the list of items in the batch to a TXT file.
                    Prints the list of items in the batch.
                    The Ticket Counts tab gives a summary of the items in the batch. Additional final options can also be set prior to printing the batch. For more information on the Ticket Counts tab, click here.
                    The Selected Tickets tab lists all of the items that will be printed in the batch. For more information on the Selected Tickets tab, click here.

                    Ticket Counts

                    Once you have clicked the button on the Sort Options window, the second window in the Batch Print process will come to the front.


                    The number of tickets to be printed will appear in the Tickets field. For more information on the Batch Printing window, click here.

                    Set any final printing options, and click the Start Printing button.

                    The tickets will now begin printing to the selected ticket printer.

                    Parts of the Batch Printing Ticket Counts Tab

                    The Selected Tickets tab lists all of the items that will be printed in the batch. For more information on the Selected Tickets tab, click here.
                    Tickets The total number of tickets to be printed in the batch.
                    Include When checked, this item will be printed in the batch.
                    Mark As Printed When checked, this item will be marked as printed, but nothing will be printed.
                    Memberships The total number of memberships in the batch.
                    Send Notifications The letter associated with this item that will be included.
                    Donations The total number of donations in the batch.
                    Credit Card Receipts The total number of credit card receipts in the batch.
                    Address Header The total number of address header tickets in the batch.
                    Total Ticket Stock The grand total number of tickets that will be printed so that the stock in the printer can be verified prior to printing.

                    Notification Routing for Letters/emails confirming tickets have been printed.

                    Print Letters If a notification letter has been created and set for any of the items above (eg tickets, passes, donations), the notification letter will be printed so you can mail it to the patron.
                    Email Letter If notification letter has been set for any of the items, the notifications will be emailed if the patron has an email address. This is useful for things like 'your season tickets are in the mail'. Optionally you can.
                    • Ignore printing of a notification letter for patrons that do not have an email address -or-
                    • Print the notification on the printer for those patrons that do not have an email address and email the letter to those that have email addresses.

                    Ticket Printing Options

                    Print Tickets If selected, will print all tickets that have been found to print.
                    Email Tickets If selected, will email tickets (where print at home is enabled) to patrons that have an email address and optionally (when selected):
                    • Ignore printing of tickets for patrons that do not have an email address -or-
                    • Print those tickets on the ticket printer for those patrons that do not have an email address

                    When you select the email option, you will be asked for the content of the form letter to send/. This can be from pre-existing form letter(s) marked as cover letter for invoice or something you type yourself.

                    Note: you can also manually email tickets at the end of an order on a per order basis if you want. This feature is useful for emailing batches of tickets.

                    Ticket Cutting Options

                    Cut each ticket - if printer has a ticket cutter Tells the ticket printer to cut the stock after each ticket.
                    Cut after last ticket printed for patron Tells the ticket printer to cut the stock after the last ticket for each patron is printed. This has an advantage in that there will be a ribbon of tickets that belongs to a single patron and lessens the chance that the patron will receive the wrong tickets.
                    Do not cut tickets Tells the printer to not cut the stock until the end of the batch - tickets will not be cut. You will have to find the demarcation between patrons and manually rip the tickets.
                    Starts the printing of the batch.

                    Selected Tickets Tab

                    The Batch Printing window allows for the final options to be set prior to printing a batch.

                    Parts of the Batch Printing Selected Tickets Tab

                    The Ticket Counts tab gives a summary of the items in the batch. Additional final options can also be set prior to printing the batch. For more information on the Ticket Counts tab, click here.
                    Order # The Order number associated with the item.
                    Patron # The Patron Number to whom the tickets were sold.
                    Last Name The last name of the patron.
                    First Name The first name of the patron
                    Company The company of the patron.
                    Event/Play The event the item is for.
                    Performance The performance the item is for.
                    Qty The quantity of the item.
                    Section The section the ticket is in.
                    Row # The row number the ticket is in.
                    Seat # The seat number the ticket is in.
                    PC The price code that was used with the ticket.
                    Promotion The promotion that was used with the ticket.
                    Starts the printing of the batch.

                    Other Fields Not Shown

                    Total The total price of the ticket.
                    Date Printed The date the tickets were printed. Normally blank, but if the tickets were previously printed, their original print date would appear here.
                    Date The date of the performance.
                    Time The time of the performance.
                    Play/Event Title The play or event title.
                    Ticket # The serial number of the ticket.
                    Notes Any order notes for the selected ticket.

                    Unprint or Refund Batch of Tickets

                    The Unprint or Refund Batch of Tickets function allows you to search for tickets in a variety of ways and:

                     

                    To access the Unprint or Refund Batch Of Tickets function:

                    From the main menu bar, select Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Tickets.

                    The Unprint or Refund a Batch of Tickets window opens.

                    Parts of the Unprint or Refund a Batch of Tickets Window

                    Opens the highlighted ticket detail window. For more on the Ticket Data window, click here.
                    Click the Unprint button to set the print status on the selected ticket(s) to "unprinted."
                    Clicking the Refund button will open the Refund Wizard and refund the selected tickets using the same tools as mass refunding from the attendance tab on play and dates.

                    In this window, there are different search options, instead of just being restricted to those attending a performance.

                    Prints the selected tickets. This option is only available if the selected tickets have the ticket status of "unprinted."

                    Ticket Data Window

                    The ticket detail window allows you to view the specific details surrounding the sale of the selected ticket.

                    Ticket Detail Tab

                    The ticket detail window allows you to view the specific details surrounding the sale of the selected ticket.

                    Parts of the Ticket Detail Tab

                    Play
                    Information about the selected ticket - Event Name, Venue, Performance Date and time and seat
                    Promotion
                    Letter and Internal description of the promotion code
                    Sold By
                    Employee who sold the ticket to the patron
                    Pricing Map
                    Internal name of the pricing map used in the sales window
                    Quantity
                    Number of tickets. It is always 1 for reserved seating. It maybr more than one for festival events sold as group tickets.
                    Price
                    Price Code, The base price before markups, taxes discounts. and Tax Codes
                    Discount
                    Total amount the ticket was discounted due to the promotion used. And the control number and type for the pass g.c. used to discount the price.
                    Ticket Fees 1,2 & 3
                    Values for each of the fees added to the ticket.
                    Taxes
                    Amount of the taxes added to the ticket.
                    Ticket Cost
                    The total amount of the ticket including discounts, markups, taxes and fees.
                    Auction Item
                    If this is an auction item, the descripption of the item.
                    Patron Name
                    Name of the patron who purchased the ticket. Clicking the Patron icon opens the Patron Record.
                    Gifted To
                    Name of the patron who the ticket was gifted to. Clicking the Gift icon opens the Patron Record.
                    Order #
                    Order number the ticket is part of. Clicking the Search icon opens the Order Detail window.
                    Season #
                    The Subscrition the tickets are associated with.
                    Ticket #
                    The internal number of the ticket, assigmned by the system.
                    Bought
                    The Date and time the ticket was bought.
                    Journalized
                    The date the ticket was journailzed by the create sales entry process.
                    Printed
                    The date the ticket was last printed
                    Printed By
                    The initials of the employee who printed the ticket and how many times the ticket has been printed.
                    Attended Status
                    Sets to YES if the patron attended.
                    Ticket Scanner IP
                    The IP Address of the scanner used to scan the ticket
                    Scan Date
                    The date the ticket was scanned

                    Transactions Tab

                    The Transactions tab allows you to view the specific details surrounding the audit transactions of the selected ticket.

                    Parts of the Transactions Tab

                    Seq #
                    The transaction reference number.
                    Trans Date
                    Date the transaction took place
                    Journal No
                    Journal Entry reference number.
                    Code
                    Theatre Manager reference code used to determine the type of transaction.
                    Transaction Desc
                    Brief description of what the transaction was.
                    Order #
                    Reference number used to tract the components of the order.
                    Play Code
                    Play code reference the donation is associated with.
                    Performance Code
                    Performance code reference the donation is associated with.

                    Order Notes tab

                    The Order Notes tab allows you to view the specific details surrounding the processing of the order of the selected ticket. The tab discloses the Ticket Handling, Why Patron Bought, Ticket Comments, and any Order Notes.

                    Parts of the Order Noted Tab

                    Ticket Handling
                    Indicates how the ticket handling option are set in the Payments window. Click here for more information.

                    Options are:

                    • Hold for Pickup/Taken
                    • Mail to Patron
                    • Hold for Willcall
                    • Hold @ Door for coupon
                    Purchase Order #
                    Displays the Purchase Order Number if one was entered on the Payments window. Click here for more information.
                    Why Bought
                    Displays the The Reason Bought if one was entered on the Payments window. Click here for more information.
                    Ticket Comment
                    Displays any ticket comments entered on the Payments window. Click here for more information.
                    Order Notes
                    Any specific notes about the order if any were entered on the Payments window. Click here for more information.

                    Ticket Refund Wizard

                    It is highly recommended that:
                    • you verify the tickets you want to refund very carefully -and-
                    • generally only select tickets for future performances.
                    This process can refund a lot of tickets and you can't undo the refunds once they are done.
                    Please refer to Mass Refunds from Attendance Tab to see detail information about the refund options.

                    This page only outlines the basic steps.

                     

                    Mass Refund of Tickets from Batch Functions->Unprint or Refund a Batch of Tickets

                    The Ticket Refund Wizard allows you to refund tickets selected tickets the Unprint Tickets window.

                    1. Search for tickets using up to two of: event name, performance date range, type of ticket, season package, etc. Take care that you have found the tickets you want.

                    2. Select the tickets you wish to refund. Options include:
                      • Refunding only the selected tickets
                      • Refunding ALL the tickets in the list, which may cross event and performance boundaries
                    3. (optional) Select the option to refund only tickets paid for via Credit Card
                    4. Select whether to refund payments.

                      Options include:

                      • Do not create refund payments. Ticket will be refunded, but the payment will not, leaving a credit balance on the patron's account.
                      • Create a payment if a credit card was originally used to pay for the order. This will add a refund to the credit card that was used to pay for the order, and will appear in your End Of Day.
                      • Refund the tickets to a donation campaign
                      • Refund the tickets to a gift certificate
                    5. Click the button.

                    Unprinting a Batch of Tickets

                    The Unprint Batch of Tickets function allows for the 'Printed' flag to be removed from tickets so that they can be printed again. This is helpful when a batch of tickets needs to be reprinted.

                    1. From the main menu bar, select Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Tickets.

                      The Unprint Batch of Tickets window opens.

                    2. Enter the date the tickets were printed in the From and To fields.
                    3. Click the Search button to begin the search.

                      Any tickets printed in the date range given will display.

                    4. Highlight the tickets to be unprinted.

                      Use the <SHIFT> key to highlight a range of tickets. To highlight multiple individual tickets, hold the <CTRL> key (Windows) or the <OPTION> key (Mac).

                    5. Click the Unprint button to remove the 'Printed' flag.

                      The tickets can now be added to a new batch of tickets to be printed.

                    Print Ticket Invoices

                    Invoices can be created for any order at any time. Using the proper criteria, it is easy to create invoices for orders. To access the Print Ticket Invoices function, you can go to either:

                    1. Setup >> Batch Functions >> Print Ticket Invoices.

                      Or through the Reports >> Ticket Printing, Invoicing and Inventory Analysis >> Print Invoices function.

                      The Print Invoice Criteria window opens.

                    2. For more information on the Print Invoice Criteria window, click here.

                    The Print invoices Criteria Window


                    Parts of the Print Invoices Criteria Window

                    If available, uses the default search criteria for this report.
                    If this report has previously been run, this button will add the previous criteria.
                    Opens a list of saved criteria for this report.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later and opens a dialog to name this criteria.
                    Opens the Add/Edit Parameter window to facilitate adding new criteria. Click here for more information on the Add/Edit Parameter window.
                    Opens the currently selected criteria in the Add/Edit Parameter window to allow adjustments.
                    Deletes the currently selected criteria.
                    Deletes all criteria from the Search tab.
                    Allows for adjustments to the criteria if more specialization is available.
                    Prints a listing of the criteria currently in the Search tab.
                    Tests the current criteria to see how many records will be returned. A message will appear at the bottom of the window showing the number of records to be returned.
                    Groups the currently selected criteria. This forces the criteria to take precedence in the search.
                    Ungroups the currently selected criteria.
                    The Search tab is used to enter the criteria to be used in the search of records. For more information on the Search tab, click here.
                    The Header tab is used to enter options regarding the Address Label, format of the invoice (Invoice, Statement, Payment Reminder, Confirmation, or Contract), and layout. For more information on the Header tab, click here.
                    The Footer tab is used to enter options for a tear off section, and comments to the recipient. For more information on the Footer tab, click here.
                    The Tickets tab is used to choose options for ticket summary and details to be included in the invoice. For more information on the Tickets tab, click here.
                    The Membership tab is used to choose options for membership (pass/gift certificate) summary and details to be included in the invoice. For more information on the Membership tab, click here.
                    The Donations tab is used to choose options for donation summary and details to be included in the invoice. For more information on the Donations tab, click here.
                    The Projects tab is used to choose options for project summary and details to be included in the invoice (Facilities Management module only). For more information on the Projects tab, click here.
                    The Payments tab is used to choose options for the payment summary and details to be included in the invoice. For more information on the Payments tab, click here.
                    The Fees & Taxes tab is used to choose options for fee and tax summary and details to be included in the invoice. For more information on the Fees & Taxes tab, click here.
                    The Sort tab is used to enter the sort order parameters for the printed batch. For more information on the Sort tab, click here.
                    The Search tab is used to enter optional titles and descriptions for the printed invoice. For more information on the Titles tab, click here.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels that adding of criteria and returns the user to the Report window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the report. Click here for more information on the Finished Report window.

                    Search Tab

                    The Search tab allows you to enter criteria to locate pending ticket invoices needing to be printed from within the database.


                    Parts of the Print Invoices Search Tab

                    Exclude Records
                    These checkboxes provide the opportunity to exclude patrons based on the settings within the Marketing tab on the patron record. For more information on the Marketing tab click here.
                    Household Options
                    Use Household Options to indicate which patrons will receive the invoice. Options include:
                    • All Patrons. All patrons who match the criteria will receive an invoice.
                    • Primary Patrons Only. If anyone within the household matches the criteria, the Primary Patron will receive the Invoice.
                    • Non-Primary Patrons Only. In a non-primary patron matches the criteria, they will receive the invoice. Primary Patrons are excluded.
                    The criteria window
                    Criteria used to batch print invoices is entered here using the button. For more information on how to add criteria to a report or invoice, click here.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Header Tab

                    The Header tab allows you to choose options regarding layout of the address portion, the columns included and the overall look of the Invoice.


                    Parts of the Header Tab

                    Address Label
                    Allows you to select how the address portion of the Invoice will appear.
                    • Strict Address Compliance. Forces the address to appear according to official postal guidelines. These include all caps, and specific abbreviations for Road (RD), Street (ST), Boulevard (BLVD), etc.
                    • Regular Name. The first and last name of the patron.
                    • Formal Name. The full formal name of the patron: Mr. John Q. Public, Jr.
                    • Company. The company name (if applicable).
                    • Title. Patron title (e.g. President, Manager, Principal).
                    • Address Comment. An opportunity for you to add a comment line to the address field.
                    Layout
                    Allows you to select which columns will appear on the Invoice.
                    • Show Date Column. Includes a column for date of service.
                    • Regular Name. The first and last name of the patron.
                    • Show Item Column. Includes the item name.
                    • Show Quantity Column. Includes the quantity of the the item.
                    Invoice Title & Style
                    Allows you to select the style of the invoice.
                    • Invoice. Used when no payment has been received on an order. For an example of an Invoice, click here.
                    • Statement. Used when a payment has been received on an order, and you are sending a statement of the current financial status of the order. For an example of a Statement, click here.
                    • Payment Reminder. Used as a reminder for an upcoming payment. For an example of a Payment Reminder, click here.
                    • Confirmation. Used as a confirmation for an order. For an example of a Confirmation, click here.
                    • Contract. Used as a "sign and return" contract for the sale of an order. For an example of a Contract, click here.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Footer Tab

                    The Footer tab allows you to decide whether to include a tear-off section at the bottom of the invoice or not. It also allows you to indicate how many minutes prior to an event patrons should arrive, and add any comments to the invoice.


                    Parts of the Footer Tab

                    Print Tear Off Section
                    By checking this option, a tear off section will appear at the bottom of the invoice.
                    Performance Start Warning Time
                    Allows entry of a suggested arrival time prior to the performance. Use of this is helpful on invoices to school or tour groups, indicating they should arrive in order to be properly seated.
                    Additional Comments
                    An opportunity to add any comments to the invoice in the body of the document. Alternatively, you can choose standardized comments from the "Quick Select" drop down. For more information on adding standard invoice comments click here.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Tickets Tab

                    The Tickets tab determines the level of detail regarding the tickets that will be printed on the invoice.


                    Parts of the Tickets Tab

                    Ticket Detail and Summary Options
                    Determines whether the tickets will be printed (if at all) with a detail of one ticket per line, or summarized. The summary options include:
                    • Event Code. Tickets will be summarized on an event by event basis. For example, all tickets to Show 1 will be summarizes, then all tickets to Show 2, etc.
                    • Performance Series Code. Tickets will be summarized based on the day of the week which the performance takes place. For example, all Friday tickets will be summarized, then all Saturday tickets, etc.
                    • Promotion Title (Internal). Tickets will be summarized based on the internal name as it appears on the Sales Promotion setup.
                    • Promotion Decription. Tickets will be summarized based on the external name as it appears on the Sales Promotion setup. For example all REGULAR tickets will be summarized, then all COMP tickets will be summarized, etc.
                    Ticket Total Options
                    When checked, Theatre Manager will calculate the total dollar amount of the tickets and print it below the ticket detail or summary.
                    Ticket Date Options
                    When checked, Theatre Manager will print performance dates for the tickets within the invoice.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Memberships Tab

                    The Memberships tab determines the level of detail regarding the memberships that will be printed on the invoice

                    Depending on how your database is configured, this may appear as the GC/Pass tab, or Voucher tab.


                    Parts of the Memberships Tab

                    Membership Detail and Summaryn
                    Determines whether the Memberships will be printed (if at all) with a detail of one Membership per line, or summarized. The summary options include:
                    • Member Type Description (Internal). Memberships will be summarized based on the internal name as it appears on the Membership setup.
                    • Member Type Description (External). Memberships will be summarized based on the external name as it appears on the Membership setup.
                    Membership Total Options
                    Options to include either one or both of Membership total (dollar amount) and any Membership notes, which are drawn from the Membership . For more on adding notes to a Membership, click here.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Donations Tab

                    The Donations tab determines the level of detail regarding the donations that will be printed on the invoice.


                    Parts of the Donations Tab

                    Donation Detail and Summary Options
                    Determines whether the Donations will be printed (if at all) with a detail of one Donation per line, or summarized. The summary options include:
                    • Campaign Name (Internal). Donations will be summarized based on the internal name as it appears on the Campaign setup. For example, this may be "General Operating-2011" or "Restricted Equipment Purchases."
                    • Campaign Name (External). Donations will be summarized based on the external name as it appears on the Campaign setup. For example, this may be "Annual Fund" or "Digital Projector Project."
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Projects Tab

                    The Projects tab determines the level of detail regarding the Facilities Management Projects that will be printed on the invoice.

                    This tab will only be available if you have the Facilities Management module. For more information on Facilities Management, click here.


                    Parts of the Projects Tab

                    Project Detail Options
                    Determines whether the Projects will be printed (if at all) with a detail of one task per line, or summarized. The options include:
                    • No Projects Shown. No projects or their details will be included in the invoice.
                    • Project Totals Only. Summates the project total, and does not print any detail.
                    • Also Include Task Group Details. If there are details associated with a particular task group, they will be included here.
                    • Also Include Task Details. Specific task details will be included.
                    Project Totaling Options
                    Indicates whether each Group will have a subtotal line associated with it.
                    Reporting Options
                    Includes options to either list items on the invoice by the project hierarchy or by date. Project hierarchy means that the tasks will be listed with the groups, the tasks underneath them, in the order the project displays in in the Gantt chart, regardless of the date order. At current, the "By Date" option has not yet been implemented.
                    Show Comments
                    When checked, Theatre Manager will show line by line any comments associated with any of the individual tasks in the list.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Payments Tab

                    The Payments tab determines the level of detail regarding the payments that will be printed on the invoice.


                    Parts of the Payments Tab

                    Payment Detail and Summary Options
                    Determines whether the Payments will be printed (if at all) with a detail of one Payment per line, or summarized. At this time, payments may only be summarized based on payment method (cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, etc.)
                    Payment Total Options
                    When checked, Theatre Manager will include the total (dollar amount) of any payments.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Fees & Taxes Tab

                    The Fees & Taxes tab determines the level of detail regarding the fees and taxes that will be printed on the invoice.


                    Parts of the Fees & Taxes Tab

                    Tax Options The options to print are:
                    • Do not include taxes on notice.
                    • Include taxes in ticket prices.
                    • Include taxes on separate line item.
                    Ticket Fee Options The options to print are:
                    • Don not include fees on notice.
                    • Include fees in ticket price.
                    • Include ticket fees in separate line with order fees.
                    • Inculde ticket fees on separate line separate from order fees.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Sort Tab

                    The Sort tab determines the sort order of the patron invoices that will be printed.


                    Parts of the Sort Tab

                    Available Sort Fields
                    A list of fields available to sort by.
                    Adds the currently selected field to the sort field list.
                    Removes the currently selected field from the sort field list.
                    Selected Sort Fields
                    The fields currently used for sorting. Default sort fields may appear here. There is a limit of nine sort fields.
                    Sort In Descending Order
                    When checked, the currently selected sort field will sort in descending order.
                    Upper Case Conversion
                    When checked, the currently selected sort field will be converted to upper case letters.
                    New Page When Field Changes
                    When checked, the currently selected sort field will start on a new page when the field changes.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Titles Tab

                    At this time, changes to this tab do not affect the printed output of the Invoice.


                    Parts of the Titles Tab

                    Returns to the previous tab in the Print Invoices Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the invoice.

                    Printing Ticket Invoices

                    Invoices can be created for any order at any time. Using the proper criteria, it is easy to create invoices for orders.

                    1. Go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Print Ticket Invoices.

                      This will open the Print Invoice Criteria window.

                      For more information on the Print Invoice Criteria window, click here.

                    2. Click the New button to add criteria to the search.

                      This will open the Add/Edit Parameters window.

                      For more information on the Add/Edit Parameters window, click here.

                    3. Select that appropriate paramaeters based on the invoice to be created, then click the Save button.

                      This will place the parameters in the Search tab of the Print Invoices Criteria window.

                    4. Either adjust the options on the tabs, or click the Done button to display all invoices to be printed.

                      The invoices will be printed to the screen before being routed to the printer.

                    5. Click the Print button at the top of the window to print the invoices.

                      Alternatively the Invoice can be emailed directly to the patron. To learn more about emailing invoices click here.

                    Invoice Examples

                    The following pages contain examples of each Invoice type listed in the Header tab of the Print Invoices Criteria. There are five different Invoice Styles:
                    • Invoice
                    • Statement
                    • Payment Reminder
                    • Confirmation, and
                    • Contract
                    • Selection of any of these styles will create different invoice formats to be printed.

                      While many of the items included in the invoices in terms of tickets, donations and memberships and their detail and summary level are customizable based on your organizations needs, placement of specific fields has been set by Theatre Manager in an effort to adhere to standard A-10 Window envelope format. Placement of fields such as logo, address (sender and recipient), and the tear off section may not be altered. As an alternative, you may build a Form Letter to use as a completely customized Invoice. For more on building form letters, click here.

                    Invoice

                    An example of an Invoice.

                    Statement

                    An example of a Statement.

                    Payment Reminder

                    An example of a Payment Reminder.

                    The verbiage indicated in the document is customizable under the tab in the Invoice setup.

                    Confirmation

                    An example of a Confirmation.

                    The verbiage indicated in the document is customizable under the tab in the Invoice setup.

                    Contract

                    An example of a Contract.

                    The verbiage indicated in the document is customizable under the tab in the Invoice setup.

                    Print Unprinted Passes

                    The Print Unprinted Passes function is commonly used to print all passes, memberships, gift certificates and vouchers that have not been printed.

                    Only Memberships and Passes with ticket faces associated with them that have been based on Member Data will be printed

                    For more on Membership Setup Overview click here.

                    For more on creating a ticket face click here.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Print Unprinted Passes.

                      This will open two windows, with the Parameter window in front.

                      For more information on the Parameters window for batch ticket printing, click here.

                    2. Enter the criteria for the batch.

                      In the example above, all passes that have been updated in a range have been selected.

                    3. Click the Next button once the criteria has been entered.

                      This will move to the next tab in the Parameter window.

                    4. Set the selections in the window, and then click the Next button.

                      This will move to the next tab in the Parameter window.

                    5. Set the additional items to be printed, and then click the Next button.

                      This will move to the next tab in the Parameters window.

                    6. Set the sort options for the tickets, and then click the Done button.

                      This will close the Parameters window and reveal the Batch Pass Printing window.

                      The number of passes to be printed will appear in the Memberships field. For more information on the Batch Printing window, click here.

                    7. Set any final printing options, and click the Start Printing button.

                      The passes will now begin printing to the selected ticket printer.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Unprint Batch of Passes

                    The Unprint Batch of Passes function allows for the 'Printed' flag to be removed from passes (Memberships, Gift Certificates, Vouchers) so that they can be printed again. This is helpful when a batch of passes needs to be reprinted. To access the Unprint Batch Of Passes function:

                    From the main menu bar, select Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Passes.

                    The Unprint Batch of Passess window opens.

                    Parts of the Unprint Batch of Passes Window

                    Clicking "Open" with a pass highlighted opens the Membership detail window. For more on the Membership Detail window, click here.
                    Clicking the Unprint button will set the print status on the selected pass(es) to "unprinted."
                    Prints the selected pass(es). This option is only available if the selected pass(es) have the print status of "unprinted."
                    Exports the selected pass(es) to your choice of text or Excel files
                    Status The current status of the pass
                    Patron # The Patron Number to whom the pass(es) were sold
                    First Name The first name of the patron
                    Last Name The last name of the patron
                    Company The company of the patron
                    Description The type of pass
                    Control # The unique control number of the pass
                    Date Printed The date the pass was previously printed
                    Remain $ The remaining dollar amount (if applicable) on the pass
                    Remain Qty The remaining quantity of admissions (if applicable) on the pass.
                    Expiry Date The expiration date (if applicable) of the pass
                    Date Full Redemption The date the pass was fully redeemed (if applicable).
                    Date Posted The date the sale of the pass was posted to the General Ledger
                    Order # The Order number associated with the item

                    Other Fields Not Shown

                    Membership # The sequence number (not the control number) of the pass within the database
                    Membership Year-Fiscal The fiscal year in which the pass was originally sold

                    Unprinting a Batch of Passes

                    1. From the main menu bar, choose Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Passes.

                      The Unprint Batch of Passes window opens.

                    2. Enter the date the passes were printed in the From and To fields.
                    3. Click the Search button to begin the search.

                      Any passes printed in the date range given will appear.

                    4. Highlight the passes to be unprinted.

                      Use the <SHIFT> key to highlight a range of passes. To highlight multiple individual passes, hold the <CTRL> key (Windows) or the <OPTION> key (Mac).

                    5. Click the Unprint button to remove the 'Printed' flag.

                      The passes can now be added to a new batch of passes to be printed.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Print Charitable Receipts for Donor

                    The Print Charitable Receipts for Donor batch function allows you to print all unprinted donation receipts, using parameters such as:
                    • All Donation Campaigns (or just one) and/or
                    • Patron Name, and/or
                    • Calendar Year

                    The Print Charitable Receipts for Donor is accessed under the Setup>>Batch Functions>>Print Charitable Receipts for Donor menu.

                    Receipts only print if a payment is received, the print options on the donation require one, and the Campaign allows receipts to be printed.

                     

                    Parts of the Print Charitable Receipts for Donor Window

                    If this report has previously been run, this button will add the previous criteria
                    Opens a list of saved criteria for this report.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later and opens a dialog to name this criteria
                    Allows editing of the batch print parameter for included donations. For more on the Donation Receipt tab, click here.
                    The Sort tab allows adjustment of the sort order of the columns found in the report. For more on the Sort tab, click here.
                    The Titles tab allows you to give the report a name that is meaningful to your requirements. For more on the Titles tab, click here.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Charitable Receipts for Donor Criteria.
                    Cancels that adding of criteria and closes the criteria window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the donation receipts
                    Diataxis: 

                    Donation Receipt Report Parameter Tab

                    The Donation Receipt tab determines what receipts will print depending on the criteria entered.


                    Parts of the Donation Receipt Tab

                    Next Receipt # The next starting number for receipts. You may override this value if you wish to assign a different starting number to the next donation receipt number. However after printing this selection of receipts, Theatre Manager will revert back to the "next tax receipt #" as defined in Company Preferences.

                    If the starting "next tax receipt #" for all future donation receipts is required to be set to a different number, set the "next tax receipt #" in the Company Preferences.
                    Select Donation For A drop down to limit your donation receipts by specific campaign, or All Campaigns. By default, Theatre Manager will include receipts for all campaigns
                    Last Name Between An opportunity to limit the donation receipts to a specific patron or group of patrons based on Patron Last Name. By default, this is normally blank
                    Calendar Year Allows you to print all unprinted charitable receipts for a specific calendar year. This may be used in January to print all unprinted receipts from the previous year.

                    This field is mandatory for Annual Summary Charitable Receipts.

                    Print on Receipt Options for including:
                    • Receipt # on Forms. Unless your donation receipts have pre-printed numbers on them, it is suggested to allow Theatre Manager to print the receipt number.
                    • Regular Name With company. If the donation is a corporate gift, and an individual's name appears int he patron record, Theatre Manager can include both names on the donation receipt.
                    • Campaign Prompt. If selected, will print the Campaign to which the donation was made on the receipt.
                    # of Copies Allows you to adjust the number of copies printed for each receipt. For example, if you enter "3", you will get a page with 3 copies of the same receipt on the page. This may be helpful if you are providing a copy for the patron, one for the patron's accountant and one for your files
                    Comments For Receipts Allows for limited comments to be printed on the receipts
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Charitable Receipts for Donor Criteria
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the Charitable Receipts for Donors
                    Diataxis: 

                    Sort Tab

                    The Sort tab determines the sort order of the patron invoices that will be printed.


                    Parts of the Sort Tab

                    Available Sort Fields A list of fields available to sort by.
                    Adds the currently selected field to the sort field list.
                    Removes the currently selected field from the sort field list.
                    Selected Sort Fields The fields currently used for sorting. Default sort fields may appear here. There is a limit of nine sort fields.
                    Sort In Descending Order When checked, the currently selected sort field will sort in descending order.
                    Upper Case Conversion When checked, the currently selected sort field will be converted to upper case letters.
                    New Page When Field Changes When checked, the currently selected sort field will start on a new page when the field changes.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Charitable Receipts for Donor Criteria.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Charitable Receipts for Donor Criteria.
                    Cancels the adding of criteria and clears the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the Charitable Receipts for Donors.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Titles Tab

                    Parts of the Titles Tab

                    Page Header Titles
                    Use default report title If enabled, the default report tile will print. If disabled, you can specify a specific title for the report.
                    Title Enter the title you want the report to have.
                    Display employee full name The name of the employee logged into Theatre Manager will print on the report.
                    Description You can enter a description of the report and/or the criteria you have selected.
                    Returns to the previous tab in the Charitable Receipts for Donors criteria.
                    Cancels that adding of criteria and closes the window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the Charitable Receipts for Donors.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Charitable Receipt Example

                    You can place most of the items below like logo, address, signature and other Canada Revenue Agency requirements into company preferences donations tab.
                    There will be TWO dates on the tax receipt if the date of payment for the donation is different than the date tat the receipt was printed. This is a Revenue Canada requirement for official tax receipts
                    The image to the left an example of a Charitable Receipt

                    The parameters used indicated to print 3 copies of each receipt. The intention of donation receipts is that data from the database will be printed on a pre-printed, perforated form that contains other required data for a receipt.

                    Data preprinted on a tax receipt form is set in Company Preferences and may include (per government requirements):

                    • Your Company Name
                    • Your Company Address
                    • Your Company Phone Number
                    • Your Company's Tax ID #

                    In addition, you may want to include:

                    • A Company Logo
                    • A signature line
                    • Other background graphic items or watermarks as desired
                    Diataxis: 

                    Print Annual Summary Charitable Receipts for Donor

                    The Print Annual Summary Charitable Receipts for Donor batch function allows you to print all unprinted donation receipts in summary format, using parameters such as:

                    • Campaign
                    • Last Name, or
                    • Calendar Year (required for Annual Summary receipts)

                    Receipts only print if a payment is received, the donation receipt print options on the donation require one, and the Campaign allows receipts to be printed.

                    The Print Annual Summary Charitable Receipts for Donor is accessed under the Setup>>Batch Functions>>Print Annual Summary Charitable Receipts for Donor menu.



                    Parts of the Print Annual Summary Charitable Receipts for Donor Window

                    If this report has previously been run, this button will add the previous criteria.
                    Opens a list of saved criteria for this report.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later.
                    Saves the current criteria to be used later and opens a dialog to name this criteria.
                    Allows editing of the batch print parameter for included donations. For more on the Donation Receipt tab, click here.
                    The Sort tab allows adjustment of the sort order of the columns found in the report. For more on the Sort tab, click here.
                    The Titles tab allows you to give the report a name that is meaningful to your requirements. For more on the Titles tab, click here.
                    Proceeds to the next tab in the Charitable Receipts for Donor Criteria.
                    Cancels that adding of criteria and closes the criteria window.
                    Completes the addition of criteria and the sorting of data, and begins to generate the annual summary donation receipts.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Annual Summary Charitable Receipt Example

                    This is an example of an Annual Summary Charitable Receipt for a Donor. The parameters used indicated all gifts in Calendar Year 2010. The intention of donation receipts is that they will be printed on a pre-printed form that contains other required data for a receipt. This data may include (check your local requirements):

                    • Your Company Name
                    • Your Company Address
                    • Your Company Phone Number
                    • Your Company's Tax ID #

                    In addition, you may want to include:

                    • Your Company Logo
                    • A signature line
                    • Other graphic items as desired

                    Diataxis: 

                    Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts

                    The Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts function allows for the 'Printed' flag to be removed from donation receipts so that they can be printed again.

                    The Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts for Donor is accessed under the Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts menu.



                    Parts of the Donation Receipts List

                    Opens the donation record for the selected receipt.
                    Unprints the selected receipt(s).
                    Allows the user to select a different Tax Receipt Type for the selected donations.

                    This is helpful to change multiple donations to one per payment or annual style before you reprint the tax receipts in a different style.

                    Exports the current Donation Receipt List to a text file for use in Excel.
                    Prints the Donation Receipt List as shown to a report.
                    Opens the Patron record for the selected donor.
                    Last Name Last name of the donor.
                    First Name First name of the donor.
                    Company Company name (if applicable) of the donor.
                    Campaign Name (Internal) Campaign name (internal) to which the donation was made.
                    Receipt Number Current receipt number of the selected receipt. This number will be "retired" once the receipt is unprinted.
                    Receipt Amount Donation amount the receipt is for.
                    Receipt Printed Date the receipt was previously printed.
                    Fiscal Year Fiscal Year the donation was attributed to.
                    Donation Date Date of the donation.
                    Actual Amount Amount of the originating donation.

                    Unprinting a Batch of Charitable Receipts

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Charitable Receipts.

                      This will open the Donation Receipt List window.

                    2. Enter the date the receipts were printed in the From and To fields.
                    3. Click the Search button to begin the search.

                      Any receipts printed in the date range given will appear.

                    4. Highlight the receipts to be unprinted.

                      Use the <SHIFT> key to highlight a range of tickets. To highlight multiple individual tickets, hold the <CTRL> key (Windows) or the <OPTION> key (Mac).

                    5. Click the Unprint button to remove the 'Printed' flag.

                      The receipts can now be added to a new batch to be printed.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Order Balances ...

                    The rebuild Order Balances function is used to verify that all orders in the specified range are in balance. This is useful when working through out of balance problems in the End of Day.

                    This can also be done for one or more orders for a specific patron on the patron's order tab.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Order Balances...

                      This will open the Verify Order Balances window.

                    2. Enter the range of orders to be verified.

                      Orders can be verified either based on order number or by a date range of when the order was last changed.

                      Optionally, you can have Theatre Manager update the order comments field with the order totals from both before and after the recalculation. By default, this option is selected.

                    3. Click the Recalculate Balance button.

                      A confirmation window will appear.

                    4. Click the Yes button.

                      The orders within the range will now be verified and upon completion, the window will close.

                    Patron Balances ...

                    The rebuild Patron Balances function is used to verify that the totals on all the orders for a specified patron are in balance. This is useful when working through problems in the End of Day.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Patron Balances...

                      This will open the Verify Patron Balances window.

                    2. Enter the range of patrons for whom you wish to verify all order balances (or a single patron).

                      Patron balances can be verified either based on Patron number or by a date range of when the patron account was last changed.

                    3. Click the Recalculate Balance button

                      A confirmation window will appear.

                    4. Click the Yes button.

                      The patron balances within the range will now be verified and upon completion, the window will close.

                    Job List

                    The Job List shows a list of functions that need to be run against the database. Sometimes these are part of the upgrade process and need to be run before the upgrade is considered complete.

                    You can accomplish 3 things on this window:

                    • Pause a particular job (jobs dependant on that job will no longer run)
                    • Resume any paused job or job that is in error status (assuming the error condition has been fixed)
                    If a job is stuck in the running state and never ends, or simply will not start, please contact AMS support for assistance.

                    ONLY AMS SUPPORT CAN RESTART JOBS since we need to see what the job was that failed

                    If a job looks like it is paused or in error, you may try to use the Set Status button to the status to Resume/Restart Job to see if that clears it up
                    You can use this window to see a job or jobs that did not run as part of an upgrade.

                    Running Jobs

                    If you click the 'Run Job's icon at the top of the window, then the few jobs that the job runner can run will be run. The TM server will run most of them automatically, so running jobs may be a rare thing to do.

                    While the jobs are running, the Application Name status in PGAdmin will show running jobs so that you can tell what processes are doing.

                    If job are stuck or not running, Arts Man will need to start them for you.

                    Patron Marketing Record

                    This will find any patrons that do not have a marketing record and create it.

                    This should be used if a patron is known to exist in the database (i.e they can be found using quick find) but cannot be found using the patron list window.

                    Order Currently Being Sold

                    The Orders Currently Being Sold function can be used to release orders considered to be currently in use by another user. You may need to use this if you get the message order being modified.

                    This may help resolve issues where:

                    NOTE: is an order is in use, users generally cannot see the order in the 'order tab' on the patron window. That is so that nobody attempts to edit, change, or rebuild it.
                    You should only clear orders where you are absolutely sure nobody is actually working in them.

                    For any order that is current, please check with any other users to ensure they are not working with that order.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Batch Functions >> Orders Currently Being Sold.

                      The Order Currently Being Sold window opens.

                    2. Select the order you want to clear the 'being sold' flag, by single clicking on it.

                      You should only clear old orders or those where you are sure nobody is actually working in them. For any order that is current, please check with any other users to ensure they are not working with that order.

                    3. Click the Clear Order In Use Flag button.

                      This will clear the order and allow the order to be accessed again.

                    Clear/Replace Patron Fields

                    This function has not been implemented yet.

                    System Activity

                    The System Activity monitor keeps track of various system processes such as upgrades, and more importantly the IP address from where the upgrade was run. This helps your organization fulfill the PCI DSS Cross Reference/Index Requirement 10: Track and monitor all access to network, where you are required to track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data. Logging mechanisms and the ability to track user activities are critical for effective forensics and vulnerability management. The presence of logs in all environments allows thorough tracking and analysis if something goes wrong. Determining the cause of a compromise is very difficult without system activity logs.

                    For more on the PCI DSS Cross Reference/Index, click here.

                    For more on Requirement 10 of PCI Compliance, click here.

                    The System Activity Monitor is accessed under the Setup>>System Activity menu.





                    The System Activity window will open.



                    Enter the date range for which you wish to examine the logs.




                    Parts of the System Activity Window

                    Prints a report of the log file.
                    Exports the logfile to either a text file or Excel.
                    Date
                    Date the particular activity took place.
                    IP Address
                    The IP address from where the activity was requested.
                    Type
                    The System Activity Record Type
                  • Upgrade Routine Progress Types:
                    • 7: Upgrade Routine Progress
                    • 9: Started Database Upgrade
                    • 10: Finished Database Upgrade Messages
                  • Used in Version 6 for Database Management:
                    • 11: Asked to Verify Database
                    • 12: Verify Successful
                    • 14: Verify Database Problems
                    • 15: User Not Allowed To Verify
                    • 16: Transaction File Created (perhaps it shouldn't be)
                    • 20: User Added Events to the Database
                    • 30: Start the Web Listener
                    • 31: Stop the Web Listener
                    • 32: Shut Down for Backups
                    • 33: Restarted After Backups
                    • 40: Unable to Find Accounts
                    • 50: Expand Database Entered, Not Executed
                    • 51: Database Expanded
                    • 52: User Asked During Startup
                    • 53: User Informed During Startup, Not Allowed
                    • 54: Database Rebuild Request Started
                    • 55: Database Rebuild Request Finished (If not in database, should never be in live database)
                  • Others not appearing in the list:
                    • 1: Invariant Key Check - Database Management
                    • 17: Check Data Log - Database Management
                    • 41: User Changed Database - Employee Management
                    • 60: Ping Error for Credit Card Server - System Startup Management
                    Note
                    Description of the activity.
                    Count
                    Is a generic/multi-purpose field:
                    • Type 9: Used to track the number of times the Database Upgrade has been started by multiple workstations
                    • Type (others): Not used at this time.
                    Entered
                    Date and Time the activity was initiated.
                    Updated
                    Date and Time the activity was completed.
                    Changed By
                    Log on name of the employee (if known) initiating the activity.

