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What Are Entry Ballots

Entry Ballots allow Event Organisers to set up their events with a random lottery draw for entrants to secure a place in an event, making the event selection fairer for entrants while making it easier for Event Organisers to deal with surges of web traffic. 

The feature integrates into the wider offering, meaning events can have multiple ballots for multiple tickets in a swift and efficient process. 

Aspiring entrants will have a set time to register with their basic information and details for the ballot. When the round closes, duplicate and invalid registrations will be removed prior to the draw being made. 

Successful applicants will then be contacted to allow full registration and payment to be completed.

When are Ballots used? 

Ballots are frequently used in the following case - Event A regularly sees 10,000+ people attempting to register for which they can only accommodate 2,000 entries, so a ballot system offers an alternative to seeing a huge surge of traffic to the registration platform as soon as registration opens. Ballot entries allow for a much fairer way of selecting, at random, a set of registrants to be awarded a place in the event.

Where can I set up a ballot for my event? 

The Ballot feature is located on the left-hand panel of your event home page, between the waiting list and reports. To obtain further information on how to successfully set up a Ballot, please get in touch with our VIP team in order to set up a demonstration. 

Get in touch here - vipsupport@race-nation.com.  

Can I set an expiry date on Entry invitations? 

When sending invites to Drawn Ballots, Event Organisers will have the option to set the expiry date. The lucky entrant will have until a set date to complete their entry, after which their invitation will expire. If they no longer wish to accept the invitation, they have the option to let you know by clicking on a ‘withdraw’ button. This will allow the event organiser to assign this invitation to someone else.

How are Drawn Ballots told about their successful entry? 

Once drawn, successful entrants will be sent an email containing the following;

Dear {Name},

Congratulations! Your ballot entry for the {Event Name} taking place on {Date of Event} has been successful. 

In order to confirm your place, you now need to accept and complete any required entry details before the {date of completion}. If you have not completed your entry by this date, you will lose your place. 

To accept and complete your entry, please click on the button below:

****ACCEPT & COMPLETE YOUR ENTRY HERE***** (Button)

If you no longer wish to take part in this event you can withdraw your application by clicking on the button below. Please note this will immediately remove your entry from the ballot system and your place will be given to another lucky entrant. 

****WITHDRAW***** (Button)

Yours sincerely,

{Event Name) team

Can RaceNation do the draw for me? 

Event Organisers can select a specific number to be drawn. The specified number of "Submitted" ballot entries will be randomly chosen and marked as drawn. This will enable the Event Organisers to view and manage selected entries before sending their entry completion invitation email(s).

Doing the draw outside of RaceNation?

If Event Organisers have chosen to do the draw outside of RaceNation, they can upload a CSV file of Ballot Entry IDs that have been drawn and the system will automatically mark them as drawn so that invitations can be sent out. Organisers will be able to view and manage selected entries before sending their entry completion invitation email(s).

What information is collected during ballot registration?

The information collected at ballot entry will be transferred to the complete form during the final registration of a successful ballot. The only information which is required is the entrant’s Email address, Name and Title. However, Event Organisers also have the opportunity to collect their Date of Birth, Gender, and Postcode if required.