Booking with Brighton Dome FAQ
Everything you need to know about:
- Ticket Information & Order Charges
- Event Onsales
- Concessions & Access
- Booking Refund Protection
- Our response to ticket touting
- Website Booking Queries
Please do check the list of FAQs below first as the answer you require may be listed here:
What is the difference between General Admission and Standing?
General Admission applies to some events in our Concert Hall where there is a standing area as well as unreserverd seating in the stalls downstairs. This means you do not have an allocated seat and you will have the option to sit or stand downstairs in our Concert Hall at General Admission shows.
Standing tickets (for Corn Exchange or Studio Theatre) are for events where there is only a standing area and no unreserved seating available.
Will I receive an email confirmation?
If you book online you will automatically receive an email confirmation as soon as your order is confirmed. If you book via the telephone or in person you will receive an email confirmation if you request one.
When will I receive my tickets? I haven’t received my tickets yet, what should I do?
E-tickets are currently being sent out 7-10 days before the event. Please check your inbox and junk folder. E-tickets are sent from the email address tickets@brightondome.org. If you have not received them by 5 days before the performance, please contact us and we can try resending.
If you selected POST as your delivery method, then please be advised that your physical barcoded tickets will arrive via Royal Mail around 3-4 weeks in advance of your booked event.
If you have not received your tickets by the day of the event, in either E-Ticket or physical Barcoded format, please do not worry. You will just need to come to the Ticket Office, inside Brighton Dome at the Doors open time, with some named ID and we will reprint your tickets for you on the door, which should take no more than 2 mins of your time.
If you booked via another ticket agent (E.g. See, Ticketmaster, Gigantic, Ticketweb) then you will need to contact your point of purchase.
I’ve lost my tickets, can I get them re-issued?
Please contact our Ticket Office who should be able to re-send your tickets to you. If you booked through an external ticket agent you will need to contact them directly.
Can I return my tickets?
We are unable to refund tickets unless a show is cancelled.
We will try to resell tickets at face value for sold out events for a fee of £1 per ticket - not including order, postage or Booking Protect fees. Tickets must have been purchased through Brighton Dome.
We may be able to exchange tickets for a £1 per ticket fee if there is a run of performances by the same company/artist.
If an event is cancelled we will refund the full tickets value (this will exclude any fees already paid).
Order Charges
What are your order charges?
We currently charge a £3 order fee on all online and telephone bookings. This order fee does not apply to Members.
Physical tickets can be posted out for an additional £1.75 postage charge.
Why is there an order fee and where does this money go?
This helps to cover the costs of our full ticketing service which operates year-round in person, on the phone and online (via three websites: brightondome.org; brightonfestival.org and brightonticketshop.com). This includes credit and debit charges, printing costs and staffing.
You may know us as a performing arts venue. We also programme the annual Brighton Festival each May and manage the Brighton & Hove and East Sussex Music Services delivering music teaching to over 5,000 young people each week. We are an arts charity and rely on the generous support of our community and beyond.
We are funded from a variety of sources including regular funding from the Arts Council and Brighton & Hove Council which amounts to 34% of what we need to operate. As a charity, for us to continue to successfully run the various strands of our work, which include our community engagement work, our artistic programming and the maintenance of our historic venue, we rely on the generous support of individuals, ticket buyers and venue hirers. As an organisation we need to raise 66% of our income to continue to produce the full range of events and access and education opportunities to as wide an audience as possible.
Is an order fee avoidable?
When you buy tickets in person, either in our Ticket Office on Church Street or at the venue’s ticket desk, then you won’t pay an order fee. Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival Members are also exempt from order fees as part of the benefits of having a Membership.
Why are some events more expensive than others?
Prices of our own promotions are always priced as low as we can afford them to be with a range of pricing available in the Concert Hall.
It's important to us to ensure access to as wide a community as possible, always in line with other touring venues on tours and often much lower.