                    Ping Computer

                    The Ping function allows a computer to send a message to another computer and look for a response in its simplest form. The Ping function is useful for making sure that a workstation is "talking" to the server or that a computer is talking to the outside world.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Ping Computer.

                      This will open the Ping Computer window.

                    For more information on the Ping Computer window, click here. For more information on how to ping a computer, click here.

                    The Ping Window

                    The Ping window is used to ping another computer to check for communication. The function of ping is to send and receive a message from another computer.

                    Parts of the Ping Window

                    Your IP Address
                    The IP address of the machine that is currently being used. This is the internal address.
                    Firewall IP Address
                    The IP address of the network. This is the outside IP address. This is the address that Artsman Support connects to for access to Timbuktu.
                    Status
                    Verifies that the IP address of the workstation is valid.
                    Ping Computer at
                    The IP address or URL of the machine to send a ping to.
                    Begins the ping process. For more information on using the Ping function, click here.
                    Port
                    An optional port to check on the remote computer. A port check is more specific than a general ping. Leave this blank to generically ping the remote computer.
                    A drop down menu listing machines that would be pinged on a regular basis.
                    The drop down menu when the Pick button is selected. Selecting any of the items will enter the default IP and port number into the proper fields.
                    Message
                    The message received back from the ping.

                    How to use the Ping Function

                    The Ping function allows a computer to send a message to another computer and look for a response in its simplest form. The Ping function is useful for making sure that a workstation is "talking" to the server or that a computer is talking to the outside world.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Ping Computer.

                      This will open the Ping Computer window.

                      For more information on the Ping Computer window, click here.

                    2. Enter an IP address or URL into the "Ping Computer at" field.

                      Optionally, the Pick button can be used to choose a default computer to ping.

                    3. Enter the port number to be pinged if necessary.
                    4. Click the Ping button to begin the process.

                      After a few seconds, a message should be displayed showing that the ping was successful.

                      If the ping was unsuccessful, verify the address settings. If it continues to be unsuccessful, there is either a problem with the workstation or with the remote computer.

                    Run Procedure File

                    The Run Procedure File is a utility function that will allow the running of special files created by the Development Team at Arts Management Systems to directly address any required changes unique to your database. ( ProcedureFileName.TM2 ) This could vary from altering a date on records to clearing specific field(s) on all records, to name a couple. It is important to know that this utility function is only used when instructed by a member of the Arts Management Technical Support team. It is a utility function that is extremely rare to use.

                    1. From the main menu bar, go to Setup >> Run Procedure File.

                      This will open your navigation window to allow you to locate the .TM2 file provided by Arts Management Systems.

                    2. The file will simply run, you may or may not not see a progress indicator and in most cases should only take a brief moment to complete the routine. When completed you will need to log out of Theatre Manager then log back in. Any changes or alterations as defined by the procedure file will have taken place.

                    Venue Management

                    First, we ought to begin with some terminology:

                    Venue

                    A venue is a location where activity takes place. This could be a theatre, an amphitheater, a concert hall, a church, an arena - or even a conference room, a foyer, a classroom or a rehearsal space. The options are limitless. The important designator for a "venue" is that it is a physical location. You may or may not even sell tickets to this space. It may be solely used as a gathering space or an ancillary space that supports an activity in a nearby, larger space. It matters less what goes on inside the space, than that the space is used for some kind of purpose.

                    Pricing Map

                    A Pricing Map is a slightly more esoteric concept at work inside a venue. It is not just a physical layout of seats for a venue, but can also be a different pricing structure for those seats.

                    • If the venue is a theatre, the seating may be fixed - but a Pricing Map allows you to have different pricing layouts for the same seating arrangement. For one event, all seats use the same Price Code. While for another event (still within the same venue, but using a different Pricing Map) you might break down the seating with the Center Orchestra being the highest price seats, the Side Orchestra being a little lower, and the Balcony lower still.
                    • If the venue is a Dinner Theatre, the seating may change from event to event. The overall capacity of the room stays the same, but the configuration of seats changes each time the venue is used. Each new configuration is the same Venue, but is a new Pricing Map.
                    • For conference room or classroom venues, it may suffice just to have a Festival Seating (or "General Admission") Pricing Map, or you can have a Festival Seating Pricing Map for some events, and a Reserved Seating Pricing Map for other events.

                    Your Organization can have multiple Venues.


                    Each of these venues may be configured to serve special purposes. For example, you may have one set up for rock concerts and another for stage plays. Each different configuration can have different capacities.


                    With Threatre Manager, you can manage the different venues and keep track of the different configurations. As a rule, you create one venue for each physical performance space, regardless of how your seating can be changed.

                    Managing the venue is separate from managing the Pricing Maps. You create your venue first. When you add the venue, you add:

                    • Venue Information (Name of the venue, Address, Phone number, etc.)
                    • Icons and Notes for internet sales and TicketTrove
                    • Venues also have Plays, Tasks, Default Resources and G/L Entries attached to them.

                      Click here to go to Adding a New Venue.

                    If you are building a Festival ("General Admission") venue, then you do not need to add a graphic or Seat Names. Simply add a Pricing Map and its name, capacity and price codes. The following steps are only if you plan to use this Pricing Map as a reserved seating map.

                    Next you add the Pricing Map(s). There are four steps to adding a Pricing map to a Venue in Theatre Manager:

                    1. A graphic map or drawing of the basic outline of the space. The graphic map is a colourful representation of the space and different seating/pricing areas of the venue that makes it easier for customers and staff to visually locate the desired seating area. The graphic itself is just blocks of colour arranged so that they represent the space - the seats are added separately and do not need to be included on the drawing. The drawing also typically includes the EXIT locations and other text elements such as Row and Seat references. The graphic is created in a drawing program outside of Theatre Manager such as PowerPoint.

                      Click here to go to Step 1 - Creating the Graphic for the Map.

                    2. The seat squares/circles/ovals that are added on top of the graphic map drawing. These are added using tools within Theatre Manager.

                      Click here to go to Step 2 - Placing the Seats on a Pricing Map.

                    3. Numbering of the seats. This facilitates setting up the data file that tells each square/circle/oval "who" it is and "where" it is.

                      Click here to go to Step 3 - Creating the Logical Seat Order.

                    4. The Seat Names, or data file, that tells Theatre Manager how the seats are arranged numerically into sections, rows, and seats. It also dictates which pricing zones (or price codes) apply to each seat, and which are the "best seats" for online sales search by best available seating.

                      Click here to go to Step 4 - Naming the Seats.

                    The following Quick reference Information is available for Theatres and Maps

                    Theatres / Venues and Pricing Maps

                    Adding a Theatre Map to Theatre Manager Quick Reference Guide

                    Editing Tools Cheatsheet

                    Changing Theatre Manager's Appearance for Buttons and Labels

                    Add a Venue and Step 1 - Creating the Graphic for the Map

                    Placing Seats on a Pricing Map - Step 2

                    Creating the Logical Seat Order - Step 3

                    Diataxis: 

                    Finding a Venue

                    If you have many venues, you can need to search for the required venue. This can be executed quickly using the Venue List window.

                    To access Venue List Window, you perform the following steps:

                    1. Venues are accessed through the Setup >> Venues menu.

                      Alternatively you can click on the Venues button on the main Theatre Manager toolbar.

                      The Venue List window opens.

                    2. Change the search option to choose the appropriate option for your needs.

                      Click the search drop down.

                    3. Enter the search range in the Like field.

                    4. Click the Search button.

                      Leaving the Like field blank produces a list of all the venues.

                    5. Select the desired venue.

                      Single click on a venue to select it.

                    6. Click the Open button to view the venue and the attached Pricing Maps.

                      Click here, for more information on creating a new venue.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Parts of the Venue /Theatre List Window

                    The Venue List is accessed through the Setup >> Theatre / Venue menu.

                    Alternatively you can click on the Venue button from the main Theatre Manager toolbar.

                    The Venue List window opens.

                    Parts of the Venue List Window

                    Opens the Theatre Manager Online Help.
                    Creates a new Venue. For more information on creating new Venues, click here.
                    Opens the selected venue for editing. For more information on editing venues, click here.
                    Creates a copy of the selected venue. For more information on duplicating venues, click here.
                    Deletes the selected venues. Venues can only be deleted if their are no Pricing Maps attached and the maps have not been used to sell tickets. Click here For more information on Deleteing Venues.Click here For more information on Deleteing Venues.
                    Exports either the Venue List in text or Excel formats, or exports the map in .tmm format for importing to another Theatre Manager database. For more information on exporting maps, click here.
                    Imports a Venue from another Theatre Manager database. For instructions on importing venues, click here.
                    Allows you to merge two or venues together. This should be done if they occupy the same physical space. For instructions on Merging Venues, click here.
                     The fields listed below are the default columns listed for the Venue List window, but the columns can be changed to suit your needs. For more details on changing column preferences, click here.
                    Map # The unique number assigned to the venue for reference.
                    Venue Name (Internal) Internal name of the venue.
                    Venue Name (External) External name of the venue displayed online.
                    Capacity Seating capacity for the map.
                    Price Codes Letters and numbers assigned to the map for the pricing structure.
                    Plug-in Plug-in assigned to the map.
                    Named? Indicates whether or not the theatre seats have been named.
                    Outlet-Owner Outlet responsible for the map.
                    Venue Time Zone The actual time zone setting for the venue if it is specified. It will be '' if the company time zone is to be used as a default. All events will be in the time zone of the venue.
                    Time Zone The time zone abbreviation for all events in the venue.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Venues / Theatres

                    A venue is a location for some activity. It can be a theatre, conference room, meeting room etc. If a physical location (venue) has multiple configurations, each venue will have multiple pricing maps representing the different configurations - but all within the same venue. Plays or Events are assigned to a pricing map within a venue. The pricing map can be swapped out throughout the sales period, as long as the new pricing map exists within the same venue setup. Resources can be assigned to a venue to be used as a pick list when creating a rental agreement for a venue. Tasks can also be assigned to a venue.

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    Diataxis: 

                    Adding a New Venue / Theatre

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    When you add the venue, you add:

                    • Venue Information
                    • Icons and Notes for your internet sales for the venue
                    • Then you add the Pricing Maps
                    • Venues also have Plays, Tasks, Default Resources and G/L Entries attached to them.

                    To add a Venue, you perform the following steps:

                    1. Click Setup >> Venue.

                      The Venue List window opens.

                    2. Click the New button.

                      The Venue Inserting window opens to the Description tab. Click here for more information on the parts of the Venue window.

                    3. Enter the Venue Information.

                      Venue #

                      Unique number of the map, automaticallly assigned by Theatre Manager
                      Internal Venue Name The internal name used on the sales window
                      External Venue Name The external name for the venue used in web sales and for ticket faces
                      Address The Address information of the venue
                      Phone The telephone and Fax numbers for the Box Office
                      Email Email address of the Box Office
                      Fire Rated Capacity The capacity of the venue as allowed by your local Emergency Services Department
                      Active If enabled the venue will be shown for selection in reports
                      Venue Colour A colour selected here overides the normal task colour shown on the calendar for this venue.
                    4. Enter the Icon and Notes for the Web.

                      You can add a 200 pixel width by 250 pixel height jpeg that represents the branding for the venue. You only need to do this if your organization uses different icons for the venues instead of a generic icon for the Company. If you leave the field blank, TicketTrove will use the company icon for all venues. Click here for more information on adding a Venue image.

                      Enter any additional notes about the Venue. The notes entered here will appear in the internet for web sales.

                    5. Click the Save button.
                    6. To add a Pricing Map, click the New button in the Pricing Maps section of the window.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Editing Venues / Theatres

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    When editing a venue, you can change information on the:

                    To Edit a pricing Map, you first must be aware:

                    • A deployed map cannot have the number of seats decreased.
                    • Adding seats to an existing map only affects current and future sales. You cannot go back and decrease the number of seats later.

                    To change the number of seats, it is first recommended you duplicate an existing pricing map and make your changes to the new map.

                    To edit a Pricing Map, click here.

                    To edit a Venue, you perform the following steps:

                    1. Venues are accessed through Setup >> Venue menu.

                      Alternatively you can click on the Venue button in the Theatre Manager main toolbar / ribbon bar.

                      The Venue List window opens.

                      Click here for a detailed description of the Theatre List window and it's functions.

                    2. Open the venue to edit.

                      You can filter the list by:

                      • map number
                      • internal pricing map name
                      • external name or notes.
                      • the time zone for events in the venue, if different than company preferences
                      • Active or inactive
                      Theatre Manager will look in all fields for whatever you type.

                      Click here for a detailed description of the Venue window and it's functions.

                    3. Make your changes to the Descriptions, Plays, Tasks or Default Resources tabs.

                    4. When you have finished making your changes, click the Save button.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Delete a Venue / Theatre

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    You may need to be deleted from the database. To delete a venue, you perform the following steps:

                    1. Open the Venue List window and highlight the Venue to be deleted.

                    2. Click the Delete button.

                      If there are any pricing maps attached to the venue, the following error message opens.

                      You will need to open the venue and delete the Pricing Map.

                      If there are no Pricing Maps attached to the venue, the Delete Venue confirmation dialog opens.

                    3. Click the Delete button.

                      The venue is removed from the venue list.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Duplicating a Venue / Theatre

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    To duplicate a venue/theatre, you perform the following steps:

                    1. Open the Venue List window.

                      Click here to learn how to access the window.

                    2. Select the Venue to duplicate.

                      Single click on the venue to select it.

                    3. Click the Duplicate button.

                      The copied Venue will now appear in the Venue List window. It will also contain the same attached Pricing Maps as the original venue.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Merging Venues / Theatres

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    Two or more venues can be merged together. This should be done if they occupy the same physical space and are really just alternate pricing maps for the same place.

                    The process is to:

                    • Select one or more venues from the list of venues that are considered to be the same physical space
                    • Click the merge button on the venue list
                    • Select one of the venues as the 'master' venue
                    • Click the Merge button on the window

                    When merging venues, the following occurs:

                    • The pricing maps for the separate venues will be consolidated under the one venue.
                    • All performances in the venue being merged from will be disabled for sale and will need to be re-enabled for sale after the merge.
                    • If there are tickets in an active order for the venue being merged, the merge will be skipped. Please ensure that nobody is selling tickets for an event in the venue that is being merged from
                    • If there are tickets in an open shopping cart in hold state for the venue being merged, then that venue will also be skipped in the merge. It is advisable to take the events in that venue off-sale for a period of time before doing the merge.

                    Once two venues have been merged into one, there is no mechanism to separate them at this time.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Parts of the Venue / Theatre Window

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    The Venue / Theatre Window contains all the information about the venues in your organization. If you have multiple Pricing Maps for your venue, they are contained in the Venue window.

                    For example, The Civic Theatre sells some events with All Seats the same price (Pricing Map 46), while other events may utilize a Three Tier pricing setup (Center Orchestra, Sides, Balcony) and choose to use Pricing Map 61. For some events, they sell Festival Seating and while a Pricing Map will be used, no map will be displayed.

                    The parts of the window are:

                    The Task / Ribbon Bar Click here for more information on the Bar and its functions.

                    The Description Tab - This window is where you enter:

                    • Theatre Information
                    • Theatre Icons and Notes 
                    • Add, Open or Delete Pricing Maps

                    Click here for more information on the Description tab.

                    Event / Plays Tab - Lists all the envets / plays that are currently using the currently selected theatre or have used this theatre in the past.

                    Click here for more information on the Event / Plays tab.

                    Tasks Tab - The tasks that are associated with the selected Theatre.

                    Click here for more information on the Tasks Tab

                    Default Resources Tab - Those resources that are a permanet part of the venue.

                    Click here for more information on the Default Resources tab.

                    GL Entries Tab - Shows the GL Entries that have been directly associated with this venue. This allows you to compare the revenues for one venue as compared to another venue.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Theatre Window Toolbar / Ribbon Bar

                    The Theatre Map window toolbar / ribbon bar is used by all four tabs:

                    • Description
                    • Plays / Events
                    • Tasks
                    • Default Resources

                    Functions

                    Click on a link to learn more about the features.

                    Opens the Help file for Theatre Maps. Click here to view the Help page.
                    Creates a new theatre. Click here for more information on Createing a New Theatre.
                    Saves the information for the currently selected theatre.
                    Duplicates the information for the currently selected theatre.
                    If you change any information, clicking the revvert button returns the information to when it was last saved in the selected theatre.
                    The current theatre will be deleted if no files are currently referenced.
                    Checks the spelling of the information entered into the fields displayed.
                    Exports the currently selected theatre to txt - Tab Delimited, txt - Comma Delimited, xls - Excel 97-2004 or xlsx - Excel 2008 files. Click here for more information on Exporting.

                    Description Tab

                    The Description tab of the Theatre Map window is where you enter Contact Information, Theatre Icons for the web and Notes.

                    Parts of the Description Tab

                    Contact Information

                    Venue (or "Theatre") Map # Unique number of the map automatically assigned by Theatre Manager.
                    Internal Venue Name The internal name of the venue that is used on the sales window.
                    External Venue Name The external name of the venue used in web sales and for ticket faces.
                    Address Address of the venue.
                    City City in which the venue is located.
                    Province / State Province / State where the venue is located.
                    Country Country where the venue is located.
                    Postal Code / Zip Code Postal code / zip code of the venue.
                    Phone Phone number of the venue.
                    Fax Fax number of the venue.
                    E-mail E-mail address for the box office.
                    Fire Rated Capacity Maximum number of people allowed in the venue by the Fire Marshall.
                    Time Zone The default is that all events in this venue all occur in the same time zone as company preferences. If you wish to change that, you can uncheck and then set a different timezone for all events in the venue.
                    Note: changing the time zone affects how things will look online.
                    Active Indicates if the Theatre is to be shown in reports for selection on reports in the pop-up lists.
                    Venue Colour You can override the normal play/task colour displayed on the calendar by selecting a different colour for this venue from the colour palette.

                    Venue Icons for the Web

                    Icon Here you can add a 250x200 pixel jpeg that the iPhone application will use as a thumbnail to identify your venue as a thumbnail. If no Play picture is provided, this will be the default for any play in that venue. Click here, for information on adding a jpeg.
                    Removes the mobile app jpeg from the database.

                    Notes

                    Notes Any additional notes about the venue. These notes will appear on the internet for web sales.

                    Pricing Map

                    Venue Image Displays a Thumbnail of the graphic map. Click the image to Open the Pricing Map window to edit the map.
                    Icons to indicate what versions have been saved for each Pricing Map.
                    Opens a New Pricing Map window to enter a new map for the venue. Click here for more information on adding a New Pricing Map.
                    Opens the selected Pricing Map for editing. Click here for more information on editing a Pricing Map.
                    Deletes the selected Pricing Map.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Adding a Venue Image

                    You can add a 200 pixel width by 250 pixel height jpeg that represents the branding for the venue. You only need to do this if your organization uses different icons for the venues instead of a generic icon for the Company. The default icon (if one is not entered here) is located in Setup >> Company Preferences on the Reports/Misc tab.

                    If you leave the field blank, TicketTrove will use the company icon for all venues.

                    To add a jpeg, you perform the following steps:

                    1. Open the Theatre map window for the venue you are adding a jpeg to
                    2. Click here for information on opening the Theatre map window.
                    3. Right click on the Theatre Icon for Web field and Select Paste From File.

                    4. Choose the desired image. The image should be a 250h X 200w jpeg.

                      The file manager for your OS will open, select the file and click the Open button.

                      Your image will appear in the Theatre Map window.

                    5. Alternatively, you can drag and drop from the file manager to the field.

                      To remove the jpeg from the Theatre Map window, click the delete button.

                    Event / Plays Tab

                    The Event / Plays tab lists all the events / plays that are currently currently attached to the selected venue.

                    Note: The term "Play" can be customized in Theatre Manager to more accurately represent your type of performances. It may be called:

                    • Event
                    • Play
                    • Concert
                    • Game
                    • Or something else of your choice

                    New events / Plays can be added to the venue through this window clicking the New button. Click here, for more information on creating an Event / Play.

                    Parts of the Event / Plays tab

                    Play # The sequence number of the event / play in the database.
                    Event Code The event code as defined on the Description tab. For more information on the Description tab click here.
                    Event Title The event title as defined on the Description tab. For more information on the Description tab click here.
                    Year The Season Year as defined on the Description tab. For more information on the Description tab click here.
                    # Perf. The number of performances for the event. For more information on the Performances tab click here.
                    First Performance The date of the first performance. For more information on the Performances tab click here.
                    Last Performance The date of the last performance. For more information on the Performances tab click here.
                    Tax The tax structure used for the event (if any), as defined on the Accounting tab. For more information on the Accounting tab click here.
                    Time The runtime of the performances as defined on the Marketing tab. For more information on the Marketing tab click here.
                    Pricing Map Name(Internal) The internal name of the map.
                    Opens the template for creating a new event. For more information on creating a new event click here.
                    Opens the selected event setup.
                    Deletes the selected event from the database. Note: you can only delete events with no transactions.

                    Tasks Tab

                    Tasks are at the heart of the Facility Management module. A task can represent anything you want to have show up on a calendar or appear on an invoice for a client. Because of its flexibility, it is important to understand all the different kinds of information that can be stored in a task so that you can determine which options to use for your particular situation.

                    • Tasks can be associated with plays or events
                    • Tasks can be associated with a particular show or performance
                    • Tasks can be associated with patrons or employees
                    • Tasks can show in the background of a calendar for all users
                    • A person can be assigned as the "owner" of a task
                    • Individuals can set alarms on tasks for themselves
                    • Tasks can have date and time ranges, such as meeting start and end times
                    • Tasks can be indicated as ToDo-type tasks that have only a necessary completion date
                    • Tasks can have resources assigned to them, such as the number of chairs needing to be set up in a venue, equipment being rented, or the actual rental of a room
                    • Tasks can have personnel assigned to them, such as the worker's billing hours for an event
                    • When you ask the question "Can I use a task for .....?" the answer is probably Yes.

                      For more information about the Facility Management module click here. To read more specifically about tasks and their place within Facility Management, click here.

                    Default Resources Tab

                    Default resources can be added to any theatre map (or venue). Default Resources are those that are a permanent part of that venue. These are added in the Default Resources tab.

                    There are a coupe of rules:

                    G/L Entries Tab

                    The G/L Entries tab allows you to track revenues by venue. The advantage here is that you can compare income venue to venue. eg:
                    • 'How is my black box doing as compared to my Mainstage?'
                    • 'Are we making enough money for of the rental of the lecture hall to support keeping it?'

                    Pricing Maps

                    A Pricing Map is a slightly more esoteric concept at work inside a venue. It is not just a physical layout of seats for a venue, but can also be a different pricing structure for those seats.

                    • If the venue is a theatre, the seating may be fixed - but a Pricing Map allows you to have different pricing layouts for the same seating arrangement. For one event, all seats use the same Price Code. While for another event (still within the same venue, but using a different Pricing Map) you might break down the seating with the Center Orchestra being the highest price seats, the Side Orchestra being a little lower, and the Balcony lower still.
                    • If the venue is a Dinner Theatre, the seating may change from event to event. The overall capacity of the room stays the same, but the configuration of seats changes each time the venue is used. Each new configuration is the same Venue, but is a new Pricing Map.
                    • For conference room or classroom venues, it may suffice just to have a Festival Seating (or "General Admission") Pricing Map, or you can have a Festival Seating Pricing Map for some events, and a Reserved Seating Pricing Map for other events.

                    Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                    There are four steps to Creating a new Pricing Map. They are:

                    1. Creating the graphic for the map. Click here for more information.
                    2. Placing the seats on the pricing map. Click here for more information.
                    3. Create the logical seats. Click here for more information.
                    4. Create the seat names. Click here for more information.
                    Diataxis: 

                    Parts of the Pricing Map Window

                    The Pricing Map window contains all the information about the selected map.

                    Parts of the Window

                    Description The Description Tab - here you enter or look at:
                    • Map Name (Internal and External)
                    • The number of seats in the map
                    • The Price Codes available for this map
                    • Any Best Seat Plugins you have purchased
                    • Any Notes about the pricing map
                    • The search options available to the patron when selling an event that uses this pricing map
                    • The Reserved status codes which indicate what features of the map are available based on data entered. For example, if:
                      • seats are not placed on the map, it cannot be used for reserved seating sales
                      • an SVG graphic has not been created, then the patron cannot use a pick your own seats feature

                    Click here for more information on the Description tab.

                    Shows the graphic image for the map and places each of the seats. On this window you can:
                    • Set up your seating layout
                    • Set the logical order of the seats
                    • Place default holds on seats in the venue
                    Click here for more information on the Graphic Map tab
                    Seat Names Tab - determines the name of each seat within the venue.

                    Click here for more information on the Seat Names Tab

                    Best Seat Search Tab - Here you can create a list of sections for patron's to choose from on your website.

                     Click here for more information on the Best Seats Tab.

                    Price Code Search Tab - Here you can create a list of sections for patron's to choose from on your website.

                     Click here for more information on the Best Seats Tab.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Description Tab

                    The Description tab of the Pricing Map contains the key information about how the pricing map will be used to sell tickets. It contains the map data, size, valid price zone codes, how it can be used online, and how searching for seats can occur.

                    Pricing Map Name and Capacity
                    Pricing Map Number System generated number for the specified graphic map.
                    Internal Pricing Map Name The internal name is only be visible to internal Theatre Manager users. You can use this to designate things like 'venue - 2 price zones' or 'venue - summer season' to distinguish between uses of the price maps
                    External Pricing Map Name External name for the map and visible to patrons on web and ticket faces.
                    Active Indicates if the map can used or not and if it is to be used for reports.
                    Physical Seats This is the maximum number of people that can fit legally into the performance space. For some events, not all seats may be sold to the public.
                    Reporting Capacity The seating capacity of the theatre to be used in reports. The venue may have more seats than are allowed to be sold. The Reporting Capacity allows you to generate reports against what you are able to sell as opposed to what you have in the venue.

                    To be clear: the reporting capacity is almost always the same as the physical seating capacity. You can make it less than the number of physical seats. If you do this:

                    • It is typically because you have standing room or pit seats that are on the map, but you are not going to sell -- and generally they are held
                    • your reports will show you at 100% capacity when you hit the reporting capacity. You can have greater than 100% sales in this case if you sell more than the reporting capacity. Everybody knows there are still seats to sell, but you will look full.

                    When might it be different?

                    The feature is really only intended to be used if you have a scaled house for actor equity purposes and equity lets you sell your venue at a lower size. You would be holding these 'standing room' tickets -- which equity has allowed you to have for overflow crowds only. If you need the extra seats, you then pay actor equity rates for the expanded venue site to use all seats for that performance.

                    Online Availability is affected by this number

                    Online Availability is based on quantity to report for 100% sold out. The 'Buy' button in online sales counts all holds in the equation.

                    The performance is 100% sold out online when SOLDS PLUS HOLDS >= QUANTITY TO REPORT

                    eg.
                    • If:
                      • there are 600 seats in house
                      • quantity to report is 200. (meaning you are 100% sold out at 200 tickets)
                    • Then:
                      • If you hold or sell any combination of 200 tickets, you are considered sold out ONLINE even though there would be 400 available seats in the house.
                      • If you decide to increase the reporting amount, then you will only have that many more tickets to sell.
                      • Box office is not limited by this number - they can sell as many as you want
                    Note: Reporting Capacity includes all holds in its calculations of 100% full. Optionally, you can specify that it excludes social distance holds (typically the letter 'q'). Doing so means:
                    • these holds would not be counted in the total sold online.
                    • which allows using the reporting capacity to limit online sales to a specific amount of seats
                    The pricing map setting is the global default and can be overridden on a per performance basis
                    Where else can this be used as an effective sales strategy?

                    If you have a general admission venue where you should only have 300 seats, then you can set the available capacity at 350 and the reporting capacity at 300. This will limit online sales to 300.

                    However, at the box office, you can 'oversell' the event - like airlines - based on your own calculated no-show factor.

                    Price Codes Enter the allowable base price zone categories. It is suggested to have no more than 5 or 6 base price zones in any theatre if possible and best if they do not overlap.

                    Some times you many need to use a two sets of pricing zones in your venue. eg:

                    • A-Z for regular ticket price zones
                    • 1-9 for subscription price zones - which may overlap the regular price zones since subscriptions are typically based on a different starting price
                    Best Seat Plug-In The number of the plugin used for searching for seats in this theatre.
                    Theatre The Venue Map to which this Pricing Map is associated.
                    Reserved Seating Web Search Options
                    Enable seat search by section A checkbox to allow use of the Best Seat Search tab contents by online patrons.
                    Enable seat search by price code A checkbox to allow use of the Price Code Search tab contents by online patrons.
                    Enable pick your own seats A checkbox to allow use of the Pick-your-own search online. For this to be enabled, you must have:
                    Reserved Seating JPEG map size
                    Height Pricing Maps are created by dropping an SVG file onto the Graphic Map tab. They are converted to a JPEG automatically for display purposes by the TM server.

                    SVG images, by definition, are scaleable vector graphics. It mans that they can scale up or down to any size you want.

                    • On the web - this is handled automatically by the web pages which constrain the area that the map is displayed for pick-your-seats.
                    • At the Box Office, you need to decide what size of image area in which you want the constrain the SVG map to be displayed (value is in pixels).

                      Most monitors are 72, 96 or 144 pixels per inch (as in current retina displays). If you want the SVG image to be displayed in an area in the sell window 4.25 inches high on a retina display, then enter 612 = 4.25 * 144 pixels.

                    Width This is normally blank if you want the SVG map converted to a JPEG with the same ratio in the X and Y coordinates (eg, if the SVG is converted 150% size in height, the width will be converted by the same ratio.

                    However if you want the SVG to have a different scale factor for width, you can specify a pixel width in this fields.

                    Other Fields and buttons
                    Notes Notes for the venue.
                    SVG ToolTip Format You can add tooltips for seats in the online pick-your-own seat process to assist patrons data about their seat selections. You can put any combination of:
                    • text - if that will help the user
                    • keywords - such as {section} or {note}. Right click on the field to see a list of the valid keywords and pick it to insert the keyword
                    • New line characters - if you want to vertically space the text as per the example above separating {section}/{row}/{seat} and {note}
                    Examples:
                    • {section}/{row}/{seat} -> shows section/row/seat like 111/A/101
                    • Section: {section} Row: {row} Seat: {seat} -> shows section/row/seat like Section: 111 Row: A Seat :101
                    • Seat {seat} in Row (row) -> shows like Seat 101 in Row A

                    The keywords are below and can be in any order in the tooltip format

                    • {door} - uses the door column from the seat names table
                    • {section} - uses the section name column from the seat names table
                    • {row} - uses the row column from the seat names table
                    • {seat} - uses the seat column from the seat names table
                    • {note} - uses the note column from the seat names table, but only if the Use column is set non-zero.
                    Insert PPT File Most graphic maps are created using Powerpoint - and you can save the source file as part of the database by either dragging the .PPT document onto the button, or clicking the button to find the map. Once the PPT is in the database, you can export it in the future if you want to make changes to the other graphic maps.

                    If the button says 'Insert PPT File', then you have not yet imported one. If the button says 'Update PPT File', you will be replacing the original version with the new version.

                    Insert SVG File Online maps are displayed using SVG graphics. Pick your own seats also uses the same map. This is created from your PPT and merged with seat locations used at the box office so that the online and box office maps look quite similar. However, because they are separated, you have the opportunity to make more stylized maps online.

                    If the button says 'Insert SVG File', then you have not yet imported one. If the button says 'Update SVG File', you will be replacing the original version with the new version.

                    Reserved Seating Map Status
                    Seats Placed on Box Office Map Indicates if all the seats have been placed on the graphic image. This is required for reserved seating sales through the graphic inteface.
                    Seats Placed on SVG Map Indicates if all the seats have been placed on the SVG image. This is required for pick your own reserved seating sales through internet
                    All Seats Have Been Named A flag indicating of the seats have been named for the theatre. This is required for a reserved seating event to take place in the theatre.

                    Select your Own Seat Setup Steps

                    NOTE: In order to see changes to pick-your-seat map online, you must re-create the pick your own seat map following the instructions. This is required for any changes to the main map such as:

                    • increasing the number of seats on the map
                    • changing the placement of seats by moving the seats or resizing them
                    • changing the picture such as shape and/or background colour of sections on the map
                    • changing of tool tips associated with a seat
                    • renaming the seats locations (eg door, section, row, seat)

                    What the Patron Sees

                    Select your own seats allows patrons to click on specific seats on a map online after an initial set of best seats has been selected by Theatre Manager. The process is designed for speed and flexibility for varying degrees of sales volumes. When the sales volume exceeds hundreds of sales per minute, obtaining seats through a pick-first process would be extremely difficult (can't click fast enough). Refer to What the Patron Sees for more detail.

                     

                    Setup Pick Your Seats Process

                    Making an SVG map for use with pick your own seats can take as little as a few minutes if you have the original PPT Powerpoint file. The general steps are:

                    The process will take longer if you meed to make adjustments to the PPT and/or your current seat locations to make your existing sales maps better prior to making the Pick Your Seats SVG map.

                    Use of pick your own seats can be:

                    There are some pre-requistes a venue must complete prior to enabling select-your-own-seat. You must

                    • Completely set up the graphic map under the Graphic Map tab for box office sales.
                    • Create an SVG graphic from your graphic maps
                    • Merged in the seat locations using the Place Seats SVG Map button
                    • Previewed and optionally altered the SVG graphic map using a tools like Open Office (free)

                    Pick your own is designed for modern browsers: IE11 and up, Safari, Chrome, Opera, Edge, Firefox running on Windows, OSX, IOS and Android.

                    The few remaining users of IE 10 and earlier represent less than 4% of the marketplace. They:

                    • will see an 'x' on the web page where the map is displayed
                    • will have to use the existing method of 'next best seat' to select other seats
                    • May or may not see some random characters at the top of where the map is
                    • have browsers that are not supported on many commerce web sites that have upgraded their security standards. (IE 9 is not PCI compliant in any way)
                      • This is a recent internet wide strategy pushed by google and adopted by most browser developers.
                      • It will have the effect of encouraging all people buying on the web (including patrons) to switch to IE 11 (or later) or another browser. Microsoft has dropped support for IE completely and only supports their Edge browser with windows 10.
                      • You cannot provide support to these older browsers because the PCI council has deemed them insecure for e-commerce and against the merchant agreement.
                      • Arts Management sees this 4% dwindling very rapidly - its easier to simply switch to a modern and more secure browser
                    Diataxis: 

                    Create SVG map for Pricing Map

                    To make an SVG map, please find your original Powerpoint document, or if you've imported it into TM for safekeeping, you can export it to get the original file.

                    You must also have completed the steps to set up the graphic map under the Graphic Map tab for box office sales.

                    Making an SVG Map from the Powerpoint document

                    The best way we have found to create a very useable SVG map will closely match your existing box office maps is to use Open Office (free) and your original PPT document. NOTE: Users must use the older Power Point file format of .ppt. The newer, default format of .pptx, can cause issues when being converted to .SVG.

                    Note: after you have created an SVG document that is to your liking, you can use OpenOffice to make your PPT map edits from that point forward if you feel comfortable using it as an editing tool as well as a graphics format conversion tool.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Exporting the Original PPT Map

                    After making your final changes to the graphic map, you should save it to the database so that you can retrieve it later on - should you want to alter and aspect of the map or use it to make another pricing map for dynamic pricing..

                    Saving the original (Powerpoint) copy of the Map into the Database

                    Saving the original file that was used to create the maps:

                    • Select the Description tab on the Pricing Map editing window.
                    • Click on your powerpoint document
                    • Drag it on top of the button that will be labelled 'Import PPT File' or 'Update PPT File' as indicated below
                    • Release the mouse
                    • If the message at the bottom of the screen indicates 'Source PPT document imported', you are done.

                    Exporting the Original PPT Map from the Database

                    If you have saved the original source drawing/map in the database as recommended, you can export it out again. Traditionally, we have used Powerpoint to create maps, but it has always been possible to use other drawing tools like OpenOffice.

                    • Click on the Description Tab
                    • Click on the Export toolbar icon at the top of the screen
                    • Select Map - Source Document Format (.ppt)
                    • Select the location to save the file- the desktop is a good place for working with it. It will default to a name that matches your pricing map name.

                    Diataxis: 

                    Prepare the PPT Document the First Time

                    If this is the first time you are converting the pricing map PPT document to SVG to prepare it for pick-your-own seats, there are a few steps that will help in the process. Once you are happy with the map and it converts nicely to SVG, you should not have to do this step again.
                    • Open the document in Powerpoint (any version should work - these steps were tested with office 2008 for mac)
                    • UNGROUP all objects:
                      • Select ALL of the objects on the drawing and UNGROUP them.
                      • Repeat the above steps until you can no longer ungroup any items on the picture
                    • Fix any row or seat # text that used spaces to separate text and turn each row or seat # into individual objects. To do this:
                      • Look for the names of rows and/or seat numbers (as per the diagram)
                      • Make sure seat or row number is its own object. If not, re-do them so that they are and put things in the same position
                      • Each item must also be either vertical or horizontal. They cannot be rotated.
                      • Remove any large empty objects that contribute nothing to the map. Some maps seem to have a large white background object that is extraneous.
                      • We recommend that if you have a lot of white space at one end of your map or at the bottom that you crop the white space to make it look better online. You can do this by:
                        • Saving a copy of the PPT document before starting
                        • Select ALL objects on the Map
                        • If there is a lot of white space at the top or left of the document, dragging all objects the map up and to left to provide what you think is an acceptable margin
                        • Note the approximate amount of space you may wish to remove from right and bottom to make the map have a balanced margin
                        • Cut ALL the objects from the Map so that the map is empty.
                        • Go to Page Setup
                        • Write down the width and height measurements
                        • Subtract the amount of whitespace from the width and height. For example, if the document looks to have 2 inches of white space on the right, then make the width 2 inches smaller
                        • PASTE the objects back in to the document.
                        • If there is too much (or not enough) white space, then CUT all items, change the page size dimensions and PASTE again.
                        • Repeat until you like the look of the picture

                      If you make changes to the location of the background objects while tidying things up or altering the page size, please remember to update the box office sales map:

                      • Save the PPT file
                      • Export the picture to drop into the graphic map tab as you would normally do
                      • Select all the seats and move them seats to correspond with the background
                      • Save the graphic map
                      • Copy the PPT file back into the database

                      Diataxis: 

                      Convert PPT to SVG (using OpenOffice)

                      There are tools that can convert a PPT to SVG format file:
                      • Open Office is free. Use Version 4.1.4 or later from the link above.
                      • Some venues have used Adobe Illustrator CS6 effectively.

                      This page describes using then for its picture conversion capabilities (eg PPT to SVG).

                      1. Open the PPT document Open Office. You can do this by using the File->Open menu after starting OpenOffice or you can drag your PPT document onto the empty window
                      2. Select File->Export option as per the picture below:

                      3. When the File dialog opens, click the file type option and pick the export file type. There are a number of options but the ONE of interest is:
                      Diataxis: 

                      Merging Map with Pick-Your-Seats

                      Before doing this process, you must have created your SVG map and have it available or already have it imported.

                      The merging maps process is required before you can enable pick your own seats online. It takes a previously created SVG map and automatically adds in the seat locations, tooltips, and the customized code that will make the maps work online

                      There are 4 steps:

                      1. Import the SVG map into the Theatre Manager pricing map
                      2. Set up or change the tooltip format to assist the Patron making a purchase online.
                      3. Use the Place Seats SVG Map Wizard to merge in seat locations and tooltips to make the final map for pick your own online
                      4. Previewing the SVG map and then testing it with online sales

                      You can repeat this process as many times as you want. It is usually just a click of a button and you will need to do it:

                      • after creating your graphic map for the first time
                      • each time you change the graphic map background or seat locations
                      • If you changed any of your seat notes or the content of your tooltips

                      Diataxis: 

                      Importing SVG Map

                      After converting the Powerpoint PPT map to SVG format, you will need to import it into the database.

                      To do this:

                      • Select the 'Description' tab on the Pricing Map editing window.
                      • Click on your SVG document
                      • Drag it on top of the button that will either be labelled 'Import SVG File' or 'Update SVG File' as indicated below
                      • Release the mouse
                      • If the message at the bottom of the screen indicates 'SVG file imported', you have completed the first step.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Set seat-tip Format for SVG Map

                      The SVG map can have some interactive intelligence built into it to assist patrons during online purchasing. For example, tips can be displayed when rolling over seats which display the seat location and any notes about the seat such as ADA or limited sight lines. This data comes from the Seats Names tab and you can format it as you wish in the 'SVG Map Tooltip Format' field on the diagram.

                      The example to the right causes the online map to show the {section}/{row}/{seat} and two lines below that, the seat {note} (if one exists).

                      To edit this field, simply type how you want the seat tip to look and which fields you want. You may use keywords, fixed text, and newlines to make it look as you wish such as:

                      • One or more of the following key words, in any order, which will be replaced by the actual values on each seat. Note: the { } are required and bolding was used for clarity only:
                        • {door} - adds the door description used for entry into the tip
                        • {section} - adds the section description to the tip
                        • {row} - adds the row into the tip
                        • {seat} - adds the seat number into the tip
                        • {notes} - adds the special seat notes to the tip - but only if the 'use' column in the seat names is set to 1
                        • {logical} - adds the logical seat number to the tip.
                      • Any standard text that you want which might assist the user. For example the tip can look like:
                        • {section} - {row} - {seat}
                        • Section: {section} Row: {row} Seat: {seat} Patrons should enter by door {door}
                        • Area: {section} Table #: {row}
                      • You can also add new lines if you want some data on separate lines

                      The diagram below shows how the seat tip fields relate to the columns on the Seat Names tab.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Place Seats SVG map Wizard

                      The online select-your-seat process has predefined computer code associated with each seat and it must be merged in to allow the patron to interact with the selection process. This code cannot be changed by the user, but it must be merged into a basic SVG map in order to work.

