Promo codes are a vital component of a successful registration strategy, allowing organizers to incentivize attendance through highly configurable discounts. Whether you need to offer a simple percentage off for early birds or a complex fixed-price structure for specific partners, this feature provides the technical flexibility to meet any financial scenario. By tailoring codes to specific ticket types, workshops, or packages, you can create a personalized registration path that appeals to different attendee segments.
Beyond simple discounts, promo codes serve as a strategic tool for operational efficiency and marketing analysis. They can be linked to marketing campaigns to track ROI, used to manage exhibitor booth staff allocations, or configured for bulk registration discounts to encourage group bookings. This level of control ensures that your pricing remains dynamic and competitive, while automated application during the checkout process reduces manual administrative overhead and provides a seamless experience for your registrants.
Understanding Promo Codes
Promo Codes provide discounts for registrants during the registration process.
Launchpad by Swapcard supports three types of discounts:
Percentage off
Dollar amount off
Fixed amount pricing
Promo Codes are flexible enough to support:
Simple or complex financial scenarios
Connections with Marketing Codes, Classification Types, and Auxiliary Events
Bulk Discounts can be applied using Promo Codes:
Enable discounts when registering multiple people
Can apply to a Workshop or overall registration cost
Discounts are applied automatically during registration
Admin Users can also manually apply the discount in the Admin Portal
Exhibitor Booth Staff discounts are defined through registration Promo Codes:
Staff register using the standard registration flow
Use a specific Promo Code defined for Booth Staff
Can be used in conjunction with:
Ancillary Sponsorships
Sponsorship Packages
Sponsorship Items
How do I access Promo Codes?
To manage your discount codes, you must navigate to the registration settings within your event setup.
Go to the Event Setup menu
Click Registration
Select Promo Codes
From this dashboard, you can add new codes, import them in bulk, edit existing configurations, and monitor real-time usage reports to see which discounts are most popular.
How to add promo codes
Go to Event Setup
In the Registration menu, select Promo Codes
Select Add Promo Code from the Actions dropdown menu.
In the Description section, populate the following fields (those marked with a red bullet point are required):
Promo Code: Type in the code registrants will use during the registration process (Promo Codes are NOT case sensitive)
Description: Type in a general description of the Promo Code and who it is used by; if requested, this will appear on the registrant's confirmation page (Can be up to 255 characters)
Notes: Type information about the Promo Code; For Admin User use only
In the Controls section, define the available time and amount of this Promo Code. Populate the following fields:
Start Date: Click field to expand calendar and select the first day the Promo Code will be effective
End Date: Click field to expand calendar and select the last day the Promo Code will be effective
Total Available: Type in the maximum number of times a Promo Code can be used
Unlimited: Check the checkbox if there are an unlimited number of times this Promo Code is available for use; checking this checkbox disables the Total Available field
Classification Type: From the dropdown menu, select the Classification Type that is allowed to use this Promo Code; Leaving this field blank will make this Promo Code available to all Classification Types
In the Auto Set section, define the Registration Status and Classification Type defaults.
These values will automatically be applied to a registrant who uses this promo code, but only if a particular field is NOT preset by another setting such as a Primary Package, Classification Type (Tier 1) default setting, Access Code setting, Pagebuilder element (for example: 'Set Classification') on a page, or via an Imported Invitation.
Populate the following fields (those marked with a red bullet point are required):
Registration Status: From the dropdown menu select the status associated with this Promo Code (Save for later, Unconfirmed, Confirmed, Canceled)
Classification type: From the dropdown menu select the Classification Type associated with this Promo Code (Customer, Employee)
In the Bulk Registration Discount section, specify the number of registrants for which this promo code will provide a discount.
Applies To: from the dropdown menu, select the registrations to which this discount will apply
Last Registrant: Applies to the last registrant based on the number specified in the "Number of Registrants" field
All Registrants: Applies to all registrants registered by the original person
Number of Registrants: Type in the number of registrants this to which this discount will apply
In the Bulk Workshop Discount section, specify the number of workshops for which this promo code will provide a discount.
Applies To: From the dropdown menu select the workshop(s) to which this discount applies
Number of Workshops: Type in the number of workshops this to which this discount will apply for registrants
Click Save.
The Discounts section will appear. In the Discounts section, define the discount according to percentage off, dollar amount off, or the fixed amount associated with this promo code. Add discounts by doing the following:
Click the Add Icon to add the discount fields.