We do not however set the ticket prices for all the events that take place in our venues; Brighton Dome has no control over the events of external promoters who hire the venue. We do advise and hope to ensure that prices are in line with other venues on the tour and usually cheaper than London.
Event on sales
How do I hear about new events going on sale?
The best way to ensure you hear about new events going on sale is to become a Member. Membership starts from £35 and you will always be the first to hear about new on sales and for some events there will be a Members priority booking period. You can also select 'on-sales' in the My Interests section of your online account or request via tickets@brightondome.org. We cannot guarantee to email you about all new events but will prioritise those who have either attended similar events or booked with us recently.
For popular events - do all the tickets get sold in the Members’ Priority Booking stage?
This rarely happens, but Members’ Priority Booking ensures you get the tickets that you want, as they may sell out quickly on the day or general on sale.
Why do some promoters have tickets on sale for events at the venue before they are available through Brighton Dome?
We don’t always sell all the tickets for a show and a lot of external hirers offer priority booking to fan club members or ticket agents they have allocations with. We always ensure that we have the highest proportion of tickets for our events available at our Ticket Office.
Concessions and Access Requirements
Who qualifies for a concession?
Concession prices are available on some events. These are offered to students, under 16's, over 60’s, JSA/IS, registered disabled/DLA or ESA/IB. You need to be able to show valid ID. Please see below for details of our Access Scheme.
Why is a concession not available on all shows?
We do not set the pricing for all events at Brighton Dome. However all events in the Concert Hall offer complimentary personal assistant tickets to accompany a disabled person attending.
I received a Promo Code, how do I redeem this?
To book using a promo code, enter the code when booking online, or quote if booking by phone or at the Ticket Office. Promo codes cannot be processed or refunded in retrospect and offers cannot be combined.
Can I bring my baby to sit on my lap?
Any child under 2 years of age is welcome to come along as a 'babe in arms' and may sit on your lap without you needing to pay extra, unless the show is designed specifically for children. We do though ask that if your child were to become unsettled during the performance that you step outside until they are settled, even though you may not be allowed re-entrance during the performance.
For children’s shows any child aged 6 months and above will require a ticket, even if they are sitting on someone’s lap.
There are a small number of performances specifically programmed for under 2s, and therefore don't have a 'babe in arms' policy - all entrants will need a ticket.
On occasion there are shows not suitable for those under 2, and in which case, wouldn't be permitted to enter the auditorium. These will be indicated on the event page on our website.
Please be aware that for some gigs the sounds levels may exceed 100db and therefore you may wish to think about hearing protection for the very young.
How accessible is the venue?
Brighton Dome is committed to making your visit easy and enjoyable. Please click here for full access details. If you have a specific access inquiry please contact: access@brightondome.org
Access Scheme
We've launched an Access Scheme to support the ticketing needs of all our audiences with visible and hidden disabilities. Full details of the benefits and how to join are available here.
Booking Refund Protection
What is Booking Refund Protection?
We are now offering a service (provided by an independent third party) to protect the cost of your booking should you be unable to attend the event in a range of circumstances outside your control, some of these are listed below:
• Death, injury, illness happening to you, or a member of your immediate family -including existing medical conditions.
• Burglary or fire at your residence in the 48 hours immediately before the booked event.
• Adverse weather including snow, frost, fog or storm where the Police and Government have issued travel warnings.
• The mechanical breakdown, accident, fire or theft en-route of a private vehicle taking you to the booked event.
• You being summoned to appear at court proceedings a as a witness which you were unaware of at the time of booking.
• You being relocated for work more than 100 miles from the booked event which you were unaware of at the time of booking.
Full terms and conditions for booking refund protection can be found here
In order to protect your booking, you should select the appropriate Delivery Method including Booking Refund Protection, and this must be purchased at the time of booking.
The cost of this service is from as little as 75p dependent on the value of the tickets in your booking.
If you do make a successful claim you would be refunded the total booking amount including all charges.