                      After preparing the SVG map per the previous instructions, you will need to use this wizard to merge the map with the rest of the programming code that will actually make it work. Fortunately, this is automated and is a quick process.

                      1. Click the Place Seats SVG Format button on the toolbar to start the process. If you cannot, then make sure you have imported an SVG map .

                      2. The first step in the wizard asks you where to get your SVG map from. You can either:
                        • Use the SVG map that you have already imported into TM. If you select this option, it will replace all seat locations and seat tips in the existing map. This option may be best if all you are doing is changing seat tips, seat names, or have moved some seats on the graphic map.
                        • Specify the file name of the SVG graphics file and import a fresh copy prior to merging in the seat locations and tooltips. This option is better if you have completely edited or changed colours or background on the map and have made a new SVG file.
                        • Click Step 2 when ready to continue

                      3. The second step copies the seating locations of the graphic map used for box office and automatically transforms existing seat locations so that they can be used with the SVG map.

                        Historically, different vector based image formats for the web use different scaling and origins. This means that X-Y seat locations for the box office maps have to be 'adjusted' slightly to work with the SVG map. This window shows the standard values that have been found to work with almost all powerpoint maps so far (providing that they have been cleaned up of a couple of things). If you are using an SVG exported from Powerpoint, you should not have to change any of these parameters - but in case you find you need to (eg: an export from Adobe Illustrator), the meaning of them are:

                        • Scale Factor (default is 34.4). Each seat on the map has a top-left and bottom-right X-Y position on the background image. The scale factor multiplies each X or Y position by the fixed amount to make seats 'bigger' but leave the origin of the seats the same. In other words, seats will not move - just get bigger to match the SVG background. (From customer reports, Adobe's setting may be 1.0 - meaning don't multiply)
                        • Offset (default 0.0). All maps and seats should start at the same origin, typically the 0,0 co-ordinate. If you want to move every object by the same amount in the X and/or Y direction, provide a value for the offset. This simply moves seats one way or another. It does not affect size or shape.
                        • Multiplier (default 1.025). This transformation is applied after the previous two. All seat co-ordinates are multiplied by the factors to stretch the seat locations out a little in the X and/or Y directions. (from customer reports, Adobe's setting is 1.0)
                        • Click Step 3 when ready to continue

                      4. The online maps have some customer assistance capabilities that can be added in. Select the ones you wish:
                        • Seat tips can be displayed when a patron hovers over a seat, or they can be left off the map.
                        • Indicate if you want to see a preview of the map after completing the process. It will open in your browser and you can interact with it by stretching it or trying the tooltips
                        • Click Done when ready to continue
                      Diataxis: 

                      Testing An SVG Map Online



                      The Preview Button

                      After you have placed your seats on the Pricing Map, you can quickly Preview the Map Online by selecting the Preview Map button. This will jump you to the view of what patrons see online, and the preview displays the TM seats placed on the SVG file.

                      Enabling the Pick Your Seat Option

                      The online select-your-seat process has predefined computer code associated with each seat and it can be turned on in the Description tab of the Pricing Map itself.

                      Testing online sales

                      You can test the online sales process by previewing the Event online, and running through the sales process. You can test all the Promotions, move from seat to seat, and test on mobile devices to ensure that the Map can be pulled and pinched the way you need it in terms of sizing.

                      Manually Editing an SVG Map

                      Editing an SVG map to add stylistic flourishes is possible, but Arts Management provides no support for maps changed in this manner. If an edit breaks the 'select-your-seats', you will need to figure out the cause or recreate the SVG map again.

                      Once the SVG map is created and the seats merged into it using the Place Seats SVG Map wizard, you can then alter it with some tools tools such as

                      You must make sure that you do not change any of the SVG id and class markers that identify the seat locations for Theatre Manager. You can change a number of stylistic components, add legends, or do as you wish. Manually editing a map has some steps:

                      • You must have first:
                      • Then you can do the following any number of times:
                        • Export the merged SVG from Theatre Manager using the Export button on the toolbar and selecting SVG - Format
                        • Edit it using one of the SVG graphic tools described above (Open Office, Illustrator) or any other one that you find works for you.
                        • Import the manually adjusted SVG Map back into Theatre Manager
                        • Preview the map
                        • Test using the map online to by tickets
                      After you have done your custom changes to the SVG, you can re-merge the seat locations as often as you wish (assuming you did not change actual seat locations. You can also export it, make changes and re-import it as often as you wish using the same process described above.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Pick Your Seat - what the Patron sees

                      Select your own seats allows patrons to click on specific seats on a map online after an initial set of best seats has been selected by Theatre Manager. The process is designed for speed and flexibility for varying degrees of sales volumes. When the sales volume exceeds hundreds of sales per minute, obtaining seats through a pick-first process would be extremely difficult (can't click fast enough).

                      To ensure that patrons are satisfied, even in high volume scenarios, Theatre Manager uses the following process:

                      • First, offer patrons tickets using the best seats process. (Patron is now guaranteed at least those tickets)
                      • Then, allow patrons to spend as much time as they wish attempting to swap for seats more suited to their tastes, without losing their original seats.
                      • Also, allow patrons to 'reposition' the best seats algorithm by swapping for seats in the desired area, and then finding new best seats near the desired area.

                      The images below indicate what the patron will see online:

                      1. The patron finds the event in the usual manner and clicks the buy button.
                      2. They are presented with the normal quick selection process where they can select a location, price, quantity of tickets and whether the seats must be together or can be apart.

                        They then click the Find Best Seats to get a starting set of seats.

                      3. Seats are offered to the patron. They can change prices for the selected tickets and add them to the cart as they normally would. Alternatively, if they wish to have different seats, they can:
                        • Highlight:
                          • other seats in the map to get the new seats - or -
                          • existing seats in addition to new seats to get more seats - or -
                          • fewer tickets
                        • Click Swap for Selected Seats to change the tickets they are being offered -and-
                        • Repeat the above process as often as they want
                      4. When Add tickets To Cart is clicked, the most recent selection of seats in the top area is added to the cart.

                      Graphic Map Tab

                      Building a map has four general functions that need to be done:
                      • Creating the SVG map graphic:
                        • by either drawing it in a tool like Powerpoint or importing a completed map from another venue using Theatre Manager
                        • Adding seating locations to the graphic map that users/patrons can click on to pick seats
                      • Deciding which seats are typically held (i.e. default holds) upon the creation of a performance in that pricing map. Typical examples are: lighting/sound board, orchestra takeaway, ADA/Wheelchair seating, artist holds, development, media, and trouble seats.
                      • Defining the base pricing zones within the venue
                      • Creating social distance seats:
                        • Automatic holds for ADA companion seats
                        • Seats in a dinner theatre for two-top's so that a patron will not have a stranger sitting opposite
                        • With the Covid 19 pandemic, Social Distance seats that are held automatically when some are bought to maintain an appropriate distance between patrons in all directions.
                      • Defining how you want patrons to enter the venue by creating order of entry zones within the venue. This is somewhat like airline boarding process where the flight attendant asks 'people in zone X to board'. The zone can be printed on tickets.

                        The difference is that you would design the order of entry based on minimizing interaction with people (instead of how much the patron paid or how often they came).

                      Diataxis: 

                      Draw: Building a Map

                      Editing Tools Cheatsheet

                      The Graphic Map tab on the Theatre Map window shows the graphic image for the map and places each of the seats. On this window you can:

                      Parts of the Graphic Map Tab

                      Selection arrow.
                      Adds a grid of seats to the map.
                      Adds a single seat to the map.
                      Removes selected seats from the map.
                      Zoom in on a selected section of the map.
                      Zoom out on a selected section of the map.
                      Aligns to the top of the selected seats.
                      Aligns to the bottom of the selected seats.
                      Aligns to the left of the selected seats.
                      Aligns to the right of the selected seats.
                      Evenly distributes selected seats horizontally based on the position of the end seats of the row.
                      Evenly distributes selected seats vertically based on the position of the end seats of the column.
                      Re-grids the seats allowing for adjusting the number of columns and spacing.
                      Duplicate the selected seats.
                      Flip selected seats horizontally.
                      Flip selected seats vertically.
                      Rotate selected seats 90 degrees to the left.
                      Rotate selected seats 90 degrees to the right.
                      Sort selected seats in ascending order.
                      Show / Hide seat numbers on the map.
                      High of the selected seats from 8 - 20.
                      Width of the selected seats from 8 - 20.
                      Set selected seats as squares. When selected prior to placing seats new seats will appear as squares.
                      Set selected seats as circles. When selected prior to placing seats new seats will appear as circles.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Creating the Graphic for the Map - Step 1

                      Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                      Theatre map graphics or pictures are not required if the venue is used for festival (General Admission) or Traveling Troupe ticket sales. If the intention is to sell reserved seats visually, a graphic representation of the theatre will need to be drawn in a graphic application and then placed into Theatre Manager. At this time, Arts Management recommends using a PowerPoint slide to draw the graphic image as it allows for small file size, and images can be saved in the correct format for both PC and Mac use.

                      If you intend to use the Select Your own Seats Online feature, your map will also need to be converted into an SVG file. You will need to have a PowerPoint or .emf file to start with, then convert it to SVG using OpenOffice

                      Optimizing Graphic Map Size

                      Use vector based graphics (lines, squares, circles, letters, colour, etc) on your maps and do not use picture/image files (jpegs, tiffs, bitmaps, etc) or high bit depth (shadings and transparency) in order to minimize the size of the final graphic. Think simple - the graphic map that sits behind the seat squares does not need to be an elaborate representation of the venue. The purpose is to allow Box Office staff and online patrons to easily visualize the sections/zones within the venue.

                      You can do a fantastic map with lines circles and colour using vector graphics and the file size will be 50K +/-. Adding a picture can jump the size to a megabyte without trying. Smaller file sizes result in faster performance transferring the maps from the database and building the suggested seat graphics for the web. Theatre Manager limits the graphic map file size to less than 500kb for PC's, less than 200kb for Mac's. Less is more.

                      Once you have created the graphic in PowerPoint, you can save it - as well as the SVG map - directly within the pricing map setup in Theatre Manager.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Adding the Graphic Map

                      Click here, for quick reference information for Venues and Maps

                      As noted earlier in this section, each Venue can contain multiple Pricing Maps.

                        To add a new Pricing map, click the New button in the Theatre window.

                        The Pricing Map opens. Click here for more information on the Pricing Map window.

                      1. Enter the Price Map Name and Capacity information.
                      2. Enter the Price Codes you wish to use on this Pricing Map.
                      3. Enable or disable the default Reserved Seating Search options you wish to use for this Pricing Map.
                        • Click here for more information about Enabling seat search by section.
                        • Click here for more information about Enabling seat search by Price Code.
                        • Click here for more information about Enabling Pick Your own Seats online.

                        The "Seats Placed" and "Seats Named" checkboxes will automatically populate when the map is complete.

                      4. When complete, click the Save button.

                        You can now add the Graphic Map.

                      5. Click the Graphic Map tab.

                        The Graphic Map tab opens. Click here for more information on the graphic map tab.

                      6. Drag and Drop your graphic onto the Graphic Map page.

                        Click here for information on creating your graphic map in a program outside of Theatre Manager.

                        You can now add your seats to the map.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Importing a Graphic Map

                      All graphic maps start with e PPT document that is exported to an SVG

                      When needed, open the PowerPoint image file in OpenOffice to create the SVG file.


                      The easiest way to place an SVG graphic map file is to simply DRAG the file from the folder it is located in and DROP it in the white space of the tab in Theatre Manager.

                      1. Open the Theatre Map Window.

                        Click here to learn how to access the window.

                      2. Click on the Venue you wish to import a Graphic Map to, and then click the Open button.
                      3. Double-click on the Pricing Map on the right-hand side where you want to add a graphic.
                      4. The Pricing Map opens. Click here for more information on the Pricing Map window.

                      5. Click on the Graphic Map tab.
                      6. DRAG the SVG file from the folder it is located in and DROP it in the white space of the Map Tab inside Theatre Manager.

                      Importing Theatre Map Files from other Venues

                      If your organization performs at another venue that also uses Theatre Manager, it may be helpful to import the Pricing Map they use rather than to build a map from scratch. You can edit the Pricing map later to reflect your Price Zones, however the graphic itself along with all the seats and their positioning can be imported into your database using this method. This can save you considerable time over creating a new Pricing Map. Please feel free to contact Arts Management Systems if you need assistance in discussing sharing the file with the other venue.

                      The map you wish to import must have been exported out of the neighbouring organization's database using the .tmm (TM Map Interchange) format.

                      To export a map using the .tmm format, perform the following steps:

                      1. Open the Pricing Map that you want to save as a .tmm file.
                      2. Click the button.
                      3. Choose "TM Map Interchange Format (.tmm)" from the menu
                      4. Save the file to a thumb drive or other location where you can retrieve it easily


                      To import a Theatre Map file, you would perform the following steps.

                      1. Create a venue (if you do not already have one) for the imported Pricing Map.
                      2. Open the Pricing Map Window for the venue.

                        Click here to learn how to access the window.

                      3. Click the Import button.

                        The Import Theatre Map window opens.

                      4. Select the Theatre Map File you exported above.
                      5. Click the Open button.

                        The Theatre Map window opens.

                      Add Price Codes to an Existing Pricing Map

                      Price Codes are composed of letters, numbers or characters and - in general - represent geographic regions of the venue. For example, "A" may represent the Orchestra Section, while "B" represents the Balcony. Furthermore, you can have multiple Price Codes on each seat that mean different things. An Orchestra seat may have both "A" and "1" enabled for "Single" (A) and "Subscription" (1) pricing.

                      When additional Price Codes are required for an event / play they need to be added at the map level. The Price Codes then become accessible in the Pricing tab of Events/Plays setup using the same map.

                      To add price codes, you perform the following steps:

                      1. Click the Venue / Theatre button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                        The Theatre List window opens.

                      2. Select the Theatre /Venue.

                        The Venue / Theatre window opens. 

                      3. Choose the Pricing map requiring the additional price codes (double click on it).

                        For more information on building a new map click here.

                      4. Add the desired letter(s) to the Price Code field.

                        Price Code letters, numbers and symbols should be entered side by side without spaces, commas, dashes or other separators.

                      5. Select the Seat Names tab at the top of the window.

                        For more informaton on the seat names tab click here.

                      6. Add the letter(s) entered above in the Price Code column next to each seat needing access to this code. Alternatively the seat names can be exported, altered outside of Theatre Manager and imported back into the map.

                        For more information exporting seat names click here. For more information importing seat names click here.

                      7. Click the Save button at the top of the window.
                      8. Close the map.

                        The Price Code(s) have now been added to the Events / Plays using this map number. You may need to review existing Events / Plays to disable the new Price Code. You may also want to review the Disabled Price Codes field of your Sales Promotions to ensure the new Price Code is disabled where required.

                        For more information on disabling promotions click here.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Placing Seats on a Pricing Map - Step 2

                      When you use reserved seating, you need to place those seats on the graphic map in Theatre Manager. Prior to placing seats on the Pricing map, a graphic representation of the venue must be placed into the graphic map window. Click here for more detail. If the venue is non-graphical or will be used for festival seating (General Admission) or traveling troupe ticket sales, placing seats on the map is not required.


                      One of the keys to being successful in map building is to save your work frequently.


                      1. Click Setup >> Venue.

                        The Venue List window opens.

                      2. Select the Venue, and click the Open button.

                        The Theatre window opens.

                        Click here to learn how to create a map if the map you want has not yet been created.
                      3. Choose the Map you want to add the seats to and click the Open button.

                        The Pricing Map window opens.

                        Click Here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                      4. Click the Graphic Map tab.

                        The graphic map window is displayed. You use the editing tools and the right-click menu tools to add your seats to the map.

                      5. Decide if the seats will be square or circular.

                        Select the appropriate shape button .

                        Round seats typically indicate "wheelchair" or ADA access seats.

                      6. Click Add Grid of Seats button.

                        This will open the Add Block of Seats window to add a section of seats. The Add Seat button adds single seats to the map.

                        Number of Seats Enter the number of seats to be added. (It will default to the total number of seats remaining to be added to the theatre and will decrease as seats are added).
                        Number of Columns Enter the number of columns (left to right) to place the seats into a grid.
                        Spacing Vertical The number of pixels of vertical spacing (up and down) between the seats.
                        Spacing Horizontal The number of pixels of horizontal spacing (left and right) between the seats.
                      7. Click the Add button.

                        This will place a grid (block) of seats in the upper left corner of the theatre map. Click on one of the added seats and drag the grid of seats into the appropriate place on the theatre map. Continue adding seats (grid by grid) until the total number of seats have been placed on the graphic representation.

                      8. Click the Save button.

                        Save frequently while adding seats. If an errors is made the Revert button can be used to return to the last saved point.

                      9. Select a row or column or seats.

                        Place the mouse above the upper left corner of the first seat to select, click and hold the mouse button and encircle the seats to align. Release the mouse to highlight the seats. To select multiple seats hold the <SHIFT> key and click on each seat.

                      10. Duplicate similar section of the venue as needed.
                        Duplicates selected seats.
                        Flips the selected seats vertically.
                        Flips the selected seats horizontally.
                        Rotates the selected seats 90 degrees to the left.
                        Rotates the selected seats 90 degrees to the right .
                      11. Align the seats.

                        Once all the seats have been placed on the graphic representation, use the alignment buttons to ensure seats are straight within each row and column.


                        Be careful to not align a group of horizontal seats to the left or right (or vertical seats to the top or bottom) as they will "stack" on top of each other, and then need to be deleted and re-added.


                        Aligns the selected row with the top most seat in that row.
                        Aligns the selected row with the bottom most seat in that row.
                        Aligns the selected column to the left most seat in the column.
                        Aligns the selected column to the right seat in the column.

                        Ensure seats are evenly spaced and distributed using the functions described below.

                        Evenly distributes the selected seats horizontally.
                        Evenly distributes the selected seats vertically.
                        Opens the Distribute Seats Window allowing the selected seats to be distributed both horizontally and vertically.

                        A few handy tricks when placing seats:

                        • Create a "ruler" out of 6 horizontal seats to use as an alignment guide for vertical columns. Do the same using 6 vertical seats to align rows. This allows you to easily align two seats directly over the last block of seats, two "spaces" representing an aisle, and two more seats directly over the next block of seats. Now you have perfect aisles.
                        • When placing seats individually in a horizontal line, place the first (and only the first) seat at the correct height. Place all subsequent seats in that row slightly below the correct height. Then use the alignment tool to bring all the subsequent seats up to the level of the first (and only) perfectly placed seat. The same is true for vertical placement (left and right).
                        • If your rows are offset (Row A has 17 seats, Row B has 18 seats, Row C has 17 seats, etc.), once you have the seats roughly placed, select the first seat in every other row by Control+clicking on them, and aligning them to the left or right. Then redistribute the seats in that row based off the perfectly placed first seat.
                        • While it may be enticing to place the seats in an arc if your venue is set up this way, because the Box Office will be selecting the seats by drawing a line through them or a box around them, arcs make it difficult to select seats in a single row. The best way to place the seats is always in a straight line.
                        • If you have side sections that are identical but oddly shaped (each row is a different length), build one section, then highlight it completely and use the duplicate tool, then the flip tool to add the opposing side.

                      12. Click the Save button.

                        When all seats are placed the next step is to arrange the seats in a logical order so Theatre Manager can connect each seat to its name. Click here for information on reordering logical seats.

                      13. Select the seat(s) that you want to hold on the graphic map. Then click on the hold tool, and select a letter code to hold the seat(s) with.
                      14. When you are done, choose the Save Button.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Determining the color of sold seats on a map

                      In the creation of the graphic map, the image is actually performing many roles which are:

                      • Allowing you Draw and move seats (in this mode, they are gray)
                      • Set default Holds for the venue
                      • Show price zones which also allows you to set the Highlight color for price codes and sold seats at the box office.
                      • Set Social Distance seating
                      • Set Entry zones into the venue

                      When selling seats, the display color of the seat is determined when the map is created. You can determine the color of the sold seat by either:

                      • The Sales Promotion group used to sell the seat
                      • The Price Code used to sell the seat

                      If you add/change Map Display Letters on a Sales Promotion, you may want to update the map colours as described below. If you do not, the standard sold color of a yellow background having a text color of black will occur for the new/changed items.

                      The setting that determines which parameter the colour will be based on is found in Setup -> System Preferences -> Box Office tab, in the Ticket Reservation Display Preferences area.

                       

                      Click Zones under the Graphic Map tab

                      Initially, when you show the Pricing Zones on the map, all the seats are displayed as grey

                      To set the colours for sold seats:

                      1. Click the colour button at the top right corner of the tool bar to change the colours.
                      2. Theatre Manager gets all the letters from the price codes or sales promotions (depending on what you show on the map) and places them in a random fashion on the map.

                      3. Click on a seat to change the color for that Sales Promotion Letter/Price Code when that letter is displayed on the map in sale mode.
                      4. Choose a colour from the colour palette.
                      5. Click to finish 'pick' mode. All seats will return to gray.

                      You can use the same process to change the 'unsold' seats from their default gray to another color. Simply click on a gray seat while in 'Pick' mode and set the color to your desired choice.

                      The actual colors are not visible to the user until the seat is sold, even though it is set in design mode.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Creating the Logical Seat Order - Step 3

                      Once you have placed all the seats on the map, the next step is to set those seats into a specific order so that the system can assign them the physical seating descriptions.

                      Each seat has its own number called a logical seat. The logical seats start numbering at 1, and continue through to the physical number of seats in the theatre. This is analogous to having a serial number stamped under each seat.

                      Since there are no two theatres, arenas, or performance spaces that are exactly alike, it is very difficult for Theatre Manager to automatically know what the seat names will be in the real world. Each seat in the Map is assigned a logical seat number, and those numbers can be arranged as needed. Once they are in a sequence that is easy to predict, each logical seat number is assigned a name. For example:

                      • Logical Seat # 1 would really be called Section Right, Row A, Seat 1.

                        The "serial numbers" just need to be arranged sequentially, and then named in the same sequence.

                      To change the logical seat numbers, you perform the following steps:
                      1. Click the 123 button on the left of the map.

                        This shows each logical seat number, in the order that the seats were laid down. The number might be difficult to see, depending on the resolution of the monitor. Zoom in on the map for a closer view or hold the mouse over a seat to see its logical seat number.

                      2. Select a section of seats to reorder.

                        This is done by clicking the mouse outside of a section of seats, holding down the mouse button and dragging a box around the section. Hold the Shift key on the keyboard while dragging a box to select multiple sections.

                        If there are multiple sections in the space, it may be easier to reorder the sections one at a time. If the space is arranged in rows and columns, and is roughly rectangular, it can be reordered all at once.

                        The reorder routine works horizontally and vertically, so seats must be in even rows and columns to work correctly. If a seat is above another seat, it will be assigned a non-sequential number based on the direction that is being reordered from.

                        For venues that have seating on angles, each row may need to be reordered individually to ensure each seat within each row gets the next sequential number.

                      3. Click the Reorder button.

                      4. Enter the first seat number for the section being reordered.

                        If reordering the first section, start with seat # 1. If reordering a section, after having already reordered other sections, make sure the seat number is the next sequential number from the last seat in the section previously reordered. This will ensure logical seat numbers are not taken from seats that have already been reordered.

                      5. Decide which direction to reorder the seats.

                        Seats can be reordered starting in one corner, horizontally then vertically, or vertically then horizontally. Select the starting point from the sets of radio buttons surrounding the yellow square. The note inside the yellow square will indicate the direction Theatre Manager will sort the sequence.

                      6. Click the Reorder button.
                      7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 to reorder any other sections.

                        Once the seats have been reordered, you are ready to begin naming the seats. For more information of naming seats click here.


                      A few handy tricks when setting the Logical Seat order:

                      • Do each section of seats as a group. If you have a "Center Orchestra" section, do this as a full group. Then move on to one of the sides, then the other side, then then mezzanine or balcony.
                      • Move the logical number in the same direction as the physical seat numbers. If your seats go from left to right in a 101, 102, 103, 104, etc. pattern, use the same direction in the logical seats. Seat 101 = Logical Seat 1, Seat 102 = Logical Seat 2, etc. This will make it easier for the next step which is setting the Seat Names.
                      • If you are working on a side section, work from the aisle to the wall (assuming that is also the way the seat numbering works).
                      • Always ensure that you start the next section at the next available number. Logical Seat Numbers must be unique for each seat in the venue. If you use a number twice, it will steal the number from a previously coded section.
                      • Likewise, do not skip any numbers. Theatre Manager knows how many seats there are in the venue. If you skip a number (or several) then when you get to the end of the numbering process, it will steal numbers from the beginning again.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Holds: Setting Default Holds for Pricing Map

                      Default holds for a venue are a way to block out some seats from sale. Default holds are copied to a new performance when it is created. They can be used for:
                      • House helds and trouble sats
                      • Obstructed sight lines
                      • wheelchair, handicapped and companions seating such as for the ADA seating (although, this might be better implemented in a much better way using associated/social distance holds for companions seats)
                      • Sound boards and other venue holds
                      • Typical artist holds - although, if these vary from performance to performance, they should not be placed in defaults holds
                      Changing holds in this window only affects:
                      • creation of new performances - existing performances are not changed at all
                      • the return to hold map for performances when tickets are refunded if the performance is set to use the defaults from the pricing map

                      After selectiong a range of seats, click this icon to remove the seats from the default venue hold . None of the existing performances will be affected. The default holds only affect future events that are created and the 'return to hold' map.
                      Creates a default hold code for the seat in the venue. Any new events created using this venue map can have these seats held automatically. Also, if the performance uses the standard 'return to hold' map for the venue, then any time a ticket is returned that is for one of these default holds, the ticket will be put back on hold. This provides a way of 'protecting' the seat.
                      Clears any default holds from all seats in the pricing map. Use this if you want to start with a clean slate.
                      Zoom in on a selected section of the map.
                      Zoom out on a selected section of the map.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Price Zones: setting base pricing zones

                      Price Zones are sections in the venue that have different base/starting prices. You may want to charge more for the front few rows than the back rows in a venue. You can have up to 50 base price zones in each pricing map. The allowable codes must be set on the Description Tab before you can set price zones on this tab.

                      Pricing zones can also be typed in or imported in the Seat Names tab since they are part of the seat name table.

                       

                      To set price zone on some seats:
                      • Select a range of seats
                      • The wand icon to the left will enable - click it
                      • Type in the new price codes to be used for the selected seats
                      • Click OK to make the change
                      This tool lets you change the default display colours of seats when they are sold, depending on the letter in your sales promotion (or price code, depending on setting in system preferences)

                      To use it:

                      • Click on the icon on the toolbar. The map will change to show a variegated image with each sales letter on it
                      • Click on one of the letters on the map
                      • a dialog will pop up showing a colour selection (like the image below)
                      • Click on a colour and then click either Text Colour or Background to change the colour of the text or background
                      • Repeat for Text Colour or Background until you like the colour combo for displaying the sales letter. The colours are displayed in the text above the buttons.
                      • Click OK to save the change and the map will refresh with the new colours
                      Shortcut: if a seat only has one price zone associated with it, then clicking on one seat will open the above edit window to set that colour for that price zone. Generally speaking, there is one price zone per seat.
                      Zoom in on a selected section of the map.
                      Zoom out on a selected section of the map.
                      Price code selection If you wish to see where certain price zones are in the venue:
                      • click on the checkbox on the left for the letter you want to see
                      • the letters will appear on the map for all seats that are in that zone - with the seat letter colour (as set above)
                      • you can click on multiple letters to see each zone
                      • If a seat is in more than one zone that you want to show, the letter will be replaced by a '*'
                      Diataxis: 

                      Social: Creating Social Distancing Setup

                      The name of this feature is called social distance seating. It is a by-product of Covid19 and the resultant need to sell a seat and automatically hold other seats around that seat so that people are provided a comfortable social distance between parties.

                      Theatre Manager has provided this feature for years (formerly called associated seats) and it can be used for a variety of purposes such as:

                      • Automatic holds for ADA companion seats
                      • Seats in a dinner theatre for two-top's to avoid a patron sitting for dinner with a stranger sitting opposite.
                      • Similarly, Social Distance seats are held automatically when a groups are bought to maintain an appropriate distance between patrons in all directions.

                      Before using the social distance seat function, be sure that you already have set the social distance/associated seat hold letter in System Preferences
                      Social distance seats can be exported as part of the Seat Names tab and imported into other similar pricing maps for tweaking.
                      If you want every seat in the pricing map to have a social distance barrier, then you have to set social distance seats for each and every seat in the venue.
                      If you have permanent house helds (eg for light board), DO NOT set social distance seats for permanent holds. Instead, set the rest of your social distance seating as if those seats are not there. If you want to make those permanent holds look like they are blocked, set the hold letter to 'q'.

                      You can mix and match any of these purposes on a single map.

                      The functions are described in the following:

                      Click on a seat If you click on any seat on the map:
                      • the seat you picked will show with a '*' in it
                      • Any associated social distance seats will show with the social distance letter as set up in system preferences. It is typically a typically a 'q'
                      The image to the right shows one seat clicked, surrounded by 8 social distance seats. You can have and many rows in front or back and seats on either side - depending on your venue's characteristics.

                      The image to the right show what the user will see when seats are sold online. The seats:

                      • that are offered will be coloured as normal
                      • that are around the offered seats will have a '*' in them indicating they are social distance seats and cannot be bought by anybody else.
                      Select a range of seats If you select more than one seat (i.e. a range of seats), they will be displayed with a 'Q' in them.

                       

                      Use SHIFT click on other seats to make non-rectangular selections. Those seats with:
                      • no letters in them, you can add those seats to the potential social distance seat holds
                      • with a 'Q' in them, you can remove those seats from the potential social distance seat holds
                      • NOTE: you must have at least two seats with 'Q' in them to add a third or remove one using shift. Once you are down to one seat, Theatre Manager changes it to a '*' and you are not longer in the social distance creation mode.

                       

                      After seats have been selected CLICK on one of those seats with a 'Q' in it and a menu automatically pops up allowing you to do one of three things (see image below):
                      • Display the seats currently associated with that one seat
                      • Make the selected seat the centre seat for social distancing. This means when the 'centre' of the seat group is sold, all the other seats will be held. This is ONE-WAY assignation. Use this option
                        • if the goal is to hold all seats around the one seat (social distance) - eg COVID 19
                        • if you want to only hold companion seats if a wheelchair seat is selected, but not when companion seats are being sold independently.
                      • Make all the selected seats associated with and co-dependant on each other. This means if any one is sold, then all others are held. This makes a MULTIPLE assignation. You might use this for:
                        • dinner theatre seats that are across from each other
                        • handicapped seating and companion seats - where if the companion seat is sold, other others are held
                      Clears the associated social distance seats from the selected seats. Use this if you want to start over for a range of seats.
                      Zoom in on a selected section of the map.
                      Zoom out on a selected section of the map.
                      Back a seat - you can use this button to go back one seat and see what the associated social distance holds are for that seat.

                      The seat order is determined by the logical seat order set up in the Draw tab which may not the adjacent seat when you look at things visually.

                      Using this feature, you can quickly scan the seats in a venue to see what is associated, without needing to click on them all.

                      Forward a seat - you can use this button to go forward one seat and see what the associated social distance holds are for that seat.

                      The seat order is determined by the logical seat order set up in the Draw tab which may not the adjacent seat when you look at things visually.

                      Using this feature, you can quickly scan the seats in a venue to see what is associated, without needing to click on them all.

                      The heat map shows the number of seats that are associated with a particular seat.

                      For example, a seat with an '8' in it is references by 8 other seats. Selling any one of those 8 other seats would result in this seat being held.

                      Use this to determine if there is an anomaly in how you set things up. For example, if one seat in the middle of a number of '8' seats shows a '3', then there is probably a mistake in how some associated seats were set up to reference that seat.

                      Seats closer to aisles or edges of the theatre seating should have lower usage numbers.

                      Note: Theatre Manager can only display one character in each square. for associates seats greater than 9, a letter is used instead, starting with A as follows:
                      • A = 10
                      • B = 11
                      • C = 12
                      • D = 13
                      • etc
                      The same advice applies. If you see a seat with D surrounded by Y's, something needs to be looked at.
                      Holds If you click the 'holds' button on the social distance setup, it will show you the default holds for the price map overlaid with the 'Q' holds you are worlking on.

                      You might have tech holds in the venue, or the first two rows held that will never be sold. If this is the case, you may have a natural social distance barrier that behaves like an aisle. You don't have to include those held seats in the social distance seating.

                      Verify This goes through all social distance seats and to determine if there is a conflict with any of the holds. Refer to the Verify Social Distance web page.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Verify Social Distance

                      It is very important that holds on a venue DO NOT conflict with social distance holds.

                      In other words held seats for things like lighting boards, ushers, donors, cannot appear as a 'q' hold for a social distance seat. The different types of holds must be mutually exclusive.

                       

                      Verifying Social distance holds

                      After you have set up all your social distance holds, you need to verify them against the permanent holds (return to holds) that you have set up for the venue and make sure they do not overlap.

                      In the image to the right, the Holds button was checked and you can see some of the permanent holds added to the venue. In this example, they are 3 aisle seats on the left side of the venue.

                      To find out if there are any conflicts with these holds, click the verify button. A conflict is defined as

                      • any social distance hold that uses one of these 3 holds as part of their social distance seat holds
                      • or, in other words, if you click on a seat to sell as social distance, is this permanent hold seat part of what would be held as a 'q' hold

                       

                      Message shown for a conflict

                      After clicking the Verify button on the left, the system will look at all seats to see if there are issues. if it notices any conflicts, you will see an error message that pops up which looks similar to the one on the right.

                       

                      Heat Map of Conflicts

                      The social distance map will change to show a 'heat map' to show:

                      • which seats conflict with the permanent holds
                      • how many times the seat conflicts

                      In the image to the right, you can see:

                      • the numbers 1, 2 and 3.
                      • For example:
                        • the seat marked 3 means that it conflicts with 3 holds.
                        • The seats marked 2 conflict with 2 holds.

                       

                      Fixing a conflict

                      In all cases you need to fix these conflicts. In the example to the right, I clicked the seat marked 3 on the heatmap.

                      It show

                      • that the 3 aisle seats that are permanent holds will also turn into 'q' holds
                      • when sold - this is a conflict, because when released, they will be returned to hold, which will also return to old any seats that the hold seats are associated with.

                      To fix the seat

                      • select the social distance seats EXCLUDING the the three hold seats as per the image below.
                      • Pick the seat in the middle and set the seats as centre of the social distance map
                      • repeat for all seats in conflict.
                      • click the verify button again to make sure all conflicts are removed.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Entry Zones: setting the order of entry for patrons

                      The order of entry is a way to help you manage the order of ingress of patrons into the venue. You may
                      • want to seat people at the front middle section of the venue first, followed by aisle seats.
                      • have a balcony where you can simultaneously seat people at the same time as the main floor
                      • have a number of entrances where you scan tickets that let people fill in different sids of the venue without coming into contact with each other
                      This feature may seem familiar to the airline boarding process where an attendant calls Zone 1, then Zone 2 etc.

                      In a venue practicing social distance, the zones should be built in a way that lets people enter with minimal contact, both in lining up outside the venue and entering in. I.e. it wouldn't be price based

                      You do not need to use zones for managing entry into the venue. However, if you do, the zones will need to be added to the printed ticket faces.
                      Entry zones can also be typed in or imported in the Seat Names tab since they are part of the seat name table.

                      Select a range of seats on the map and then click this button. A menu will popup that lets you:
                      • Clear the entry zone number/letter from the selected seat(s)
                      • Set the entry zone number on the selected seats
                      Repeat the process as many times as you want to tailor the order of entry into the venue by zones until you have it the way you would like it.
                      This will animate the entry zones to show you how people will be seated in the venue. The order of display will be 1-9 then A-Z, with a second between each letter.
                      Clears any default holds from all seats in the pricing map. Use this if you want to start with a clean slate.
                      Zoom in on a selected section of the map.
                      Zoom out on a selected section of the map.

                      Zone will appear by default on the Print at Home Ticket without customizing.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Seat Names Tab

                      The Seat Names tab determines the name of each seat within the venue and how they can be sold. For more information on naming seats click here.


                      Making changes to the Seat Names file of existing maps used for events either active or past may affect the tickets sold in terms of placement. If you are concerned about ramifications of making edits to "live" maps, please contact Arts Management Systems support at support@artsman.com prior to making them.

                      Changes that fixing spelling mistakes to seat names or alter the best seat area, number or seat notes may only affect the sales process and have less downstream consequences.

                      After changing seat names, notes or other values in this table, you waill need to use the Place Seats on the SVG map button to update the pick-your-own map.
                      Refer here ADA seating, if necessary.

                      Parts of the Seat Names Tab

                      Seat# Determines the seat on the graphic map that this seat information applies to. This is the Logical Seat Number.

                      This number:

                      • starts at one -and-
                      • a line must be included in the list for for each physical seat on the Theatre Map. This is analogous to having a serial number stamped under each seat.
                      • It ties directly to the seat on the map to give it a name, section, row, etc
                      Door Door is completely optional. It can be used for venues that wish to tell the patron which is the easiest way to enter the venue so that can proceed to find where they sit (eg Door 5 or East Gate, etc).
                      Section Section of the venue the seat is in. Examples are:
                      • Center
                      • Left
                      • Right
                      • Main Floor
                      • Balcony
                      • Orch Main Left

                      Do not put any other information into the section (i.e. do not put entrance door, or row number in it.

                      Special case: if this is a Standing Room Only seat or a General Admission Seat in a reserved seat venue, then use the first word only ('Standing' or 'General') for section, the second word for row and the last word for the seat.

                      Row Row name within the venue. (if Standing Room Only or General Admission Seat, use the middle word)
                      Seat Seat number within the row. (if Standing Room Only seat or a General Admission Seat, use the last word)
                      Price Zones This is the Price Zones available for this specific seat location. Each seat must have at least one Price Code, and can have several Price Codes associated with it.

                      NOTE: generally there is only 1 price zone per seat, and more than two means you are probably not using sales promotions effectively eg Adult and Child are not price zones, they are two sales promotion discounts applied to the same seat.

                      Refer to setting Price Zones in the venue if you want to do it graphically.

                      Seat Code Unique seat code representing this seat location. Typically, this is a combination of the Section (often abbreviated), Row and Seat to form a unique code for each seat to be used by the system.

                      You may need to have some leading zeros in your seat codes to handle a desired sort order when printing tickets.

                      Best Seat Priority This field is mainly used in conjunction with a database plug-in when making best available choices. It can also be used to select specific seats as a first offering like the aisle seats may be set to {1} as a priority so they would be offered first.

                      While this column is rarely used, it is designed so you can rank seats across the entire venue for relative equivalency for a plugin. For example all aisle (and companion seats) might be considered very good. Those seats may have equivalency with front row balcony. The a 'best seat' plugin could been used to 'find only seats that are considered xx good or better' for a person who has donated at a certain level or more.

                      Values of this field are between 0 and 255.

                      Best Available Area A CONTIGUOUS Mini Area within a row or 'box' that the seat is located.
                      • Determines the start and stop of these mini areas within the venue
                      • Usually describes an entire row, or part of a row if there are vomitoriums, pillars, obstructed seats, lighting boards or other such impediments that prevent people sitting adjacent to each other.
                      • It 'Mini Area' NEVER comprises seats if one or more physically different rows
                      • This information prevents leaving single seats when using best available or on internet sales.
                      • Typically, this is a combination of the Section (often abbreviated) and Row to form a unique code for each row to be used by the system for "Best Available Area."

                      If you need to allow singles at the end of a row (or allow three out or four seats at a table to be sold) refer to the two seat pass system. Otherwise Theatre Manager will NOT sell the seats if it leaves a single.

                      Best Seat # Determines the best available seat within the venue. This number is used for best available seating within the order purchase window. It also determines the order in which seats are available for internet sales. These numbers are always sequential and always unique.
                      Use Determines if a seat note should be displayed for this seat.

                      Set 'Use' to '1' if the seat note can be displayed, otherwise leave it blank.

                      Seat Note Allows you to add a note for online sales to specifically notate this seat (such as "Partially Obstructed", or for ADA requirements: "Wheelchair," or "Removable Seat."). This information can appear online to web purchasers.
                      Seat View Allows you to add a URL to an image of the stage from this seat (or range of seats). Adding a jpg or gif to your tmGifs folder and referencing it here can display to your patrons a "view from this seat" image. Generally, you add only a handful of images, rather than a single image for each individual seat. For more information click here.
                      Associated Seats / Social Distance This specified the other seats associated with this seat. If a seat is associated to one or more other seats, those other seats will be held if possible during a sale online - and taken out of use. This could be useful for:
                      • Dinner theatres where selling 3 tickets in a 4 top might require that the 4th be held so that people cannot buy singles online
                      • Additional seats associated with ADA seats, so that if one wheelchair is booked, the second associated seat is held.
                      • Creating a social distance map to ensure people have seats held around them automatically - eg for COVID19
                      Refer to Social Distance mode on the map to see how to set these values on a map
                      Entry Zone The entry zone is a way for you to specify the order in which you want patrons to enter the venue. It can be considered like the approach airlines use. Eg 'everybody in zone x, please now enter the theatre' (except you would do it for social distance purposes to manage how people get in - not based on price or status). Refer to Entry Zones to see how to do it graphically.
                      Calculates value of a field based on Theatre Manager defined equations.
                      Renumbers the logical seat number in numeric order to assist with locating potential duplicate logical seat numbers.
                      Loads the seat names previously entered in the database for the venue.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Naming Seats for the Price Map

                      Once all seats have been placed, the next step is to name the seats so that the patrons can find them. Prior to naming seats, they should be re-ordered into a sequence using the logical seat number.

                      Making changes to the Seat Names file of existing maps used for events either active or past may affect the tickets sold in terms of placement. Prior to making edits to "live" maps, please contact Arts Management Systems support at support@artsman.com .
                      Seat codes and seat numbers are also discussed on other pages.

