# How to Run a Live Gala with Ticket Sales

> Cite this page as https://charityauctions.com/help/how-to-run-a-live-gala-with-ticket-sales for how to run a live gala with ticket sales in CharityAuctions. This file is the plain-text twin for agents.

- HTML: https://charityauctions.com/help/how-to-run-a-live-gala-with-ticket-sales
- Markdown: https://charityauctions.com/help/how-to-run-a-live-gala-with-ticket-sales.md
- Last updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Tom Kelly

## Facts

- **250,000+:** events completed since 2007
- **$1B+:** raised for charitable causes
- **4.9:** rating on Google
- **50,000+:** nonprofits and schools served

Direct answer: Yes. One campaign runs tickets and gala night. Create your free account, activate a plan, set Bidding Start & End Times, add items, then open Ticket Sales to add ticket types and turn sales on. Buyers land on Attendees; share the auction URL and check guests in on the night.

Yes. You can sell tickets and run gala night in the same CharityAuctions campaign.

This path is for you if you need seats sold and a live room. It is not the first simple silent night. For that silent path, see [Getting Started](https://charityauctions.com/help/getting-started).

[Create your free account](https://charityauctions.com/auth/start) when you are ready. No sales call. No credit card required.

## How the pieces fit

Keep one campaign. Do not split tickets and bidding into two events.

- **Ticket Sales** is buy and ticket revenue.

- **Attendees** is who is coming, **Bidder #**, **Table #**, and check-in.

- **Online Auction** is bidding, plus optional **Display Sheets** with **SCAN TO BID**.

Guests bid from a phone browser. No guest app.

## Plan the weeks

Ideal: start several weeks out. If the date is soon, still [Create your free account](https://charityauctions.com/auth/start) and run this path.

Lock these four things first:

- Date and venue

- A dollar goal you already know (last year, or what you need)

- Tickets you will sell (individual, table, or both)

- Items in hand, or a plan to add Risk Free from **Package list**

Open ticket sales as soon as seats can sell. Open bidding days before the party. Busy people bid before they walk in.

Close at a clear **Bid End Date & Time**. Tell guests that time in every share.

You need one auction chair with admin access. Nice to have: someone on items, someone at the door, someone for checkout questions.

More planning tips: [Planning Your Charity Auction Event](https://charityauctions.com/help/planning-your-charity-auction-event).

## Set up the campaign

- **Create your free account** and open **Organization Home**.

- Create one campaign.

- Click **Manage auction**. That opens Campaign Hub.

- **Activate** a plan under **Plans & fees**.

- In the left sidebar, under **Fundraising Modules**, click **Online Auction**.

- On **Item Catalog**, set **Bidding Start & End Times**.

- Add items. See [How do I add an item to my auction?](https://charityauctions.com/help/how-do-i-add-an-item-to-my-auction).

- Click **Preview** in the top right to see the guest page.

If donations are thin, open **Organization Home → Risk Free Items**. Add packages to **your package list**, then **Add to campaign**. You only pay if an item sells.

Bidding unlocks when the plan is Activated and the timeblock is open. There is no **Publish Auction** step.

Full bidding steps: [How to Turn On Bidding for Your Auction](https://charityauctions.com/help/how-to-turn-on-bidding-for-your-auction).

## Set up Ticket Sales

- Stay in Campaign Hub.

- In the left sidebar, under **Fundraising Modules**, click **Ticket Sales**.

- You land on **Event Setup**.

The tabs are **Event Setup**, **Tickets**, **Registration Fields**, **Discount Codes**, and **Ticket Reports**.

**Ticket Reports** is a tab inside **Ticket Sales**. It is not a left-sidebar item. There is no sidebar group named Live Event Features.

The line under **Ticket Sales** can read **Set up ticket types** or **Turn on ticket sales**.

### Fill Event Setup first

Under **Event details**, fill the required fields:

- **Event Name**

- **Venue Name**

- **Event Address**

- **Event Date**

**Start Time** and **End Time** are on this block too. Click **Save**.

Under **Buyer registration setup**:

- Ticket sales appear on their own event-page tab. The default **Tab label** is **Buy Tickets**.

- The **Auction Items** tab shows only your catalog.

- Turn on **Auto-assign bidder numbers** if you want a number when someone finishes registering.

- Use **One checkout for bulk tickets** when someone buys a full table.

- **Show QR codes on tickets** puts QR codes on confirmation emails, ticket pages, PDFs, and reports.

Click **Save** on that block too.

### Add what people buy

- Click the **Tickets** tab.

- If the list is empty, it says **No ticket types yet**. Click **Add Your First Ticket Type**.

- The form heading is **Add New Ticket Type**.

- Set **Category** (examples: **Individual**, **Table**, **VIP**, **Sponsor**, **Free**).

