Schedule sales: dates and dependencies between titles

The sales of every access title have a start and an end. By linking the titles to each other you can build staged releases (Early bird, First release, Second release) that open by themselves when the previous one ends or runs out, with no manual action and no overlaps.

At a glance

Where: Create access type or Edit access type page, Basic information section, When will the tickets be available? block.
Permissions: Manage ticketing.
The two modes: Date and time (opening at the Sales start date and time) or When sales close or sell out for… (automatic opening when the title chosen in Select title closes or sells out).
When: the second mode appears only if other titles to depend on already exist in the event.

Before you start

Create the titles in the order in which they follow one another: the preceding title has to exist before you can select it.
Decide the sales end of every title: the one of the following title must be equal to or later than the one of the preceding title.

Step by step

Create the first title (Early bird, for example). In Sales start date and time you already find the creation date of the event and in Sales end date and time the end of the event: set the window you want, the quantity and save. What you see: as it is the only title, the When will the tickets be available? select does not appear and the mode is date and time.
Create the second title (First release). Now in When will the tickets be available? choose When sales close or sell out for…. What you see: the start date field is replaced by Select title (placeholder Choose a title); the hint explains: Select the preceding ticket type. Sales for this type open when the preceding type reaches its sales end time or sells out (stock exhausted or marked sold out manually), whichever happens first. Choose Early bird and set a Sales end date and time equal to or later than the one of Early bird.
Repeat for the later releases, linking each one to the previous one.
Sort the table. In the Tickets added to the event table drag the rows by grabbing the cell of the Order column (☰ icon), so fans see the titles in the same sequence. The new order is saved immediately.
Publish. For an event already online press Publish changes: the dates and the dependencies take effect after the approval.

Fields and options

Field	What it means	Rules
Date and time	The title opens at a fixed moment.	It requires Sales start date and time, not later than the start of the event.
When sales close or sell out for…	The title opens when the preceding one closes or runs out, whichever happens first.	It requires Select title; available only if other titles exist.
Select title	The preceding title in the sequence.	It must belong to the same event; no cycles (A depends on B which depends on A).
Sales end date and time	From this moment the title can no longer be bought.	Mandatory; after the sales start, not in the past, not beyond the end of the event; it cannot precede the sales end of the preceding title. Equal deadlines are allowed.

What happens next

The sales window includes the start moment and excludes the end one: at the changeover there is no overlap between one title and the next.
When the preceding one sells out (seats finished, Sold out or Sales ended status set by hand) the next one opens immediately, without waiting for its sales end.
The dependency follows the current state: if a payment of the preceding one expires, or if you remove the manual sold out, and seats become available again, the following title goes back to waiting until the preceding one closes or runs out again. No irreversible opening is recorded.
A title with Infinite quantity never runs out numerically: to trigger the next one use the sales end or the Sold out status.

What the fan sees

Before the opening: Available when … closes or sells out with the name of the preceding title; for a title with a fixed date Sales start in N hours (rounded up, at least 1); Sales are not available yet only when there is neither a start time nor a recognisable preceding title.
At the sales end: Sales ended. When the seats run out: SOLD OUT, with the Waiting list badge next to it if the list is on. The quantity selector in the cart stays disabled until the title can be bought.

Messages and errors

Message	Why it appears	What to do
Sales end must be after sales start.	The dates are inverted or identical.	Move the sales end forward.
Sales end cannot be in the past.	Typical after duplicating an event.	Update Sales end date and time.
You cannot start selling tickets after the event starts. / You cannot start selling tickets after the event has ended.	The sales start falls after the start or the end of the event.	Move the sales start earlier or change the dates of the event.
Sales cannot continue after the event ends.	The sales end goes beyond the end of the event.	Reduce the sales end.
Sales start date is required. / Sales end date is required.	Empty field.	Fill in the date.
A ticket type cannot depend on itself, even through other types. Select a different preceding ticket type.	The chain of dependencies forms a cycle.	Choose a preceding title that does not depend, directly or not, on this one.
Select a valid access type.	The preceding title no longer exists or belongs to another event.	Choose a title from the list.
The sales end cannot be earlier than that of the selected preceding ticket type.	The following title would close before the preceding one.	Extend the sales end of the following title (it can also coincide).
This sales end is later than that of a ticket type that follows it. Update the following type’s sales end first.	You are moving forward the sales end of a title other titles with an earlier end depend on.	Change the dependent titles first, then this one.
You cannot modify this field because there are already sales.	SIAE event with reservations on this title: opening option, start, preceding title and sales end are locked.	Close the sales with the Sales ended status or create a new title.

Special cases

You want to open the next release early. Set the preceding title to Sold out or Sales ended: the titles that depend on it open immediately.
The preceding one is Hidden. The dependency stays valid: the following one opens anyway when the preceding one closes or runs out.
Only one title in the event. The select of the modes does not appear: you can only set date and time.

Rules and limits

The same rules apply to the event page, the cart, the order confirmation, the dashboard and the preview of the draft: there are no different calculations for different surfaces.
Only in events with SIAE ticketing do the fields of the sales period lock after the first reservation on the title.

Create an access title
Status of an access title: Active, Sales ended, Sold out, Hidden
Edit, hide and reorder access titles
Common validation errors for access titles