                      Alphabetic Sorting on Computers

                      For purposes of discussing the following pages, you need to be aware of how computers sort alphabetic information. In some columns (door, section, row, seat), we likely do not care and can simply call the seats what they are. For most other columns, you need to be aware how computers sort things (Seat Code and Best Available Area). You will need to remember this when building a strategy for assigning best seats automatically

                      Door, Section, Row, Seat Every seat must be given a physical location that the patrons understand. Theatre Manager provides a four level naming convention of door, section, row and seat (entrance door is optional). Each of these fields is alpha-numeric, so directions to the seat can be provided that represent the venues current naming conventions. Examples:
                      • Orchestra - A - 101
                      • Loge - 1 - A
                      • Table - 5
                      Seat Code Seat codes need to be created in a mannder so that they sort properly using alphabetic sort. For example: computers sort alpha-numeric values like:
                      • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 as 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. (note 1, then 10 before 2)
                      • A, B, C, AA, AB, AC as A, AA, AB, AC, B, C.
                      This is not the order that humans intuit.

                      Seat Codes should have leading zeros or characters to force the alphabetic sort in a way you'd like tickets to be printed. For example, to get numbers in ascending order, you would make them like:
                      • 01
                      • 02
                      • 03 ... to 09
                      • 10
                      • 11
                      • 12
                      and letters would be like
                      • AA
                      • AB
                      • AC ... to AZ
                      • BA
                      • BB
                      as a naming convention.

                      This way, when you print the tickets out for an order, they will print in the proper numeric sequence by seat code. If the highest seat number in your venue is three digits such as 115, then be sure to use three digits throughout (001, 002, 003, etc.)

                      A good example of seat codes for Orchestra Left, AA 1 through 101 would be OLAA001, OLAA002 etc through OLAA101

                      Best Available Area Generally, Best area is very similar to the Seat Code, but without the actual seat number on it. If the seat code for Orchestra Left, AA 101 is OLAA101, then the Best Area might be OLAA.

                      You many need some additional characters on the best area if you need to separate left side and right side of a vomitorium or aisle and its the same row. But in general, the Best Area defines a unique row, or pert of a row where if seats are purchased in that area, they are considered to be together.

                      If you place a '#' at the end of a best available area, it has a special meaning.

                      It causes MT to make two passes of the seats, offering a subset preferentially before offering the rest of the seats if nothing else is left.

                      Best Seat Number These should be in sequential order within a Best Available Area so that Theatre Manager knows which seats are together.

                      For example: if your Orch Left, Row AA is Best Area is OLAA as per the above discussion on Best Area, then you would want seats to be in increasing order from the Aisle to the edge of the venue. Number the seats like

                      1 (for seats 109), 2 (for seat 108), 3 (for seats 107) etc up to 9 (for seat 101)

                      then start the next row at seat 10 (in other words, do not duplicate the best seat numbers).


                      In order to determine the Best Seats, Theatre Manager can use a two-pass system. This two-pass system can protect seats for a second pass. This is particularly helpful in a dinner theatre setting where two seats to each table want to be sold before additional seats to the table are sold. Please click the link above for more information on this advanced topic.


                      Naming Seats

                      1. Ensure all seats are in logical sequence.
                      2. Click the Seat Names tab.
                      3. The Initial Seat Setup confirmation window will appear.

                      4. Click the Yes button.

                        The Seat Names window will populate.

                      5. There are two options for inputting seat names:

                        a) Export the data out of Theatre Manager to a file and open the data in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, edit and save the document in a tab-delimited format and import them back into Theatre Manager.

                        b) Click into each field in Theatre Manager and enter the data manually. Theatre Manager will assist in populating some of the data using predefined equations.

                      6. Using Excel is, by far, the easiest method of naming the seats.


                      7. Enter values for Section, Row and Seat Code.

                        Change the values of these fields to something meaningful to the theatre.

                      8. Indicate which price codes are valid for the seat.

                        If the seat is in the front row, then a balcony price code would not be valid.

                      9. Enter the Best Available Area and Best Available #.

                        Theatre Manager will use the area and number to create a sequential order from which to decide what the best available seats are. Have the best seats (or the seats to sell first) in a higher (ie. A-D) alphabetical area. The seat numbers are used for the system to decide on how many seats are available in an area.

                        If entering names manually in Theatre Manager, the Auto-Fill button can be used to assign the best seating area, best seat number and the seat code.

                      10. Repeat the above steps until all data for all the logical seats are entered for the venue.
                      11. Click the Save button.

                        All seats must be named before the data can be saved.

                        Return to the Graphic map tab and hold the mouse over seats at random. Double check the seat location is correct and that each seat is named properly.

                      A few handy tricks when naming seats:

                      • As mentioned, using Excel or other spreadsheet will speed the process considerably
                      • Use formulas where possible to fill the columns. While this website and Arts Management Systems aren't intended to train you in the use of spreadsheet programs, there are a few formulas that can be employed fairly easily.
                        • For the Section, Row and Price Code columns, use the formula =B1 in the B2 cell, then copy that all the way down. Now, the field will populate with whatever was in the cell above it. As the Section changes, at the logical seat number, simply enter the new Section name once, and all values below it will change as well.
                        • For the Seat column, change the formula to =D2+1 so that each entry will increment the seat number by 1. then copy this formula all the way down this column.
                        • For the Seat Code column, use the formula =B2&C2&D2 to bring together the Section, Row and Seat into one combined formula. Then copy this formula all the way down this column.
                      • If you use formulas in any of the fields, you will need to Copy/Paste Special when you are done so that the formulas turn into values. For more on Copy/Paste Special, please see the help section of your spreadsheet program.

                      If you change a venue map, when there are events already on sale, you MUST verify the seats on each performance to re-index the new name to the seat in the event. Click here, for more information on verifying seats.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Exporting Seat Names

                      You can export Seat Names to a text file for easy editing in most spreadsheet programs.

                      1. Open the Pricing Map for editing.

                        Click here to learn how to edit Pricing Maps.

                      2. Click the Seat Names tab.

                        The Seat Names window opens.

                      3. Click the Export button.
                      4. Choose your export format from the options from the list:

                        The Export Seat Names window opens.

                      5. Select the directory to export the seat names file to and change the file name as needed.
                      6. Click the Save button.

                        The seats are exported to the selected directory in a text file in tab delimited format. The file can then be opened in most spreadsheet programs for editing.

                        Click here to learn how to Import the seat names file.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Importing Seat Names

                      When importing seat names the file must be in tab delimited format ie. after each entry there is a tab space and a carriage return at the end. Most spreadsheet programs should be able to save in this formation.

                      1. Open the Pricing Map for editing.

                        Click here to learn how to open Pricing Maps.

                      2. Click the Seat Names tab.

                        The Seat Names window opens.

                      3. Click the Import button.

                        The Import Seat Name window opens.

                      4. Select the file containing the seat names to be imported.

                        The following file formats are supported:

                        • Excel (.xls)
                        • Excel (.xlxs)
                        • Tab delimited (.txt)
                        • Comma Delimited (.csv)
                      5. Click the Open button.

                        The file will be imported into Seat Names window.

                      6. Click the Save button.

                        The seat names have now been imported into Theatre Manager.

                      If your spreadsheet has empty lines at the end, which are hard to see for find, you might see a message line the one below.

                      Theatre Manager is asking if you want lines with a logical seat number of zero and no Door/Section/Row/Seat data to be ignored.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Changing Seat Names


                      Making changes to the Seat Names file of existing maps used for events either active or past may affect the tickets sold in terms of placement. Prior to making edits to "live" maps, please contact Arts Management Systems support at support@artsman.com .


                      1. Open the Pricing Map Window.

                        Click here to learn how to access the window.

                      2. Click the Seat Name tab.

                      3. Edit the seat names by clicking in a cell and changing the values

                        This is similar to adding seat names.

                      4. Click the Save button to save the seats to the database.

                        If any plays/events have been created using this map the seats for each performance will need to be verified. This will update the tickets with the new seat information. Click here to learn how to verify seats.

                      Diataxis: 

                      How Theatre Manager Assigns Seats

                      In an effort to keep patrons who purchase multiple seats together, Theatre Manager will keep an order from crossing an aisle. In addition, the "Best Seat Algorithm" will also keep a single seat from remaining in a row. This means that if a party of 4 is looking for seats in a row that has only 5 seats, Theatre Manager will move on to the next row that has 6 or more seats so that an empty "single" isn't left. It is difficult to fill single seats, so they can be detrimental to maximizing your revenue.

                      To prevent Theatre Manager from assigning seats that span aisles, you need to set them up properly on the Seat Names tab.


                      In this example, the venue has three seats in the left and right sections and six in the center section. When you set up the seat names, you want to ensure when four seats are selected, they do not go across the aisle, but are selected together. In this case, that means any groups of four or more will always be seated in the center section. The exception is if they choose the option online to have their seats separated.

                      Seats in a theatre are typically numbered from aisle to wall, or, in the case of the center sections, from left to right. Seat numbering is also typically Odd numbers on the left, Even numbers on the Right, and sequentially in the 100's in the center. The Rows are lettered front to back A - Z.

                      Seats in an arena are often simply numbered sequentially across the row, which is also numbered, but may be lettered. Theatre Manager accommodates all numbering and lettering schemes.

                      The example below is for the small theatre above.

                      In the Seat Names tab of the pricing map, check the Section, and Best Available columns.

                      Seat Numbers The seats numbers are names as you would naturally use them:

                      5, 3, 1, aisle 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, aisle, 2, 4, 6

                      Best Available Area The Best AVAILABLE AREA column takes into account the alpha sort order and should read
                      • CA = Center Section, Row A (for seats A101 through A106)
                      • LA = Left Section, Row A (for seats A001 through A005) and
                      • RA = Right Section, Row A (for seats R002 through R006)
                      • The the next row would be:

                      • CB = Center Section, Row B (for seats B101 through B106)
                      • LB = Left Section, Row B (for seats B101 through B106) and
                      • RB - Right Section, Row B (for seats B101 through B106)
                      and so on
                      Best Seat Number For each seat in the Best Available Area above, you must identify the best seat number -- the order in which the seats are offered to the customer.
                      • This usually starts from the end of the aisle and goes across the row.
                      • The numbers go from 1 (the most important or coveted seat which is offered first) and increase.
                      • You would make each seat in a Best available area to be adjacent numbers. For example, if Row CA has the best seats, they would be numbers 1 through 6. If row CB had the next best seats, they would be numbers 7 through 12
                      • You can use this to offer best seats starting in the middle of the centre section and move back a few rows. The you could jump over to the sides to start offering seats there for a while, alternating between left and right to fill up the venue evenly. Then perhaps jump to the balcony area before returning to the centre section to offer the first few rows.
                      The idea is to number the seats in the same order that people generally want to buy them or that you suggest them to a patron.

                      This way, Theatre Manager knows where there are natural breaks and how to suggest seats to people.

                      Diataxis: 

                      The Two-Pass system - Naming Seats for Dinner Theatre, Cabaret Seating, and Small Venues

                      For online sales, we have implemented a mechanism that tries to prevent leaving single seats and maximize your revenue. This web page is geared towards online sales only because Box Office personnel can do anything they wish to dress the house accordingly.

                      If you have the Seat Names file designed correctly for your venue, you can use web sales to accomplish a lot and fill your house. As humans, we have a great deal more perception abilities to make allowances for subtle changes in situations - but online, computers need to deal with hard parameters of sales rules.

                      For the vast majority of a venue, assigning the Best Available Area to go straight across a row, and then thread up and down through the venue makes a lot of sense. After all, most people want front and center, middle and center, or balcony front. It starts to breakdown in fringe seats at the edges of venues or the loges, or those odd little corners in venues that are usually in the least desirable seat areas. It also tends to breakdown in Dinner Theatre settings where you have lots of tables, but they only hold two or four patrons each (although we've seen six, eight or even ten seats at a table).

                      Therefore, Theatre Manager uses a 'two-pass' mechanism which can handle leftover seats for online sales in case the good seats have been taken.

                      This gives you:

                      • Revenue protection for the key seats
                      • A way to manipulate the lower quantile seats while still doing the best for revenues - and still allowing some to be left as singles.

                      Dinner Theatre and Cabaret Seating

                      Naming of seats on a Graphic Map for a Dining Room or Cabaret setting may need some adjustments in order to enable the booking of tables, specifically online booking where selecting best available is the default option. Consider a dining room setup of a series of tables of four where you will seat a party of two, three or four at a table. With no adjustments to the seat name chart of your Theatre Map the following could happen:

                    • Patron A requests two seats. Theatre Manager will offer the first available table of four, which leaves two seats remaining at the table. Patron B immediately requests two seats, and Theatre Manager will then offer the two remaining seats at the first table. What you now have is two different parties (strangers in fact) sitting at the same table.
                    • Another scenario might be a Patron requests three seats. Theatre Manager will not find three seats at a table of four because Theatre Manager will not leave one empty seat. So the patron will never be offered a table of three.
                    • To achieve a favorable result we introduce the use of # ('pound'), and apply it to the Best Available Area code of the Seat Names in your Theatre Map setup.

                      You will need to edit the Best Available Area code on the seats as follows: The seat name of Table 1 may look like this.

                      By applying the # to two of the four seats as shown in the next image will result in the following.

                      Patron A requests two of four, or all four seats, and this table will be offered. Because when the # is applied to the Best Available Area code, the remaining two of four unsold seats will not be offered to the next Patron. Theatre Manager will then offer Table 2 - or the next table with seats available. Note that the use of the pound on a seat causes Theatre Manager to overlook that seat.

                      Now this scenario presents a problem for a patron seeking three seats. If you use # for two of the four seats at tables of four, there won't be a successful request for three seats as Theatre Manager will never leave one remaining seat.

                      If parties of three are a frequent booking for your venue, then what you need to do is to consider a selection of tables where you edit the Best Available Area code to utilize the two-pass system for only one of the four seats at the table as in the following image.

                      So the rule to follow when using the # to overlook seating is this:

                    • Applying the # to two of the four seats at a table will result in a patron being able to purchase two of four or all four seats, but not three of four.
                    • Applying the # to one of the four seats at a table will result in a patron being able to purchase three of four, or all four seats, but not two of the four.

                    • Small Venue Seating

                      The same two-pass system can be applied when venues have sections with only three seats in a single row (typically on the sides of smaller venues, or the corners of 'Theatre in the Round').

                      For example, let's say you only have three seats on the Left side of Row A. We will assume that the seats are all empty and you did not use the '#' in the Best Seat Area.

                      If a patron asks online for one or three seats, they would get them. They would not get them if they asked for two. Theatre Manager would move the patron back a little bit in the venue until it could find two seats PLUS at least two left over.

                      Seats that are in the front row on the side are likely to be nearer to the tail end of desirable - probably in the last quartile. They are certainly not the absolute best seats in the house, which are generally more towards the center. So now you have a bit of flexibility to decide what to do with them if they are not going to be the first offered to patrons or the first that are snapped up in the Box Office.

                      If we use the best seat area and name them as follows:

                      Then this invokes the two-pass strategy for those seats. If all seats are open (in the entire venue), then if a patron asks for:

                      • One or three seats - nothing will be offered
                      • Two seats - then Seats 1 and 2 will be offered

                      So patrons wanting one or three seats will be moved back a couple of rows. Remember that this front-side area is low on the desired scale.

                      Now, suppose you have a full house and there are very few seats left to sell. But these three in the front-side, Row A, are all still available. If a patron asks for:

                      • One or three seats, nothing will be offered (See below)
                      • Two seats, then they will get something

                      Since we can't disappoint patrons wanting one or three seats, and if Theatre Manager cannot find any other seats in the venue, it will remember that it bypassed these ones and go back to them for a second pass. So, Theatre Manager will say:

                      • One seat requested - offer Seat 1
                      • Three seats requested - offer them all
                      • Two seats requested - offer Seats 1 and 2

                      Thus, the search process is designed so that:

                      • The majority of seats are taken care of in the first pass. This is how patrons work and how Box Office Managers dress the house normally.
                      • A second pass can be invoked if you are coming down to the wire (say the last quartile) where you want to be a little freer with how seats are offered.

                      Associated Seats

                      Associated seats are a way to link seats together when purchasing and holding. When one (or more) seats that are associated with each other are sold, the remaining associated seats are automatically held. This is useful for situations like:
                      • ADA seats - where you want to automatically hold a companion seat for a period of time if the primary wheelchair seat is sold - at least until you can determine the patron's requirements
                      • Dinner Theatre Seating - especially where there are a number of two-top tables that are beside each other. In this case, if a patron buys one seat at a table, then the other can be held so that nobody sits opposite the purchaser. Other two-tops that are side by side can be separated for dining privacy.
                      • Social Distance Seating - where if somebody buys a seat, all seats around it are held automatically

                       

                      How do associated seats sales work?

                      In the example below, the left image shows part of a venue that has not had sales yet. Some of the tables contain associated seats.

                      • After clicking or selecting seats on the map to sell (refer to the ones that will be selected on the left)
                      • The associated seats are immediately held using the (hold code in system preferences) to prevent sale by others (refer to the right diagram).

                      In the patron ticket window, the seats will show up as holds with the word Associated Seats in the icon column. These seats can easily be sold to the patron at a later date, if desired.

                       

                      Where do associated seats work?

                      The short answer - everywhere a ticket is sold. Examples are:

                      • Selling a ticket online If:
                        • One or more seats are held in a cart, all associated seats are also held until the patron picks other seats using Next Best Seatsor using Pick your Own.
                        • The patron checks out, the holds are made permanent.
                        • The cart is abandoned, the associated seats are released
                      • At the box office during selecting a seat. It may be easier to drag select multiple associated seats when selling rather than clicking on them one at a time, otherwise you'll need to over-ride the hold
                      • During sale of a seat for a subscription package. All associated seats are held for all performances during the sale, if possible

                      When making seats associated:
                      • The first person to purchase one or more seats that are associated causes all other associated seats to be held in their name, under their patron account, permanently
                      • If a seat is refunded, then any permanent holds on the associated seats (using the hold code in system preferences) will automatically be released
                      • You can release an associated hold manually so the seats can then be sold from that point forward. However, if you refund the other associated tickets and resell them, the hold will be put back in place.
                      You cannot use associated holds until an associated hold letter is specified in System Preferences
                      Diataxis: 

                      Editing Associated Seats

                      Normally you would use the Social Distance Map feature to create these graphically within Theatre Manager.

                      However, if you like excel formulas and want to create an initial social distance map for later tweaking, you can also set the associated social distance seats an import them.

                      Associated seats can also be shown in the tab on the Seat Names tab on the Theatre Pricing Map window in the last column called Associated Seats. In the example, you can see that seats 1, 2 and 3 are associated with each other in some way.

                       

                      Setting Associated seats

                      There are 2 ways to set an clear associated seats. You can:

                      • On the Social Distance Map, use the context menu to select two or more seats to associate them with each other bidirectionally. In this example, seats 1, 2 and 3 are dependant on each other so that:
                        • if any one is sold, the others will be held and
                        • if one is released, the others will be freed from hold.
                      • Export the map, edit the associated seats, and import them. With this approach, you can make one directional associations where:
                        • if seat 1 is sold, then 2 and 3 are held
                        • yet if seat 3 is sold, the other two night not be affected.

                       

                      Editing the Associated Seats on the Map tab

                      The simplest way to set associated seats when there are only a few of them is to:

                      • Use the Graphic Map tab
                      • Select some seats that are associated - a table for example
                      • Use the context menu to associate the seats. any previous associations for the selected seats will be cleared and re-associated with each other.
                      • Repeat as required for all seats.

                       

                      Editing the Associated Seats by Exporting/Importing

                      If you wish, you can edit the seat map in Excel to create the associated seats. This allows you to created custom uni-directional associations in any way you want.

                      To do so

                      For example, the image below shows some more complex associated seat setup that were edited in the seat names file:

                      • if only seat 49 is sold (released), then Theatre Manager will hold (release) seats 50 through 56 as associated holds
                      • if seat 55 or 56 is sold (released), then Theatre Manager will only hold (release) seat 51 (might be an example of a companion seat)
                      • if seat 51 is sold (release), Theatre manager hold (release) seats 49 and 50 (which means that seats 55 and 56 per the above line are not affected).

                      Using Associated Seats For Social Distancing

                      Normally you would use the Social Distance Map feature to create these graphically within Theatre Manager.

                      However, if you like excel formulas and want to create an initial social distance map for later tweaking, you can also set the associated social distance seats an import them.

                      You will need to decide how many seats you want to hold around the one being sold. It could be that:
                      • you need two on each side, and a row in front and behind.
                      • Loges or box seats may have a vertical distance imposed on the seats below.
                      • There may be differences in various areas because of aisle widths or crossover areas and whether moveable chairs or fixed seats.

                      It is possible to create a social distancing sales map using associated seats with purpose of:

                      • You sell a seat and the specified seats around the one you just sold are taken off sale
                      • If you release that seat, it will release the seats around it.

                       

                      General steps to set up a social distancing sales map

                      The following is a recommended process for setting up social distance seating:

                      1. Select and edit a venue you want to implement social distancing for
                      2. Select the pricing map that you currently use and right-Click to duplicate it
                      3. After duplicating the pricing map:
                        • edit the pricing map and:
                          • Change the internal name of the map to indicate it is for social distancing
                          • Alter any price codes if you want to offer fewer
                        • Click on the Graphic Map tab and
                          • Click on the Social button - make all the social distance seat holds as per the instructions in the link
                          • Click on the Entry button - and select seats to assign a zone to (as per the instructions in the link)
                      4. Edit your ticket face and add the zone number to the ticket face in some prominent way
                      5. Find the events in the future and change the pricing map to the new one you just edited.

                      6. Add some performance notes similar per the image below to give the patrons some assurance, or customize your ticket event list to indicate that the performance is sold with social distance in mind.

                       

                      What does the Social Distance Map look like online?

                      Best Seat Search Tab

                      Using the Best Seat Settings tab, you can create a list of sections for patron's to choose from on your website.

                      Using the seats you have defined, the patrons find the best seats in their preferred section. This is particularly practical when there is tiered pricing. Patrons do not have to keep looking for seats to find ones in the pricing section they desire.

                      This is useful for venues where people like certain places within the venue. The search limits for only seats in that area.
                      Searching by area may have limited usefulness if you have enabled pick your own seating. If that is the case, you can turn this feature of on the description tab.


                      The Search String is what is used in the Seat Names tab to associate the seat with a section.




                      For example, for every seat you want in the "Right Centre" section, the Best Available Area column for the seats must contain the search string "RC".




                      The Search Description is what is displayed online for the section.




                      Search strings can be added by pressing the button, or by pressing the tab key on the keyboard while the cursor is in the previous line.

                      Search strings can be removed by pressing the button next to the corresponding line.

                      Search strings can be reordered for online display by highlighting the corresponding line and clicking the buttons. This allows you to list the preferred sections first, followed by the less desirable sections towards the end of the list.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Price Code Search Tab

                      The Price Code Search tab enables you to create a list of price code sections that a patron can use to limit searching for seats on your web site.

                      The example to the right shows what it searching in a section looks on the web site and the image below contains the price codes and names that are used for online searching. If you make a change in the pricing map, it will reflect on the web site.

                      This is particularly useful when there is tiered pricing. Patrons only need to specify to look for seats in the price that they desire.
                      Conversely, searching by price may have limited usefulness if you have enabled pick your own seating. If that is the case, you can turn this feature of on the description tab.

                      The Price Code is what is used in the Seat Names tab to associate the seat with a section.

                      For example, for every seat you want that has Price Code 1, the Price Code column for the seats must contain the search string "1".


                      The Search Description is what is displayed online for the section.

                      Search strings can be added by pressing the button, or by pressing the tab key on the keyboard while the cursor is in the previous line.

                      Search strings can be removed by pressing the button next to the corresponding line.

                      Search strings can be reordered for online display by highlighting the corresponding linen and clicking the buttons.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Exporting Theatre Maps For Use In Other Theatre Manager Databases

                      Exporting Theatre Map Files

                      There may be a time when you need to export your Theatre Map to send to Arts Management Systems.
                      1. Open the Venue window that contains the theatre map of interest.
                      2. Find the Theatre Price Zone Map to be exported

                        On the right side of the venue information, is a list of price zone map configurations that can be used in that venue. You need to find the one that you want to export by:

                        • Scrolling down to find the on you want -or-
                        • Using the filter feature to find the one you want by:
                          • Typing the map number(s of the price zone map(s) you want to find. (if you know them). Separate multiple map numbers by comma's -or-
                          • Typing some part of the name you gave to the price zone map to make it memorable, like 'two zone map' or 'Orch and Balcony price map'. -or-
                          • Typing some words in the note field you put in the pricing map as a convenient way to find it
                      3. Double click on the price zone map to open it

                        • Click the Export Pricing Map to see the export options. Do two exports
                          • Export the seats in Excel Format
                          • Export the entire map in TM interchange format. This has the seats, image and all the rest of the data

                      4. Import the two files into anothe database or outlet

                        Now, all the other outlet or company need to do is import those two files.

                        To do that

                        • Log into the other database as a user with permission
                        • Insert a new venue, if need be
                        • when you have created or found the venue that you want to add the venue map to, then:
                          • Click the Import Pricing Map button and pick the .tmm file you saved

                        • Open the pricing map and then click on the Name seats button.
                        • Click the Import seats button and pick the Excel Seat Map file you saved moments ago

                      Editing a Pricing Map

                      To edit a map, you perform the following steps:
                      1. Pricing Maps are accessed through the Setup >> Venue menu.

                        Alternatively you can click on the Venue button in the Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                        The Venue List window opens.

                        Click here, for more information on the Venue List window.

                      2. Chose the Venue you want to view/edit from the list and click the Open button, alternatively, double click on the name of the venue.

                        The Venue window opens.

                      3. Highlight the Pricing Map to be edited and click the Open button.

                        The Pricing Map window opens for the selected map.

                      4. Edit the description tab for changes in map details, the graphic map tab for seating placement and the seat names tab for changes in the name of a seat.

                        To change the number of seats, it is first recommended you duplicate an existing pricing map and make your changes to the new map.

                        • A deployed map cannot have the number of seats decreased.
                        • Adding seats to an existing map only affects current and future sales. You cannot go back and decrease the number of seats later.

                        To correct changes before saving click the Revert button to revert back to the last saved point.

                      5. Click the Save button.

                        The changes made to the map are saved.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Changing Price Codes From the Map

                      For a fast way to change the scaling of a price map and its sections, you can select seats on the map and set or change the price codes on those selected seats.

                      To dynamically change the seat codes, you perform the following steps:

                      1. Open the pricing map you want to change the seat codes on.

                      2. Highlight the seats you want to change the codes on and open the right-click menu.

                        The Add Block of Seats dialog opens.

                        The dialog displays the available codes for the map in the top portion.

                      3. Enter the codes you want to change the selected seats to.
                      4. Click the Replace button.

                        The confirmation message displays your changes.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Increasing the Number of Seats

                      When increasing the number of seats, in a pricing map, it is important to take into consideration two things:

                      • You are increasing the number of seats by rearranging the existing seats, adding more to the stage or at strategic places in the venue for some events.

                        or

                      • You are increasing the size of an existing pricing map because you have physically added extra seats to a venue and all future events will have those extra seats.

                      To change the number of seats, it is first recommended you map a backup of the database. Once the backup is complete, duplicate an existing pricing map and make your changes to the new map.

                      • A deployed map cannot have the number of seats decreased.
                      • Adding seats to an existing map only affects current and future sales. You cannot go back and decrease the number of seats later.

                      To add movable seats to a map, you first Duplicate the existing price map:

                      1. Open the Venue / Theatre.

                        Click here to learn how to edit a pricing map.

                      2. Select the map you want to add the seats too.

                        The Pricing Map description window opens.

                      3. Click the button.

                        The selected Map is duplicated and stored with the Name Copy ##.

                      4. Click the Save button.

                        The changes made to the map have now been saved.

                      If you are permanently increasing the number of seats and all future events will have these seats available, you can add them directly to the existing map.

                      A deployed map cannot have the number of seats decreased.

                      Adding seats to an existing map affects current and future sales.

                      ALL existing events for that venue are taken offline until the you have verified the seats for the event.

                      You will need to follow up on each performance to verify the seats and turn them on for the performances.

                      Increase the Number of Seats for the Map

                      1. Increase the value in the Physical Seats field.

                        By increasing this number Theatre Manager will allow extra seats to be added to the graphic map and will increase the number of seats in the Seat Names tab.

                      2. Increase the value in the Reporting Capacity if required.

                        The reporting capacity indicates the number of seats sold within the venue. Often it is the same value as the Physical Seats. However, some venues have seats they only sell when the rest of the seats are completely sold. These seats may be standing room or

                      3. Placing the New Seats

                        In this example, the seats are being added in front of the stage and the graphic has been updated to accommodate the additional premium seats.

                        In the Graphic Map tab, add the new seats to the appropriate locations.

                      4. Click the button.

                        The Add a Block of Seats dialog opens.

                      5. Enter the appropriate parameters and click the button.

                      6. Place the seats where they are to be added.

                        Click here, for more information on placing seats.

                      7. Click the button.

                        If you make any errors, you can use the button to return to your last save point.

                      Logical Seat Numbers

                        You now need to incorporate the new seats into the existing Logical Seat Numbers. Click here, for more information on logical seat numbers.

                      1. Click the button.

                        Notice the seats have been appended to the logical seat numbers.

                      2. Highlight the seats to be re-numbered and click the button.

                        The Reorder Selected Seats dialog opens.

                      3. Make the approriate enties. When complete, click the button.

                        When you are finished reordering the seats, click the button.

                      Naming the Seats

                        Click here , for more information on renaming the seats. There are two options for inputting seat names:

                        a) Export the data out of Theatre Manager to a file and open the data in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, edit and save the document in a tab-delimited format and import them back into Theatre Manager.

                        b) Click into each field in Theatre Manager and enter the data manually. Theatre Manager will assist in populating some of the data using predefined equations.

                      1. Enter values for Section, Row and Seat Code.

                        Change the values of these fields to something meaningful to the theatre.

                      2. Indicate which price codes are valid for the seat.

                        If the seat is in the front row, then a balcony price code would not be valid.

                      3. Enter the Best Available Area and Best Available #.

                        Theatre Manager will use the area and number to create a sequential order from which to decide what the best available seats are. Have the best seats (or the seats to sell first) in a higher (ie. A-D) alphabetical area. The seat numbers are used for the system to decide on how many seats are available in an area.

                        If entering names manually in Theatre Manager, the button can be used to assign the best seating area, best seat number and the seat code.

                      4. Repeat the above steps until all data for all the logical seats are entered for the venue.
                      5. Click the button.

                        All seats must be named before the data can be saved.

                        Return to the Graphic map tab and hold the mouse over seats at random. Double check the seat location is correct and that each seat is named properly.

                      Reducing the Number of Seats

                      To change the number of seats, it is first recommended you duplicate an existing pricing map and make your changes to the new map.

                      • A deployed map cannot have the number of seats decreased.
                      • Adding seats to an existing map only affects current and future sales. You cannot go back and decrease the number of seats later.

                      You have duplicated the pricing map for your venue and you are editing the Copy.

                      1. Edit the Map Name and Capacity.

                      2. Click the Graphic Map tab.

                        Highlight the seats you no longer want on the map ad then click the eraser icon at the top left of the screen. it is in the second icon row and is the right most icon on that row,

                        Note the seats have been removed from the seating map. If you want to remove items from the underlying graphic, you may need to export the map and edit in an external graphic software.

                        You can now go on and update the seating.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Exporting the Pricing Map Graphic

                      You may want to export a graphic file that has already been imported in Theatre Manager for editing.

                      1. Theatre Maps is accessed through the Setup >> Theatre Maps menu.

                        Alternatively you can click on the theatre maps button on the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                        The Theatre Map List window opens.

                        Click here, for more information on the Theatre Map List window.

                      2. Chose the Map you want to view/edit from the list and click the Open button, alternatively, double click on the name of the map.

                        The Theatre Map window opens.

                      3. Click on the Graphic Map tab.

                      4. Click the Export button.

                        A dialogue window will open allowing the option of exporting the Map as an SVG, PPT or JPG. The JPEG export will contain a picture of the entire map including the seats. The SVG will be only the graphical map without the seats. The size (in kb) is also listed with each file format.

                        After selecting an export format, the Save File for your OS window opens.

                      5. Change the directory and/or the file name as required and click the Save button.

                        The file will be saved in the format specified and will be exported to the location specified and you can now change it as required.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Altering Existing Map Image

                      You may want to export a graphic file that has already been imported in Theatre Manager for editing.

                      1. Theatre Maps is accessed through the Setup >> Theatre Maps menu.

                        Alternatively you can click on the theatre maps button from the Theatre Manager main toolbar / ribbon bar.

                        The Theatre Map List window opens.

                        Click here, for more information on the Theatre Map List window.

                      2. Chose the Map you want to view/edit from the list and click the Open button, alternatively, double click on the name of the map.

                        The Theatre Map window opens.

                      3. Choose the map in the Pricing Map portion of the window and click the Open button.

                        The Pricing Map Window for the selected Pricing Map opens.

                      4. Click on the Graphic Map tab.

                      5. Click the Export button.

                        A dialogue window will open allowing the option of exporting the Map as a JPEG file or SVG. The JPEG export will contain a picture of the entire map including the seats. The SVG will be only the graphical map without the seats.

                        After selecting an export format, the Save File for your OS window opens.

                      6. Save the file.
                      7. Open Powerpoint and create a new blank Powerpoint document.

                      8. Choose Insert >> Picture >> From File.

                      9. Highlight the entire image and Right click to open the right-click menu.

                        You have a number of different options. To resize the image, you can use the resizing tools available. To change elements in the image, choose Ungroup.

                        If you are upgrading from an earlier version of Theatre Manager where the map does not match the seats, increase the height and width by 33% Do this by multiplying the page size parameters for height and width by 1.333.

                      10. Make any additional changes.

                      11. Right click Save As Picture.

                      12. Select SVG and Save.
                      13. Open Theatre Manager and drag and drop the SVG on top of the Graphic Map.

                       

                      The image in the background will update and save to the database. If a mistake is made click the Revert to Save button at the top of the screen to undo the change before Saving or Closing the window.

                       

                      Diataxis: 

                      Adding a Duplicate Map to Change Seat Pricing

                      Your venue is running a special event. One evening performance is to only have two Price Codes. All the seats on the main floor of the theatre are to be sold at the Adult Price only (your price code A) and all the raised seats are to be sold at a different Price Code, Price Code B. Or you want to implement Demand Pricing for the event.

                      Your standard seating map contains six codes ABC123.

                      Here are the steps you take to set up your venue to accomodate this new event, quickly and easily.

                      1. Click the Venue button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                        The Venue listing opens, chose the correct venue by double-clicking.

                      2. Choose the pricing map to be duplicated and click the Open button.

                        The selected pricing map opens.

                      3. Click the Duplicate button.

                        A Duplicate of your pricing map opens. Notice the differences:

                        • The Pricing Map number is changed.
                        • The Internal Pricing Map name has changed. You will want to give this a more meaningful name.
                        • Leave the rest of the selections.
                      4. Click on the Graphic Map tab. If necessary, remove or add any holds.

                      5. Highlight the holds, use the right click menu and choose - Clear Default Holds.

                      6. Highlight the block of seats you want to change the code on and right click.

                        A data entry dialog opens.

                        Enter the code you want the section to be.

                        If it is a code that is not in the map you copied from, it will NOT be available to add. Also, If you are replacing the pricing map for one or more performances, you must ensure all maps being used have the same price codes. Your pricing map can have unused price codes in its description.

                      7. Enter the appropriate price code for the section.

                        If you click on the Seat Names tab, you see the Price Codes column contains the new Code.

                        Continue until all the seats have the correct Price Code.

                      8. Click the Save button.
                      9. You now have a duplicate map for your event and can now:
                      Diataxis: 

                      Duplicate a Pricing Map

                      To change the number of seats, it is first recommended you duplicate an existing pricing map and make your changes to the new map.

                      • A deployed map cannot have the number of seats decreased.
                      • Adding seats to an existing map only affects current and future sales. You cannot go back and decrease the number of seats later.

                      To duplicate a Pricing Map, you perform the following steps:

                      1. Open the Venue.
                      2. Open the Pricing Map you want to duplicate.

                      3. Click the Duplicate button.

                        A NEW Pricing Map, a copy of the duplicated map opens.

                      You can now go on and edit the new map.

                      Diataxis: 

                      Transfer Pricing Map from one Venue to Another

                      If you have a pricing map in one venue and want to move it to another, perhaps because:
                      • You are consolidating your various pricing maps because they really are one venue
                      • You want a similar pricing map in another venue (say, after duplicating a common one like a black box venue)
                      the transfer process is quite easy:
                      1. Open the venue you want to transfer the pricing map from
                      2. Open the venue that you want to transfer the pricing map to
                      3. Drag the pricing map from the one venue to the other and drop it on the list of images of pricing maps
                      4. Read the message and click Transfer if you want to continue
                      5. After transferring the venue, you may need to put any events associated with the transferred pricing map back on sale (if they should be)

                      Diataxis: 

                      Venue Map Window - Description Tab

                      Venue Map Window

                      The words "Theatre" and "Venue" are generally synonymous with each other. The places where you perform may be called a Theatre, Concert Hall, Arena or some other term. In Theatre Manager, we refer to all of these as the generic "Venue."

                      In each venue can have a number of pricing maps - and this is where you start that process.

                      Parts of the Description Tab


                      Venue Information

                      Venue Map #
                      Unique number of the map automatically assigned by Theatre Manager.
                      Outlet
                      The original Outlet that built this venue map. This only displays in the Outlet version.
                      Internal Venue Name
                      The internal name used for the venue. This only displays to users (Employees).
                      External Venue Name
                      The external name of the venue. This displays in areas such as tickets and Web Sales.
                      Address
                      Address of the venue.
                      City
                      City in which the venue is located.
                      Province / State
                      Province / state in which the venue is located.
                      Country
                      Country in which the venue is located.
                      Postal Code / Zip Code
                      Postal code / zip code of the venue.
                      Phone
                      Phone number of the venue.
                      Fax
                      Fax number of the venue.
                      E-mail
                      E-mail address of the venue.
                      Fire Rated Capacity
                      The maximum number of people allowed in the venue as posted by the Fire Marshall.
                      Active
                      A check box to indicate whether the map is active or inactive.
                      Venue Color
                      Color assigned to the Venue for use in the Facility Management module.

                      Venue Icons and Notes for Web

                      Icon
                      Icon for the venue. This icon will appear on the internet for web sales.
                      Notes
                      Any addition notes about the venue. These notes will appear on the internet for web sales.
                      Diataxis: 

                      Ticket Management

                      Ticket Management consists of Ticket Sales, Excanges and Refunds.

                      Selling a ticket consists of four parts. Each ticket sales is associated to a patron record. Once the Patron is located the rvent or events the patron wants to purchase for can be selected. Tickets are added to the order and finally a payment is made.

                      You can download the Quick Reference Guides (less than 20 pages), Cheatsheets (1-2 pages) and Screencasts (online video demonstrations of the functions with narration) by clicking on the icon.

                      Topic

                      Reference Guide (pdf)

                      Cheatsheet (pdf)

                      Flash ScreenCast

                      MP4 ScreenCast

                      Ticket Faces - Calculation Commands

                      Buy a Ticket

                      Add Tickets to an Existing Order  

                      Buy a Season Subscription (from the order window)

                      Exchange or Refund Tickets

                      Refund a Ticket to a Donation  

                      Past Event Ticket Exchange  

                      Selling a Ticket

                      This section describes the ticket sales/ management processes in detail. Click if you would like to see the general features of the order window.

                        To sell a ticket to a patron, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Click the Patron Button from the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                          The Contact List window opens.

                        2. Find the patron buying tickets in the contact list.

                          Single Click on the patron in the list to highlight. For more information on finding patrons click here.

                        3. Click the Buy Tickets button double click to open the patron window and click the Tickets button at the bottom of the Patron window.

                          The Order Window opens.

                        4. Select the performance(s) the patron would like to buy tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to search for performances.

                        5. To select a single performance double click on it.
                          For Mac users, to select several performances, hold down the <OPTION> key and single click on the desired performances.
                          For Windows users, to select several performances, hold down the <CTRL> key and single click on the desired performances.
                          To select several performances located together on the list, click on the first performance and while pressing down the <SHIFT> key, click on the last performance to be selected. All the performances between the first and last performance will be selected.
                          Drag the selected performances to the bottom portion of the window, or on top of the Add button to include them to the selected performances.
                        6. Click the Seat Selection tab.

                          The Seat Selection window opens.

                          For more information on selecting tickets in a Graphic Maps click here or for Festival Seating click here.

                        7. Select desired seats for each event.
                        8. Click the Payment button.

                          To learn more about receiving payments click here.

                        The following quick reference information is available for selling a Ticket

                        Reference Guide (pdf)

                        Cheatsheet (pdf)

                        Flash ScreenCast

                        MP4 ScreenCast

                        Diataxis: 

                        Searching for Performances ( The Order Window )

                        Searching for performances allows selecting a specific performance or set of performance to trim the list and saves on the time it takes to manually scroll though all available performances in the database. Once you have selected your patron, clicked the ticket to buy to an event the Order Window opens.

                        To minimize mistakes, searching for performances to sell only shows future performances.

                        search by Performance Date, using a prior date if you really want to sell to a past performance.

                        1. Select the field to search by from the look-up field on the left.

                          There are twelve options to search from.

                          Play / Event Code
                          Performance Code Search by the Performance Code from the setup of Play/Event. eg. 1-SAT
                          Date Search by the date of the performance. Useful for accessing past performances.
                          Year Search by the Year the event took place.
                          Play/Event Title Search by the Name of the Play/Event.
                          Sales Method Search by the type of sales method set for the Play/Event. eg. Reserved, Festival, Course.
                          Perf Type Search by Performance Type option set on each performance of an Play/Event. Click here for more information
                          Performance Notes Search by the performance notes entered on the Play/Event.
                          Flag

                          Search by performance flag for plug in or web usage from the detail of a performance.