In the Applies To section, define what areas of the event this discount is associated. Populate the following fields: Those marked with a red bullet point are required
Full: Select the radio button if the discount is to be applied to the entire balance for this registrant, for this event
Package: Select the radio button if the discount is to be applied to a Registration Package.
Ticket Type: Select the radio button if the discount is to be applied to a particular Ticket Type; select the Ticket Type from the dropdown menu
Workshop: Select the radio button if the discount is to be applied to any or a particular Workshop; select the Workshop from the dropdown menu
Auxiliary Event: Select the radio button if the discount is to be applied to a particular Auxiliary Event; select the Auxiliary event from the dropdown menu
Purchasable Item: Select the radio button if the discount is to be applied to a Purchasable Item. A Purchasable Item is defined as anything that can be purchased for an additional fee.
In the Discount section, define discount type and amount. Populate the following fields: Those marked with a red bullet point are required
Discount Type: Select the Discount Type from the dropdown menu
Percent Off: Add a deduction using the Percentage Off Amount entered (1 to 100. DO NOT type symbols or periods)
Amount Off: This dollar amount will be deducted from the total cost (DO NOT type currency sign)
Fixed Amount: Charges a fixed amount based on the Amount entered. If the Fixed Amount is selected, the amount typed in this field will be the standard registration fee for a registrant who uses this Promo Code (DO NOT type currency sign)
Amount: Based on the discount type selected in the dropdown, type the applicable discount number; DO NOT include currency or percent symbols
Include additional discounts to this Promo Code by clicking the Add Icon .
Click Save
How do I import promo codes in bulk?
For large-scale campaigns or partner lists, you can upload multiple promo codes simultaneously using a CSV file.
Navigate to the Promo Codes page and select Import Promo Codes from the Actions menu.
Click Download Promo Code Template under the Upload CSV field and click OK.
Populate the template fields such as Promo Code, Active status, Start/End Dates, Discount Category, and Discount Amount.
Do not delete any columns; leave missing information blank.
Save the file as a CSV.
Click Browse next to the Upload CSV field, select your file, and click Save.
Review the Import Summary to see successful and failed records. You can download the Error Import Rows spreadsheet to troubleshoot any entries that did not upload correctly.
If you wish to view other imported Promo Code templates, select the appropriate file from the Select Import dropdown menu. The imports will appear in chronological order.
How to edit promo codes
The banner along the top of the Edit Code displays the code's created date, the full name of the user who created the code, modified date, and it's status (Active or Inactive).
Click on the Edit Icon located on the left of the Promo Code name.
The Edit Promo Code screen will appear. Make changes accordingly and click Save. For more information on fields, see above section Add a Promo Code.
How to activate / deactivate promo codes
Activate / deactivate in the promo code list
In the Promo Codes list, located on the left of the Promo Code name, click the Active button to deactivate the Promo Code. Click the Inactive button to activate the Promo Code.
A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Click OK to confirm the change.
Activate / deactivate in the promo code profile
Click on the Edit Icon located on the left of the Promo Code.
In the Promo Code's profile, from the Actions dropdown menu, select Activate Promo Code to activate the promo code. Select Deactivate Promo Code to deactivate the promo code.
The Promo Code Status will appear under the page header.
How to delete a promo code
Click on the Delete Icon located on the left of the Promo Code.
A confirmation dialog box will appear. Click OK to delete the line item
View usage report
The Usage Report is a real time view of how many times the Promo Code has been used and the registrants who have used it.
From the Promo Codes listing page, click the numbers listed under the Registration Status columns or the Total Uses Column to see the registrants who have used this Promo Code. Fields include the following:
Code
Description
Total Available
#Confirmed
#Unconfirmed
Total Uses
Percentage Used
Remaining Uses
From the Promo Codes listing page Headers, the column filter has the option of Searching. To accomplish this, click on the filter icon within the header. By default, the search option is collapsed and the filter option is expanded.
When the search is expanded the filter options will collapse and a search box will be available as well as a search type drop down menu.
Promo codes are a versatile tool for any organizer looking to drive registrations while maintaining precise control over event revenue. By leveraging features like bulk discounts, classification restrictions, and automated status updates, you can create a sophisticated pricing strategy that rewards early interest and supports specialized attendee groups like exhibitors or sponsors. Regularly auditing your promo code usage reports allows you to validate your marketing spend and ensure that your discounts are effectively reaching your target audience.