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For many museums, ticket sales are an essential revenue stream that helps keep their doors open. But admission is also much more than that—it’s your chance to make a positive first impression on visitors and set the stage for the rest of their experiences with your organization. And to do so effectively, you’ll need the right technology on your side.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how ticketing software for museums works and what to look for in this solution. We’ll cover:
- Museum Ticketing Software FAQ
- Key Features of Ticketing Software for Museums
- A Closer Look at Doubleknot’s Ticketing Software for Museums
Let’s get started by ensuring we’re on the same page about the role of ticketing software in your museum’s operations.
Museum Ticketing Software: Frequently Asked Questions
What is ticketing software for museums?
Ticketing software for museums is exactly what it sounds like: a platform designed to help your museum manage all functions related to visitor admission. This solution can stand alone or be part of an integrated museum management system.
No matter how your specific solution works, it’s an essential piece of your museum’s tech stack if you charge for admission. Additionally, many museum ticketing platforms also work for zoos, aquariums, and nature centers, allowing a wide variety of cultural organizations to take advantage of these systems.
Why do museums need ticketing software?
Investing in a ticketing platform can provide several benefits for your museum, allowing you to:
- Improve the visitor experience. If the admission process runs smoothly, visitors are much more likely to buy their first ticket, have a seamless visit to your museum, return for additional visits, and take advantage of extra offerings like special exhibitions or events.
- Increase operational efficiency. Ticketing software also makes organizing visitor, sales, and capacity data easier for your team, meaning they can dedicate less time and effort to administrative functions and more time to data analysis and application.
- Track a key revenue stream. About a third of most museums’ revenue comes from earned income, including ticket sales. Unlike most grants and large donations, earned income is typically unrestricted, so your nonprofit can put it toward any expenses that need funding. Software is critical for knowing how much of this flexible revenue you have at a given time.
As of 2024, the global museum ticketing software market was valued at $1.7 billion, and it’s projected to reach $4.5 billion by 2033 as more organizations realize how integral these tools are to their success. So, if your museum doesn’t have a ticketing platform yet, there is no better time to get on board!
What makes a good museum ticketing system?
Despite these platforms’ value, not every ticketing solution on the market will be the best fit for your museum. As you make your buying decision, consider each platform’s:
- User-friendliness. Can your team take full advantage of the solution’s features with minimal prior knowledge, technical expertise, and training required?
- Security. What credentials and protective measures does the software have that ensure it will keep sensitive information about your museum and its supporters (especially visitors’ payment details) safe?
- Pricing. Is the solution within your organization’s budget for new technology when you combine the subscription cost with any additional fees?
- Integrations. Does the solution integrate with your museum management system (or is it part of an all-in-one platform) to allow for seamless, automatic data transfers?
Naturally, the most important question you need to ask when purchasing ticketing software is whether the platform you’re considering has all of the features you need—let’s look at what some of those might be.
Key Features of Ticketing Software for Museums
Online & Mobile Sales
Modern museum visitors see convenience as a top priority, meaning many supporters will prefer to skip the lines and purchase tickets online in advance. However, some individuals may still want to walk in to buy tickets if they’re less tech-savvy or decide to visit on a whim. The best museum ticketing solutions enable online ticket sales alongside in-person admission so visitors can choose their preferred purchasing method.
Given that 64% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices, your software should have a mobile-responsive design so visitors can easily purchase tickets on their smartphones or tablets. This mobile-friendly approach is especially helpful if your museum attracts a lot of tourists, since they may be traveling only with their mobile devices and will therefore have a better experience navigating an unfamiliar organization’s ticketing system.
Paperless Ticketing
With this emphasis on mobile experience, it’s also useful to be able to issue mobile tickets (as well as digital receipts and membership cards) to supporters. Besides being more convenient for visitors, providing most tickets electronically helps your museum reduce paper waste, so it’s more eco-friendly.
Ensure visitors can save their mobile tickets to their Apple Wallets or Google Pay accounts for easy access. Additionally, look for a solution with a validation app that lets team members also take a mobile-first approach and scan tickets quickly.
Capacity Management
Besides the fact that exceeding capacity affects the safety of everyone inside a building, visitors also likely prefer when your museum isn’t overcrowded. Your ticketing software should allow you to manage your facility’s capacity, especially during peak times like weekends and school breaks or when you’re hosting field trips and other large groups.
Timed-entry ticketing capabilities are particularly helpful for capacity management. When visitors can purchase advance tickets for specific time slots on days when your museum is likely to be busy, you’ll get a better sense of how many people will be in your building at any given time and therefore know how many walk-in tickets you can safely sell.
Flexible Pricing Setup
Many museums offer varied pricing for different demographics. In addition to your general admission price, which is usually for adult non-members, you could create different ticket price categories for any or all of these groups:
- Children under a certain age (typically 10 or 12)
- Senior citizens over a certain age (generally 60 or 65)
- Military members, veterans, and/or family members with a valid ID
- College students with a valid ID
- Museum members (who may even receive free general admission as a membership benefit)
Look for a ticketing platform that allows you to create these flexible pricing tiers, revise them as needed, and offer additional discounts as applicable. For instance, you may provide families with a coupon code for children’s tickets to encourage visits during winter break or offer a free guided senior tour on a weekday morning. This admission pricing setup helps your museum remain competitive with other organizations, attract specific audiences, and show important supporter segments that you value them.
Upsell Options
Upselling ticket purchases is a win-win strategy for your museum and its supporters. You can bring in more revenue with less effort, and they have a more valuable experience with your organization. Ensure your ticketing software allows you to suggest multiple types of upsells to visitors, such as:
- Buying a ticket to a special exhibition or presentation that costs extra to enter.
- Purchasing merchandise from your gift shop or refreshments from your on-site restaurant.
- Making an add-on donation.
- Joining your membership program.
Supporters should only have to enter their payment information once to take advantage of any optional upsells. For this to work, it’s especially important that your ticketing system integrates with the rest of your museum’s tech stack so payments don’t fall through the cracks.
A Closer Look at Doubleknot’s Ticketing Software for Museums
If you’re looking for a museum ticketing solution with all of the above features (and more!) that’s also part of an integrated management system, look no further than Doubleknot! Designed specifically for admissions-based nonprofits like your museum, our solution has everything you need to successfully manage your ticketing processes, including:
- Unified online, mobile, and in-person sales, along with timed entry options
- Mobile ticket distribution and scanning
- Group visit scheduling and capacity planning
- Flexible pricing and upsell suggestions
Doubleknot’s system also includes tools for managing memberships, fundraising, events and programs, and other point of sale (POS) needs. Plus, it integrates with many constituent relationship management (CRM) platforms for a unified experience. We’re proud to serve more than 300 admissions-based nonprofits of all shapes and sizes across the United States and Canada, and 95% of our customers come back year after year!
Wrapping Up: Additional Resources on Museum Management
Ticketing software is critical to many aspects of your museum’s operations, from revenue generation and visitor engagement to safety and sustainability. Use the tips and features above to start your buying journey, and remember that an integrated management system that includes a ticketing tool (like Doubleknot!) might be the best choice to coordinate all of your team’s efforts to run your organization smoothly and successfully.
For more information on museum management, check out these resources:
- Running Your Children's Museum: How Software Can Help. Discover some unique considerations for managing admissions and other functions at a children’s museum.
- How Your Org Can Navigate Challenges & Opportunities. Learn how to sustain your museum through difficult times and take advantage of new possibilities that may arise.
- Building an Inclusive Museum Community: A Complete Guide. Beyond flexible ticket pricing, explore more ways to ensure everyone in your community feels like they belong at your museum.