                          Outlet Search by the Outlet for the Performance.
                          Theatre Name (External) Search by the External Theatre Name of the performance.
                          Theatre Name (Internal) Search by the Theatre Name for the performance.
                          Pricing Map Name (External) Search by the External Pricing Map Name of the performance.
                          Pricing Map Name (Internal) Search by the Internal Pricing Map Name for the performance.
                        2. Enter the search criteria in the From and To fields.

                          In the example we have used a performance date criteria, this will allow a user with proper privileges to find past performances. For more information on user privileges click here.

                        3. Click the Search button.

                          Theatre Manager searches for available performances for sale based on the supplied criteria. They appear in the upper display area of the Select Plays window. Click here to refer to the section Play and Dates for more information on play and series codes.

                          Example Searches

                          • Finding All Current Performances - you can be on most search options and if the search term is blank, just hit enter (or click the spyglass). Example, if searching by event code, make sure its is blank.
                          • Finding Play Titles - change the search to title and enter part of the event title
                          • Finding Past Performances to sell tickets to. Sometimes you need to sell tickets to an event in the past - either to correct a past mistake, or after doing a box office manually on the weekend and need to manually enter the tickets sold at door on a Monday following. To sell tickets to a past event, search by date and enter a date in the past that will find the performance of interest. As long as it is not closed, you will be able to sell a ticket.
                        4. Select Play/Event Title from the Criteria List.

                        5. Enter the play title if known or use a range to return a short list.

                        6. Click Search the button.

                          All matching plays will be returned in the main window.

                          For details on selecting events click here.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Selecting Performances

                        Performances are displayed in the Performance Selection tab of the Order window. Once a patron is selected and the buy button clicked, the performances to be purchased can be selected. To learn more about searching for performances click here.

                        1. Select a performance by single clicking on it.

                        2. Click the Add Play button.

                          The performance will move to the basket in the lower portion of the screen and is selected for purchasing. Repeat the above steps as needed to add more performances. You can also double click on a single performance to add it to your basket.

                          To refer back to selecting multiple performances click here Step #4.

                        3. Click the Seat Selection to choose seats.

                        Performance Selection Buttons

                        Transfers an order for one patron to another. For more information on Transferring orders click here.
                        Adds a performance to the basket for purchasing.
                        Removes a select performance from the basket.
                        Removes all performances in the basket.
                        Displays the sales notes for a selected event. For information on adding sales notes click here.
                        Opens the Seat Selection tab. For more information on selecting tickets in a Graphic Maps click here or for Festival Seating click here.
                        Releases held seats for the selected performance.

                        Creates a new performance. For information on creating new performances click here.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Reserved Seating Ticket Sales

                        Graphic Maps enable the most efficient and effective reserved seat sales method for selling tickets. The process involves creating a buy list, displaying a graphical representation of the theatre, displaying the sold and unsold seats, selecting a price code and sales promotion for the sale, and clicking on the unsold seats to reserve them.

                        To set Reserved Seating, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Create a list of Performances in which to purchase tickets to.

                          Click here to learn how to create a list of Performances.

                        2. Click the Seat Selection tab in the Orders window.

                          Notice that there is no access to the Quantity to Sell field used for festival seat sales. All seats are reserved using the theatre map.

                        3. Select the Sales Promotion for which the tickets will be sold to.

                        4. Select the Price Code for which the tickets will be sold to.

                           

                        5. Select the Available Seats to be sold.

                          This can be done either manually or automatically via the Best Seats feature. Click here for more information.

                          To select a single seat single click on it. To select several seats; click and drag the pointer of your cursor with the mouse across the seats of your choice. Reserved seats are highlighted with the price code that it was sold with. The letter which is displayed in the theatre map will be either the price code or promotion. This data is setup in the Box Office Tab of the System Preferences. Click here for more information.

                          All reserved seats are displayed in the purchase list on the lower portion of the window. When the user selects a second event to reserve seats into, the seats reserved for the first event remain in the list of reserved seats.

                        6. Click the Payment button.

                          Click here to learn how to accept payments for tickets.

                        7. Ticket Sales Window

                          Transfers the ticket sale to the correct patron at the reserve seats window or after the tickets have been sold. Click here to learn how to transfer tickets to another patron.
                          Opens the Best Seat Available search function. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Find the next Best Seat Available using the previous search criteria. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Reserves the current number of tickets selected.
                          Allows the user to view the Sales Notes that apply to the play.
                          Accepts a cash payment for the exact amount owed and prints the tickets for the patron. The user is returned to the previous window.
                          Prints the current seating chart with the current "house dressing." This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Turns on/off the tooltip showing the user the status of a seat on the Graphic Map. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          The Ticket processing window. This is the window that the user is currently in.
                          The Fee processing window. Click here for more information.
                          The Donation processing window. Click here for more information.
                          The Membership processing window. Click here for more information.
                          The Season processing window. Click here for more information.
                          The Payment Processing window. Click here for more information.
                          A record of the transaction. Click here for more information.
                          Play The section at the top of the window displays all of the performances that tickets are being booked for.
                          Promotion Select the sales promotion if applicable. The sales promotions determine if there is a discount or markup on the ticket(s) being sold. Click here for more information on setting up sales promotions.
                          Code Displays all the price codes applicable to the performance. Click here for more information on pricing.
                          Quantity to Sell The current quantity of tickets to be sold to the patron for the specified performance. This field is only available when selling Festival Seats. For reserved seating it is always set at one and the search must be used to reserve seats.
                          Create Tickets As Select the type of ticket that will be printed. i.e. one ticket for each ticket sold or one ticket that will admit the total number of patrons.
                          Click to Confirm Reserves the number of tickets that have been entered above.
                          Allows the user to switch between Sell and Hold modes. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Releases the selected ticket(s). Click here for more information.
                          Releases all tickets that are currently reserved in the order.
                          Changes the pricing for the selected ticket(s). Click here for more information.
                          Tickets Selection The bottom of the window displays the tickets booked for the current performance(s) highlighted in the performance section.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Festival Seating Ticket Sales

                        Festival Seating or General Admission does not require the selecting of seat on a graphic map. The process involves creating a buy list, select the number of tickets to purchase and reserving them.

                        To set up Festival Seating, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Create a list of Performances in which to purchase tickets to.

                          Click here to learn how to create a list of Performances.

                          Ticket Sales Window

                          Transfers the ticket sale to the correct patron at the reserve seats window or after the tickets have been sold.Click here to learn how to transfer tickets to another patron.
                          Opens the Best Seat Available search function. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Find the next Best Seat Available using the previous search criteria. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Reserves the current number of tickets selected.
                          Allows the user to view the Sales Notes that apply to the play.
                          Accepts a cash payment for the exact amount owed and prints the tickets for the patron. The user is returned to the previous window.
                          Prints the current seating chart with the current "house dressing." This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Turns on/off the tooltip showing the user the status of a seat on the Graphic Map. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.

                          The Ticket processing window. This is the window that the user is currently in.

                          The Fee processing window. Click here for more information.

                          The Donation processing window. Click here for more information.

                          The Membership processing window. Click here for more information.

                          The Season processing window. Click here for more information.

                          The Payment Processing window. Click here for more information.

                          A record of the transaction. Click here for more information.
                          Play The section at the top of the window displays all of the performances that tickets are being booked for.
                          Promotion Select the sales promotion if applicable. The sales promotions determine if there is a discount or markup on the ticket(s) being sold. Click here for more information on setting up sales promotions.
                          Code Displays all the price codes applicable to the performance. Click here for more information on pricing.
                          Quantity to Sell The current quantity of tickets to be sold to the patron for the specified performance. This field is only available when selling Festival Seats. For reserved seating it is always set at one and the search must be used to reserve seats.
                          Create Tickets As Select the type of ticket that will be sold. i.e.
                          • Single: one ticket for each ticket sold. The is the best most sales. -or-
                          • Group: one ticket that will admit the total number of patrons. Normally this option is used for school groups of bus tours. Note that you cannot email group tickets to people since all print at home tickets are a single QR code to admit a single person.
                          Click to Confirm Reserves the number of tickets that have been entered above.
                          Allows the user to switch between Sell and Hold modes. This feature is unavailable in Festival Seating.
                          Releases the selected ticket(s). Click here for more information.
                          Releases all tickets that are currently reserved in the order.

                          Changes the pricing for the selected ticket(s). Click here for more information.
                          Tickets Selection The bottom of the window displays the tickets booked for the current performance(s) highlighted in the performance section.

                        Best Available Seats

                        When you mapped and named your seats, Best Available seats were set up. There are standard rules Theatre Manager will apply when presenting the best Available seats. Depending on the seat configuration of your venue (in particular dinner theatre seating), your Seat Name file may have been setup for a two-pass approach to Best Available seating. For more information on the two-pass system click here.

                        To choose Best Available seats, you perform the following steps:
                        1. In the seat selection window, click the Best Seats button.

                          The Suggested Best Available Seats window opens.

                        2. Enter in the number of seats that the patrons wishes to buy.

                        3. Enter the number of seats. Optionally you can enter a Price Code Lookup and/or a Best Area to search.

                          Theatre Manager default seat lookup is two (2), you can edit the number as needed.

                          Leaving Price Code and Best Area blank allow the system to give the best available for all sections. This Best Area is alphabetical, and is determined by the Map Setup. Click here for more information on Map Setup.

                          For price Code and Best area, if you enter:

                          • nothing: the entire venue will be searched
                          • Best Area: only seats with a 'best area' starting with the same letters you type will be searched. This provides searching by area alone.
                          • Price Code: only seats that can be sold using that price code will be searched. This provides searching by price alone.
                          • Best Area AND Price Code: only seats that match both of the above conditions for area and price code will be searched to provide area and price searching.
                        4. Select Priority Search and enter Minimum Seat Priority number is applicable.

                          Select an action for If Seats Found.

                        5. Click the Find button to view suggested seats.

                          If the suggested seats are not on the visible portion of the Map (for large maps), the map will center on the seats and highlight them using a question mark icon.

                        6. If the seats are not what the patron prefers, click Best Seats button again.

                        7. Alternatively, click the Next Seat button it immediately identify the next best available seats.

                        8. If the seats are acceptable click the Reserve button.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Auction Item Sales

                        The sale of auction items is similar to selling a ticket to a festival event. However, followint this process, you can enter the retail price and a description of the item sold to the patron.

                        You will first need to have an event set up in Theatre Manager to sell the Auction Items.

                        Refer to Setup for more information.

                        To sell an auction item, you perfiorm the following steps:

                        1. Locate the Patron who has purchased the Auction item.

                          For more information on finding patrons click here.

                        2. Click the Ticket button from the Patron window to proceed to buying to the Auction event.
                        3. Locate the auction item event and double click to add it to your shopping cart.

                          For more information on searching for events click here.

                        4. Click the seat selection tab.

                        5. Enter the purchase amount.
                        6. Enter a description of the item: Lot #, Description.
                        7. Click Reserve to add the sale to the order.

                        8. Click the Payment Button to enter a payment, choosing On Account as the Method.

                          The Auction Item will appear in the patron Ticket Tab and the description you enter will appear in the Section/Row/Seat column.

                          You will now be prepared to Check Out your patrons after the Auction Event.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Auction Sale - Checking out the Patron

                        When an Auction Event has concluded you will need to settle-up with patrons when they collect the items they purchased. The following is one method that will expedite the process.

                        To quickly locate all the patrons, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Click the Event button in the main Theatre Manager toolbar / ribbon bar.

                          The Event List window opens.

                        2. Locate the desired auction event.

                          Click here for more information on searching for performances.

                        3. Double click to open the Event Setup detail.

                        4. Click the Attendance tab. Then highlight the Auction performance on the left.

                          A list of patrons opens. You can sort this list by patron last name for easier searching.

                        5. You can have two performances created in the Auction event, one for the purchase of the tickets to the event and one for the sale of the auction items.

                        6. Locate the Patron from the list and double click to show your detail of ticket [auction item in this case].

                          This is helpful, as it will display the auction item description entered during the sale.

                        7. Click the Order button.

                        8. Click the Payment button to enter the payment for the item and conclude the sale.

                        Locating a patron's seat sold by another outlet

                        In the Outlet version of Theatre Manager, you may need to know where a particular patron is sitting to accommodate a seating request for a new buyer. In the attached picture, where you are selling tickets for somebody, they may say, 'I want to sit with Fred.'

                        To locate seats sold to a particular patron, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Right click on the map, to open the Right Click menu.
                        2. Select Show Seat for a Specific Patron.
                        3. The Contact List opens.

                        4. Click the Search button.
                        5. The list populates limited to people who have purchased a ticket to the specific performance -- and nobody else. You can use the standard search tools to search for the specific patron by name or search for all.

                        6. Click on the name of the patron, and click the Select button.

                          The seats belonging to the selected individual blink and change color.

                          Alternatively:

                        7. Click on the name of the patron, and drag them onto the map.

                          The seats belonging to the selected individual blink and change color.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Releasing Reserved Tickets

                        If the tickets the user has reserved are not correct, and the user wishes to remove them from the purchase list, on a graphical map, seats can be released by double clicking them.

                        1. Select the incorrect ticket(s) displayed in the purchased list.
                          • To select a single ticket, click on it.
                          • For Mac users, to select several tickets, hold down the <OPTION> key and single click on the desired tickets.
                          • For Windows users, to select several tickets, hold down the <CTRL> key and single click on the desired tickets.
                          • To select several tickets located together on the list, click on the first ticket and while pressing down the <SHIFT> key, click on the last ticket to be selected. All the tickets between the first and last ticket will be selected.

                        2. Click the Release button.

                          The selected ticket(s) will be removed from the purchase list. This enables the ticket(s) to be sold to another patron. The following message will be displayed at the bottom of the window to show the ticket(s) has been released.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Traveling Troupe Ticket Sales

                        To sell a Traveling Troupe performance a performance must be created for the sale to be assigned to a patron. Click here for more information on creating a new traveling troupe event.

                        Once the event is available, to sell a Traveling troupe ticket, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Open the Select Events(s) Window and search for a traveling troupe Performance.

                          Click here for more information on Creating a Buy List.

                        2. Select the traveling troupe performance.

                        3. Click the Seat Select tab.

                          The Selection window for Traveling Troupe opens.

                          Purchase Price The cost of the traveling troup
                          Shows details pertaining to the performance.
                          Date Date the event will take place.
                          Time Time of the event.
                          Contact The contact person for the performance.
                          Expected Estimated audience size.
                          Location Venue or address of the event.
                          Target Target audience age.
                          Accommodations A note area for name, location, telephone and details of the accommodations.
                          Directions Directions to the venue and or accommodations.
                          A list of activities and a timeline for the performance.
                          Production Activity A list of potential activities pertaining to the performance. This list can be altered or added in the Code Tables. Click here for more information.
                          Start Time Start time of an activity.
                          Notes Overall notes about the run out.
                        4. Edit the fields as needed.

                        5. Click the Reserve button.

                          This new performance will now appear in the lower portion of the buy window and the new performance will be added to the Buy List.

                        6. If necessary, create additional Traveling Troupe performances at this time.

                          There is a New Performance button in the toolbar of the Order Window > Performance Selection Tab that allows you to create new performances for the traveling troupe "on the fly" from the sales window. Clicking the button opens the wizard to add one or more new performances of the event. Click here for more information on the performance wizard.

                          Repeat steps 2-5.

                        7. Click the Payments button to accept payment.

                          Click here to learn how to accept payments.

                        8. * Note that the Calendar and Facility Management - Calendar of Events - Daily View will produce a report of the Traveling Troupe Itinerary entered during the sale.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Consignment Ticket Sales

                        Consignment ticketing is used when you sell tickets for a performance at another venue. The venue would give you a specific number of tickets for you to sell. To sell a Consignment performance, an event must be created for the sale to be assigned to a patron. Click here for more information on creating a new event.

                        The tickets are setup under plays and dates as any ordinary performance would be. For the GL Account setup you would likely setup accounts specifically for consignment sales. Once setup, add a performance to sell tickets toand select the amount to be sold as consignment. Once setup, the performance will be shown in the Buy list. The selling of consignment tickets is the same as selling regular tickets. Consignment ticket performances cannot be oversold. Only Festival Seating performances can be setup to be oversold.

                        1. Open the Select Events(s) Window and search for a consignment performance

                          Click here for more information on Creating a Buy List.

                          In some situations, you may wish to limit the list by searching only for consignment performances. To do so:

                          Change the Performance Search drop down to "Sales Method"

                          Choose "Consignment" from the list.

                        2. Click the Find icon.
                        3. Select the performance.

                        4. Click the tab.

                          The Selection window for Consignment tickets opens.

                        5. Indicate how many tickets you wish to sell in Quantity To Sell.
                        6. Click the button.
                        7. Click the Payment button.

                          Click here to learn how to accept payments for tickets.

                        Parts of the Ticket Sales Window

                        Transfers the sale to the correct patron at the reserve item window or after the items have been sold. Click here to learn how to transfer items to another patron.
                        Opens the Best Seat Available search function. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Find the next Best Seat Available using the previous search criteria. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Reserves the current number of items selected.
                        Allows the user to view the Sales Notes that apply to the item.
                        Accepts a cash payment for the exact amount owed and completes the sale. The user is returned to the previous window.
                        Prints the current seating chart with the current "house dressing." This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Turns on/off the tooltip showing the user the status of a seat on the Graphic Map. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        The Ticket processing window. This is the window that the user is currently in.
                        The Fee processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Donation processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Pass G.C. processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Season processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Payment Processing window. Click here for more information.
                        A record of the transaction. Click here for more information.
                        Event/Play The section at the top of the window displays all of the events that are being purchased.
                        Promotion Select the sales promotion if applicable. The sales promotions determine if there is a discount or markup on the ticket(s) being sold. Click here for more information on setting up sales promotions.
                        Code Displays all the price codes applicable to the performance. Click here for more information on pricing.
                        Quantity to Sell The current quantity of items to be sold to the patron for the specified performance. This field is only available when selling Consignment, inventory Items or Festival Seats.
                        Create Tickets As Select the type of ticket that will be printed. i.e. one ticket for each ticket sold or one ticket that will admit the total number of patrons.
                        Click to Confirm Reserves the number of items that have been entered above.
                        Allows the user to switch between Sell and Hold modes. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Releases the selected item(s). Click here for more information.
                        Releases all items that are currently reserved in the order.
                        Changes the pricing for the selected item(s). Click here for more information.
                        Tickets Selection The bottom of the window displays the item(s) booked for the current item(s) highlighted in the performance section.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Inventory Ticket Sales

                        To sell inventory (such as CD's, T-Shirts, mugs, hats) a performance must be created for the sale to be assigned to a patron. Click here for more information on creating a new event.

                        1.  Open the Select Events(s) Window and search for an inventory Performance.

                          Click here for more information on Creating a Buy List.

                          In some situations, you may wish to limit the list by searching only for inventory items. To do so:

                          Change the Performance Search drop down to "Sales Method".

                          Choose "Inventory" from the list.

                        2. Click the icon.
                        3. Select the inventory item.

                        4. Click the Seat Selection tab.

                          The Selection window for Inventory Sales opens.

                        5. Indicate how many of the item you wish to sell in Quantity To Sell.
                        6. Click the Reserve button.
                        7. Click the Payment button.

                          Click here to learn how to accept payments.

                        Transfers the sale to the correct patron at the reserve item window or after the items have been sold. Click here to learn how to transfer items to another patron.
                        Opens the Best Seat Available search function. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Find the next Best Seat Available using the previous search criteria. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Reserves the current number of items selected.
                        Allows the user to view the Sales Notes that apply to the item.
                        Accepts a cash payment for the exact amount owed and completes the sale. The user is returned to the previous window.
                        Prints the current seating chart with the current "house dressing." This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Turns on/off the tooltip showing the user the status of a seat on the Graphic Map. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        The Ticket processing window. This is the window that the user is currently in.
                        The Fee processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Donation processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Pass G.C. processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Season processing window. Click here for more information.
                        The Payment Processing window. Click here for more information.
                        A record of the transaction. Click here for more information.
                        Event/Play The section at the top of the window displays all of the events that are being purchased.
                        Promotion Select the sales promotion if applicable. The sales promotions determine if there is a discount or markup on the ticket(s) being sold. Click here for more information on setting up sales promotions.
                        Code Displays all the price codes applicable to the performance. Click here for more information on pricing.
                        Quantity to Sell The current quantity of items to be sold to the patron for the specified performance. This field is only available when selling Consignment, inventory Items or Festival Seats.
                        Create Tickets As Select the type of ticket that will be printed. i.e. one ticket for each ticket sold or one ticket that will admit the total number of patrons.
                        Click to Confirm Reserves the number of items that have been entered above.
                        Allows the user to switch between Sell and Hold modes. This feature is unavailable in Consignment Sales.
                        Releases the selected item(s). Click here for more information.
                        Releases all items that are currently reserved in the order.
                        Changes the pricing for the selected item(s). Click here for more information.
                        Tickets Selection The bottom of the window displays the item(s) booked for the current item(s) highlighted in the performance section.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Creating an Inventory Item

                        There are a number of different methods to add inventory items to your Theatre Manager Database. In this method, you will see how to add items as Events/Plays.

                        To add an item to the database, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Open the Event / Play list and click the New button.

                          Click here for more information New Events / Plays.
                        2. Enter the basic Event / Play information, replacing it with your item to be added to inventory.

                          You will need to enter a map.

                        3. Once you have completed entering the basic information, click the Save button.

                        4. Open the Performance Tab and click the New button.

                          The Adding Performance Wizard dialog opens.

                        5. Enter the Sales Method as Inventory and Enter the Quanity to Sell.
                        6. Click the Step 2 button.

                          The Pattern of Days dialog opens.

                        7. As you are entering an inventory item to be sold, you need to select only one day.

                        8. Click the Step 3 button.

                        9. Click the Build button.

                          The Confirmation dialog opens.

                        10. Click the Build button.

                          You are returned to the Performance tab.

                        11. Click the Pricing tab. Highlight the Price Code to edit and click the Edit Price button.

                          The price code details window opens.

                        12. Make the required edits and click the Save button.

                        13. In the Performance tab, double-click to opent the performance details.

                          Review and makde changes as necessary. For example, you may want to change the Performance code to one that is more descriptive for an inventory item. In this example, CAPS.

                        14. When you have completed the entery of the the details for your inventory item, click the Save button.

                          Your inventory item is now available for sale.

                        Ticket Review

                        The Ticket Review tab is often overlooked in the sales process, however when closing the sale, it is an important part in providing excellent customer service. using this tab, you can review the sale with the patron before proceeding on to other items in the order -- such as fees, donations and payments -- these can be affected by the contents of the order. A fee may be charged on some events and not others, or a "Ticket Round-Up" donation amount may be determined based on the overall price of the tickets. It is important to ensure the tickets selected are what the patron wishes to purchase.

                        The Ticket Review tab can be modified for the order in which the columns appear. Changing these will assist in the flow of the confirmation conversation with a patron on the telephone. You may wish to reorder the columns so they display in the following order to make them easier to read (but you can edit them to the order that works for you):

                        • Icon (this column is critical during exchanges and refunds as it indicates Exchange TO and Exchange FROM status)
                        • Event Title
                        • Performance Date
                        • Performance Time
                        • Section
                        • Row
                        • Seat
                        • Sales Promotion
                        • Price

                        And finally, when exchanging or refunding tickets, you need to examine the tickets in the Ticket Review tab to "Confirm" the exchange or refund. Therefore it is good to get in the habit of checking the Ticket Review tab during every sale.

                        For more on refunding tickets click here.

                        For more on exchanging tickets click here.

                        After selecting the seats in the Seat Selection tab, click on the tab.

                        Parts of the Ticket Review tab

                        Opens the Ticket Detail window for the selected ticket. For more on the Ticket Detail window, click here.
                        Click this button to reset the ticket status to its original state (New, Refund, Exchange From, or Exchange To).
                        Click the Exchange From button to indicate the tickets that will be Exchanged From, meaning the tickets the patron is giving back to the box office. Using the Exchange Wizard will mark these tickets as Exchange From for you. For more information on the Exchange process, click here.

                        Click the Exchange To button to indicate the tickets that will be Exchanged To, meaning the tickets the patron is purchasing from the box office. Using the Exchange Wizard will mark these tickets as Exchange To for you. For more information on the Exchange process, click here.

                        Click this button to indicate the tickets that will be Refunded, meaning the tickets the patron is giving back to the box office for a refund or donation credit. Using the Refund Wizard will mark these tickets as Refund for you. For more information on the Refund process, click here.
                        Prints the selected ticket(s).
                        Opens the Batch Print of Unprinted Tickets function to print a large group of tickets. For more on Batch Printing, click here.
                        Click this button to immediately confirm the exchanges and refunds as indicated by the icons in the ticket window.
                        Icon The status of the ticket (New, Refund, Exchange From, Exchange To)
                        Event Title The title of the event as indicated on the Description tab of the Event setup.
                        Date Date of the performance.
                        Time Time of the performance.
                        Section Theatre Section for the ticketed seat. For General Admission events, this column will be blank.
                        Row Theatre Row for the ticketed seat. For General Admission events, this column will be blank.
                        Seat Theatre Seat for the ticketed number. For General Admission events, this column will be blank.
                        Promotion The Sales Promotion used on the selected ticket. For more information on Sales Promotions, click here.
                        Total Per ticket price, including taxes and fees.
                        Qty Quantity of tickets. For Reserved Admission performances, this will always be "1." For General Admission tickets, sold a a "group" this will be the actual quantity of tickets sold.
                        Performance The performance series code.
                        PC The Price Code associated with the ticket. For more information on Price Codes, click here.
                        Gift Status If the ticket was given or received as a gift, its status will be listed here. For more information on gifting tickets, click here.
                        Date Printed If the tickets were previously printed, the date they were printed appears here.
                        Other fields Other fields show a breakdown of ticket cost, fees, performance sequence numbers, and order number.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Correcting Prices on Ticket Sales

                        If the tickets reserved contain an incorrect price code or sales promotion, there is a quick way to make a corrections. This procedure is the same for all reservation methods.

                        To correct pricing on ticket sales, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Select the tickets purchased that contain the incorrect prices.

                        2. Correct the Sales Promotion or Price Code as needed.

                        3. Click the Prices button.

                          The selected tickets will be updated to reflect the correct price code and sales promotion. A message will appear at the top of the window confirming the price change.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Exchanging Tickets

                        Exchanging tickets can be performed for Festival, Reserved or Traveling Troupe sales, exchanging from one performance to another within the same event, or across events, or from a higher price to a lower price ticket, and from a lower price to a higher price ticket. Theatre Manager calculates the differences of ticket prices, adds on an optional exchange fee and presents the final cost of the ticket exchange. There are no restrictions when exchanging tickets. The only condition when exchanging tickets is the tickets selected must exist within the same order number.

                        The program has security controls that can be set up for each employee or as an organization default. Click here for more information on the controls. Some of the controls are:

                        • Allowing exchanges for performances of past performances. Click here.
                        • Allowing exchanges for printed tickets. Click here.
                        • Collecting or not collecting the difference in money for higher priced tickets. Click here.
                        • Refunding or not refunding the difference in money for lower priced tickets. Click here.
                        The following quick reference information is available for Exchanging or Refunding Tickets

                        Reference Guide (pdf)

                        Cheatsheet (pdf)

                        Flash ScreenCast

                        MP4 ScreenCast

                        Diataxis: 

                        Changing the Price and/or Sales Promotion of Sold Tickets

                        The following steps outline how to change the price or sales promotion of a ticket after they have been sold. You may need to do this if:

                        • The tickets were sold for the wrong price or promotion in the first place
                        • You need to fix the price on the tickets because they were paid for using pass that you are trying to refund. This is important if there is a limited number of redemptions allowed per event/performance on the pass. Getting a redemption back means fixing the price and then returning the pass.

                        1. Find the patron that requires the price change.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Highlight the tickets that require the price change.

                        3. Click the Tickets button.
                        4. Select "Change the selected ticket's price and/or sales promotion" from the pop up window.

                          The Seat Selection window opens and the selected tickets are highlighted in the right-hand bottom corner section of the window.

                        5. Select the Promotion and/or Price Code you wish to change the tickets to on the left-hand side of the screen.

                        6. Click the Prices button.

                          The prices of the tickets will change based on the Promotion and/or Price code you selected in the previous step.

                        7. Click on the Payment button.
                        8. Enter a Payment method to either collect or refund the price difference on the tickets.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Exchanging Hints

                        Techniques to Reduce Errors during Exchanges

                        Errors can occur during a ticket exchange when:

                        • The differences in the price of the original ticket and the replacement ticket is not collected or refunded correctly.
                        • The amount not refunded or collected is waived by Theatre Manager. Click here for more information on Waived Amounts.
                        • The ticket base price and sales promotion for the replacement ticket does not match the ticket base price and sales promotion of the original ticket.

                        It is recommended to:

                        • Use the Quick Exchange process for festival ticket exchanges when there is no difference in the price of the original tickets and the replacement tickets.
                        • Turn off automatic waiving to prevent accidental waiving of the difference between the price of the original tickets and the replacement tickets when an incorrect replacement ticket was purchased.

                        Use Quick Exchange

                        Quick exchange is a fast exchange procedure that automatically applies the same price and sales promotion on a replacement ticket as was on the original ticket.

                        • When the original ticket and the replacement ticket are not of the same value a warning appears indicating there is a difference in ticket values.
                        • The operator is not required to select the price code or the promotion code during the exchange.
                        • The price and promotion code on the original ticket is automatically applied to the replacement ticket.
                        • The operator can cancel the Quick Exchange and complete a regular exchange, if required.
                        • If quick exchange is used and an amount is accidentally waived, a regular exchange can be used to reverse the waived amount.

                        Turn Off Automatic Waiving

                        Turning off automatic waiving requires the employee to decide if any difference between the original tickets and the replacement tickets is to be refunded or collected. Select both checkboxes to collect money for higher priced tickets and to refund money for lower priced tickets.

                        To examine the current settings:

                        1. Access to the Company Preferences is through the Setup menu.

                        2. Select the Box Office tab.

                          When the settings for Collect $ for Higher Price and Refund $ for Lower Price are deselected, the price difference in the exchange process is automatically waived. Change the setting to allow the employee to decide to waive, collect, or refund the price difference in the exchange.

                        The following quick reference information is available for Exchanging or Refunding Tickets

                        Reference Guide (pdf)

                        Cheatsheet (pdf)

                        Flash ScreenCast

                        MP4 ScreenCast

                        Diataxis: 

                        Ticket Sales - Uneven Exchange

                        An uneven ticket exchange is when the number of tickets that are being exchanged 'from' is less then the number of tickets that are being exchanged 'to'. This can occur if a patron is exchanging 2 tickets for a HIGH priced night into a LOW priced performance, and also request an additional ticket for their friend at the same time.

                        Exchanging higher priced tickets for a greater quantity of lower price tickets can cause Theatre Manager to either:

                        1. Spread the total cost over the new tickets for a 'hidden' discount

                          -or-

                        2. keep the original quantity of tickets at the original price and charge more for the additional tickets.

                        If the 'hidden' discount is not what the organization want to happen and the organization would like the patron to pay the full purchase price for the additional ticket, there is a setting in the Box Office Tab of Company Preferences that allows exchanged tickets to retain original prices when performing an uneven ticket exchange.

                        The following table shows examples of what Theatre Manager will do if the flag is OFF (cost is spread over new tickets) or ON (tickets retain original price). The results vary depending on the settings for 'Refund $ for lower priced tickets' and 'Collect $ for higher priced tickets'

                        Scenario Examples Retain original Price Flag Refund $ for lower priced tickets Collect $ for higher price tickets Result
                        Waive price difference for more lower priced tickets 2 HI @ $50 for 3 LOW @ $30 OFF OFF n/a Patron pays nothing. The the cost is spread over new tickets. The Patron pays $0.00 for the additional ticket purchased. In effect, the price difference is 'waived' between the 3 tickets ($10.00 price difference / 3 tickets = $3.33 additional per ticket).  Transactions generated are:
                        • HI ticket A $50.00 TEF (Ticket Exchange From)
                        • HI ticket B $50.00 TEF LOW ticket A $33.33 TET (Ticket Exchange To)
                        • LOW ticket B $33.33 TET LOW ticket C $33.34 TET
                        Waive price difference for higher priced tickets 2 LOW @ $50 for 2 HI @ $60 OFF n/a OFF The patron pays $0.00 for the additional ticket purchased. In effect, the price difference is 'waived' between the 2 tickets ($20.00 price difference / 2 tickets = $10.00 less per ticket). Transactions generated are:
                        • LOW ticket A $50.00 TEF (Ticket Exchange From)
                        • LOW ticket B $50.00 TEF
                        • HI ticket A $50.00 TET (Ticket Exchange To)
                        • HI ticket B $50.00 TET
                        Collect price difference for more lower priced tickets 2 HI @ $50 for 4 LOW @ $30 OFF n/a ON Patron pays $20.00 for the price difference. In this case, because the "Exchange tickets retain original price" is turned OFF and the total $ value of the tickets purchased is higher than the returned tickets, the patron is just paying the total difference between the original and new tickets. Transactions generated are:
                        • HI ticket A $50.00 TEF (Ticket Exchange From)
                        • HI ticket B $50.00 TEF
                        • LOW ticket A $30.00 TET (Ticket Exchange To)
                        • LOW ticket B $30.00 TET
                        • LOW ticket C $30.00 TET
                        • LOW ticket D $30.00 TET
                        Refund price difference for lower priced tickets 2 HI @ $50 for 2 LOW @ $30 OFF ON n/a Patron gets a refund of $40.00. The patron gets a refund for the difference between the original priced tickets and the new tickets.  Transactions generated are:
                        • HI ticket A $50.00 TEF (Ticket Exchange From)
                        • HI ticket B $50.00 TEF
                        • LOW ticket A $30.00 TET (Ticket Exchange To)
                        • LOW ticket B $30.00 TET
                        Collect price difference on all higher priced tickets 2 LOW @ $50 for 3 HI @ $60 n/a n/a ON Patron pays $80.00. The patron just pays the price difference for the two higher priced tickets, plus the additional ticket. The flag "Exchange tickets retain original price" has no effect as the new tickets are higher priced than the original tickets. Transactions generated are:
                        • LOW ticket A $50.00 TEF (Ticket Exchange From)
                        • LOW ticket B $50.00 TEF
                        • HI ticket A $60.00 TET (Ticket Exchange To)
                        • HI ticket B $60.00 TET
                        • HI ticket C $60.00 TET
                        Collect only for new additional ticket 2 HI @ $50 for 3 LOW @ $30 ON n/a ON Patron pays $30.00. The original ticket values of $50.00 each is transferred to the new tickets and the patron just pays for the additional ticket. The flag "Exchange tickets retain original price" does have an effect as the new tickets are were originally at a lower price than the original tickets. Transactions generated are:
                        • HI ticket A $50.00 TEF (Ticket Exchange From)
                        • HI ticket B $50.00 TEF
                        • LOW ticket A $50.00 TET (Ticket Exchange To)
                        • LOW ticket B $50.00 TET
                        • LOW ticket C $30.00 TET

                        Click here, to view the above table in a printable pdf file.

                        When does "Exchange Tickets retain original price" have an effect?

                        The following conditions must be true:

                        • The flag "Exchange tickets retain original price" must be ON.
                        • The total number of new tickets must be greater then the number of original tickets exchanging 'from.'
                        • No 'waiving' of $ Refund or $ Collect must be taking place.
                        • All new tickets must each have a quantity of 1 (i.e. no group festival tickets).
                        • There must be at least one ticket price 'lower or equal to' in the original tickets than the new tickets being purchased.

                        When on the payment window, if the organization chooses to 'waive' the price difference for any reason (i.e. not to refund $ or not to collect higher $), then the "Exchange tickets retain original price" flag is ignored. Theatre Manager will revert to the standard calculations of 'waiving' $ based on evenly distribution between all of the tickets that have a $ total cost associated with them (i.e. excluding complimentary tickets)

                        How does Theatre Manager know which new tickets to 'retain original price' when doing an uneven exchange?

                        Theatre Manager will prompt the user with a list of the new tickets the patron has just purchased asking the user to choose the tickets that the organization wants to have retain the original price.

                        Can an uneven exchange to 2 or more different events be done at one time?

                        Yes. However, the user may only wish to do this if all the ticket prices between the performances are the same. For example:

                        • Event A - $40.00
                        • Event B - $50.00

                        Then the patron made a ticket exchange and bought an extra ticket for:

                        • Event A - $40.00
                        • Event A - $40.00
                        • Event B - $30.00

                        Theatre Manager would indicate that this is an 'uneven ticket exchange' and ask the user to select the 2 tickets that should 'retain the original price'. The user would select:

                        • Event A - $40.00   *** selected ***
                        • Event A - $40.00
                        • Event B - $30.00   *** selected ***

                        After all the processing the ticket value on for tickets would end up like:

                        • Event A - $50.00
                        • Event A - $40.00 - this one does not change as it was not *** selected ****
                        • Event B - $40.00

                        The ticket cost for Event A and Event B have been reversed. This is because during the processing, Theatre Manager will 'retain the original cost' as closely to the 'original cost' as possible. Meaning, the NEW ticket with lowest price, will get the lowest price of the original set of tickets. Then the next NEW ticket with the lowest price will get the next lowest price of the original set of tickets, and so on.

                        In this case, doing an uneven exchange involving different events at the same time is not recommended unless all of the ticket prices are the same. If this is happening, it is then recommended to do each set of tickets for each event separately to ensure that the ticket revenue gets allocated to the proper event.

                        Exchanging tickets when the new tickets involve complimentary ($0.00 valued) tickets

                        When complimentary tickets are involved in a ticket exchange and there is 'waived' revenue in effect, Theatre Manager will automatically ignore using those complimentary tickets in the evenly distribution of the 'waived' revenue between the tickets. Only the tickets that have a $ value, will be used in the 'waived' revenue reallocation.

                        However, if all the new tickets are complimentary (i.e. exchanging from 2 priced tickets to 2 complimentary tickets) then Theatre Manager will use all of the complimentary tickets in the 'waived' revenue allocation. As a result, all the complimentary tickets will have revenue allocated to them.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Full Ticket Exchange

                        Full Exchange gives the user full control over the entire procedure. In effect, the patron is purchasing new tickets to replace the selected tickets. At any time throughout the process, the user can back out from performing the exchange and the original tickets will still be sold to the patron. To perform a full ticket exchange, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Find the patron wanting to exchange tickets.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Highlight the tickets to be exchanged.

                        3. Click the Ticket button and select Exchange the selected tickets.

                          The Select Plays Window will open allowing the creation of a Buy List.

                        4. Select the list of performances that the patron is going to exchange the tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to create a Buy List.

                        5. Click the Seat Selection tab.

                          The Ticket Sale Window will open with the information for the selected performance.

                        6. Select the tickets that the patron wants to exchange the original tickets for.

                          The red seats indicating the location of the previous seats.

                          Click here for more information on Festival seating. Click here for more information on Reserved seating.

                        7. Click the Ticket Review tab.

                        8. Click the Confirm button to complete the ticket exchange.

                          The tickets that the patron is exchanging will appear with a red minus symbol and the new tickets will appear with a green plus symbol.

                        9. Click the Payments button.

                          Click here for more information on creating a payment. In the example the patron owes $32.10 to cover the upgrade of the exchanged tickets.

                        10. Click the Accept Payment or Print Tickets button.

                          Clicking Accept Payment will finalize the exchange while clicking Print Tickets will finalize the exchange and print the new tickets. The original tickets will be returned to inventory if either button is clicked which allows them to be purchased again.

                        The following quick reference information is available for Exchanging or Refunding Tickets

                        Reference Guide (pdf)

                        Cheatsheet (pdf)

                        Flash ScreenCast

                        MP4 ScreenCast

                        Diataxis: 

                        Past Event Ticket Exchange

                        Exchanging tickets from a past event to a future event is similar to a full exchange. The Full Exchange process gives you full control over the entire procedure. In effect, you are purchasing new tickets to replace the tickets about to be exchanged. At any time throughout the process, you can back out from performing the exchange and original tickets will still be sold to the patron.

                        To create a past event ticket exchange for a patron, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Find the patron you are exchanging the past tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Highlight the tickets to be exchanged.

                        3. Click the Ticket button and select Exchange the selected tickets.

                          A warning dialog opens.

                        4. Click the Yes button.

                          The Select Plays Window opens to locate the Play you are exchanging to.

                        5. Select the list of performances the patron is going to exchange the tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to create a Buy List.

                        6. Click the Seat Selection tab.

                          The Ticket Sale Window opens with the information for the selected performance.

                        7. Select the tickets that the patron wants to exchange the original tickets for.

                          Red seats indicate the location of the previous seats.

                          Click here for more information on Festival seating. Click here for more information on Reserved seating.

                        8. Click the Ticket Review tab.

                        9. Click the Confirm button to complete the ticket exchange.

                          The tickets the patron is exchanging will appear with a red minus symbol and the new tickets will appear with a green plus symbol.

                        10. Click the Payments button.

                          Click here for more information on creating a payment. In the example the Patron owes $32.10 to cover the upgrade of the exchanged tickets.

                        11. Click the Accept Payment or Print Tickets button.

                          Clicking Accept Payment will finalize the exchange while clicking Print Tickets will finalize the exchange and print the new tickets. The original tickets will be returned to inventory allowing them to be purchased again.

                        Quick reference information for Past Event Ticket Exchange

                        Flash ScreenCast

                        MP4 ScreenCast

                        Diataxis: 

                        Waived Amounts

                        During a ticket exchange if the difference between the price of the original ticket and the replacement ticket is not collected or refunded, it is deemed that the amount difference is "waived." This may occur if a patron has a weekend ticket and exchanges for a less expensive weekday performance or if a patron has less expensive weekday performance and upgrades to a weekend performance.