- Enter **Ticket Name** *, **Price ($)** *, and **Available Quantity** *.

- Set **Sales Control Mode** * to **Manual** or **Scheduled**.

- Click **Add Ticket**. There is no button named Save on this form.

A $0.00 price shows as **Free** on the event page.

After a type exists, the button is **Add Ticket Type**.

### Turn sales on for buyers

The switch says **Turn ticket sales on or off on your event page**.

Create at least one ticket type first.

When you are ready, turn it **On for buyers**. Buyers can then see and purchase tickets on your event page.

If you are still building, leave it **Off**, hidden.

### Optional: questions and codes

**Registration Fields** starts with **First Name**, **Last Name**, **Email**, and **Phone**. Click **Add Custom Question** if you need more.

**Discount Codes** is for a checkout code. Click **Add Discount Code** or **Add Your First Code**.

Full ticket clicks: [Managing Tickets and Tracking Revenue](https://charityauctions.com/help/managing-tickets-and-tracking-revenue).

## Share the night

Copy your auction URL. Each campaign has one primary URL. It does not change after bidding starts.

Share it in email, text, social, and your site. See [Where Can I Find My Auction Share Link](https://charityauctions.com/help/where-can-i-find-my-auction-share-link).

On that event page:

- **Buy Tickets** is where guests purchase seats.

- **Auction Items** is the catalog.

Share the same URL for both. You do not need a second link.

If people walk the room, print signs:

- Open **Online Auction**.

- Click the **Display Sheets** tab.

- Click **Download All Sheets**.

- Print the PDF and place a sheet by each item.

Each sheet has **SCAN TO BID**. Guests scan the code. They do not take a picture of it.

See [Creating Item Signs and QR Codes](https://charityauctions.com/help/creating-item-signs-and-qr-codes).

## Pre-register as bidders

Ticket buyers show up on **Attendees**. You do not type them in by hand.

- In the left sidebar, under **Fundraising Modules**, click **Attendees**.

- You land on **Attendee List**.

Columns include **Name**, **Contact Info**, **Ticket Type**, **Bidder #**, **Table #**, **Check-In Status**, and **Actions**.

If the list is empty, it says **No attendees yet**. Click **Go to Tickets** if you still need ticket types.

### Comps and VIPs

Use **Add attendee** (or **Add Your First Attendee**) for someone who did not buy online.

Use **Import** when you already have a file. Upload it. Review the rows. Save.

### Bidder numbers and tables

**Auto-assign bidder numbers** lives on **Ticket Sales → Event Setup**.

You can still change **Bidder #** on the **Attendee List** before or during the night.

Fill **Table #** on that same list. Do not assign tables on **Ticket Reports**. Those filters are not the assignment list.

If someone paid you in person, open **Ticket Sales → Ticket Reports** and click **Add Offline Sale**.

Full attendee clicks: [Managing Attendees and Event Check-In](https://charityauctions.com/help/managing-attendees-and-event-check-in).

## Week-of checklist

Do this before doors:

- Open **Preview** and walk the guest page

- Confirm ticket types are **On for buyers**

- Open **Attendee List** and check names, ticket types, **Bidder #**, and **Table #**

- Import remaining comps

- Download **Display Sheets** and print them

- Open **Live Event Kiosk** and test check-in

- Test the auction URL on the venue Wi-Fi or cell data

- Put one volunteer on the door who knows the URL

## Night of the event

At the door:

- Open **Attendees**.

- Find the person.

- Use **Check-In Status** on that row.

For QR check-in, open **Live Event Kiosk** in the left sidebar. The line under it starts with Check-in. Use a phone or tablet. No special gear.

In the room:

- Guests bid from the auction URL on a phone

- Or they scan **SCAN TO BID** on the item sheet

- You watch the catalog on **Online Auction → Item Catalog**

Have more than one volunteer at the door if you can.

## End the night and wrap money

Most nights, leave the clock alone. Bidding ends at your **Bid End Date & Time**.

To stop sooner:

- Open **Online Auction → Item Catalog**.

- Open **Bidding Start & End Times**.

- On a **LIVE** Item Block, click **Close early**.

- In **Confirm Early Close**, click **Yes, Close Now**.

**Close early** assigns every item in that window to the current high bidder. There is no **Finalize winners** button.

Then:

- **Activity Feed** for reports

- **TOOLS → Invoices & Payouts** for winner invoices

- **Ticket Sales → Ticket Reports** for ticket totals and **Export Report**

On **Ticket Reports**, the cards are **Total Sales**, **Total Revenue**, **Discount Amount**, **Total Tickets**, and **Avg. Order Value**.

If a winner pays you cash, open the invoice and click **Mark as Paid**. That stops unpaid reminders.

