Electronic Ticketing FAQ

General Questions

What is E-Ticketing?

Electronic Ticketing, or “E-Ticketing,” is Gen Con’s initiative to reduce the hassle and waste of printing, distributing and collecting hundreds of thousands of printed event tickets every year. It is our quest to slay a giant paper dragon! This will also relieve all attendees of the burden of carrying a knapsack of antiquated parchment tickets. Instead, your badge will function as a magic amulet that unlocks access to all your events. What is E-Ticketing? E-Ticketing is the future, young padawan!

How does E-Ticketing work?

E-Tickets are purchased the same way as paper tickets, but they will not be shipped to you or picked up at “Will Call.” Instead, they are stored in your Gen Con account and associated with your Gen Con badge. Event Hosts will admit you by scanning your badge rather than taking a paper ticket.

Is E-Ticketing optional?

We are only using E-Ticketing with a select group of event organizers. Specific events will be designated as E-Ticketed only. There will be no option to get paper tickets for these events.

Do I need to have a smartphone to use E-Ticketing?

Nope! As an attendee all you need is your badge. Event organizers will use a smartphone or other device to scan your badge and redeem your E-Tickets.

How do I get E-Tickets?


How do I know if an event is E-Ticketed?

The event detail page of each Gen Con event will list its “Ticketing Method” like this:

When can I buy E-Tickets?

E-Tickets can be purchased as soon as event registration opens, just like paper tickets. They can also be purchased onsite during the convention. However, unlike paper tickets, E-Tickets can be purchased even after the event has started.

Do E-Tickets cost the same as Paper Tickets?

Events will not be priced differently based on their ticketing method.

How do I see E-Tickets that I’ve already purchased?

The homepage of your Gen Con online account lists all the events for which you have bought tickets, and lists whether they are Paper or Electronic ticketed.

Will E-Tickets be included in my Packet?

No, your Packet will include only your badge and / or any paper tickets you have purchased. Your badge is all you need to get into your E-Ticketed events. Your packing list will include a list of events for which you have E-Tickets.

Can I still use paper tickets?

Many events will still use paper tickets, which will be delivered to you in the usual way. E-Ticketed events will still accept generic paper tickets if space is available, but the only way to guarantee a spot in E-Ticketed events will be to purchase an E-Ticket.

Can I buy E-Tickets for my friends?

Yes. As with paper tickets, you will have the opportunity to buy E-tickets for yourself or any of your friends. If you buy E-Tickets for specific friends, the E-Tickets will appear under their accounts and be associated with their badges. If you buy multiple E-Tickets under your own name, you simply bring your friends with you to the event. The host will first scan your badge, then the badges of each of your friends to redeem the additional tickets.

How can I give E-Tickets to friends?

If you have a ticket under your name you can transfer it to a friend or family member. Paper tickets cannot be transferred after the ship-to-me date. Only electronic tickets can be transferred up until the time of the event that they are for.

To transfer a ticket, go to the event's details page while signed into your account. The event's details page can be accessed from the [Event Finder] or from your Schedule. Click on your name in the upper right corner of any page and scroll down to see your schedule.

In the Ticket Selection Sidebar on the right side of the Event's details page, if a box is checked indicating that you have a ticket for the event, you will see a "Transfer Ticket" button at the bottom of the sidebar. Selecting that button will take you to a page with a list of your friends and family. Select the person you want to transfer a ticket to and then select the "Submit" button.

Transferring a ticket to someone is similar to buying them a ticket. They must have a valid badge for the time of the event and they must have an opening in their schedule when the event occurs.

You can only transfer tickets to people on your Friends & Family list.

You cannot transfer an E-Ticket to someone who has their schedule blocked by another event.

On your “My Transactions” page you will now see that the E- Ticket has been transferred to the person you selected.

How / when can I return my E-Tickets?

E-Tickets can be returned up until 30 minute prior to the start of the event, either online or via Customer Service.

What if I lose my badge?

All attendees are required to wear a valid badge at all times during the convention. If you lose your badge, please follow Gen Con’s existing policies to get a replacement. If you have purchased E-Tickets, they will be switched to your replacement badge.

Is this like the old E Tickets at Disneyland?

No, those were paper. But they did get you into the best rides, so sure our E-Tickets are exactly like that. :-)

Event Organizer Questions

How do I make my event(s) E-Ticketed?

We are only using E-Ticketing with a select group of event organizers who have suitable events and scanning devices. If you would like to participate this year, contact [email protected] and we’ll review the requirements with you and update the ticketing method of your events.

Do I need to have a smartphone to host an E-Ticketed event?

In order to host an E-Ticketed event, you and/or your GMs will need either a compatible smartphone and/or an Internet connected computer and barcode scanner. Contact [email protected] for details.

Should I use a smartphone or a computer to scan badges?

If you’re not already planning to set up computers, the smartphone option is probably easier. You can also use computers and smartphones simultaneously. Each device will update to reflect tickets redeemed by other devices.

If I want to use a computer what kind of scanner do I need?

You will need a USB scanner that’s capable of reading “Code39” style barcodes.

Will E-ticketing work without a cell or wi-fi connection?

Yes, the Gen Con smartphone app is designed to work offline during your event. However, it needs a network connection at some point before and after your event to load and reconcile ticketing data.

Can I see a list of E-Ticketed Attendees for my events?

Yes, the Gen Con app will show a list of events you are hosting and the list of attendees with tickets for each.

How long will it take to scan a badge?

It’s really fast. It also makes a pleasant dinging sound.

Can an attendee buy a E-Ticket from me the Event Host?

Yes, if they have a valid payment method on-file in their Gen Con account, the smartphone app will prompt you to sell them an E-Ticket.

If an attendee doesn’t show up for an event can their spot be filled?

If a ticketed attendee has not arrived when your event starts, you are free to sell additional tickets to other attendees if they have a payment method on file.

Even if the event is sold out?

You have the option to “over sell” your event, even above the max attendees, if you feel you can accommodate them. The app will show how many tickets have been sold for each event, who they have been sold to, how many tickets have been redeemed (badges scanned for), and who the tickets have been redeemed for.

If an attendee’s guests don’t show up, can they get a refund?

No. E-Tickets can only be returned up until 30 minute prior to the start of the event, either online or via Customer Service.

If an attendee has bought E-Tickets for a group of friends, do we have to wait for all of them to arrive before scanning them in?

No, you can scan in the ticket holder and any guests who are present, then resume scanning late arriving guests later. The app will tell you how many remaining unredeemed tickets the ticket holder has. However, you will need to rescan the ticket holder’s badge to resume scanning their guests.

What if the attendee’s badge can’t be scanned?

Couple of possibilities here:

  • If the app is able to read the badge’s bar code but can’t find a corresponding ticket for your event, they may actually be the guest of someone who bought multiple tickets. They will need to wait until the ticket holder arrives.
  • They might be confused about what event they have a ticket for. You can ask to see their event schedule (on their packing list or their version of our smartphone app) to confirm.
  • If they bought their ticket recently but your smartphone is offline, your app may not have an up-to-date list of tickets. If you are unable to reconnect with our server, you can admit the attendee with an “provisional” ticket, which will be matched with their actual ticket when you reconnect later.
  • If the badge’s bar code is totally unreadable by the app, please contact customer service immediately to verify if they have a valid intact badge.