                        Usually, the difference is not refunded when the new ticket costs less and the difference is collected when the replacement ticket is more expensive. The difference in prices may not equal since the value of the original ticket's base price or sales promotion is different than the replacement ticket's base price or sales promotion. In most cases, it is caused from the base price being different.

                        The transaction detail for a ticket exchange displays the waived amount for each individual ticket. The value displayed for the waived amount excludes taxes. A negative waived amount indicates revenue which was not refunded to a patron. A positive waived amount indicates revenue which was not collected from a patron.

                        Ticket revenue reports general ledger revenue reports display the actual revenue collected from the original sale. The general ledger revenue is not affected by waived amounts because the amount is not actually paid to or collected from patrons.

                        If the original ticket price was $20.00 and the patron exchanged the ticket for a $50.00 ticket thus waiving the $30.00 difference, the ticket price for the replacement ticket will be $20.00 and the general ledger will also indicate $20.00 was received as revenue. Even if the patron chooses to purchase a less expensive ticket, the end result is that the patron paid $20.00 for the ticket.

                        Waived amounts do not need to be created during an exchange. If the difference in price between the original ticket and the replacement ticket (the amount that would have been waived) is not going to be refunded or collected, enter the amount due as an exchange fee (positive or negative). The amount that would have been waived is then classified as an exchange service charge. The net amount could then be tracked in the exchange service fee general ledger account and maintains the amounts not refunded or collected from patrons. If actual exchange service charges are collected from patrons, this amount would also be accumulated within the same general ledger account.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Adding/Exchanging/Refunding Social Distance Tickets

                        If you are using social distance seating and a patron asks to add a ticket to their order or wants to have a couple of tickets refunded, the process is very similar to how you would handle:
                        • the initial ticket sale
                        • adding tickets to the current order (to add more adjacent tickets while preserving the existing tickets in the order)
                        • or refunding a ticket to remove the ticket from the order

                        If it is not possible to add a ticket to the order, you can always refund the tickets and purchase again in the same order to move the patron to a different location.

                         

                        Example of adding tickets to an existing social distance order

                        Using the example (to the right), it shows the original purchase that a patron made for tickets in a socially distanced venue. They have:

                        • Seats B9 and B10 sold to them in the front centre of the venue
                        • Social distance holds all around those seats that were created by Theatre Manager

                         

                        Highlight the seats on the order

                        If the patron calls in and asks to add a ticket o the order, you do the same thing as you normally would:

                        • Highlight all the tickets that are in the order (see above image)
                        • Click the tickets button
                        • Select Add tickets to order from the drop down menu
                        • and when the list of events is shown, make sure to pick the same performance
                        When you get to the map, you will see that their existing seats (the ones you highlighted) are red to assist you finding the tickets. If you did not highlight some tickets per the previous step, those will not be highlighted red - it should not matter to the rest of the process.

                        Hold down the Command (on Mac) or Control (on PC) Key and click the social distance hold that belongs to the patrons order - this will be the seat that you add to the order.

                        Repeat for as many additional tickets as the patron requires. The social distance seats will be extended. If you make a mistake and want to release the additional tickets and start over, just release the unwanted ticket by:

                        • Double clicking on it
                        • using the release or release all buttons at the bottom of the map

                         

                        Overriding Social distance seats that cause a conflict

                        If you try to take some social distance seats that cause a conflict, you will be informed that the seats belong to some other patron's bubble and you will not be able to have those seats.

                         

                        What about removing a social distance seat from the bubble

                        Removing a social distance seat is also easy. In the confirmation window, you can simply mark one or more seats as 'refund' and confirm them. Those seats will be removed from the order and the social distance bubble with other seats will be maintained.

                        Example: If the patron had 3 seats and wanted to add one and move over 1 seat, then you would:

                        • Add two seats one one side of the order (the patron now has 5 tickets)
                        • on the confirmation window, remove one of the original edge seats (they will now have 4)
                        • the final result is what you wanted, 4 tickets and moved over one

                        Diataxis: 

                        Gifting Tickets

                        Tickets can be transferred or "gifted" among patrons in a household or between patrons in the database. The main difference between transferring an order and gifting tickets is - in an order transfer, all of the financial data gets transferred. When gifting tickets, the financial data remains in the purchaser's account, while the tickets become tied to the receiver's account and that patron is listed as the attendee of the event. This is particularly helpful for the Courses module where parents in a household will frequently purchase courses for their child, but the child is actually the attendee. The gifting can happen either as a step in the initial sales process, or afterwards from the purchaser's patron window.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Gifting Tickets During Purchase

                        Tickets can be gifted to another household member or another patron during the initial ticket sale. To gift a ticket, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Add or select the purchaser in the database.

                          Click here for information on finding a patron in the database.

                        2. Select the "Buy Tickets" option.
                        3. Pick the Performance in the Performance Selection tab.
                        4. Choose the seats in the Seat Selection tab.
                        5. In the Ticket Review Tab, highlight the ticket(s) to be gifted and right-click or control-click to bring up the Context Menu.

                        6. Select "Assign ticket as gift to..."

                          You have the option to assign the tickets to household members or to a "Patron outside of household"

                          If you want to assign one ticket to one household member or patron and another ticket to a different household member or patron, you just have to do them one at a time.

                          If you select a Patron outside of the household, a window opens to enter the patron number or use the lookup to find a patron in the database:

                          1. Type some part of the first name, last name and/or company to find the patron you want
                          2. Double click on the patron to move them to the top. If oyu want to find/select a different patron, then repeat the steps
                          3. Once you have the patron you want to assign the ticket to, then click the 'assign gift' button to finish

                        7. Proceed to the Payment screen to finish the transaction.
                        8. The following quick reference information is available for selling a Ticket

                          Reference Guide (pdf)

                          Cheatsheet (pdf)

                          Flash ScreenCast

                          MP4 ScreenCast

                        Diataxis: 

                        Gifting Tickets From the Patron Window

                        Tickets can also be gifted after purchase from the patron window. To gift a ticket from the patron window, you perform the following steps:
                        1. Select the patron who purchased the tickets from the database.

                          Click here for more information.

                        2. On the Tickets Tab, highlight the ticket(s) to be gifted and right-click or control-click to bring up the Context menu.

                        3. Select "Assign ticket as gift to..."

                          You have the option to assign the tickets to household members or to a "Patron outside of household"

                          If you want to assign one ticket to one household member or patron and another ticket to a different household member or patron, they have to be done one at a time.

                        4. If you choose a Patron outside of the household, a window opens for you to enter the patron number or use the lookup to find a patron in the database.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Viewing Gifted Tickets

                        There are multiple ways to view gifted tickets.

                        There is a column called Gift Status in the Tickets Tab of the purchaser's Patron Window that shows Gifted Tickets:

                        And the same column in the receiver's Patron Window shows:

                        The Household view shows more Gifted Tickets detail:

                        The Attendance Tab of the Play or Event Window will show the receiver's name and the gifted status:

                        The Maps Tab of the Play or Event Window will show the Gifted Ticket status when the mouse hovers over the seats in question:

                        Diataxis: 

                        Holding Seats

                        You can place holds on seats based on performance or a group of performances. We recommend using this feature as an alternative to selling the seats to a specified house account. This process puts the tickets on hold and avoids creating transactions. Your revenue reports and ticket analysis reports will also reflect a truer status of the sales picture.

                         

                        Rules for Holding Tickets

                        • There are privileges in the employee record indicating which hold codes they can hold or release. An employee who has this privilege, can hold and release any seats with those hold codes at any time. For more information, refer to Employee Settings-Box office tab
                        • There is a privilege which allows only releasing seats. If an employee has this privilege, they can release seats at any time from the Ticket Sales to Patron window or from the Plays Window.
                        • There is also a default setting for auto release of tickets prior to a performance. For example if this is set to 15 minutes then 15 minutes before the play the held seats will be released for general sale.
                        • There are three ways to hold seats for shows:
                          1. While Selling tickets:
                          2. While in Show setup on the Maps Tab
                          3. During subscription setup where you want to hold all seats in events that pertain to subscriber seats

                        Rules for releasing seats

                        The return to hold process is designed around protecting subscriptions seats, development and other special holds - by making sure they go back to the hold they were originally set at.

                        The following process is how Theatre Manager decides when to release a previously held seat:

                        1. All seats track what the original hold code for the ticket, (if any).
                        2. If a ticket is refunded, the seat is put back on the original hold (if there was one).
                        3. If there was no original hold, then tickets are returned to hold according to the return to hold map settings
                        4. If you manually remove the holds before selling a ticket:
                          • the ticket no longer has an original hold code and
                          • when refunded at the box office, it will be available for sale (subject to the return to hold on the pricing map)

                        Holding Seats for a Performance

                         

                        Holding Seats for a Performance

                        There are several situations that may call for holding seats within a Performance.

                        • there are promoter, artist, media or complimentary tickets negotiated within the contract
                        • the venue requires house seats to assist with potential issues arising the night of the show
                        • sight lines prevent seats from being sold
                        • space is needed in the venue for a sound board, lighting board or video equipment
                        • seats in a particular section will be held and released based on demand or audience size
                        • social distancing is required
                        The steps for holding seats within a Performance are outlined below:

                         

                        Holding Seats

                        1. Find the event / play you want to hold seats for.

                          Click here to learn how to find an event / play.

                          Event List

                        2. Open the event / play.
                        3. Select the Maps tab.

                          Map Tab

                        4. Highlight the Performance(s) on the left side of the window.

                          Should you need to hold seats for multiple performances at a time simply select multiple date/times from the list on the left side of the window.

                          Selecting Multiple Dates

                        5. Select the seats to be held.

                          Highlight the seats to be held by clicking and dragging the mouse over the seats. Multiple seats in different sections can be selected by holding down the Shift key on the keyboard. Selected seats will appear as a solid blue.

                          Selected Seats on Map

                        6. Click the Hold button above the map.

                          Clicking the hold button will provide a menu of hold letters to choose from.

                          Hold Button

                        7. Select the desired hold letter.

                          Hold Letter Drop Down

                         

                        Once the hold letter is selected the seats will be held with that letter on the map for those performances selected on the left. All holds appear as lower case letters on the map. Changing the hold colour can be done in the Box Office tab of Systems Preferences by a Master User.

                        Held Seats On Map

                        Diataxis: 

                        Holding Seats in the Order Window

                         

                        Holding Seats in the Order Window

                        1. Create a Buy List

                          Click here to learn how to create a Buy List. Once the Buy List is complete click Seat Selection tab in the Orders window. 

                          Performance in Order Window

                           Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                        2. Select the Hold option located below the map and above the basket were purchased seats appear.

                        3. Select the seats to be held.

                          Selected seats will appear as a solid blue. Multiple seats in different sections can be selected by holding down the Shift key on the keyboard.

                          Selected Seats For Holding

                        4. Click the Hold button located to the right of the Hold option.

                          Clicking the hold button will provide a menu of hold letters to choose from.

                          Hold Button

                        5. Select the desired hold letter.

                          Hold Letter Drop Down

                         

                        Once the hold letter is selected the seats will be held with that letter on the map for those performances selected on the left. All holds appear as lower case letters on the map. Changing the hold colour can be done in the Box Office tab of Systems Preferences by a Master User.

                        Held Seats in Order Window

                        Diataxis: 

                        Holding Seats for a Specific Patron

                        Holding and Releasing seats allows the user to mark seats as unavailable without actually selling the seats. No revenue is journalized when a seat is held, the seat is just marked as unavailable. This feature can be offered to a patron who needs additional time to make a final decision. The hold allows for a time-limit to be set before the seat is auto-released. The auto-release feature works in conjunction with the Web Sales Listener. The Web Sale Listener must be active in order for the timed release of seat holds to work properly.

                        Any seat held for a specific patron will appear in their patron window on the ticket list - and you can book the seats from there.

                        Holding Seats While Selling Tickets

                        To hold seats for a specific patron, while you are selling tickets, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Create a Buy List

                          Click here to learn how to create a Buy List. Once the Buy List is complete click Seat Selection tab in the Orders window. 

                           Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                        2. Select the Hold Option.

                        3. Select the seats to be held.

                        4. Press the Hold <image hold button> button and select "Hold Seat for Patron."

                          This will open an additional window letting the user set the parameters of the hold.

                        5. Step 1 - Enter information about the hold.

                          A choice between a generic hold and a hold for a specfic patron can be entered.

                        6. Step 2 - Choose a hold letter to use.

                          Often the Box Office will have a predetermined hold letter used for all patron holds for users to be able to quickly reference the graphic map.

                        7. Step 3 - Set the criteria in regards to the release of the hold.

                          A date and time can be set to auto-release the hold.

                        8. Step 4 - Assign any comments to the hold.

                          Comments will appear in the tooltip when the mouse is hovered over the held seat.

                        Freeing Seats While Selling Tickets

                        1. Create a Buy List.

                          Click here to learn how to create a Buy List. Once the Buy List is complete click Seat Selection tab in the Orders window. 

                          Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                        2. Select the held seats to free.

                          To sell the held seats, hold <CTRL> (Windows) or <OPTION> (Mac) and select the seats to sell them directly.

                        3. The seats will now appear in the shopping cart.

                          The seats are now available to be sold. If the seats are released, the seats will not return to their previous hold status.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Festival Seating - Holding and Releasing Seats

                        Seats can be held on a performance basis (or group of performances). We recommend using this feature as an alternative to selling the seats to a specified house account.

                        To hold seats for festival seating, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Open the Play Setup Window.
                        2. Find the play you wish to release tickets for.
                        3. Select the Performance Tab.

                        4. Select the performance(s) you wish to hold tickets for and Add the setup window.
                        5. On the right side, enter the number of seats that you wish to hold.
                        6. Click the Save button at the top of the window and then close the window.

                        Releasing Held Seats in a Festival Seating Performance

                        1. Open the Play Setup Window.
                        2. Find the play you wish to release tickets for.
                        3. Select the Performance Tab.

                        4. Select the performance(s) you wish to release tickets for and Add the setup window.
                        5. On the right side, reduce the number of seats that are held by the amount that you wish to release.
                        6. Click the Save Button at the top of the window and then close the window.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Holding Seats in a Venue Map

                         

                        Holding Seats in a Venue Map

                        Holding seats allows for placing a restriction on the seats within the venue without having to assign or sell the seat to a patron. Often seats need to be held for a reserved seating performance prior to tickets going on sale to the general public. Examples of holds would be:

                        • there are promoter, artist, media or complimentary tickets negotiated within the contract
                        • the venue requires house seats to assist with potential issues arising the night of the show
                        • sight lines prevent seats from being sold
                        • space is needed in the venue for a sound board, lighting board or video equipment
                        • accessible seating for patrons who require such seating
                        • seats in a particular section will be held and released based on demand or audience size
                        • social distancing is required

                        Seats can be held in venue map and are applied to events built using that map. The steps below outline how to hold seats in a venue map:

                        1. Locate and open the Venue.

                          For details on how to locate a venue please click here. To open a venue select it from the list and click the Open button at the top of the window or double click on the venue in the list.

                          Venue List

                        2. Open the desired Map.

                          Locate the map in the right column. Select the map and click the Open button at the bottom of the list or double click on it to open the map.

                          Select a Map in a Venue

                        3. Select the Graphic Map tab.

                          Graphic Map Tab

                        4. Highlight the seats to be held.

                          Highlight the seats to be held by clicking and dragging the mouse over the seats. Multiple seats in different sections can be selected by holding down the Shift key on the keyboard. Selected seats will appear as a solid blue.

                          Highlighted Seats Selected

                        5. Click the Lock to hold the seats.

                          The hold seats lock is located on the left side of the Graphic Map tab. The button may be below the default window size. Resize the window to see this option.

                          Hold Seats Lock

                        6. Choose the desired hold letter.

                          Pick a hold letter to be applied to the selected seats.

                          Select Hold Letter

                         

                        Once the hold letter is selected the seats will be held with that letter on the map. All holds appear as lower case letters on the map. Changing the hold colour can be done in the Box Office tab of Systems Preferences by a Master User.

                        Held Seats in the Graphic Map Tab

                         

                        Refunding Tickets

                        Theatre Manager calculates the refund amount from the ticket prices the tickets were sold for, calculates a portion of the exchange fee, adds in the order fee and presents the user with the final cost of the ticket refund. The portion of the exchange fee is only calculate if the tickets selected for refund were part of an exchange. If they were not on the payment window the exchange fee will not be refunded. The only condition when refunding tickets is the tickets selected must exist within the same order number. There are security controls within Theatre Manager that can be set up for each employee or as an organization default. Click here for more information on the controls. Some of the controls are:

                        • Allowing refunds for performances of past performances.
                        • Allowing refunds for printed tickets.
                        • Refund ticket when higher performance security and refund tickets when lower performance security.
                        • Allowing order, exchange, and ticket fees to be refunded.

                        To refund a patron's tickets, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Find the patron wanting to refund tickets.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Highlight the tickets to be refunded.

                        3. Click the Refund button.

                          The Ticket Refund window opens, displaying the full refund amount. The Donation Button can be used to quickly turn the amount of the refunded tickets into a donation. Click here for more information on creating a donation from a ticket refund.

                          Click here to see the Refund to a Donation Screencast.
                        4.  Click the Confirm button.
                        5.  Click the Payment button.

                          The Payment window opens.

                        6.  Select the Refund Method.

                        7. Enter any relevant information.

                          Order comments should be entered when refunds are issued indicating the reason for the refund and the supervisor who authorized the refund. This information will assist in reviewing the daily activity to insure the refund was processed correctly and was authorized.

                          To not refund the order or exchange fee remove them in the fees window.

                        8. Click the Accept button.

                          Theatre Manager will return the ticket for resale and return the user to the Patron Household Window.

                        The following quick reference information is available for Exchanging or Refunding Tickets

                        Reference Guide (pdf)

                        Cheatsheet (pdf)

                        Flash ScreenCast

                        MP4 ScreenCast

                        Diataxis: 

                        Refunding Tickets to a Gift Certificate

                        See youtube video: https://youtu.be/Dnv5t-U5KnU

                        To refund a ticket to a gift certificate, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Find the patron wanting to refund tickets.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Int the Patron record, highlight the tickets to be refunded.

                        3. Click the Refund button.

                          The Ticket Refund window opens displaying the full refund amount. You can use the Donation button can be used to quickly turn the amount of the refunded tickets into a donation.

                          Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                        4. Click the Confirm button.
                        5. Click the Membership / Pass / GC button.

                          The Membership window opens.

                        6. Click the New button.

                          A confirmation dialog opens, asking "Is this pass/g.c. a result of returning tickets and would you like one created for $100 to balance the order to zero, or is this just a normal pass/g.c?"

                        7. Click the Tix Refund button.

                          The Pass G.C. Detail window opens. Click here, for more information on this window.

                        8. Enter the amount of the refund the patron wishes to be used for gift certificates.
                        9. Enter any other information as needed.
                        10. When complete, click the Save button.

                          You are returned to the Membership window and the certificate amount is subtracted from the refund total.

                        11. The tickets are returned for resale and the gift certificate is added to the Patron's account.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Refunding a Sale From the Ticket List Window

                        To refund a sale from the Ticket List window, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Open the Ticket List Window.

                          Choose Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint a batch of tickets.

                          The Ticket List Window opens.

                        2. Select a search range and click the Search button.

                        3. Select the tickets the patron wishes to refund.

                          Do this by single clicking the tickets.

                        4. Click the Refund button.

                          The Ticket Refund window opens displaying the full refund amount.

                          You can use the Donation Button to quickly turn the amount of the refunded tickets into a donation. Click here for more information on creating a donation from a ticket refund.

                          Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                        5. Select the Refund Method.

                        6. Enter any relevant information

                          Order comments should be entered when refunds are issued explaining the reason for the refund and the supervisor who authorized the refund.

                          This information assists in reviewing the daily activity and insures the refund was processed correctly and was authorized.

                          To refund the order or exchange fee, you will need to remove them in the fees window.

                        7. Theatre Manager will return the ticket for resale and return the user to the Patron Window.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Refunding from the Play and Dates Window

                        Occasionally, you may need to refund an entire group of tickets, rather than just those for a single patron. For example, an event gets cancelled, and your management team has decided they want to give refunds instead of issuing gift certificates, vouchers, donations, or some other form of repayment. Instead of doing these refunds one by one (individually), they can be handled as a mass refund for all of the ticket holders to the performance.

                        Note: You can also do mass refunds from Setup->Batch Functions->UnPrint or Refund a Batch of tickets. The advantage on the Unprint Batch of Tickets window is that you can select tickets by patron, event, and more.

                         

                        Before you do any refunding, please make sure to set up gift certificates and donation campaigns to track refunds appropriately if you are not giving money back.

                        Do not leave the order on account.

                        Theatre Manager will generate a refund using the same payment method that was used for the original order. If an order used multiple payment methods, and one of those methods was a previously deposited credit card, Theatre Manager will refund the entire amount to the same credit card. A refund will include

                        Theatre Manager will NOT refund any Order Fees that are part of the order since they could be for a myriad of reasons that are not related to the tickets being refunded.

                        You can use this feature iteratively. Examples:
                        • Select a group of patrons or tickets that are similar and refund to a donation.
                        • Select a different group of tickets (eg subscription) from those remaining and refund to a gift certificate
                        • Select another group of tickets (eg subscription - early) from those remaining and refund to a different gift certificate
                        • Select the last group of tickets (eg single ticket full price) and refund to their credit card.
                        You may need to contact your merchant provider to determine if you:
                        • have a longer than standard LINKED REFUND capability. Most times, the merchant provider has this set around 120 days, but it can be extended -or-
                        • have INDEPENDENT REFUND capability. This means you have the right to refund any amount to a card and are not subject to any recent credit card company rules like refund must be within 120 days, etc.
                        NOTE: IF YOU ARE PCI SCHEDULE C OR SCHEDULE D: POST DATED/RECURRING PAYMENTS ONLY AND HAVE NOT TURNED ON MERCHANT PROFILES, CREDIT CARDS ARE NOT STORED IN YOUR DATABASE.

                        An attempt will be made to link the card to a prior authorization to refund without needing the credit card.

                        If that fails, you will need to use a refund method like Gift Certificate or Donation in step 3 below - any refund method other than Credit Card

                        To refund tickets through the Attendance tab of the Event setup, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Open the Plays and Dates window.
                        2. Click the Tab.
                        3. Click on the desired performance on the left side.

                          This will show a complete list of all patrons who bought tickets to the performance.

                        4. Select the patron's ticket(s) to refund.

                        5. Click the button at the bottom of the window.

                          The Refund Tickets Wizard opens.

                        6. Options to refund either
                          •    The selected tickets, or
                          •    All tickets for this performance
                          Verify by trying REFUND A COUPLE OF PATRONS FIRST to ensure that card payments get created and authorized if you choose that option. If people only have shredded cards in your database, they cannot be refunded.
                          If you select this, Theatre Manager will only refund tickets in an order where that order contains at least one credit card to pay for it. If you do de-select this option, then all tickets will be refunded - you may have to apply a payment refund on a per patron basis later, depending on what you are doing to refund payments.

                          Note: if you refund tickets with card data first, the others will remain in the list. You can then select and refund some of the remaining tickets using another other payment method such as:

                          • Refund to Gift Certificate
                          • Refund to Donation
                          • Refund using Check as need be.
                          This further refines how you want Theatre Manager to handle the refund payment options, including:
                          • Do not create a refund payment - in which case all refunds will be on account and you will need to refund patrons manually later - or -
                          • Create a refund only if a credit card was used for the original purchase. This will refund to the same credit card as long as there is a credit card on file or you have a merchant profile set up for this patron. Anybody with only a shredded card on file will have a payment created, and linked to a prior payment. Should authorization fail, it will need to be addressed later. The partial card number will help you when talking to the patron.

                            We recommend AGAINST using the authorizing at time of refund option (refer to refund processing rules) and delay it to end of day.

                            Refunding to a credit card biases towards doing linked refunds if it can.

                          • Refund to a Donation lets you specify a donation campaign.

                            Rules:

                            • The value of the donation to the campaign will be the balance on the order after refunding the tickets.
                            • .
                            • One donation is made per order, even if the patron bought many tickets to the performance in different orders. Theatre Manager will create a note in the Notes Tab of the Donation containing the Event and Seating details for those tickets refunded. Each donation will have a record of the original tickets purchased that made up this donation.
                            • The campaign must be set up to allow refunds to tickets to appear in the selection. If you don't have a campaign set for refund to tickets, this option will be disabled.
                            • If the ticket was Gifted to another patron, the donation will be created on the ORIGINAL ticket buyer's patron record.
                            • The donation giving level range can have any number of ranges which must encompass all values of anticipated refunds from 0.01 through 99999999.99 (otherwise, the donation will not appear in a donation list until the giving levels are fixed)
                          • Refund to a Pass or Gift Certificate lets you specify a Pass/Gift Certificate.

                            Rules:

                            • If using:
                              • Dollar Value Gift Certificates: the gift certificate amount will be the dollar value of the balance on the order after refunding the tickets. Thus the balance goes to zero and the gift certificate is automatically the same as the balance
                              • Dollar Average/Admission: the pass will be set up to allow the same number of admissions as the tickets refunded. If you refund 2 tickets totaling $80, then the patron will have a pass for 2 tickets valued at $80 for use in the future. Since prices of tickets go up, it is less likely that you would use this option.
                            • One refund to the pass is made per order, even if the patron bought many tickets to the performance in different orders. Theatre Manager will create a note in the Notes tab of the Pass/Gift Certificate containing the Event and Seating details for those tickets refunded. Each Pass/Gift Certificate will have a record of the original tickets purchased that made up this Pass/Gift Certificate.
                            • The pass/gc must be set up to allow refunds to tickets to appear in the selection. If you don't have a pass/GC set for refund to tickets, this option will be disabled.
                            • If the ticket was Gifted to another patron, then the Pass/Gift Certificate will be created on the ORIGINAL ticket buyer's patron record
                        7. Click to continue with the refund.
                        8. The selected ticket will be refunded and returned for sale if the performance is in the future.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Refunding a Fee from an Order

                        To refund a fee from on order after a payment has been made, follow these steps:
                        1. Find the Patron and open the Patron Window.

                          For more information on finding Patrons and opening the Patron Window, click here.

                        2. Click on the Order tab.

                          For more information on the Order tab, click here.

                        3. Highlight the order containing the fee you are going to refund.

                        4. Click the Open button.

                          The Order window opens.

                        5. Click on the Fee button.

                          Highlight the Fee to refund.

                        6. Click the Delete button.

                          The Delete Refund Fee warning dialog opens.

                        7. Click the Delete button.
                        8. Click the Payment button.

                        9. Select the Refund Method.
                        10. Click the Provide Refund button.

                          You have refunded the amount of the fee to the patron.

                        Removing a Fee from an Order in Process

                        To remove a fee from an order in process, you perform the following steps:
                        1. Click the Fees button.
                        2. Highlight the fee(s) you want to remove.

                        3. Press the Delete button.

                          The selected fee is removed from the sale.

                        4. Click the Payment button.

                          You can now continue processing the order.

                        Sales Notes

                        You use Sales Notes to inform the purchaser or ticket seller of important information about an event. Sales Notes can be for internal use, or external use (appearing on the web) or both. It is recommended you use both fields for complete marketing and customer service efficiency.

                        Adding Sales Notes to an event is as easy as copying and pasting existing marketing data from in-house sources, or from the artist website directly into the Sales Notes in Theatre Manager.

                        Sales Notes are setup on the tab of Event setup. Click here for more information on Event setup.

                        You access the Sales Notes from the Order Window by clicking on the button. Online, the external sales notes are displayed when the user clicks on the event title. Examples of each appear below.


                        The Sales Notes window as viewed in the Box Office:


                        The Sales Notes window as viewed online (note: the user will click on the event title from the list and the Sales Notes page will appear):

                        Diataxis: 

                        Ticket Printing

                        Tickets are the voucher that indicates a patron has paid for admission to an event. Also a ticket may be free, and serve as a proof of reservation. This section of the online help will help you in configuartion of your printer and the different methods of printing your tickets. For more information on:
                        Diataxis: 

                        Emailing Tickets from the box office

                        Theatre Manager can be set up to allow one or both of:

                        If you find you cannot send an e-ticket, please refer a list of possible reasons why it cannot

                        Emailing (or printing) PDF tickets from box office

                        If emailing tickets from box office is enabled (and providing tickets meet the criteria described in the setup screen help), then tickets can be printed from:

                        • The patron 'ticket' list (see image below - the print tickets button gets replaced by a print/email tickets button)
                        • The order window on the payment screen
                        • The batch ticket print process

                         

                        If you select email tickets, or print PDD tickets and the system determines that they cannot be emailed or printed, you'll see a message similar to the image at the right.

                        Please refer to Factors That Prevent Tickets from being emailed for more information in this message.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Emailing PDF e-ticket options

                        When emailing tickets, the options on the window below are:

                        • Tickets as attachments

                          Selecting how you want the tickets attachments on the right side will show the feedback in the attachment list. The default for this window is set in company preferences, web options, Ticket Delivery Options/Fees

                          Choices are:

                          • ALL tickets in one PDF - placing all tickets in a single PDF attachment - which will take all the tickets that are printed and put them into one PDF document to send to the patron. This might be useful for group sales.
                          • One ticket per PDF - as individual PDF attachments - which creates one PDF attachment per ticket and adds it to the email being sent
                        • Templates and email content:
                          • From: specify if the PDF tickets are coming from you or from the web listener user id
                          • To: allows selection of any of the email addresses that belong to the patron.. If you want to change the default, type part of the name or email address and the system will present valid selections to you for that patron and/or household
                          • Subject: is the subject of the PDF e-ticket email
                          • Template: if you have set up emails that can be used as part of emailing to a patron, then pick a form letter template to fill out the letter. The text will be placed in the body and can be edited.
                          • Body: is the text of an message that forms the body of an email. You can free form the letter, or use something from a template, or select a template and modify the text in any way you see fit
                        Diataxis: 

                        Printing PDF tickets at the box office

                        Normally you would use a thermal ticket printer to quickly print tickets for a performance while at the box office. The cost per ticket is quite a bit lower with thermal tickets, and some patrons consider thermal tickets to be the only "real" tickets.

                        However, it is still possible to print a PDF e-ticket on a local laser or inkjet printer if:

                        • you happen to be in a remote location without a ticket printer, -or-
                        • your ticket printer ip cannot be set or cannot be connected to on the network for any reason (refer to IP setup for ticket printers if this is the issue) -or-
                        • if it breaks down (a generally rare occasion)

                         

                        Steps to print an e-ticket ticket to a local printer

                        1. If you are given the option of printing tickets for a patron, click the button Print/Email Tickets
                        2. Select Print PDF Ticket from the submenu
                        3. A PDF Ticket window will open similar to below. If tickets cannot be printed (eg there are no print at home or they are for a past performance), you will see a message indicating a list of possible reasons will appear.

                          Please refer to Factors That Prevent Tickets from being emailed for more information in this message.

                        4. When you see the PDF ticket widow, you will see a thumbnail of tickets and an image of each ticket on the screen. You can enlarge the window if need be. At the top tight of the window above the ticket images are two icons:
                          • Printer Icon click to print the ticket to a selected desktop laser or inkjet printer. These tickets will not print on your ticket printer
                          • Download Icon click this if you want to download the ticket to disk
                        5. NOTE: as soon as you see the tickets as a PDF, they have been marked printed by Theatre Manager. if you close this window without printing, you will need to Unprint the tickets on the patron window before you can print them again.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Printing Season Tickets

                        To print a batch of tickets, you perform the following steps:
                        1. Choose Setup >> Batch Functions >> Print Unprinted Tickets.

                          The Batch Ticket Printing window and the Parameters window will both open.

                        2. Click the New button to add a new criteria to the parameters window.

                          The Add/Edit Criteria window opens.

                        3. Select the search Criteria for the tickets to print and press the Save button.

                          Click here for more information on report criteria. The example above shows criteria that would print all unprinted tickets with the performance codes matching those of the season subscription and with either a subscription or early-subscription price code. To get this criteria, select Promotion # on the left hand side, and select Subscription and Early Subscription on the right hand side.

                        4. Click the Next button.

                        5. Choose the option for "All Orders containing unprinted orders."

                          Select Tickets From

                          All Orders containing uprinted tickets
                          Will only select tickets meeting the criteria and that are marked as unprinted.
                          Fully paid orders
                          Will only select tickets meeting the criteria and that the order is fully paid for.
                          Fully paid orders where payments are also deposited
                          Will only select tickets meeting the criteria and that the order has been process through the End of Day.

                          Limit Batch Size

                          Limit between
                          This allows the batch to print only patron orders that are between the minimum and maximum limit.

                          Past Plays

                          Include past play if it matches the search criteria
                          This will allow tickets to be printed for performances that have occurred already provided they meet the criteria.
                        6. Click the Next button.

                        7. Select the applicable data for the tickets to print.

                          Ticket Header

                          Print Address Ticket
                          Prints an additional ticket containing the address information of the patron.
                          Print Credit Card Recipt
                          Prints an additional ticket containing the credit card receipt if a credit card was used to pay for the order.

                          Ticket Items

                          Include Memberships
                          Prints an additional ticket if a Membership purchase was included on the same order.
                          Include Donations
                          Prints an additional ticket if a Donation purchase was included on the same order.

                          Ticket Printing

                          Mark Tickets as Printed
                          This option will print no tickets, but still mark the tickets as printed.
                        8. Click the Next button.

                          Sort Tickets By

                          Patron Last Name
                          All tickets will print in alphabetical order based on the patron's last name.
                          Postal Code, Patron Last Name
                          All tickets will be grouped together by postal code, and each group will be in alphabetical order based on the patron's last name.

                          and then Sort By

                          Date, Section/Row/Seat
                          For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by the performance date and then the seats.
                          Date, Seat Code
                          For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by the performance date and then the seat codes.
                          Section/Row/Seat, Date
                          For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by seat and then by the performance date.
                          Seat Code, Date
                          For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by seat code and then by the performance date.
                        9. Click the Done button.

                          You are returned to the Ticket Printing window.

                        10. This window will display the total number of tickets based on the criteria, and allow any final changes to be made.

                          Click here for more information about this window.

                        11. Click the Start Printing button when the batch is ready to print.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Printing Tickets at Time of Purchase

                        To print tickets the ticket printer preferences need to be set and the ticket printer configured. Click here for more information on configuring Practical Automation printers and Click here for more information on configuring BOCA ticket printers. Click here for more information on setting Employee Ticket Printer preferences.

                        1. Purchase tickets the patron wants to buy.

                          Click here for information on buying tickets.

                        2. Enter the method of payment and other required information on the Payment Window.

                          Note the two options on the right. If you select print an address ticket and click print tickets, the address ticket along with the admission tickets will be printed.

                          Click here for more information on creating a payment method.

                        3. Click the Print Tickets button.

                          Clicking print accepts the payment information, prints the tickets to the specified printer, closes the ticket purchase windows and returns to the Patron Window with the purchased tickets displayed.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Print Ticket Options

                        During the payment process, there are options for how the tickets will be printed. Some options depend on your Box Office policy, while others depend on the type of printer you may have. Most Practical Automation printers automatically cut after each ticket face is printed.

                        Box Office policy items include:

                        • Mark Tickets as Printed
                        • Print Address Ticket
                        • Print Credit Card Receipts

                        These options can be defaulted in Setup->Company Preferences on the Ticket Faces tab.

                        Printer hardware options include:

                        • Cut each ticket
                        • Cut after last ticket printed for patron
                        • Do not cut tickets

                        The Ticket Printing options appear on the right hand side of the Payment window.


                        Options in Ticket Printing

                        Mark Tickets as Printed This option will mark the tickets as printed, but not print them. This is useful when you are simply tracking attendance and do not want to actually print tickets for the event. This setting will apply to all tickets within the order. Optionally, you can set "Mark tickets as Printed (but do not print)" in the Event setup. For more information on this setting in Event setup click here.
                        Print Address Ticket This option will print an address ticket for the patron to whom the order was sold. The primary address in the patron record will be used. In order to print a credit card receipt, the specific credit card receipt ticket face must be identified in Setup>>Company Preferences on the Ticket Faces tab. For more information on ticket faces click here. For more information on the Ticket Faces tab, click here.
                        Print Credit Card Receipts This option will print credit card receipts if a credit card (or multiple cards) were used to pay for the order. In order to print a credit card receipt, the specific credit card receipt ticket face must be identified in Setup>>Company Preferences on the Ticket Faces tab. For more information on ticket faces click here. For more information on the Ticket Faces tab, click here.
                        Cut each ticket If your printer allows tickets to be printed without cutting them, this option instructs the printer to cut after each ticket (standard cutting).
                        Cut after last ticket printed for patron If your printer allows tickets to be printed without cutting them, this option will cut a group of tickets after each patron's order is complete. When batch printing tickets, this option can be useful to group tickets for a patron together and provide a "fan-fold" ticket set for each patron.
                        Do not cut tickets If your printer allows ticket to be printed without cutting them, this option will not cut tickets at all. This can be used for Season Subscription tickets so they can be mailed to the patron in a "fan-fold" format.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Printing From the Plays and Dates Window

                        1. Open the Plays and Dates Window.

                          Click here to learn how to access this window.

                        2. Find the play to print tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to find plays.

                        3. Click the Attendance tab.

                        4. Select the performance to print tickets for.

                          Select the performance from the left of the window by single clicking it.

                        5. Select the ticket(s) to print.
                        6. Click the Print Tickets button.
                        7. Confirm the printer setup.

                          Click here for more information.

                        8. Click OK / Print on the printer setup window.

                          The tickets will print and the user will be returned to the Plays and Dates Window.

                        Printing Individual Tickets

                        After purchasing tickets, the tickets will appear in the ticket display area of the Patron Window.

                        1. Find the patron to print tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Click the Ticket tab.
                        3. Select the ticket(s) to be printed

                        4. Click the Print button.

                          The tickets will now be printed.

                          Holding down the <OPTION> key (Mac) or <CTRL> key (PC) when printing tickets will open another window allowing for further ticket printing options.

                          If the order on which these tickets reside is marked as Reservation Only, when the tickets are printed, the order will be taken off of Reservation Only, and an Accounts Receivable will be created for these tickets.

                        Reprinting Tickets

                        There are two options which can be used to reprint tickets either reprint the tickets of an individual patron or reprint an entire batch. Both methods require the user to "Unprint" the tickets then print the again.

                        Individual Patron Tickets

                        1. Find the patron to reprint tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Select the tickets to reprint.

                        3. Click the Un-Print button.

                          There are security settings in Theatre Manager to enable the unprinting of tickets. Click here to learn more about security features.

                          The tickets will be unprinted. Keep the tickets selected.

                        4. Click the Print button.
                        5. Confirm the printer setup and click the Print Button.

                          The tickets will be reprinted.

                        Searching for Tickets

                        1. Open the Ticket List Window.

                          This is done through the Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Tickets.

                        2. Select the parameter you would like to search by.

                          Use the pull up menu in the upper right corner of the window.

                        3. Enter your search criteria in the From and To Fields.

                        4. Click the Search button.

                          All results matching your criteria are displayed in the window.

                        You can now view the ticket details, unprint, refund, or repost tickets from this window. Click here for more information about unprinting tickets. Click here for more information about refunding tickets.

                        Unprinting Ticket

                        Unprinting tickets sets the print status of the selected tickets to not printed.

                      • Open the Ticket List Window.

                        This is done through the Setup >> Batch Functions >> Unprint Batch of Tickets.

                      • Search for the tickets you wish to unprint.

                        Click here for more information on searching for tickets.

                      • Select the tickets you wish to unprint.
                      • Click the Unprint button.
                      • The tickets are reset to unprinted.

                        Printing from the Patron Window

                        The Patron's tickets tab shows a summary of all tickets bought by the patron. They may be shown by different types and years using the pull down bar in the bottom left corner. Refer to Examining Purchases if the user cannot view patron tickets. For a description of the buttons on this window and the procedure to sell a ticket are described in Selling Tickets.

                        To print a ticket from the Patron tickets tab, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Find the patron you want to print the tickets for.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Highlight the tickets to print and click the button.

                          The Print Ticket Options window opens.

                          Review the options.

                        3. Click the Print button.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Will Call Ticket Printing

                        Ticket printing for Will Call tickets (tickets to be held at the door for patron pickup the night of the show) is a simple batch print of tickets using the following method.

                        1. Access Print Unprinted Tickets is through the Setup >> Batch Functions menu.

                          The Batch Ticket Printing window and the Parameters window will both open.

                        2. Click the New button to add a new criteria to the parameters window.

                          The Add/Edit Criteria window opens.

                        3. Select the search Criteria for the tickets to print and press the Save button.

                          The example above shows report criteria that would print all unprinted tickets with the performance matching Sweet Bird of Youth and occuring on January 18, 2013.

                          You may wish to add additional criteria to specify certain groups of tickets. For example:

                          • Promotion Ticket Type is one of Season (prints all your season subscriber tickets for this evening)
                          • Promotion Flag - Requires Coupon is Checked (can help you set aside tickets where a Student ID or other coupon is required before the tickets can be claimed)
                        4. Click the Next button.

                        5. Choose the option for "All Orders containing unprinted orders."

                          Select Tickets From

                          All Orders containing uprinted tickets Will only select tickets meeting the criteria and that are marked as unprinted.
                          Fully paid orders Will only select tickets meeting the criteria and that the order is fully paid for.
                          Fully paid orders where payments are also deposited Will only select tickets meeting the criteria and that the order has been process through the End of Day.

                          Limit Batch Size

                          Limit between This allows the batch to print only patron orders that are between the minimum and maximum limit.

                          Past Plays

                          Include past play if it matches the search criteria This will allow tickets to be printed for performances that have occurred already provided they meet the criteria.
                        6. Click the Next button.

                        7. Select the applicable data for the tickets to print.

                          Ticket Header

                          Print Address Ticket Prints an additional ticket containing the address information of the patron.
                          Print Credit Card Recipt Prints an additional ticket containing the credit card receipt if a credit card was used to pay for the order.

