Little Italy Events​ case study

Customer service they can count on​

Located in sunny San Diego, Little Italy​ is a top dining destination comprising of all things Italian cuisine, desserts, art, music, quaint neighborhoods, etc. Little Italy Events (LIE)​ celebrities Italian's finest food and wine with annual taste festivals each year. With San Diego and Little Italy being two popular attractions in the city, tickets are in high demand. Being a small organization, LIE struggled to keep up with incoming calls, email inquiries, while, at the same time, having questions of their own.​

Challenge​​​

• ​Finding a registration that supports food and taste events (not just for theater or the arts)
• Available customer service 24/7
• A software that supports multiple users​

Solution​​​

Using a complete event management software; 24/7/365 support for event and guests, Partner Access, customizable ticketing per event type, via Purplepass​​

Enter Purplepass. One feature that most ticketing software lacks is free customer support​; for the promoter as well as the guests.

Now, 90% of customer calls and emails are directed to Purplepass’ support team. At the same time, LIE can contact their client-care representative by phone, text or email anytime they need assistance. Promoters can also request personal, onsite help at their events if needed. ​​

Ticketing for food and wine festivals​

One issue Little Italy Events faced prior to Purplepass was working with a software that was geared specifically towards theater events, not food festivals.

Generally, they needed the ability to customize and add different features​ depending on the event.

For example, the ability to build food packages, VIP deals (bottomless mimosas, entertainment, free admission, etc.). For LIE's annual “Taste of Little Italy”, they also wanted to design “Route” packages where guests could select what restaurant experiences they wanted to partake in. This was accomplished after partnering with Purplepass.

Because different deals included with each event consisted of a lot of perks and benefits, LIE can now break down each package into further detail on their Purplepass event page. They’ve also included a full event description, information, directions, venue description, etc. Promoters can also opt to require or request that guests share or automatically check-in on Facebook​ upon arrival.

Partner Access for the entire team​

Because LIE’s original ticket portal that catered to theater events was tricky to navigate, they only had one staff member that used it. Not to mention, it only supported one user.

Purplepass' Partner Access tool​ works so promoters can give access to staff and volunteers for more management support. With Partner Access, LIE can grant access to their account to as many users as they wish.

They have full control over exactly what the added users can see and do, from setting view-only access to certain parts of the event to full view/edit privileges for every aspect of the event. Volunteers can help check-in guests, look up orders, and run the mobile box office without making permanent changes.

For LIE, it was important that they weren’t limited to one person having access to everything. Rather, one person controlling how access was granted and having the ability to delegate tasks.

Charity events & accepting donations​​​​​

Almost all of Little Italy Events donate a portion of their ticket sales to charity; San Diego Pride programs, LGBTQ+ community, Little Italy Association of SD, neighborhood enhancement projects, etc.

Purplepass also offers a ticket discount to any nonprofit​ using the software. Promoters can collect donations by creating a separate “Give” page via Purplepass or adding a donation button in the form of a ticket. When getting donations, promoters can set it to where they absorb 100% of processing and service fees so guests don’t get charged for their contribution.