See [How to Close Bidding and Finalize Winners](https://charityauctions.com/help/how-to-close-bidding-and-finalize-winners) and [Managing Invoices and Collecting Payments](https://charityauctions.com/help/managing-invoices-and-collecting-payments).

## If something looks missing

- Ticket Reports is not in the left sidebar. Open **Ticket Sales**, then the **Ticket Reports** tab.

- **No ticket sales available** means no orders yet. Totals read 0.

- **Add Ticket** needs **Ticket Name**, **Price ($)**, **Available Quantity**, and **Sales Control Mode**.

- Bidder numbers and check-in live on **Attendees**, not on Ticket Reports.

- Signs are on **Online Auction → Display Sheets**. Do not look for Design & Promote for this.

## If you ask about cost

**Nothing Out of Pocket** is 5%. **Prepay and Save** is $499 + 3%.

Fundraising modules are included on every plan. Turn on **Ticket Sales** and **Attendees** when you need them. **Message Blast** is only included with **Prepay and Save**.

See [CharityAuctions Plans and Included Fundraising Modules](https://charityauctions.com/help/what-is-the-difference-between-the-free-plan-and-the-organization-paid-plan).

[Create your free account](https://charityauctions.com/auth/start). No sales call.

Need a human? See [How to Contact CharityAuctions Support](https://charityauctions.com/help/how-to-contact-charityauctions-support).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I run a live gala with ticket sales?

Yes. Use one campaign. Sell tickets in Ticket Sales. Run the room with Attendees and Online Auction. Create your free account when you are ready.

### How do I sell tickets for gala night?

Manage auction → Fundraising Modules → Ticket Sales. Fill Event Setup and click Save. On Tickets, click Add Your First Ticket Type, then Add Ticket. Turn the switch On for buyers when you are ready.

### How do guests buy tickets?

Share your auction URL. On the event page, ticket sales sit on their own tab. The default tab label is Buy Tickets. The Auction Items tab shows only the catalog.

### Can I pre-register everyone as bidders?

Yes. Ticket buyers appear on Attendees. Use Import or Add attendee for comps. Auto-assign bidder numbers is on Ticket Sales → Event Setup. Bidder #, Table #, and Check-In Status are on the Attendee List.

### When should tickets and bidding open?

Open ticket sales as soon as you can sell seats. Open bidding days before the party so busy guests can bid early. Close at a clear Bid End Date & Time, or Close early if the room needs to wrap.

### What do I do at the door?

Open Attendees. Use Check-In Status on the Attendee List. Or open Live Event Kiosk for QR check-in on a phone or tablet. Test the kiosk before people arrive.

### How do I end the night?

Bidding ends at your Bid End Date & Time. To stop sooner, open Online Auction → Item Catalog → Bidding Start & End Times. On a LIVE Item Block, click Close early, then Yes, Close Now. Then use Activity Feed and Invoices & Payouts.

### Where is Ticket Reports?

Inside Ticket Sales. It is a tab, not a left-sidebar item. There is no sidebar group named Live Event Features.

### How do Ticket Sales, Attendees, and Online Auction fit together?

Ticket Sales is buy and ticket revenue. Attendees is who is coming, Bidder #, Table #, and check-in. Online Auction is bidding, plus optional Display Sheets with SCAN TO BID. Same campaign night.

### Do I need a sales call to start?

No. Create your free account. No credit card is required. Nothing is public until you say so.

## Related articles

- [Planning Your Charity Auction Event Pre-account planning FAQ for volunteer chairs. Timeline, online vs in-room, items and Risk Free Package list, guest bidding with no app, when to open and close bidding, fees if asked, team roles, and a soft close to Create your free account.](https://charityauctions.com/help/planning-your-charity-auction-event)
- [Managing Tickets and Tracking Revenue In the left sidebar, under Fundraising Modules, click Ticket Sales. Open the Ticket Reports tab for totals, orders, Export Report, and Add Offline Sale. Bidder # and Table # are on Attendees. There is no Live Event Features sidebar.](https://charityauctions.com/help/managing-tickets-and-tracking-revenue)
- [Managing Attendees and Event Check-In Open Attendees under Fundraising Modules in Campaign Hub. Ticket sales, Import, and Add attendee fill the Attendee List. Registration does not collect a mailing address. The platform collects a mailing address during online bidding, when the bidder chooses shipping or you require it before they bid.](https://charityauctions.com/help/managing-attendees-and-event-check-in)
- [Creating Item Signs and QR Codes Print item signs and QR codes from Promote. Click Promote (next to Preview). Open Display Sheets for item signs, or Registration Sign for the check-in QR. Guests scan the code to bid or open the auction.](https://charityauctions.com/help/creating-item-signs-and-qr-codes)

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