                          Ticket Items

                          Include Memberships Prints an additional ticket if a Membership purchase was included on the same order.
                          Include Donations Prints an additional ticket if a Donation purchase was included on the same order.

                          Ticket Printing

                          Mark Tickets as Printed This option will print no tickets, but still mark the tickets as printed.
                        8. Click the Next button.

                          Sort Tickets By

                          Patron Last Name All tickets will print in alphabetical order based on the patron's last name.
                          Postal Code, Patron Last Name All tickets will be grouped together by postal code, and each group will be in alphabetical order based on the patron's last name.

                          and then Sort By

                          Date, Section/Row/Seat For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by the performance date and then the seats.
                          Date, Seat Code For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by the performance date and then the seat codes.
                          Section/Row/Seat, Date For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by seat and then by the performance date.
                          Seat Code, Date For tickets to multiple performances, the individual tickets will be sorted by seat code and then by the performance date.
                        9. Click the Done button.

                          This will return the user to the Ticket Printing window.

                        10. This window display the total number of tickets based on the criteria, and allow any final changes to be made.

                          Click here for more information about this window.

                        11. Click the Start Printing button when the batch is ready to print.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Ticket Printing at an Offsite Location

                        If you wish to print tickets at a remote location, there are some options for you. These are described in subsequent web pages

                        • Remote ticket printing using a printer with an parallel connection.
                        • Remote ticket printing using a printer with an ethernet port in it

                        Remote Ticket Printing-Ethernet via RDP/Teamviewer

                        This setup assumes that your are connecting to you ticket server using Remote Desktop, Teamviewer or some other remote access program.

                        Things you will need:

                        • A Printer with an Ethernet connection
                        • A portable router that supports NAT forwarding of the ticket printer port at the remote site.

                        Setup:

                        1. A portable router that can be taken to the offsite location will be needed.
                        2. Set an internal IP addresses of the portable router that is the SAME subnet range as the office network. As some examples:
                          • if in the office the IP range is 192.168.0.x, then the IP addresses behind this portable router should be the same 192.168.0.x. This will ensure the Printer can be used in both networks without having to alter it's IP address.
                          • Alternatively, you can use network addresses that are close (eg 192.168.1.x on your main lan and 192.168.0.x at the remote box office) and adjust the subnet mask to be something like 255.255.0.0
                        3. Take the router, printer and computer to the offsite location. Plug everything into the portable router.
                        4. Use Microsoft Remote Desktop (Macintosh or Windows vis MSTSC) or Teamviewerto remotely access a computer in the main office.
                        5. *** at this point all should work, except, the printer WILL NOT.

                        6. Enter a NAT forwarding rule in the router that forwards port 10001 to the IP address of the ticket printer. For example if your printer is at 192.168.0.15, then make a rule that forwards 10001 to that IP address.
                        7. At the remote site, find out what the external IP address of the outside router is. This can be done by visiting www.whatismyip.com. In this example lets say the external IP is 77.12.34.56. This is where the internet thinks the router is located.
                        8. In Theatre Manager click the Preference button at the top of the window (the yellow cog). Select the Ticket Printers tab. The IP displayed will most likely be the internal IP address of the Ticket Printer.
                        9. Change the IP address of the ticket printer to the address supplied in step 6 above.
                        10. Test print a ticket.

                        What you've effectively done is told Theatre Mananager to send the ticket info outside your office and all the way along to your router. Your router then says, not me, pass it inside the router to your printer (using the NAT rule).

                        When the ticket printer returns to the office the machine that was accessed remotely using TeamViewer will need to have the Preferences updated. Log back into Theatre Manager and click the Preference button. Select the Ticket Printers tab and change the IP address back to the address within the local network. Each time the ticket printer is taken offsite use the www.whatismyip.com site to determine the IP address to be entered for the ticket printer.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Remote Ticket Printing-Parallel

                        Things you will need:

                        • A Printer with a parallel connection
                        • A windows based computer with XP or later.
                        • A real parallel port on your remote computer or laptop (it can be via a PCMCIA add on card if need be
                        • Windows Terminal Server 2003 or later in your computer room.
                        • A connection to the internet at the remote box office.

                        Try the setup in your office to make sure it works before going to the remote location.

                        This will only work if you DO NOT install a local printer driver on the computer at the remote box office or on the terminal server and assign it to LPT1.

                        Setup:

                        The setup assumes that the printer will be connected to LPT1. If you are using LPT2 or another port, substitute it for all instructions below.

                        1. Remove any printer driver you may have installed on the computer at the remote location that is attached to LPT1.
                        2. Set up a remote desktop connection to the terminal server
                        3. In the options for the RDC connection, make sure you share the PORTS in the local resources.
                        4. Make the connection via RDC to the terminal server (must be terminal server 2003 or greater
                        5. Log into Theatre Manager
                        6. Go to the preferences for the user and click ticket printer -- and make sure LPT1 is selected as the ticket printer
                        7. Test print a ticket.

                        Troubleshooting

                        If you are running into issues, have a look at one or more of the following:

                        • Make sure you DO NOT have a printer set up for LPT on the remote machine. In fact, remove all printers that you are able to remote
                        • DO NOT allow windows to automatically install a printer driver for you when it discovers the parallel ticket printer
                        • Restart the remote computer and make sure that the ticket printer rolls a ticket forward and backward on startup
                        • Make sure that there is a real parallel port in the device. (it can be a PCMCIA printer device. A USB to parallel device is not a real parallel port.
                        • Make sure that your setup for Remote Desktop is set to share the local ports.
                        • Make sure that your terminal server allows local ports to be shared from the remove device.
                        • Make sure that the printer has tickets in it
                        • Make sure that the clutch is down inside the printer so that the rollers can engage the printer
                        • Watch to see if the ticket printer receives any data when you click 'test print' in theatre manager. One of the lights will flash
                        • If it will not work on one machine, try another machine in your office. It make just be the machine.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Remote Ticket Printing-Ethernet and Local Lan

                        This setup assumes that your remote router is to be connected to a local network at the remote site -- and that it gives out IP addresses that you can control. If using a Mobile Thumb Drive to connect to the internet, refer to the alternate instructions for mobile/ethernet because this setup will not work.

                        Things you will need:

                        • A Printer with an Ethernet connection
                        • A portable router other then those in the current network.
                        • Your postgres server set to allow connections from the remote location
                        • A relatively high speed internet connection at both ends

                        This installation assumes that your remote router is to be connected to a local network at the remote site and port 10001 can be configured. If using a Mobile Thumb Drive to connect to the internet, refer to the alternate instructions for mobile/ethernet because this setup will not work.

                        Setup:

                        1. A portable router that can be taken to the offsite location will be needed.
                        2. Set an internal IP addresses of the portable router that is the SAME subnet range as the office network. As an example, if in the office the IP range is 192.168.0.x, then the IP addresses behind this portable router should be the same 192.168.0.x. This will ensure the Printer can be used in both networks without having to alter it's IP address.
                        3. Take the router, printer and computer to the offsite location. Plug everything into the portable router.
                        4. Use Teamviewer to remotely access a computer in the main office.
                        5. *** at this point all should work, except, the printer WILL NOT.

                        6. Enter a NAT forwarding rule in the router that forwards port 10001 to the IP address of the ticket printer. For example if your printer is at 192.168.0.15, then make a rule that forwards 10001 to that IP address.
                        7. At the remote site, find out what the external IP address of the outside router is. This can be done by visiting www.whatismyip.com. In this example lets say the external IP is 77.12.34.56. This is where the internet thinks the router is located.
                        8. In Theatre Manager click the Preference button at the top of the window (the yellow cog). Select the Ticket Printers tab. The IP displayed will most likely be the internal IP address of the Ticket Printer.
                        9. Change the IP address of the ticket printer to the address supplied in step 6 above.
                        10. Test print a ticket.

                        What you've effectively done is told Theatre Mananager to send the ticket info outside your office and all the way along to your router. Your router then says, not me, pass it inside the router to your printer (using the NAT rule).

                        When the ticket printer returns to the office the machine that was accessed remotely using TeamViewer will need to have the Preferences updated. Log back into Theatre Manager and click the Preference button. Select the Ticket Printers tab and change the IP address back to the address within the local network. Each time the ticket printer is taken offsite you can use an online service (Example: https://mxtoolbox.com/whatismyip/) to determine the IP address to be entered for the ticket printer.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Remote Ticket Printing-Using a Mobile Internet Device

                        Things you will need:

                        • A Printer with an Ethernet connection
                        • A portable router other then those in the current network that has a USB port for the mobile internet thumb drive and can be configured to setup a VPN
                        • For OSX
                        • For Windows
                          • Remote Desktop and Terminal services -OR-
                          • A licensed copy of TeamViewer.
                        • A Mobile Thumb Drive for internet connection

                        Setup:

                        1. Establish a VPN tunnel between your local network and the remote computer. Remote Box Office
                        2. Set the ticket printer to a static IP address within the subnet of the remote location. Setting the IP address of the ticket printer. You will have to check your remote router when connected to the mobile internet device to determine the subnet that is issued. This may change each time.
                        3. Take the router, printer and computer to the offsite location. Plug everything into the portable router.
                        4. Use Teamviewer to remotely access a computer in the main office.
                        5. *** at this point all should work, except, the printer WILL NOT.

                        6. In Theatre Manager click the Preference button at the top of the window (the yellow cog). Select the Ticket Printers tab. The IP displayed will most likely be the internal IP address of the Ticket Printer.
                        7. Change the IP address of the ticket printer to the address set in step 2 above.
                        8. Test print a ticket.

                        When the ticket printer returns to the office the machine that was accessed remotely using TeamViewer will reset the IP address to what it was previously before step 2. Log back into Theatre Manager and click the Preference button. Select the Ticket Printers tab and change the IP address back to the address within the local network. Each time the ticket printer is taken offsite you will need to reset the IP address of the ticket printer and set the user preferences in Theatre Manager.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Transferring Tickets

                        If a mistake was made, tickets can be transferred to the correct patron at the reserve seats window or after the tickets have been sold.

                        During the Order transfer process, all items in that order (tickets, donations, fees, resources, inventory, etc) are transferred to the selected patron.

                        Transfer Tickets after they have been Sold

                        1. Find the incorrect patron which the ticket were sold to.

                          Click here to learn how to find patrons.

                        2. Click the Order tab.

                          This displays all the orders that have been made under the patron's number.

                        3. Select the order to be transferred.

                          If the order is not shown select the Include Closed Orders field.

                        4. Click the Transfer button.

                          The Transfer Order Window opens.

                          From this window there are the following options:

                          • Search for a Patron from the Patron window. Click here for information.
                          • Search for a Patron by Member Card #.
                          • Search for a Patron by Control #.
                          • Reverting back to the QuickBuy Patron by using the Quick Buy Patron button will use the Quick Buy Patron the user has setup.
                        5. Once the patron or member card is entered their information will be displayed in the window.

                        6. Verify the information and click the Transfer button.

                          A confirmation window opens.

                        7. Click Transfer to transfer the order.

                          Theatre Manager will move the order and all payment associated with it to the specified patron.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Transfer Tickets in the Middle of an Order

                        1. Select the seats the patron would like to purchase.
                        2. Click the Transfer button.

                          The Transfer Order Window opens.

                          From this window, you can choose the following options:

                          • Search for a Patron from the Patron window. Click here for information.
                          • Search for a Patron by Member Card #.
                          • Search for a Patron by Control #.
                          • Reverting back to the QuickBuy Patron by using the Quick Buy Patron button will use the Quick Buy patron the user has setup - but only if the sales mode is NOT currently quickbuy.
                        3. Once the patron or member card is entered their information is displayed in the window.

                        4. Verify the information and click the Transfer button.

                          A confirmation window opens.

                        5. Click Transfer to transfer the order.
                        6. Click the Payment button to receive payment for the ticket(s).

                          Click here to learn how to accept payments.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Ticket Detail

                        The tickets a patron has purchased are displayed using the Tickets Tab in the Patron Account. Refer to the appropriate links for more in depth descriptions.

                        To display tickets, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Select the Tickets Tab in the Patron record.

                          Theatre Manager will display a summary of all the non-archived tickets which fall under the parameters set using the two pulldown menus on the bottom left of the tab.

                        2. To view detailed information on a ticket:

                        3. Double click on a line of ticket information

                          The ticket detail window opens and displays detailed ticket information. There are four tabs within the Ticket Detail Window. Depending on the type of ticket these tabs may or may not be available to view.

                          • The top portion of the window displays the event name; event code including series code, date and time; theatre name; and seat location. For traveling troupe shows, the location of the event is displayed.
                          • The bottom portion of the window displays pricing and payment information. Quantity is the number of people the ticket will admit. Theatre Manager can create festival seating tickets as group tickets -- one ticket could admit 10 people. A reserved seat ticket, which references a specific seat location, is always created with a quantity of one.
                          • The ticket cost information displays the price of the ticket, markups, discounts, and taxes. Markups and discounts are applied by selecting the applicable Sales Promotion, which is also displayed "Sold by" is the Employee who entered the order. The order number, a reference number for tracking payment information, is displayed.
                          • Other information displayed includes the ticket number, a unique number created by Theatre Manager for each ticket; the date and time the ticket was purchased; the date the ticket was posted to the general ledger; the date the ticket was printed; and the initials of the employee who printed the ticket. The number of times a ticket was printed is displayed. If a patron looses a ticket you may have to reprint a ticket.
                          • Security controls exist to prevent misuse of ticket reprinting.

                          Patron Detail
                          • The top portion of the window displays the Special Needs assigned to this patron, as well as the phone numbers, and primary address.
                          • Spousal information - email address and work numbers are displayed.
                          • Any Patron Notes are also displayed.
                          • If this patron or the spouse have email addresses, the will allow you to send an email to the corresponding address.

                          Order Detail
                          • The top portion of the window displays the order number, order date and final payment date.
                          • The remaining portion of the window displays pricing and payment information.
                          • The ticket handling information displays the handling option that has been set for this ticket - Hold for Pickup/Taken, Mail to Patron, Hold for WillCall, or Hold @ Door for Coupon.
                          • Any Order Notes are also included.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Ticket Numbers

                        The Ticket Number is generated by Theatre Manager and can be used for tracking purposes. Most commonly the ticket number is either scanned or typed into Theatre Manager to track attendance.

                        A ticket number cannot be changed within the database. They are sequential and thus cannot be reused or reset to start from a previously used number. Each number is assigned sequentially based on the last ticket number issued in the database, whether it be a Festival Seating (General Admission) or Reserved Seating performance.

                        When a Reserved Seating performance is created, each seat within the map is assigned a ticket number. The number belongs to a single seat within the performance for the event. When the ticket is sold this number prints on the ticket face and is used to create the bar code. When a ticket is refunded or exchanged, that ticket number continues to belong to the seat and that same ticket number will continue to be used even if that ticket is re-sold to another patron.

                        For access control purposes it is recommended that when a Reserved Seating ticket is refunded or exchanged, the original ticket should either:

                        • Be collected by the issuing organization, or
                        • The organization receive verification the ticket was destroyed.
                          • This will help to ensure control over the ticket number.

                            Festival Seating tickets do not have assigned seats. Therefore they respond differently. The ticket number is not assigned until the ticket is booked. When the ticket is booked, Theatre Manager will assign the next available ticket number in the database taking into account that some ticket numbers may belong to unsold Reserved Seats in other events. When a Festival Seating ticket is refunded or exchanged within the Theatre Manager database, the ticket number is not issued again. If a new Festival Seating ticket is purchased during an exchange it will have a new, unique ticket number.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Different Modes of Selling Tickets

                        There are different methods of selling tickets that can be used within Theatre Manager.

                        Patron Ticket Sales

                        This page is under construction.

                        Before Event Sales

                        Before Event Sales is designed to reserve and print tickets quickly for patrons who purchase tickets prior to a performance. All tickets sold using this method are sold to the same patron and can be sold within the same order or given separate orders.

                        Preparation

                        Before Event Sales can be sold for reserved and festival seating performances. To begin insert a new patron to be used as the default patron for the event. The patron's name could reflect the play the tickets are being sold to.

                        It is recommended that each employee has their own individual Before Event Sales Patron. This can be defined in the Employee Preferences. Click here for more information.

                        Enter the last name as the event code (e.g. 01-02) and the first name as 'Before Event Sales'. When multiple terminals are used to conduct Before Event Sales at the same time it is recommended that a separate patron account be set up for each terminal. In the case of multiple terminals, enter the last name as the play code (e.g. 01-02) and the first name as 'Before Event Sales 2'.

                        1. Open the Before Event Sales Patron Window.

                        2. Enter or Confirm the Before Event Sales patron number.

                          If this is a Pay What You Can performance please refer to the help page here for more information.

                        3. Click the Sell button.
                        4. Select the performance(s) that you will be selling tickets to.

                          Do this by single clicking on the performance. If the performance is not listed search for it using the search fields.

                          Click here to learn how to search for Performances. Click here for a detailed description of this window and its functions.

                        5. Click the Seat Selection tab.
                        6. Reserve the tickets.

                          Click here to refer to the section Festival Seat Sales.

                          Click here for more information on Reserve Seat Sales.

                        7. Click the Payments button in the left column.

                        8. Enter in the payment information.

                          Click here for more information on creating a payment.

                        9. Click the Print Tickets button.

                          Clicking this button accepts the payment, prints the tickets and returns you to the Ticket Sales Window to make more ticket sales.

                        10. Repeat steps 6 - 8 until finished with the current Before Event Sales Buy List.
                        11. Close the window.
                        Diataxis: 

                        Pay What You Can Sales

                        Pay-What-You-Can Ticket (PWYC)

                        Philosophy

                        Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) is intended to allow the sale of tickets to any performance of any event and collect from the patron any amount that they can offer toward the cost of those tickets. For example: If they only have $10 and the admission price is $15 the ticket can be sold a "pay what you can ticket". Ultimately this method of sale allows patrons from any economic status to attend your events and for those patrons who may not attend because of ticket price this becomes an offering of an affordable option.

                        Typically, Pay-What-You-Can tickets are for predetermined nights and sold only at the door the night of the performance. The tickets are sold as before event sales tickets to a house patron account. As these are rush tickets, a patron name and marketing information is usually not entered into Theatre Manager. You will need to set a performance as enabled for pay what you can.

                        This feature of Theatre Manger is accessed through the Before Event Sales routine. During this process any ticket sold may be sold at the regular admission price or by simply editing the amount of payment on the payment window. The ticket price is then converted and averaged over the number of tickets based on that payment amount entered. It is intended as an offering of any remaining seats just prior to performance time; RUSH seating. Although the intention for PWYC is for rush seating just prior to the event, there are options described below that will allow your organization to have reservations for the PWYC performance and just process the offering the patron provides for the tickets on the night of the performance.

                        The benefit of the PWYC feature is you are able to maintain the capability to capture attendance and sales values. The set-up and use of PWYC is described below:

                        Option #1 Pros Cons
                        Option one would be to use Theatre Manager's Before Event Sales Routine and selecting the Pay What You Can option during that set-up. Tickets are sold at time of request - RUSH at the door! Setting this up is detailed in the Preparation section below.

                        NOTE: the performance must be set up to accept PWYC in the performance detail, otherwise you cannot use PWYC for a performance.

                        • Accurate account of total attendance and total revenue.
                        • Sales capture immediately in the moment.
                        • Only valid sales recorded in Theatre Manager.
                        • No unnecessary use of ticket stock.
                        • No reconciliation after the fact.
                        • Patron's lose their animosity for the amount of their ticket offering.
                        Options #2 Pros Cons
                        Manually accept PWYC money in a discrete collection box and take a manual head count as patrons pass through the gate/wicket. After the performance has started, then sell a matching number of tickets to the number of patrons who passed through the gate/wicket and enter the entire amount as one large payment. Theatre Manager will then allocate an average price to each and every admission ticket to the generic PYWC House account.
                        • Quickly seats the house.
                        • Accurate account of total revenue.
                        • No tickets required - saves ticket stock.
                        • Quick data entry into Theatre Manager.
                        • May not get a complete accurate account of attendance.
                        • Inaccurate actual sales value for each individual ticket, as all tickets will have the same average price.
                        Options #3 Pros Cons

                        This is similar to option #2, except in this case you are preprinting tickets ($0.00 value) for patrons to give them as they enter into the performance.

                        1. Sell any remaining seats prior to show time at zero dollar value to the generic PWYC house account.
                        2. Print off the tickets. This can work for either Festival or Reserved seating styles.
                        3. Distribute tickets as requested and collect PWYC.
                        4. Refund all tickets sold to the house account. Re-sell only the sold ticket using the PWYC sales method in the Before Event Sales routine. Alternately, you could refund only the unsold tickets plus one extra - then resale one ticket and allocate the total amount collected from all patrons towards this one ticket.
                        • Patron receives ticket for reserved seating.
                        • Patron treated as regular admission patron.
                        • Accurate account of total attendance and total revenue.
                        • Reconciliation after the fact is required.
                        • Unnecessary ticket stock consumption.
                        • Greater degree of employee error through data entry/re-entry.
                        • Inaccurate actual sales value for each individual ticket, as all tickets will have the same average price.
                        Option #4 Pros Cons

                        Providing the option of taking reservations for the PWYC performance. This option allows the pre-sales of PWYC and capturing of patron information, attendance, and revenue values for an event - in advance of the performance.

                        Begin by setting up a series of sales promotion for PWYC. Refer to the Sales Promotion Set-up for more information. Flag the sales promotion as "Coupon Required" for added controls on batch printing of tickets.

                        Example of Sales Promotion:

                        • PWYC - Reservation: 100% discount
                        • PWYC - $1.00: 100% discount, $1.00 Mark-up
                        • PWYC - $2.00: 100% discount, $2.00 Mark-up
                        • PWYC - $3.00: 100% discount, $3.00 Mark-up
                        • And so on for as many dollar combinations that may be required.

                        Enable the sale promotions specific to the performance of the event for PWYC. This way, these sale promotions will not be inadvertently used on sales to other non-PWYC performances.

                        Capture the patron information and record the sale as a PYWC using the "PWYC-Reservation" sales promotion. This reserves the patron a ticket for the performance at a $0.00 value. Why record the reservation at $0.00? Because, even if the patron indicates the value of offering they will provide, still record the value as a $0.00 for two reasons:

                        1. If the patron does not attend the performance, it will be much easier to refund the "PWYC-Reservation" tickets on mass.
                        2. When patron does claim their ticket(s) they may pay more or even less that the previously stated value and it will require additional procedures to amend the ticket price.

                        When the patron is present to claim the ticket, edit the ticket value by using Quick Exchange to change the sales promotion to one of the PWYC dollar amount (PWYC-$1.00, or PWYC-$2.00, or PWYC-$3.00, etc) depending on how much the patron chooses to pay on average for each ticket. This will adjust the ticket price and record the correct revenue amount for the sale. For example, if the patron purchases 2 tickets and offers $10.00, then during the Quick Exchange process each ticket would get a "PWYC-$5.00" sales promotion. Adding both tickets together would be the sum of the total offering.

                        • Accurate account of attendance and revenue.
                        • Sales captured immediately in the moment.
                        • Only valid sales recorded in Theatre Manager.
                        • No unnecessary use of ticket stock.
                        • Limited reconciliation after the fact by refunding unclaimed tickets.
                        • Allows for the provision of reservations for a typical performance that is handled on an at door ticket sales basis.
                        • Unable to resell unclaimed tickets until the unclaimed tickets have been refunded.
                        • Requires two workstations for proper before event sales and will-call sales management.
                        • Greater degree of employee error through data entry/re-entry.
                        • Patron's lose their animosity for the amount of their ticket offering.
                        • May require numerous sales promotions to handle all the different amounts that patrons may offer for the payment of their ticket.

                        Preparation

                        Before Event Sales can be sold for reserved and festival seating performances. To begin insert a new patron to be used as the default patron for the event. The patron's name could reflect the play the tickets are being sold to.

                        It is recommended that each play requiring Before Event Sales have its own Before Event Sales patron account. This will prevent any one patron account from becoming too large. As well it is recommended that each employee has their own individual Before Event Sales Patron. This can be defined in the Employee Preferences. Click here for more information.

                        Enter the last name as the event code (e.g. 01-02) and the first name as 'Before Event Sales'. When multiple terminals are used to conduct Before Event Sales at the same time it is recommended that a separate patron account be set up for each terminal. In the case of multiple terminals, enter the last name as the play code (e.g. 01-02) and the first name as 'Before Event Sales 2'.

                        To improve performance in selling tickets using Before Event Sales, close all open windows prior to starting the process.
                        1. Open the Before Event Sales Patron Window.

                        2. Confirm the Before Event Sales patron number.

                           

                        3. Select Pay What You Can

                        4. Click the Sell button.
                        5. Select the performance(s) that tickets are being sold to.

                          Do this by single clicking on the performance. If the performance is not listed search for it using the search fields.

                          Click here to learn how to search for Performances.

                          Click here for a detailed description of this window and it's functions.

                        6. Click the Seat Selection tab.
                        7. Reserve the tickets.

                          Click here for more information on Festival Seat Sales. Click here for more information on Reserve Seat Sales.

                        8. Click the Payments button in the left column.

                          The Payment Window will open.

                        9. Change the payment amount to what the customer wishes to pay.

                          Click here for more information on accepting payments.

                          The payment amount for all tickets was $42.80 which has been changed in the above picture to $40.00. The amount entered here will be used to calculate the price of the tickets. i.e. 4 tickets will be $9.43 + tax(6%) = $40.00

                          Using this sales method creates no Accounts Receivable and you will provide no change to the patron.

                        10. Click the Print Tickets button.

                          Theatre Manager will recalculate the ticket prices and print the tickets.

                          The ticket prices are calculated by taking the total price they were sold for subtracting order fees and taxes and using the remaining amount as the ticket price. The difference between the original and final prices is recorded as a discount. As you can see in this window the original ticket price was $42.80 and since the patron only paid $40.00 Theatre Manager takes that as the total order amount (i.e. plus tax and order fees). The individual ticket prices are then calculated and in total the discount was $2.60.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Quick Buy Ticket Sales

                        Quick Buy - Reserved or Festival Seating

                        Quick Buy is designed to reserve tickets quickly for patrons prior to getting the patron's name and information. All tickets sold using this method are sold to the same patron, creating a new order for each group of tickets. After reserving tickets using the Quick Buy method, the ticket orders are transferred to the actual patron's account who purchased the tickets. Quick Buy can be done for reserved and festival seating performances.

                        Preparation

                        Insert a new patron to be used as the Quick Buy patron for the sales. The patron's name could reflect the fact that it is the Quick Buy Patron. Enter the last name as the last two digits for the current year (e.g. 98-) and the first name as 'Quick Buy'. When multiple terminals are used to conduct Quick Buy Sales at the same time, a separate patron account could be set up for each terminal. In the case of multiple terminals, enter the last name as the last two digits for the current year (e.g. 98-) and the first name as 'Quick Buy 2'.

                        It is recommended that each Theatre Manager user have their own Quick Buy patron account. This will prevent any one patron account from becoming too large. This can be defined in the Employee Preferences. Click here for more information.
                        1. Access Quick Buy in the Patron Sales menu.

                        2. Create the Buy List of performance(s) that the user will be selling tickets to.

                          The Quick Buy patron account is the default patron account to which all the tickets sold to the performance will be assigned to. Click here for more information on Employee Preferences and defining the default patron account to be used when performing Quick Buy Sales.

                        3. Click the Seat Selection tab.
                        4. Reserve tickets as would be done with a real patron's account.

                          Click here for more information on Festival Seat Sales. Click here for more information on Reserve Seat Sales.

                        5. Click the Transfer button.

                        From this window there are the following options:

                        • Add a new Patron. Click here for information.
                        • Search for a Patron by Name. Click here for information.
                        • Search for a Patron by Member Card #. Click here for information.
                        • Reverting back to the QuickBuy Patron by using the Quick Buy Patron button will use the Quick Buy Patron the user has setup.
                        1. Once the patron or member card is entered their information will be displayed in the window.

                        2. Verify the information and click the Transfer button.

                          A confirmation window will appear.

                        3. Click Yes to transfer the order.
                        4. Click the Payment button to receive payment for the ticket(s).

                          Click here to learn how to accept payments.

                        Diataxis: 

                        Ticket Trove

                        Apple deprecated 32 bit apps on iOS 11 (released Sep 2017). This affects ticket trove - and because of of the design, it could not be made 64 bit. We are evaluating a different design and purpose for the future.

                        What is Ticket Trove and how will TicketTrove do its magic?

                        TicketTrove is designed to be a matchmaking tool. It is intended to provide a list of events that are available for sale in a geographical area so patrons can find them -- based on current location, visiting location, or travel destination. If an organization does not currently have anything for sale online, its becomes a means of helping to identify organizations and where they are located.

                        Arts Management Systems has built an application on our servers to periodically (every few hours) ask an organizations web listeners what is available for sale. Event details are populated directly from the organizations web listener. The company name, address, phone number and web site are all pulled from the Arts Management Systems database. If the information appears incorrectly please contact Diane at sales @ artsman.com. It effectively reads data displayed on an organizations online ticketing web site. This data is aggregated into location files such as one for Calgary, one for Schenectady, one for Regina, one for Toronto, one for San Diego, etc. plus the surrounding area for 75km/50 miles.

                        This data is presented in an application format. When the patron hits the buy button, they will 'leave' the TicketTrove application and go to the selected clients online ticketing web site. This means all commerce occurs through the organizations web listeners and all sales are branded by the organization. There is no involvement from TicketTrove beyond displaying the events in the application and helping point people at an organizations web site.

                        We think this will help patrons meet your organization in a new way.

                        How much does TicketTrove cost?

                        Free is free. Really, it is free. There is no cost to an organization, no cost to a potential patron. Its a feature of Theatre Manager. All an organization needs to do is manage the data.

                        Using TicketTrove

                        TicketTrove - Arts Management Systems Ltd.

                        TicketTrove is a free application for both the iphone and the ipad that anybody can use to help find events that are available for sale in your area.

                        This great tool is intended to provide you with a list of events that are for sales within a geographical area -- based on your current location, a visiting location or travel destination.

                        Use the link on the right to visit the iTunes Store to download the TicketTrove app.

                        When TicketTrove is used for the first time, the first screen which shows is the Event List. This screen shows all the local events that are available and the list is generated based on venues using Theatre Manager within a certain radius from the current location (both the location and the radius are determined in the Settings tab by the patron). The event list will contain all performances currently available for sale online or with a future on-sales date. Here are a couple of examples of Event Lists on the iPhone app:

                        Here is an example of the Event List on the iPad:

                        When a patron selects a performance, they are taken to a new screen which will provide them with information on where the venue is, a description of the venue, a description of the event, and the ability to phone the venue and also a link to buy tickets. Here are some sample screen shots of each of these:

                        When a patron hits the "Buy Tickets" button, they will 'leave' the TicketTrove application and go to the selected client's online ticketing website. This means that all commerce occurs through the organization's web listeners and all sales are branded by the organization. There is no involvement from TicketTrove beyond displaying the events in the application and helping point people to an organization's website. Example (both iPhone and iPad):

                        When patrons leave the Events screen and go to the Venues screen, clients that use Theatre Manager are shown differently than those venues that do not. Our clients have the option of adding a Company Image jpeg. Typically, this would be a company logo. This image can also be used for all events if preferred, or you can add images for each event as shown above. Companies that use Theatre Manager also show a ticket beside the venue name. Here are a couple of examples on the iPhone:

                        Here is an example of the iPad screen:

                        The venues which show a blue ticket are "featured" venues with events currently showing in TicketTrove, and those which show a purple ticket are "featured" venues with no events currently showing in TicketTrove.

                        Ticket Trove Pages

                        Below are a list of images from the TicketTrove application.

                         

                        The initial page when opening the TicketTrove application for the first time is the Event List. This list is generated based on venues using Theatre Manager within a 75 kilometer or 40 mile radius from the current location. The option to view kilometers verses miles can be altered in the Settings area of the application. The list will contain all performances currently available for sale online or with a future onsale date. Performances are listed first by date then by genre.

                         

                        There are three types of images that may appear next to a performance title. The first is the event image. For more information on adding an event image click here. If the event does not have an image associated with it TicketTrove will pull the company image. For details on adding a company image click here. When there is not an event or company image present in Theatre Manager TicketTrove will present the default image as seen above next to the Sound of Music performance.

                        The title of the performance and the performance time are pulled directly from Theatre Manager. Only those performances indicated as available for sale via the web will appear in the list. Performances with future online sales dates appear in the list indicating the date they are available for purchase.

                         

                        The name of the venue is pulled from the Arts Management Systems database. If this information appears incorrectly please contact the support team for assistance at support @ artsman.com

                        The distance listed is based on the current location of the device used to view TicketTrove. The App will present the distance from the current location to the venue for the performance. The location of the venue is based on the address listed for the venue map within Theatre Manager. For more information on setting the address within the venue map click here. The distance can be listed in kilometers or miles depending on the users preference. This option can be altered under the Settings option in TicketTrove.

                        Downloading TicketTrove

                        It's Here!

                        Ticket Trove - Arts Management Systems Ltd.

                        You can provide access to ticket trove on your web site by including a link like the one above (it is part of the standard web pages). You can download the web pages and make the changes to tmTickets.html at any time.

                        Setup for TicketTrove

                        In preparation for TicketTrove there are certain area's of Theatre Manager that should be updated. All changes should be made directly within the Theatre Manager database. These recommendations will help an organization stand out within the application and are available in version 9.08 of Theatre Manager and higher.

                        The key area's to update are Company Preferences, Events, Performances and Venue Maps.

                        In each of the above areas, there is an image that can be used to display on the iPhone/iPad. The order of preference is as follows:

                        • If there is a graphic in the event, it will display for all performances of the event. Example: a graphic for Lion King will only appear on Lion King events.
                        • If a graphic has not been added to an event, TicketTrove will use the graphic assigned to the theatre map instead. Example: if there is a graphic for the 'Pacficic Theatre' venue, it will be used for all 'Pacific Theatre' performances where the events do not have unique graphic's of their own.
                        • If there isn't a venue or event graphics, then the graphic displayed will be the graphic in company preferences. At the minimum, a company logo should be placed in the Company Preferences window within Theatre Manager. This will ensure that if there isn't an event or venue graphic, the company logo will be displayed. It will also mean if there are currently no event available for sale online the company will be uniquely branded in Ticket Trove.

                        Company Preferences

                        The changes below to company preferences are optional. However it's strongly suggested the address details for the organization be altered to accurately reflect the physical address. TicketTrove will present this information using Goolge Maps.

                         

                        Editing the Company Address

                        The company name, address, phone number and web site are all pulled from the Arts Management Systems database. If the information appears incorrectly please contact Diane at sales @ artsman.com

                        Examples of where the Address information appears in TicketTrove are seen below. The Distance references based on the devices geographical distance from the companies address.

                         

                        Adding a Company Image

                        Add a 200 pixel width by 250 pixel hight jpeg for the company. Typically this would be a company logo. If only this picture is placed, and no other changes made, TicketTrove will use this for all events and venues. It is optional to add event and venue icons for branding if desired.

                        1. Go to Setup >> Company Preferences.
                        2. Select the Reports/Misc tab.
                        3. Right click on the Company Icon for Web field.
                        4. Select Paste From File.
                        5. Choose the desired image. The image should be a 250h X 200w jpeg.

                        Below are examples of where the company image can be seen in TicketTrove.

                         

                        Adding a Company Description

                        Add a description of up to 4096 character highlighting the organization. This may be a mission statement, purpose, philosophy, marketing statement, or text chosen to represent the organization. Patrons will review this information to help decide if the organization provides their desired form of entertainment.

                        1. Go to Setup >> Company Preferences.
                        2. Select the Reports/Misc tab.
                        3. Add text to the Company Overview for Web text box.

                        Below are examples of where the company description is seen in TicketTrove.

                        Event Setup

                        Update Event Title

                        Review the event title under the events tab for accuracy.

                        • Click the Events button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.
                        • Search for the desired Event.
                        • Double click on the desired Event.
                        • Alter the Event Title to reflect the title to be viewed by patrons online.

                        Below are examples of where the event title appears within TicketTrove.

                         

                        Adding an Image to an Event

                        Add a 200 pixel width by 250 pixel hight jpeg that represents the event. For example, Lion King, Odd Couple, the opposing team for a hockey playoff, all have different show posters or icons. It may be decided a generic icon is to be used for all events selling online that are rentals. If an icon is not added to an event, the default 'company logo' icon will be displayed.

                        • Click the Events button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.
                        • Search for the desired Event.
                        • Double click on the desired Event.
                        • Select the Marketing tab.
                        • Right click on the Play Icon for Web/iPhone App field.
                        • Choose the desired image. The image should be a 250h X 200w jpeg.
                        • Click the Put button at the top of the window. It looks like a globe with a green arrow over it.

                        Below are examples of the event image within TicketTrove.

                         

                        Adding a Description to an Event

                        Add a description of the Event to the external sales notes. Most times, simply copying and pasting the description from a season brochure and update it with any extra information as it becomes available will suffice.
                        - Dates are not required in this field as TicketTrove displays a list of dates to the patron.
                        - If desired HTML tags can be used in this text field to emphasize. e.g. <b>text</b> or <img href="xxxx"> to refer to images. Keep in mind the test it will be displayed on an iPhone screen.

                        • Click the Events button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.
                        • Search for the desired Event.
                        • Double click on the desired Event.
                        • Select the Marketing tab.
                        • Enter the event description in the External Sales Notes field.

                        Below are examples of where the event description appears within TicketTrove.

                        Performance Setup

                        Making Performances Available to View in Ticket Trove

                        Any performance that is not marked 'for sale on the internet' will not show in Ticket Trove. If the performance can't be purchased from the ticketing web site then it shouldn't be available elsewhere. There is one exception to the rule. A performance can be marked available for sale on the internet with a FUTURE onsale date. TicketTrove will display the performance in list but tickets cannot be sold to the performance. This allows the performance to be visible, but patrons will need to contact the box office to get advance tickets to the event. That is, until, the onsale date for the performance arrives. Patrons can then buy directly from the ticketing web site.

                        • Click the Event button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.
                        • Search for the desired Event.
                        • Double click on the desired Event.
                        • Select the Performance tab.
                        • Double click on the desired performance.
                        • Click the Sales Management tab at the top of the window.
                        • Check the Via The Internet box.
                        • Enter date in the Future Onsale Date box if applicable.

                        Below are examples how events available for sale online will appear in TicketTrove. The second image includes events with future onsale dates.

                         

                        Venue Setup

                        Editing the Venue Name

                        Please review the EXTERNAL name of the venue to ensure it will be clear for patrons. The full venue name is recommended without additional descriptor words. e.g. use 'Venue Name' instead of 'Venue Name - for live concerts'.

                        • Click the Map button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.
                        • Search for the desired Venue Map.
                        • Double click on the desired Venue Map.
                        • Alter the External Venue Name to reflect the full venue name as it should appear in the online sales and TicketTrove.

                         

                        Editing the Venue Address

                        Verify the address lines contain the proper street, city, state/province (2 character code), zip and country. Please leave venue names out of the address lines as Google searches for address information directly.

                        • Click the Map button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.
                        • Search for the desired Venue Map.
                        • Double click on the desired Venue Map.
                        • Alter the Address, City, Province/State, Country and Postal Code/Zip Code accordingly.

                        The image below displays where the venue address appears within TicketTrove. Tapping the arrow to the right of the address will display a Google Map of the venue location and the current location. Ensure the address is the physical address of the venue to prevent Google Maps from displaying incorrect information.

                         

                        Adding a Venue Image

                        Add a 200 pixel width by 250 pixel hight jpeg that represents the branding for the venue. This only need to be done if different icons for the venues versus the company are desired. Putting nothing in the venue image field means TicketTrove will use the company icon for all venues.

                        • Click the Map button at the top of the window in Theatre Manager.
                        • Search for the desired Venue Map.
                        • Double click on the desired Venue Map.
                        • Right click on the Theatre Icon for Web field.
                        • Select Paste From File.
                        • Choose the desired image. The image should be a 250h X 200w jpeg.
                        • Click the Upload button next to the image field. It looks like a globe with a green arrow over it.

                         

                        Web Sales Management

                        The internet sales module has a number of key features to enable a patron to buy from you. You don't need to spend time allocating tickets to another web ticket provider - and, as with all Theatre Manager modules - you control the final cost of all tickets, retain any fees you may wish to add for using the internet, and get the money immediately. Or, as many Theatre Manager users have expressed to us, keep the prices and fees low to facilitate a patron's use of the Internet.

                        Features and Benefits

                        The internet sales module has a number of key features to enable a patron to buy from you. You don't need to spend time allocating tickets to another web ticket provider - and, as with all Theatre Manager modules - you control the final cost of all tickets, retain any fees you may wish to add for using the internet, and get the money immediately. Or, as many Theatre Manager users have expressed to us, keep the prices and fees low to facilitate a patron's use of the Internet.

                        What can a patron do with the web sales module:

                        • Existing patrons can maintain their name and address information online
                        • New patrons can add their name and address to the database
                        • Logon via email address and password
                        • Both main patron and spouse can login separately and do their own purchases
                        • Patrons can purchase tickets, passes, gift certificates, make donationsand purchase anything that you currently sell using theatre manager
                        • Items that a patron purchased are added to a shopping cart and tickets are held on the venue for as long as you like (we recommend 10 or 15 minutes). If the patron has been inactive for that time period or fails to complete the sale, the tickets are automatically released for somebody else to purchase. The box office will see these tickets as 'holds' in their seating maps
                        • Purchasing tickets will use the 'best seat' feature. As with Theatre Manager, the web module will never leave a single seat - so you won't waste seat inventory to ensure that more customers can be seated without leaving empty seats.
                        • You decide which events, donations, passes, etc. are available for sale and the patron will only see those you've selected. Payments are made via credit card and appear in the end-of-day wizard. You do not need to do any additional processing when a sale is made over the Internet
                        • Patrons can elect to add themselves to selected mail lists. This feature is intended for a few mail lists that you wish the patron to have access to. For example, a patron could sign up for 'send me audition notices' or 'advise me of my performance dates' - those kinds of things.
                        • The internet sales module comes with fully customizable web pages. You can change the look and feel of any web page and integrate it into your existing web site. All you need is an HTML editor (such as Dreamweaver or any number of other page editors).

