Editorial Team @ Vihaya Events
If you're organising an event in India, you've probably come across both terms — "event ticketing" and "event registration." While they're often used interchangeably, they mean different things and serve different purposes. Understanding the distinction helps you choose the right platform and set up your event correctly.
What is Event Registration?
Event registration is the process of collecting attendee information before an event. When someone registers for your event, they fill out a form with their details — name, email, phone number, college, etc. Registration can be free or paid. The primary goal is to know who is coming and collect relevant data about your attendees.
Event registration is used for: workshops, webinars, college fests, hackathons, conferences, seminars, and any event where you want to manage attendance and collect participant data.
What is Event Ticketing?
Event ticketing is specifically about selling access to an event. When someone buys a ticket, they pay for the right to attend. Ticketing involves payment processing, ticket generation (usually a QR code or PDF), and entry validation at the venue. Ticketing is always associated with a monetary transaction.
Event ticketing is used for: concerts, music festivals, comedy shows, sports events, paid workshops, and any event where attendees pay to enter.
Key Differences
Payment: Registration can be free or paid. Ticketing always involves payment.
Purpose: Registration collects data. Ticketing grants access.
Output: Registration gives a confirmation email. Ticketing gives a ticket (QR code/PDF).
Entry: Registration may use a name list. Ticketing uses QR code scanning.
Which Does Your Event Need?
Most college events in India need both. You want to register attendees (collect their data) AND issue them a ticket (QR code for entry). This is exactly what Vihaya Events provides — a combined registration + ticketing system that works seamlessly for both free and paid events.
For a free college fest: Use registration to collect participant data and issue free QR code tickets for entry management.
For a paid workshop: Use ticketing to collect payment, then issue QR code tickets for entry.
How Vihaya Events Handles Both
Vihaya Events is designed to handle both event registration and event ticketing in one platform. You can create free events (registration only) or paid events (ticketing with payment). In both cases, attendees get a QR code ticket that can be scanned at entry. Free events have no platform fees; paid events incur a 1.9–4.9% platform fee on ticket sales.
Popular Event Ticketing Platforms in India
The most popular event ticketing platforms in India include BookMyShow (for entertainment), MakeMyPass (for corporate events), Ticket9 (for small events), and Vihaya Events (for college and community events). Each has different pricing models and target audiences. For college events, Vihaya Events offers free hosting for free events and a low 1.9–4.9% platform fee on paid tickets with full ticketing capabilities included.
Need a platform that handles both registration and ticketing for your event? Try Vihaya Events for free — India's best free event ticketing and registration platform.