How to Use Upsells & Add-ons

Offer VIP upgrades, meal plans, and workshops at checkout — then let BrightStar automatically promote your related events across 5 post-purchase touchpoints. Most organizers see 5-10% more revenue with zero extra ad spend.

What Are Upsells & Add-ons?

Two complementary features that increase revenue at different points in the attendee journey

Checkout Add-ons

Extras offered during checkout — VIP upgrades, parking, meal plans, workshop passes. Presented in a pop-up modal after adding tickets to cart.

Before payment

Event Upsells

Related events shown after purchase — on the confirmation page, in the confirmation email, and in 3 reminder emails. Fully automatic.

5 post-purchase touchpoints

How to Set Up Checkout Add-ons

Add-ons are created as ticket categories — here's how

1

Open Your Event Dashboard

Navigate to the event you want to add extras to. Click the Tickets tab in the sidebar.

2

Create a New Ticket Category

Click Add Category and choose the Add-on type. Give it a name (e.g., "VIP Upgrade", "Meal Package", "Parking Pass"), set the price, and add a short description.

3

It Appears Automatically at Checkout

Once saved, the add-on will appear in a pop-up modal when an attendee adds tickets to their cart. They can select it, add it to their order, and pay for everything in one checkout.

Add-on category example
VIP Upgrade$45
Meal Package$25
Parking Pass$15
Good to know
  • Elevate & Amplify only — this feature requires the Elevate or Amplify plan.
  • Managed alongside tickets — add-ons use the same Ticket Categories system, so there's no separate dashboard to learn.
  • Non-intrusive — the modal appears at the perfect moment: after commitment to buy, before payment.
  • Inventory support — set quantity limits per add-on just like regular tickets.

How Post-Purchase Upsells Work

Upsells are fully automatic — no setup per event required

1

List More Than One Event

The upsell engine works when you have multiple active events on BrightStar. The more events you list, the more relevant recommendations the system can surface.

2

BrightStar Handles the Rest

After an attendee purchases a ticket, BrightStar automatically shows your other events across 5 touchpoints: the confirmation page, the confirmation email, and 3 event reminder emails. No campaigns to create, no extra ad spend.

The 5 Touchpoints

1
Confirmation PageShown immediately after purchase
2
Confirmation EmailIncluded in the order receipt
3
Reminder 1First event reminder email
4
Reminder 2Second event reminder email
5
Reminder 3Final reminder before the event

What Attendees See

Walk through the add-on and upsell experience from the buyer's perspective

Upsell & Add-on FlowInteractive

Enhance Your Experience

Select add-ons for your event

VIP Upgrade$45
Front-row seating + backstage
Meal Package$25
Organic lunch & dinner
Parking Pass$15
Reserved on-site parking

Pop-up modal appears after adding tickets to cart

What Organizers Get

Revenue growth on autopilot — here's the impact

5-10% more total revenue

Post-purchase upsells drive incremental ticket sales for your other events — without any advertising spend.

Higher average order value

Add-ons boost AOV by 15-25% on orders that include them. Attendees get a personalized experience; you get more revenue.

Zero extra campaigns

Upsells are embedded in emails attendees already receive. No new email lists, no ad budgets, no campaign management.

Full reporting

Add-on sales appear in your standard ticket reports. See which extras are popular and track conversion rates over time.

Troubleshooting

Common questions and edge cases

Add-ons don't appear at checkout

Make sure the category type is set to Add-on (not a regular ticket type). Also verify the add-on is published and has available inventory.

No upsells showing on the confirmation page

Upsells require at least one other active event on your BrightStar account. If this is your only event, upsells won't appear until you list more.

Feature not available

Upsells & Add-ons require the Elevate or Amplify plan. If you're on Seva, upgrade from your account settings to unlock this feature.

Want to control which events appear as upsells

The upsell engine prioritizes events that share similar categories or audience profiles. Categorize your events consistently for the best recommendations.

Frequently Asked Questions

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