Fireflies, First things first:  The time for tickets is upon us (hurray)!  Our ticket policies are all new this year, so please read this whole message to minimize ticketing confusion or disappointment. There are several major ticketing concerns the new policy aims to address:       1. Accurately quantify ticket demand (to grow the event)     2. Enable purchase for groups/families     3. Avoid limiting the availability and time window for purchase     4. Avoid technical difficulties with ticketing websites     5. Discourage hoarding     6. Eliminate potential for scalping This year we will use a registration and random ticket distribution process, rather than the traditional "mash the refresh button and hope to score" procedure. And yes, we know there's a chance that this will totally backfire, so there is a failsafe.  Read on... *Event Dates* Wednesday July 4th, 2012 @ noon through Sunday July 8th 2012 @ noon *Event Price* Tickets will be $75 + ~$3 for PayPal fees.  It's a steep price increase, but is necessary in order for Firefly Arts Collective to be a year round presence. Some things you'll see right away are an expanded art grant budget and more land and parking (flat parking) at this year's event.  *General Registration Information* To be eligible to purchase a ticket to Firefly, you will need to fill out a registration form.  All tickets will be tied to a specific person, so you must enter your legal name and birthdate (must exactly match a government issued ID).  You will be turned away at the gate if your name and birthdate do not match your ticket.  If you do not have a government issued ID you must contact tickets@fireflyartscollective.org directly to register.  All information will be kept confidential. *Registration Dates* Registration will open March 9th and close March 19th (ten days).  We will email the Blink and Announce lists with a link to the registration form. If you will not be able to access the Internet during that time, another person can enter your information for you. *Sign up as Individual or Group!* There are two options during sign up: individual or group (of 2-10 people).  You will have as much of a chance to get tickets in a group as you would individually, but groups will be "all or none". If you're an individual, just enter your own name and leave the other nine person fields blank.   If you are part of a group (2-10 people) that wants to go only if everybody gets a ticket, put everyone's name on the same form to sign up as a group.  Again, groups are "all or nothing":  everyone gets a ticket or no one does. If you would like to “gift” a ticket, register for the “giftee” with their legal name and birth date. If your name and/or birth date appears in duplicate as an individual and as part of a group, we will attempt to contact you (via emails and phone numbers on the form). If we fail to reach you, your name will default to individual registration. *Minors* All minors must be registered in the same group as one (or more) of their legal guardian(s).  Children 10 and under (born after 7/4/01) will not need tickets, but must still be registered.  ID is not required for minors, but all minors must arrive at the gate with the legal guardian that was in their registration group.   Any minor who does not arrive at the gate with their legal guardian will be turned away.  A minor is defined as someone who is under 18 on July 4th, 2012. *Random Drawing and Wait list* Once the initial random drawing is complete, everyone who registered will receive an email.  For those who were awarded ticketing opportunities in the drawing, you will receive instructions regarding your one week purchase window.  All others will be added to a randomly ordered waitlist and informed of your number in line.   At this point, anyone who missed the initial registration period will have a chance to be added to the end of the waitlist. We will periodically update the waitlist so that you have an idea as to where you are.   If a ticket goes un-purchased or is returned, the next person on the waitlist will be given the opportunity to purchase a ticket. This will keep rolling until the start of the event.  We will periodically update the Blink and Announce lists with a “now serving number X” notice so that you will have an idea of how close to the top of the waitlist you are. IMPORTANT:  If you've purchased a ticket and find you cannot attend, please take the time to get a refund.  You'll be enabling another Firefly to go in your place (see below)! *Purchasing Tickets - Random Drawing and Wait List use the Same Rules and Process* You must buy your tickets within one week of receiving the email indicating that you are eligible to purchase a ticket.  This applies to both tickets awarded in the initial drawing and anyone who becomes eligible through the waitlist.  If you do not buy your ticket in that period you will lose your ticketing opportunity to the people at the top of the waitlist.  Two weeks prior to Firefly the payment window will be shortened in increments at the discretion of the ticket committee.   *Paying for Someone else's Ticket* If you'd like to pay for a ticket for another person, you will be able to do so (even if you didn't register for them).  You will only be able to purchase another person's ticket during their window of availability. *Refunds* If you decide you cannot attend you can contact tickets@fireflyartscollective.org for a refund and your ticket will be assigned to a person at the top of the waitlist. Because your ticket is associated to your name and your birthdate, you cannot resell your ticket.  This is to prevent any scalping of tickets and to keep them at a fair price for all.  *What if I Missed the Initial Registration Period?* After the initial registration window, you will be able to fill out the registration form, but your name will be added to the bottom of the waitlist in the order it was received.  We will inform you of your number.  Keep an eye on the Blink and Announce lists for the number being served.   *Discretionary Ticket Reserve* One of our major concerns is making sure that vital components of the event are managed properly and that mission-critical people, such as art grant recipients are able to attend the event.  As a result, we are holding back a certain number of tickets to be sold via discretionary selection. You must still register even if you think you might qualify for one of these tickets. The number of reserve tickets and how exactly they are awarded has not been determined yet and will largely depend on the demand for tickets.  We will do our best to make the process transparent and understandable. *Our Way Out* The ticketing process we have crafted is brand new for Firefly and attempts to avoid the pitfalls of similar processes.  We really want to find an equitable, sane way to distribute tickets, and this is our first shot, so we do not know how it will work out.  Therefore, if we are completely overwhelmed by the number of ticket registrations, or if the registration process is otherwise found untenable, we will revert back to exactly the way tickets were sold last year: Online sales through a third-party ticketing service. *Thank You!* The ticketing committee met with members of the community to hear ideas and concerns and the Board spent many enthusiastic hours discussing pros and cons of different ticketing options. This year's ticketing procedure is the most sensible result of the feedback and will hopefully be a big improvement.  We are really excited about this ticketing process and think it has a real chance to smooth out the harsh edges surrounding ticket purchase for our event.  *Recap* Event: Jul 4th - Jul 8th 2012.  Name and birthdate on govt' ID must match information on ticket.  Minors must enter with a registered legal guardian. Gate crew will enforce policies. Register: Enter legal name and birthdate via registration link between Mar 9 - 19. Groups: Groups and families can register as an all or nothing group of 2-10 people. Chances: Groups and individuals have same chance to be awarded tickets in initial drawing. Kids: Kids under 10 are free, but must be registered. Drawing: Random drawing after Mar 19th. Waitlist: Anyone not selected in random drawing is put on randomly ordered waiting list. Purchase: One week window to purchase. Receive email with instructions when eligible.  Cost:   $75 + ~$3 for PayPal fees. Resale/give to friends: Tickets are not transferable. Resale can be done only through official Firefly process. Gifting: Only possible if the giftee is registered and you pay for their ticket in the appropriate window. Returns: Send email to tickets@fireflyartscollective.org for refund info. ~ Firefly ~