Your Fair Starts at the Gate ~ Make it a Welcome, Not a Wall.
“Moving tickets online doesn’t erase tradition, it protects it.”
The Line Nobody Loves
It’s a blazing hot Saturday and the sun feels like it’s trying to melt the paint right off the fences. The line at the front gate snakes deep into the parking lot, moving slower than a tractor parade.
Kids are restless, tugging at arms, whining for mini donuts they can’t get yet. Parents are frazzled, juggling strollers, water bottles, and the occasional meltdown (sometimes their kid’s, sometimes their own). Teenagers scroll, sighing like they’ve been sentenced to wait forever.
Up at the gate, volunteers are sweating over cash boxes that feel straight out of 1998. Someone’s purse is dumped on the table, receipts flying, while a dad pats every pocket hoping his debit card magically appears. The whole line groans.
By the time families finally stumble inside, the joy is gone. Some don’t even bother, they turn back to their cars.
Revenue lost. Goodwill gone. And all before the fair even begins.
The Truth
That’s why online sales isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s the way to go.
It takes the chaos out of the gates and puts the focus back where it belongs: welcoming people in.
When your tickets are digital, you stop bottlenecks before they start. Ticket holders walk in excited, not exhausted. Volunteers feel confident instead of overwhelmed. And your fair doesn’t lose revenue because someone gave up waiting in line.
Here’s a perfect example of the saying: “this is how it’s always been done.”
Cash-only gates might have worked 20 years ago, but today it’s costing you. Fairgoers expect simple, fast, and accessible. And the truth is, you’re not losing tradition by adding an online platform; you’re protecting it. The easier it is for people to get in, the more time they have to enjoy what makes your fair special.
The key? Choose someone who understands the unique flow of a fair.
This isn’t a concert venue or a sports arena. Fairs have families, wristbands, day passes, and volunteers running the gates. You need a ticketing company that gets all that.
For example, my buddy Jay at FrontDoor+.
He knows fairs inside and out. He knows what it’s like at those front gates, and he’s built systems that work for the reality of a fair, not the theory. He speaks our language!
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about selling tickets.
It’s about protecting that first impression, the moment a fairgoer decides whether this is going to be the best day ever, or a sweaty lineup they’ll never forget.
The Bigger Picture
The fair starts at the gate. That first impression sets the tone for everything.
Stick with “the way it’s always been done” and you don’t protect tradition, you risk it.
Fairgoers don’t come to sweat in line for 45 minutes. They come to eat cotton candy, ride the Ferris wheel, see the animals and make memories they’ll carry for years.
That’s not losing tradition. That’s ensuring it lasts.
👉 Next time you picture those long, sweaty lines, picture families breezing through, excited to spend the day.
That’s the shift online sales creates.
Let's Get to Work
Kryssie ❦
3 Ways to Work with Fair Systems That Work ↓
👉 Fair Audits
It’s not just about your board. Audits look at your whole fair, from directors to conveners, volunteers to systems. You’ll get a clear snapshot of what’s working, what’s not, and where the biggest gaps are so you know exactly what needs to change.
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👉 Membership
Join the Fair Systems That Work Membership (launching October 20) and access tools, templates, and monthly fix-it calls that take your fair from chaos to confidence.
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👉 Contact Kryssie
Don’t know where to start? Let’s have a call and figure out what needs to happen. Sometimes it’s a full system overhaul, and sometimes it’s just a simple tweak.
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