This service is provided by an independent third party specialist, Booking Protect, and all claims and queries should be made directly through them.
Please note that Booking Refund Protection cannot be refunded after booking or if an event cancels, as this fee is paid directly to an independent third party, Booking Protect.
Inclement weather
We are unable to refund tickets unless a show is cancelled. Inclement weather is covered by the booking refund protection service we offer if booked at the point of purchase. This service is provided by third party provider Booking Protect. Full details of terms and conditions can be found here.
Ticket Agencies and Secondary Ticketing Websites
Which official Ticket Agencies do you use?
Tickets for Brighton Dome events may be sold by authorised primary ticket agencies (such as SEE Tickets, Ticketmaster, Gigantic, Ticketweb, Songkick, AXS and DICE) at the promoter’s request. These websites offer tickets at standard prices but may have different charges which mean tickets, inclusive of fees, are more likely to be more expensive than those booked directly with us at the venue.
Please check with the Ticket Office if you have any concerns or wish to confirm which agencies/websites are authorised to sell tickets for a particular show.
Why are tickets available at high prices on secondary ticketing sites? What measures are in place to reduce ticket reselling at inflated prices?
We don’t supply any tickets to secondary ticketing websites, such as Viagogo and StubHub. Any tickets offered by these sites are supplied – and prices set – by individual sellers. There is nothing to cap ticket prices – perceived market value dictates prices – and the fees charged by these websites will also be vastly inflated. There is also no guarantee that you are buying genuine tickets from these sites, and you risk being turned away when arriving at the venue.
Here at Brighton Dome this is an issue of concern to us, and we do take steps to prevent reselling as much as we are able. For popular shows, promoters may cap the number of tickets one customer can purchase and may also request that the lead booker’s name be printed on tickets, and photo ID may be required on the night. We closely monitor listings on secondary ticketing websites and marketplaces such as Gumtree, and where possible if we are able to identify those who are attempting to resell our tickets for profit then we will flag their account and ensure that any future bookings are held for venue collection only, with valid ID.
Recent legislation from the CMA requires secondary ticketing websites to display clear information about seat details, pricing and whether the seller is a trader (with more than 100 listings) but this is an ongoing issue and currently not all websites are compliant. In addition, as some tickets are sold via primary ticket agencies it is not always possible to identify these culprits.
The only secondary ticketing website we endorse is Twickets, which offers a fan-to-fan resale service where tickets can only be sold for face value or less.
For the latest government information on secondary ticketing websites please visit gov.uk/cma-cases/secondary-ticketing-websites
Website Booking
What does ‘you are in a priority queue’ mean? Am I guaranteed a ticket?
This means you are being held in a queue for a booking session and should wait without refreshing your browser. Every time a new booking is completed the system will move to the next person waiting, so this is your best opportunity to gain a ticket for a popular event. We cannot guarantee you a ticket for very popular events because the priority queue caters for all events currently on sale and so ticket availability for an individual event may expire.
Why is the website giving a server error message? How can tickets be bought in this instance?
When we have shows that are particularly popular we receive a much higher than normal number of visits to our website and in particular the number of simultaneous requests for our booking pages. Initially, if you are unable to book you will be held in a priority queue. However, if the numbers of possible simultaneous bookers and those in the queue is exceeded you will then receive an error message. We have been working to minimise this possibility and on the rare occasions this does happen then you should refresh your screen and retry to select the event and try again.
My username and/or password doesn’t work?
Your username is most likely your email address and if you first booked with us since April 2014 it will definitely be your email address. If your password is not working you can use the forgotten password facility. If this does not resolve the issue then do please contact the Ticket Office team (Monday – Sat 10am – 5pm) or email tickets@brightondome.org and they will be able to reset your password.
Your account will be locked if you have had more than 5 unsuccessful login attempts. If this happens then you will need to contact the Ticket Office to have your account unlocked.