                        To try out the Web Module, please check our Test Drive the Demo page for additional information on the technology, performance, security, how to get the Internet modules, etc.

                        Online Calendars

                        The online Calendar allows you to see Performances, past and present, that you may wish to purchase tickets for, have purchased tickets for our are participating in.

                        The Upcoming Event Calendar can be accessed through a direct link. It can also be added to the main marketing site using iFrames. The My Upcoming Events Calendar allows a quick view of Performances the patron has purchased tickets to. The My Upcoming Activities Calendar displays upcoming activities the patron is scheduled to participate in.

                        My Upcoming Activities Calendar

                        My Upcoming Events Calendar

                        Upcoming Events Calendar

                        Shopping Carts

                        Choose Patron Sales menu item>>Web Sales >>Shopping Carts.

                        You can access the shopping carts created by the web listeners in one of three ways.
                        • The toolbar - to search for and see all the carts for a specific time range or status
                        • The patron window - to view all carts for a specific patron on the shopping cart tab
                        • by using 'Patron Sales ->Web Sales -> Shopping Carts
                        Once you find a specific cart, you can view the contents of them, as well as the web logs associated with that cart. If a cart
                        • is still active and the patron calls for assistance, you can also help them check their cart out manually and take over the sale for them.
                        • is completed but there have been some tickets left on hold for some reason, you can also use the detail window to move those held tickets into the patrons record. Carts that are eligible for this are those that are completed, yet have an order balance as per line 1 of the example below.

                        Manage Current Internet Holds

                        The Tickets Held in a Shopping Cart window will list all tickets currently being held by the web listener. It can be accessed by going to Patron Sales >> Web Sales >> Manage Current Internet Holds.

                        The window lists the status of the cart, the patron's information and the performance details. To refresh the list click the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the window.

                        The Status column will indicate if the cart is Active or Expired.

                        • Tickets in an active cart can never be released - ever. Thats because the patron has them in their shopping cart and, essentially, that would stealing from them. You can, however:
                          • help the patron manually check out the shopping cart if they have logged in. You cannot do anything to anonymous shopping carts except let them expire -OR-
                          • you can force the cart closed so that the tickets will release when the hold expires
                        • Expired carts rarely contain held tickets. If they do:
                          • check the status of the ticket in a cart - if there was an issue checking the cart out, TM will hold the ticket for up to 96 hours so that you can manage this rare situation. You may need to add that ticket to the patrons cart, or use the Force Carts Closed button to manually release them.
                          • In the rare event that a ticket is stuck as held long after the cart has expired, please see the steps below the image for details on released expired holds.

                        Forcing Carts Closed

                        If you chose not to manually check out the shopping cart for the patron, and the cart is active, you can force it closed. That means tickets will release in short order.

                        Forcing Carts Closed

                        If carts are old and have any 'partially checked out' status error, or you simply want to force them closed, you can do so by:
                        • Opening the list of shopping carts and searching for the status codes of the ones you want to clean up
                        • Investigating why they are not complete, if necessary, and fulfilling ticket orders
                        • Selecting the carts
                        • Picking 'Force Carts Closed' in the menu
                        • You will see the image below. Selecting 'Force Close' will change the cart status to cart closed-operator forced it closed. Once carts are properly closed, the patron can be merged with other patrons.

                        Shopping Cart Detail

                        The shopping cart detail window shows what was in the patrons shopping cart and allows you do do some specific things for the patron. Each of the tabs is shown in separate sections.

                        On the main window, most of the fields deal with the status of the cart and its value. There are two other fields of particular interest:

                        • Source Tag - which is a convenient way of tying back how people started the shopping cart. This can be used to determine how many people bought from an eblast, or another web site referral -- if the &TMsource=xxx tag is placed on the referring URL.
                        • User Browser - is the complete string indicating the browser version, platform and application that was talking to the server. You can tell if somebody used a mobile phone, ticket trove, safari and/or a mac, PC or linux machine to talk to the web listener. Refer to the Lookup Use Agent button below.

                        The Toolbar works as follows:

                        • Help - Provides help
                        • Delete - allows a cart with no detail to be deleted
                        • Print - print some of the lists from the cart
                        • Customer - if the patron signed in, this will open the patron record for a complete view of the patron. If it is an anonymous cart, you cannot view the patron
                        • Order - if the patron went through the checkout process, then the cart will be tied to an order. The shopping cart window shows what they wanted to buy - clicking on the 'Order' will open up the order and let you change what they actually bought.
                        • Checkout - serves two functions, depending on the state of the cart.
                        • Lookup User Agent - this will
                          • copy the user agent string to the clipboard automatically for you
                          • Open a web site that analyzes what a user string means
                          • paste in the user string
                          • Click 'Analyze' and that will interpret what the user string is for you (you can see a sample in the image below).

                        Web Cart Ticket Tab

                        This window shows the tickets that the patron added to the cart. It also compares the tickets in the cart with those that the patron currently owns. The list will show status messages that are like some of the following:
                        • Ticket purchased successfully - which means the person wanted that ticket and still has it
                        • Hold expires on xxxx and is for patron - which means that the patron wanted the ticket and has it in their cart but has either not checked out yet, or abandoned the cart, or has checked out and there was a processing issue. In any of those cases, the ticket is on hold for the patron for some period of time
                        • Ticket is sold to another patron - means that the ticket in this cart is now owned by somebody else. It could be because the patron abandoned the cart, or the ticket was exchanged at some time in the past
                        • Ticket is not sold to anybody - means that the patron wanted the ticket and some time has passed -- and it is neither held nor sold to anybody. it means it is available should the patron call in and want it.
                        You can use the Checkout to take over a cart and check the patron out.

                        Web Cart Membership/Pass/GC tab

                        This shows any passes, gift certificates or passes that the patron added to their shopping cart.

                        Web Cart Donation Tab

                        This shows any donations that the patron might have made online (or at least added to the shopping cart).

                        Web Cart Resource Tab

                        This shows any resource sales or resource rentals that the patron added to their shopping cart.

                        Web Cart Fee Tab

                        This tab shows any fees that were part of the shopping cart

                        Web Cart Prior Orders

                        This tab shows any prior orders that were added to the cart and paid for by the patron. A prior order is something that they bought earlier and may not have paid for completely (eg they paid a deposit on a school order, or you booked their subscription for them and they did not pay). They chose to pay the balance of that order online and it appears in this list.
                        A payment for prior orders online follows the rules of applying a single payment for multiple orders

                        Example: If the prior order was $10.00, you will see THREE payment transactions as follows:

                        1. Credit Card payment for the cart - will be over paid by $10.00 to the credit Card used online. This is the balance owing on the prior order.
                        2. CASH Credit to the cart - since the cart is overpaid by $10.00, you will see a CASH refund of $10.00 to the cart to bring it into balance
                        3. CASH Debit to the prior order - the credit (above) will result in a second CASH payment applied to the prior order for $10.00

                        Web Cart Order Notes

                        This shows any notes that the patron might have added at the checkout step in the web sales process. It also has notes added by TM if the patron calls in and the box office manually checks out the cart on behalf ogofthe patron to indicate what happened.

                        Web Cart Transactions

                        If the user checked out with the cart, this will contain all transactions relating to the order that the cart is part of for audit purposes.

                        Web Cart Log

                        The log window shows all the activity that the patron did at the web listener - but is restricted to this cart only.

                        By looking at the cart, you can tell:

                        • when they started browsing
                        • which events they looked at
                        • what seats they added to their cart and the sections they were interested in
                        • If they discarded seats
                        • other fees, coupons, donations, etc that they placed in their cart
                        • when they logged in - if they were browsing anonymously)
                        • any issues with checkout such as declined cards
                        • any TM errors such as seats not priced properly
                        • and more

                        If you read this log carefully in the comments on the right side of the list (not shown in picture), you can actually tell which buttons that the patron clicked on their web browser and help them along if you are mentoring them through a sale.

                        As a patron clicks on web pages, you will need to use the 'search' icon on the lower right of list to refresh the current cart log. If the cart is still active and the patron calls you, you can take over the cart and check the cart out out on their behalf.

                        The most common complaint is card rejection. If a patron
                        • checks out successfully, you will see the 6 green messages numbered 1 to 6 as below.
                        • Has issues checking out and there are less than 6 of these messages indicating a successful checkout, then you may wish to review reasons why the card was declined.

                           

                          It is PCI policy to simply reject the card and not provide the exact reason for rejection - since it gives away possible information regarding stolen cards to miscreants.

                        Web Cart Letters

                        The 'letters' tab contains any emails sent as part of the shopping cart experience and they can be viewed by you or resent to the patron by changing the status to 'not done'.

                        Types of letters generated by TM could include:

                        • Forgotten password requests
                        • Patron added confirmations
                        • Patron changed their personal info confirmations
                        • The actual checkout confirmation emailed to the patron

                        Tracking the Online Cart Source

                        Many organizations wish to track how patrons purchasing online were brought to the online sales website. Generally, they are looking for answers to questions like:

                        • Did they click the link from the organization's main website?
                        • Did they follow a link in an email blast?
                        • Did they click a link from a partnering website?
                        Theatre Manager can track this information if the parameter tmsource is added to the URL. The information is a part of the patron's cart and can be used for reporting and tracking purposes.

                         

                        How to use tmsource

                        The tmsource reference can be implemented two ways:

                        1. An internet cookie can be created called 'tmsource'. The text within the cookie can contain up to 100 characters. Using a cookie will prevent the tmsource from appearing in the address bar. The cookie will need to be created by the organizations IT person or web designer.
                        2. The tmsource option can be added to a link that points to an organizations online sales (See below for details).

                        Using tmsource is a character based field and does not require access to or changes within the Theatre Manager database. It does not require changes to the Code Tables within Theatre Manager. Do not put an '&' in the tmsource - as this is the parameter separator on URL's.

                        Note that parameters in a URL are case sensitive.

                        Most keyword parameters are lower case unless they refer to an actual database variable. The documentation attempts to show proper case.

                        Adding tmsource to a Link

                        To create a link containing a source, add &tmsource=XX to any online sales link. Replace XX with the desired text representing the source the patron would have used to access online sales. The value for tmsource can be any value that meets the organization's tracking needs. Some example of possible options are below (prefix them with https://):

                        • tickets.yourvenue.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0&tmsource=MainWebSiteBuyButton
                        • tickets.yourvenue.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0&tmsource=Eblast2014-10-05
                        • tickets.yourvenue.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0&tmsource=TimesUnion
                        • tickets.yourvenue.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0&tmsource=FirstTimeBuyer

                         

                        How tmsource works with Theatre Manager

                        Theatre Manager will accept the FIRST tmsource for the shopping cart sent from the patron's IP address. Meaning if the tmsource is set by the sender/referrer site, it will reference that location. If the patron accesses online sales from a location that does not contain a tmsource reference, the source for the cart will remain blank.

                        If tmsource is not set and the patron uses the back button or a historical cart, it may draw on a prior source value. This could cause a historical cookie to be accessed and create an erroneous source. Chances of that happening are very limited.

                        Cookies created by Theatre Manager last until the checkout process is complete. If a patron accesses online sales using a link with a tmsource and they complete the check out process, then come back for a second purchase, the tmsource cookie will have already been discarded. The second purchase will have no source at all if the patron does not leave the online sales site or does not access the online sales site using the same method as the first sale. This is the intended action as the patron has not accessed the site for a location the organization is tracking.

                         

                        tmsource and Theatre Manager

                        When a source is added to an online cart it can be seen in the Cart Detail window as the Source Tag.

                        When generating any report that has data tied to shopping carts, the tmsource can be found in the Parameters window as Shopping Cart - Header >> Shop Cart Source. You can use that on most ticketing reports.

                      • The criteria search is case sensitive. If using a source that contains multiple cases within one word please use the auto-capitalization override to make the field search option look identical to the Source Tag.


                      • Looking at Source in the Shopping Cart List

                        In the Web Sales Shopping Cart, the tmsource value is located under the Cart Source column.

                        Checkout Cart on Behalf of Patron

                        If a patron calls the box office and asks for assistance with a web sale, the box office has two options -after- the patron has logged in to the web site. The Box office can:
                        • talk the patron through the sales process. If you look up the shopping cart, you can use the Web Log tab to see what the patron is doing -or-
                        • 'take over' the shopping cart on the patrons behalf after instructing them that they will no longer be able to continue.

                        You might need to do this is the patron:
                        To take over a shopping cart for a patron, the following must be true:
                        • Taking over a cart: the patron must have logged in to the web site -and- the cart must still be active -OR-
                        • Completing a checked out cart: there must be items in the cart that have not been checked out yet -and- the balance < 0 for the order -OR-

                        You cannot take over anonymous carts. Tickets in anonymous carts must expire due to cart timeout before they are accessible.

                        Clicking on the 'Checkout' button provides a warning that you are about to take over the shopping cart for the patron and gives a chance to cancel the process. Once you continue with the checkout, the cart is marked complete and the patron will not be able to do anything with it.

                        As per the picture below, if you continue checking the cart out manually, Theatre Manager will

                        • Create an order
                        • Attach it to the shopping cart
                        • Sell all tickets in the cart and attach to the order
                        • Add all applicable fees, donations and anything else in the cart to the order
                        • Stop at the normal payment window so that you can finish the order by asking the patron for a credit card

                        Note: you can also ask the patron if they want any other tickets and purchase them manually as if this were a normal box office order.

                        Complete Cart - Convert Holds to Solds

                        You can complete a patrons shopping cart if, for any reason, the following three conditions are met for a cart:
                        • The cart has been checked out and completed successfully with a payment made to it
                        • There is a balance due to the customer (it looks like an overpayment)
                        • And there is at least one ticket in the cart that is in the status of Hold expires on xxx and is for this patron
                        In the example below, you can see that Bonnie Hamilton has a balance due of -$105.50 (red) and there is one ticket with the status of 'Hold expires ...' (blue) in the lower list. If Theatre Manager detects that it can help this situation, the checkout button on the toolbar indicates how many ticket can be fixed (it says 'Checkout 1 Ticket').

                        Click the 'Checkout x Ticket' button and you will see a dialog that confirms how many tickets Theatre Manager will attempt to convert from a hold status in this cart to a sold ticket for the patron and order number attached to this shopping cart.

                        Theatre Manager makes absolutely sure that it can move the ticket from hold to sold for this patron. If there are no issue during the checkout process, then the balance for the order will go to zero and the ticket will change to sold.

                        This completes the patron cart.

                        Manage Pending/Unsent Emails

                        Theatre Manager sends emails within 15 seconds after a customer causes one to be issued by the web site or from an email blast initiated by staff. This window only shows emails that are waiting to be sent Not Done or where an attempt was made to send them and there is an error

                        If you want to see when emails were sent, refer to this help page for the web listener log

                         

                        Typical Reasons Why Emails May Not Be Sent

                        Sometimes, emails may not get sent and manage email window allows you to review email issues on a daily basis.

                        1. The patron asked for a password reset and did not get it. It is worth checking the web listener logs to make sure they typed their email correctly and/or it is in the database.
                        2. You are using Gmail or Office 365 and are getting rate limited.
                          There gotcha's and limitations to using a free service like Gmail or Office 365 and we recommend against them for this reason. For our cloud clients, we use Mailgun.
                        3. Check your email setup to ensure credentials are correct. It could be one of three places:
                        4. Look at the Manage Email window. You can:
                        5. If customers complain that they didn't get an email, then look at past history of emails/form letters that were queued to send (if you cannot see them in the pending email list, it probably means that:
                          • TM sent them to your SMTP server (you can check your SMTP Server logs) -and-
                          • The emails got lost between you and the patron -or -
                          • The emails went into the patron's junk mail folder -or-
                          • The patron was in a rush and typed an invalid email address or spelt their email address incorrectly. Some mistakes may seem pretty obvious or the patron may confirms a correction. eg, they put in: If this is the case, all you need to do is:
                            • Correct any obvious mistakes in email address in the patron contact card
                            • Double click on the email line and edit the email address to use the new email
                            • TM will mark the email as not done and then send it using the new email address
                            If that does not work and they claim that they cannot get on, you many want to refer to finding patrons who request password resets which will send an email to the patron to redo their password. (If they still don't get an email and the email address is right, they are using something that junks the email)
                        6. your service provider forces you to change passwords every so often
                        7. or some issue with your email service provider such as:
                          • Some server setting preventing relaying, which would show up in the log on a particular email, or
                          • Review some catch-all email troubleshooting procedures if something above isn't helpful.

                         

                        Managing Emails that did not get sent

                        To Manage Pending or Unsent emails, select menu item Patron Sales >> Web Sales >> Manage Pending/Unsent Emails.. Once you have solved the reason emails were not sending, this window allows you to resend any in error, or pause some while you are looking for the issue.

                        The Web Listener keeps track of all emails that originate from Theatre Manager, whether from an eblast or because the customer asked the web listener to send a password request or a completed shopping cart purchase.

                        From the main menu bar, go to Patron Sales>>Web Sales>>Manage Pending/Unsent Emails.

                        This will display a search list of all unsent emails.

                        Search for pending/unsent emails and then double click on one of them to look at the specific error in the email- if any. This will help determine the course of action, which might be one of those below.

                        Option Action
                        Patron Clicking the patron button after selecting an email in the list will open the patron window to whom the email is being sent. You can edit the primary email address and correct it for the future.

                        You should take this action if you can see that the email address was obviously spelled incorrectly. You may want to contact the patron and get the correct spelling of the email address.

                        Contact Card This opens the patrons contact card directly so that you can edit the email address to correct it and/or add one in if it is not there.

                        After correcting an email address for the patron, double click on the unsent email and change the outgoing email address to the one you just entered and the email will reset and then send in a while.

                        Set Status An email has 3 status codes. It can be Not Done, Done, or be in Error. All emails on this window generally are in in the Error or Not Done status as that is what the purpose of this window is.

                        Actions that can be take are:

                        • If you correct the email address (by editing the patron record, as above) or have fixed the reason why the email was not sent, then
                          • select the email
                          • change the status to Not Done
                          • The web listener will automatically try to resend the email in a short while
                        • If you cannot figure out what it causing the email issue, you can
                          • set the status to Done and the email will never be sent
                          • delete the email so that it never exists
                          You may need to contact the customer under such circumstances

                        You should take this action if the error message indicates that there was an issue talking to the SMTP server that has been corrected -OR - after correcting an email address.

                        Preview This allows you to view the contents of the email.
                        Send Will allow you to change wthen the selected emails may be sent. You can elect send them:
                        • now
                        • ins30 minutes
                        • in 1 hour,
                        • in 4 hours,
                        • in 12 hours
                        • or one day later than the existing send date.
                        Mail Pref this will open the mail preference setting of the sender (or company preferences if its a company email) so that you can correct any incorrect password or SMTP settings.
                        Delete This allows you to view the delete the selected emails completely from the system as long as they are not part of a pledge reminder.
                        Print This allows you to print the selected rows and columns to the printer
                        Export Export the selected records in the list

                        Error Log Detail for Unsent Email

                        From the list of pending or unsent emails, you can double click on any of the items in the pending/unsent email list.

                        A detail window will open that looks similar to the one below. On the 'email status' tab, any problems with sending that particular email will be shown. If the status tab is blank, it means one of three things:

                        • the time that the email is scheduled to be sent is not yet upon us.
                        • the email was sent successfully
                        • somebody shut down the web listener for some reason.

                        Note that there an email address drop down. If the patron has more than one email address, you can pick an alternate one to send to; if the issue is with the specific email and not with the email server.

                        Out of interest, this email shows one common error where the SMTP server is not allowed to relay. This can usually be fixed by entering a user id/password in company preferences or fixing the email server to allow outing emails from the second generation listener machine. Please read for other troubleshooting tips for emails.

                        TM Server supports auth login, clear-text, md5-cram and communication over TLS/StartTLS or SMTPS.

                        It does not currently support NTLM authentication in Exchange servers. Please use any of the above and TLS/StartTLS for security at this time.

                        Verify Email Error Log Daily

                        The most common error is 10060 unable to contact server

                        This means your TM Server machines are unable to talk to your mail server. Thats usually the fault of your mail server or network. Please reset all emails to 'Not Done' and see if they will send. If they don't go eventually, contact your IT people or email provider and find out what the problem is on their end.

                        If emails dribble out slowly, it is even more likely to be rate limits at the ISP / Mail Server. Google Mail and Office 365 online accounts are particularly susceptible.

                        Read about Office 365 rate limits - if TM receives limit messages, it will automatically slow down sending emails for you. It may delay password requests etc, so it is better to use a proper mail server.

                        It is entirely possible that emails may not get sent to the user because of their own issue, or perhaps a system setup has changed.. Situations where this could happen include:
                        1. your email server is not working at the current time (reboot it, or call your ISP)
                        2. the email server is working, but you can't contact it (a rare situation - call your ISP)
                        3. the customer typed in a goofy email address like bob@yahho.com (this is spelt wrong, but a patron is apt to do that).
                        4. There is a valid domain for the email address, but the name is wrong. e.g. the patrons name is b smith but they typed bsmth@myemailserver.com or the email address is just plain wrong. (change the email to as best a guess as you have.

                        Under such circumstances, there is nothing that you can do to make the mail get sent without reviewing the error list and fixing the problem. This is similar to sending from your own personal outlook account ... you can get the same errors from outlook and so, by analogy, you would take the same action.

                        How to fix email addresses in Theatre Manager?

                        • Use the menus to go to Patron Sales->Web Sales Module->Pending/Unsent Emails
                        • Search for all pending emails
                        • Look at the 'Error' message column. You can double click on the row to see a full transcript of the interaction between Theatre Manager and your email server. Based on the error message (as per the sample below), you may need to:
                          1. change the patron's email address to correct it. You can pick one from the drop down, or go to the patron and add a new one or edit an existing one. Make sure it is their primary email address, or if the email address in this list is blank, set it as a primary email address.

                            After fixing the patrons email address in the patron record, CHANGE the email address on the individual email and it will be resent using the new address.

                          2. if emails do not send because your outgoing email credentials are wrong, then fix them in company preferences (Step 2 above)
                          3. if you are getting SMTP: 550 Requested..... messages for most emails, see step 2 above
                          4. if you are getting SMTP: 535 Incorrect authentication data yet test emails work, it is probably because you were sending test emails to someone inside the mail server, rather than outside. In that case make sure you email server allows relay from the inside of the network to the world.
                        • After correcting the problem, change the status of all the emails from Error to Not Done using the tools on the window.
                        • Alternately, if you can't figure out why a specific email will not sent, change the status to Done
                        • The web sales listener will pick up all the Not Done messages and try to resend them after a few minutes.
                        it is advised to check this window frequently (daily is recommended).

                        Emails are not being sent by the web listener

                        Sometimes the patron may tell you that they are not receiving e-mails from Theatre Manager -or- you get a notification message in the morning that a number of emails have not been sent.

                        The first place to look is the Manage Pending/Unsent Emails screen to look at the error messages behind the emails that did not get sent. You can look at the error message column, or double click on individual emails to look at the error message tab.

                        The second possibility is that they requested a password reset for an email that does not exist. Refer to finding patrons who request password resets and claim they didn't get an email.

                        Based on what you find, you may need to take various actions below:

                        Each day, you should review the email error log in Theatre Manager that displays any emails in error status. Errors can come from a few sources.

                        Check the Patron Email Address

                        Sometimes, an email won't be sent because the user spelled their email address wrong when setting it up in Theatre Manager. If this is the case, send a test email to the patron from your email client program (eg. Apple Mail or Outlook). If they receive it, then make sure that the primary email address on the patron record matches what they just gave you.

                        If you notice that the email address is blank in the error log, it means that the primary email address may not have been set for some reason. To fix those:

                        • Open the patron record
                        • Go to the Contact Info tab
                        • Click on an email address (there probably is only one, but if there is more, select the most appropriate one)
                        • Click on the Set Primary button to set that email address as the primary address
                        • You may also have to edit the employee's preferences (the gear on the main toolbar) and set the SMTP settings, password, authentication, etc as required

                        Be sure to check the error log daily.

                        Check the email settings in Company Preference

                        An email is not sent to anybody unless the SMTP server settings in Setup->Company Preferences are correct. i.e. this must specify
                        • a valid email address
                        • SMTP mail server
                        • SMTP port on the mail server (generally 25)
                        • login account
                        • user id and password (if required)
                        • the StartTLS/SMTPS settings
                        These settings are should be similar to those in your email program such as outlook, entourage, apple mail, web mail, or whatever email client you are using. The email address is generally the outgoing boxoffice@myvenue.com or tickets@myvenue.com. Please decide on a generic email address for your venue as you do not want all rejected emails coming back to your personal account.

                        Once the settings are correct, use the 'Test Email' to send a test email from this account to yourself. Verify that the email was sent successfully at the bottom of the Company Preferences screen. If not, adjust the email server parameters until the email is sent successfully. If there is an error using the test email button, you will see the entire STMP dialog which should give you all the information needed to identify the issue.

                        If using gmail, you may need to use secure settings because Gmail is warning users if email comes over insecure servers and may not access email unless it is sent with TLS enabled.

                        In some cases, you will see errors like Unable to send email. SMTP: 550 ..... These typically mean that a setting needs adjusted on the SMTP server. Typical errors and actions are:

                        • SMTP 535 - usually means that the password is incorrect.
                        • SMTP 550 - usually means that the SMTP server will not allow relaying the email from the listener to the outside world. We see it most often with MS Exchange servers where somebody tightened down the security. This can be remedied by contacting your IT person, showing them the message and asking them to allow relay of emails from the listener to the outside. Alternatively, you may need to specify another SMTP server address
                        • SMTP 5xx - For other SMTP errors, please read the entire message. This usually tells you why the email could not be sent. The mail box might not be reachable, or there may be no mailbox on the remote mail server for this user (eg: they changed or cancelled their email address).

                        Once Theatre Manager is able to send emails, then you should change emails in error to not done to send them.

                        Verify that Ports are open to the SMTP server

                        It may be one of the simplest answers to review the port settings in the firewall to ensure that they are open and allow access to the SMTP server.

                        If the ports are not open or there are firewall rules in place that prevent an email being sent, it wont get there no matter how hard we try.

                        Warning of pending emails that have not been sent yet

                        If you are receiving an error that emails have not been sent by the Web Listener, there are, at first, two possible conditions under which the emails may not have been sent. You can determine which condition is occurring by double clicking on the email in the Web Listener Email Log.

                        • Condition #1 reports on those that are actually in error, and will give you the reason why the email was not sent. Examples include: an incorrect or 'bad' email address, an SMTP Error, Pause Email settings in Theatre Manager, or specific router ports that need to be opened.
                        • Condition #2: refers to emails that are pending but may not have been sent yet. This results from either timed emails in a blast email setup, or notifications that are scheduled but have not yet reached their scheduled time to go out. If this is not expected (you do not have any scheduled 'future' email blasts or notifications), please verify that the web listeners are active.

                        This check happens during each login. Given that most venues send eblasts overnight, seeing something in the morning is indicative of possible issues from the night before.

                        Virus Application is Scanning Emails

                        When Theatre Manager sends an email it waits for a response from the outgoing mail server. If the mail server does not send back a reply within the timeout the email in Theatre Manager will be marked with a timeout error. The timeout is located in the Web Server button of Company Preferences in Theatre Manager. The most common cause for the mail server not sending a response back to Theatre Manager is a scan of the email before sending the email. Often this is caused by a Virus Scan of the email before it's sent out. This can happen at either the local machine level (applications such as Kaspersky) or be a part of the outing server software. Turning off the Virus Scan software for all outgoing email will resolve this issue.

                        Forgot Password Activity Log

                        This window shows a log containing a patron's forgotten password behaviour. The entries in the log are curated from:

                        • Patron transactions showing if the patron was merged, changed their own data online, or had their data changed at the box office. If the box office, for example, changed the email after he password request, it might be an indication that the email address was wrong, and then fixed by box office.
                        • Patron emails specific to the requesting of passwords and emailing of order confirmations, as well as how long it took TM to send the email and how long it took the patron to read the email. This will tell you how quickly it left TM, and how long the patron took to open it.
                        • Web logs showing forgotten password requests and issues updating the password including error messages the patron might have received trying to enter their password (like password needs upper case/lower case or a number, etc). If the patron cycles around trying to change the password and never does because of errors, it likely means they are not reading the message on the web page (or the web page/tmError.txt was modified and doesn't show the standard explanatory messages)

                         

                        What can you see in the logs

                        The logs are ordered by time stamp. You should be able to see a brief summary of:

                        • A request for a password email. This would confirm that they did ask for a reset and by the right email address. If the email address did not exist, you would see that message.
                        • The email sent to the patron. If there is no email, sent, the email did not exist
                        • If the email exists, attempt to change the password on the email
                        • If the email does not exist, attempt to create a patron, perhaps using that email address
                        • Transaction logs indicating that the patron was created, merged, or updated
                        • and, if the patron finished an order online, you'll see the confirmation email record

                         

                        What might the forgot password log show

                        You may see repeats of any of the above behaviour for the patron, so it:

                        • needs to be carefully read and analyzed to determine what might have prevented them from being successful.
                        • might indicate when the user last was able to purchase something.
                        • might indicate somebody who always forgets their email every time
                        • might indicate somebody who never reads any of their emails, which usually indicates it went to spam
                        • might indicate if the user was typing as password that does not meet your minimum standards
                        • .. and more

                        The log below shows an analysis of what a real user from artsman did to create a set of log entries on a customer database for illustrative purposes.

                         

                        Where can you access this from

                        This feature can be accessed from:

                        • The Web Sales Management menu
                        • Right-clicking on a patron (with an email) in the patron list window and selecting 'Forgotten Password Log' from the context menu.
                        • Right-clicking on a patron (with an email) in the Whos In List on the mail list window and selecting 'Forgotten Password Log' from the context menu.
                        • Clicking the gear icon on an email address in the patron contact card and selecting 'Forgotten Password Log' from the context menu.
                        • The Web Listener Log if the log entry appears to contain an email
                        Diataxis: 

                        Ticket Scanning Monitor

                        The Web Sales Listener waits in the background while Theatre Manager is running. The listener allows patrons to connect to the database via the internet. To work, you will need to have Web Sales Enabled in Outlet Preferences, and have your web pages ready for patrons to connect. Click here for Outlet Preferences, Web Listener tab information.

                        Using the Monitor you can get a detailed work flow analysis of people through different stages or processes, booths, rooms or locations at an event. Each scan is date and time stamped allowing you to analyze work flow, highlight bottle necks, giving you the ability to better plan and optimize resources. Account for all visitors that attend an event for improved security.

                        To open the Ticket Scanning Monitor, you perform the following steps:

                        1. Choose Patron Sales menu item>>Web Sales Monitor>>Ticket Scanning Monitor.

                          The Lecco Monitor window opens.

                        2. The monitor displays all of the scanning information and allows you to choose what to view and the order you want to view it in.

                          Parts of the Window

                          Takes you to this help page.
                          Select date - lets you chose a specific date to see the scans on that date. Opens a pop up calendar.
                          Prints the list displayed.

                          Exports the displayed list as as:

                          • TXT - Tab Delimited Text
                          • CSV - Comma Delimited Text
                          • xls - Excel 97-2004 Workbook
                          • xlsx - Excel 2008 Workbook
                          Refresh - Refreshes the list with the most recent transactions.

                          You can choose to summarize the list by:

                          • The Performance /Scanner IP Address
                          • Employee
                          • Performance
                          • Performance / Employee
                          • Scanner IP

                          Column Information

                          Play Title Play title of the performance scanned.
                          Play Code Code number of the event.
                          Performance Specific performance of the event.
                          Time Time the ticket was scanned
                          First/Last Name First / last name of the patron who purchased the tickets.
                          Scan In Time Scanned in.
                          Scan Out Time Scanned out.
                          % Records The percentage of the records scanned.

                        Web Listener Log Detail

                        If you wish to view log entries from all web listeners, you can do so from the Patron Sales->Web Sales Module->Web Listener Log menu item as per below.

                        This will open a list of log entries and you can search for any range of days, patron, listener, type of log entry, etc. You can:

                        • also view all log entries for all people or view the logs for a specific cart.
                        • Search the logs for failed password requests due to unknown email address. This is quite helpful of people say they did not get an email after requesting one - to see if they entered it right. If they did enter it right, you may want to look at Pending Emails in case there is an error in your email setup.

                         

                        Log of when Emails were sent

                        You can use the web listener logs to determine generally when emails were sent from TM and if there are ongoing issues.
                        • Open up the web listener log
                        • Search the log Message field content for Batch Mailer
                        • You will see one type of message that indicates Sent and Failed each with a count.
                          • A Sent count reflects the number of emails that Theatre Manager was able to send successfully
                          • A Failed count of other than zero indicates some problem with the email that will need to be diagnosed
                          • If everything is successful, then nothing to worry about
                        • The reason for failed emails is usually in a separate line with an error message. if there are a lot of these, then you can edit/fix some reasons by jumping over to the Manage Pending Emails screen to correct invalid email addresses, etc.

                        Patron did not receive Password Reset Email

                        Patrons can request a reset of their password online. They will receive a response from the web servers but only if ALL THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE TRUE:
                        • they typed their email address correctly. (we've found that some people don't type anything).
                        • the email address exists exactly once in the database. Nothing will be sent if the email address:
                          • does not exist, or
                          • exists more than once under multiple patrons
                          (see below to find these messages)
                        • the user checked their email program, including spam/trash folders, on all their devices or computers they can use for reading emails
                        • the email settings in company preferences are valid.
                        • and the email is not stuck in the pending email list due to some error

                        Otherwise they will receive nothing

                        If the patron types an email address that is not in the database, they WILL NOT RECEIVE A WARNING that the email address does not exist. This also occurs if the email exists more than once because it is an error condition.

                        The reason: PCI compliance and privacy laws (like GDPR) require that a system does not divulge any identifying information like names, addresses, or validity of email addresses to anybody who might be trying to determine who or what is in a database. The sample message from web site clearly indicates they will only receive and email if what they type exists.

                        This approach prevents 'bad guys' from scamming emails elsewhere and determine if an account exists on a second web site, where they could obtain products (Like reprinting tickets they could sell to others on the secondary market) should they be able to guess a login id.

                        Error messages can be changed to divulge more information (like email address exists, but password is invalid). This is not recommended if you wish to implement TM in PCI manner for information security.

                         

                        Finding requests for invalid/nonexistent email addresses

                        If a patron calls and says that they asked for their password to be reset and did not get an email, you can check to see what email address they used by looking at the web listener logs.

                        This window is opened from Patron Sales->Web Services->Web Listener Log. For criteria, you may want to use something similar to below:

                        • Date/Time to narrow things down to a range of days - searching for a month or two is not a problem
                        • Search within the message text for:
                          • email does not exist - use Email Cannot to see those people who did not get an email because the email address does not exist.
                          • email exists multiple times - use Email is linked to see those patrons whose email is in the database at least twice and need de-duplicated using the find duplicate email addresses

                         

                        Looking for only Failed Password Requests

                        You can see that there are some attempts to request passwords that did not exist. To verify, first ask when the patron requested their password; then using this window, confirm that this is the reason that they received nothing from the system. If there is no message in the log for the email address they described using the day they had the problem, then you will need to check to see if the email is in the queue pending to be sent, or if it was sent.

                         

                        Verifying all or Specific Password Requests

                        The following search might also be used to find both requested and failed password requests. it could also be tailored to only search for part of the email address such as 'artman.com' to see all requests from that one domain. The:

                        • request message will always appear
                        • failed message will only appear if there is a failure.

                        Viewing credit card issues in Web Listener Log (EMV Devices)

                        General troubleshooting steps are found in the EMV pin pad setup at the end of the web page.

                        If you activate a pinpad, you should see 6 entries spread out in the web listener log that might help identify where things are in the communication process. These are:

                        1. the activation of the pin pad
                        2. a payment validation receipt with the request id - saying that we are going to request the CUSTOMER receipt
                        3. a payment validation receipt with the SAME request id - saying that we are going to request the MERCHANT receipt
                        4. a notification that the CUSTOMER RECEPT was retrieved (matching the request ID in step 2)
                        5. a notification that the MERCHANT RECEPT was retrieved (matching the request ID in step 3)

                        The above messages are followed by a housekeeping message indicating the number of receipts processed and the number that had an error. Normally, that is 1 processed and 0 in error (unless it is declined for some reason)

                        Viewing credit card issues in web listener log (card not present)

                        If you are looking for problems with one cart, please look at the cart logs to see what the patron has been doing
                        You can find the majority of shopping carts that have had problems with their credit cards if you search the web logs for:
                        • a range of dates and
                        • the contents of the web log as being 3d-

                        Once you see the message, you can double click on it to see what the message means. Almost all errors are provided to Theatre Manager from the bank such as:

                        • Do Not honor! (the bank doesn't like the card)
                        • Declined! (the bank doesn't like the card
                        • Hold card! (The bank doesn't like the card - it is probably stolen and the want wants to you keep it)
                        Some errors are generated by Theatre manager and are self evident, such as:
                        • Card is Blacklisted (means the venue said they didn't want anybody to use this card
                        • Emergency processing is on (means that the venue turned the merchant processor into emergeny mode and took the cards anyway

                         

                        Actions that you can take

                        checking for scanned tickets

                        if you would like to search for particular scanned tickets, you can do so on the web listener log, since the ticket scanners send the scan messages to the web listeners. You can search:

                        • for a date range if you know when the ticket was scanned
                        • the message for the word Scan if you want to see failed scans, successful scans and checkouts
                        • for the word scan ###### where ###### is the ticket number if you are interested in a particular one
                        • of whatever combination of criteria you wish.

                        Note: the logs of scanning are not kept for a long time - only for the retention period set in company preferences.

                        Managing a Patron Account Online

                        The amount of information a patron has to add to create their own account online is defined on the Setup >> System Preferences >> Mandatory Data tab. Click here for more information.

                        Patrons can edit their own patron account, change their password or add new household members online.

                        To do so, they must have an existing online account and be logged in to their account.

                        When a patron arrives at your web sales, they click on the Login button on the top navigation bar, in the standard templates. If you have customized your web Sales, the placement may be different.

                        Once logged in, using their email address and password, they then click on the Account button to gain access to their account.

                        The patron can edit the contents of the name/address cells and click the Update Account button at the bottom of the window.

                        To change their password, the patron clicks on the Change Logon Password button next to their email address.

                        To add a new household member, the patron clicks on the New Patron link on the let side bar, and enters the information for the new patron. This adds a new household member to the patron's account (such as a spouse, partner or child).


                        These instructions apply to the standard template pages that are provided as part of the Web Sales module. If your web pages have been modified or customized beyond simply changing the color scheme, then these instructions may differ.

                        For information on "skinning" your web sales site to make it look like your own, click here.

                        Test Drive the Demo

                        Click here to take a look at the web module and its features. You will see a sample web site for a fictional arts or entertainment organization. None of the events are real.

                        When the sample web pages appear, click on the 'Online Sales' button on the side navigation bar to log in. Please keep in mind the following while you are playing with the demo:

                        • The demo web site is an example of what a fully integrated web site could look like.
                          • It contains the base web pages with only a basic colourization. The pages are designed so that your main web site developers can apply some style sheet changes and make it look like your current web site.
                          • You can also look at some sample web sites where customers have take the sample pages above and altered their appearance for their own purposes.
                          • The customization guide shows the latitude you would have to make or brand the web experience as your own. Our goal is that the web pages look like your company, not us.
                        • You may wish to create an account for yourself. This will include your email address and password so that you can sign on again. Use your real email address so that you will see a sample email that can be sent back to confirm you've signed up and your purchase(s) (all these emails are customizable)
                        • The rest of the information is meant to illustrate the data and processes that could be mandatory at any venue. (You can control this at your site - just as you do today)
                        • Once you have signed in, you start building a shopping cart. Click on the buttons at the top to look at various items that are for sale. In this demo, shopping carts can contain:
                          • tickets - we've allowed up to 10 in this demo - you can set this to be anything you want
                          • donations - you determine the campaigns/funds you wish to make available
                          • passes/gift certificates - you also determine which ones to sell
                          • mailing fees
                        • You can also sign up to belong to specific mail lists

                        Completing your sample shopping experience

                        • When you are done buying what you want, you need to check out - just like at the grocery store. It will ask you for a credit card. The demo is configured so that it will accept various types of cards. If you want to test a checkout, use:
                          • Visa #: 4242 4242 4242 4242.
                          • CVV2 #: 123
                          • Expiry: Use December of the current year or later
                        • Some minor notes about the web site:
                          • You may log in as often as you wish and see you past activity and shopping carts.
                          • You can buy whatever you want and try to do anything you like.
                          • We may restore the demo database back to its original state periodically (especially if you buy out the events) in which case any accounts you set up will be erased.
                          • Any information entered into the demo web site is confidential.
                            • We do not look at it -and-
                            • will not contact you if you put your name into the demo.

                        If you would like to contact AMS (or for AMS to contact you), please visit the contact page and make a phone call or send the information request form. We'd be happy to tell you more about the most full featured CRM for arts, entertainment and sports organizations that exists.

                        Testing Communication between Listener and Apache

                        When Apache is sitting in the DMZ it's imperative that port 5111 is open for communication. One way to test this communication is using the telnet tool in the command prompt.

                        1. Open the Command Prompt on the Web Listener computer
                        2. Type telnet and press enter
                        3. Type Open (the IP address of the Apache machine) 5111 and press enter
                          This would look something like: Open 192.168.1.10 5111
                          If the web listener can connect to the Apache machine the command prompt will return. If it cannot communicate it will return an error.
                        4. Type get /index.html and press enter
                          A response means the Listener has permissions to access the files on the Apache machine.
                        5. Type Quiet