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# Distribution & Access

> Learn how tickets reach customers through sales channels and partners, how they are delivered, transferred and resold, and how access control validates them at entry.

**Ticket distribution is how tickets reach buyers: through an organiser's own shop, a box office, partners and resale. Access control is how a ticket is checked when its holder arrives.** The two are connected, because every transfer, resale or reissue changes which ticket is valid and who holds it.

## Start here

#### [What is event access control?](/distribution-access/what-is-event-access-control)

How event ticket scanning and access control work, from QR codes and NFC to ticket validation, offline entry, zones, re-entry and attendance records.

#### [How does ticket scanning and validation work at events?](/distribution-access/how-does-ticket-scanning-and-validation-work-at-events)

Learn how ticket scanning verifies admission rights, handles duplicate and invalid tickets, and works with barcodes, NFC, zones and offline devices.

#### [What is official ticket resale?](/distribution-access/what-is-official-ticket-resale)

Understand verified ticket resale, how it differs from ticket transfer and third-party resale, and how pricing rules, identity and validity can be managed.

#### [How do ticketing presales and eligibility rules work?](/distribution-access/how-do-ticketing-presales-and-eligibility-rules-work)

Learn how presales use booking windows, access codes, membership checks, purchase limits and allocations—and why eligibility does not guarantee tickets.

## Key ideas in this subject

#### Each sales channel needs rules about what it sells

Partners, promoters, affiliates and box offices may sell from shared or dedicated stock, in different windows and to different customer groups.

#### A ticket's life continues after purchase

Delivery, wallets, transfers, exchanges and resale all have to keep one record of which ticket is valid and who holds it.

#### Validation decides whether a ticket admits someone now

A scan checks the event, time, entrance and current status. Venues also plan for offline scanning, repeat use and restricted areas.

#### Transfers and resale follow the organiser's rules

Whether a ticket can be passed on, at what price and how its old barcode is invalidated varies by event and market.

## Reading paths

All 16 explanations in Distribution & Access, in 4 reading paths.

#### 1 · Sales channels

* [How do ticketing platforms support third-party sales channels?](/distribution-access/how-do-ticketing-platforms-support-third-party-sales-channels)
* [How do ticket allocations work across multiple sellers?](/distribution-access/how-do-ticket-allocations-work-across-multiple-sellers)
* [How do ticketing referral and affiliate programmes work?](/distribution-access/how-do-ticketing-referral-and-affiliate-programmes-work)
* [How do ticketing presales and eligibility rules work?](/distribution-access/how-do-ticketing-presales-and-eligibility-rules-work)
* [How can box offices operate alongside online ticket sales?](/distribution-access/how-can-box-offices-operate-alongside-online-ticket-sales)

#### 2 · Delivery and after purchase

* [How do mobile wallet tickets work?](/distribution-access/how-do-mobile-wallet-tickets-work)
* [How should venues handle ticket delivery failures?](/distribution-access/how-should-venues-handle-ticket-delivery-failures)
* [How do customers manage tickets after purchase?](/distribution-access/how-do-customers-manage-tickets-after-purchase)
* [What is ticket exchange and rescheduling?](/distribution-access/what-is-ticket-exchange-and-rescheduling)

#### 3 · Transfers and resale

* [How do ticket transfers work?](/distribution-access/how-do-ticket-transfers-work)
* [What is official ticket resale?](/distribution-access/what-is-official-ticket-resale)
* [What happens to ticket validity after a transfer or resale?](/distribution-access/what-happens-to-ticket-validity-after-a-transfer-or-resale)

#### 4 · Entry and access control

* [What is event access control?](/distribution-access/what-is-event-access-control)
* [How does ticket scanning and validation work at events?](/distribution-access/how-does-ticket-scanning-and-validation-work-at-events)
* [How do offline ticket scanners work?](/distribution-access/how-do-offline-ticket-scanners-work)
* [How does venue access control manage restricted zones?](/distribution-access/how-does-venue-access-control-manage-restricted-zones)

## How this subject connects to others

#### [Events & Inventory](/events-inventory)

Channel sales draw on allocations and holds.

#### [Scale & Reliability](/scale-reliability)

High-demand presales combine eligibility rules with queueing.

> How tickets are sold through different channels, delivered, transferred and validated at entry.

## Docs

- [How do ticketing platforms support third-party sales channels?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-ticketing-platforms-support-third-party-sales-channels.md): Understand shared inventory, allocations, settlement and fulfilment across sellers.
- [How do ticket allocations work across multiple sellers?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-ticket-allocations-work-across-multiple-sellers.md): Explain inventory allocation, release rules and shared availability without overselling.
- [How do ticketing referral and affiliate programmes work?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-ticketing-referral-and-affiliate-programmes-work.md): Ticketing referral and affiliate programmes reward an external publisher, partner or customer when a tracked visit or transaction meets agreed conditions. 
- [How do ticketing presales and eligibility rules work?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-ticketing-presales-and-eligibility-rules-work.md): Learn how presales use booking windows, access codes, membership checks, purchase limits and allocations—and why eligibility does not guarantee tickets.
- [How can box offices operate alongside online ticket sales?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-can-box-offices-operate-alongside-online-ticket-sales.md): Learn how box office, call centres and self-service checkout work on shared inventory.
- [How do mobile wallet tickets work?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-mobile-wallet-tickets-work.md): Explain mobile wallet ticket issuance, updating and redemption, including QR and NFC.
- [How should venues handle ticket delivery failures?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-should-venues-handle-ticket-delivery-failures.md): Learn how to recover missing ticket emails and wallet passes without enabling fraud.
- [How do customers manage tickets after purchase?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-customers-manage-tickets-after-purchase.md): Explain self-service ticket changes, delivery, reissues, refunds and support boundaries.
- [What is ticket exchange and rescheduling?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/what-is-ticket-exchange-and-rescheduling.md): Learn how ticket exchanges differ from transfers, cancellations and refunds.
- [How do ticket transfers work?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-ticket-transfers-work.md): Understand how ticket transfers differ from forwarding a PDF, resale and name changes.
- [What is official ticket resale?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/what-is-official-ticket-resale.md): Understand verified ticket resale, how it differs from ticket transfer and third-party resale, and how pricing rules, identity and validity can be managed.
- [What happens to ticket validity after a transfer or resale?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/what-happens-to-ticket-validity-after-a-transfer-or-resale.md): After an authorised ticket transfer or resale, the ticketing system must define which credential remains valid for entry. In models that reissue credential
- [What is event access control?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/what-is-event-access-control.md): How event ticket scanning and access control work, from QR codes and NFC to ticket validation, offline entry, zones, re-entry and attendance records.
- [How does ticket scanning and validation work at events?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-does-ticket-scanning-and-validation-work-at-events.md): Learn how ticket scanning verifies admission rights, handles duplicate and invalid tickets, and works with barcodes, NFC, zones and offline devices.
- [How do offline ticket scanners work?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-do-offline-ticket-scanners-work.md): Understand cached validation, duplicate-scan risk and reconnect reconciliation for events.
- [How does venue access control manage restricted zones?](https://learn.nuwebgroup.com/distribution-access/how-does-venue-access-control-manage-restricted-zones.md): Restricted-zone access control verifies not only that a ticket is valid, but that its holder has permission to enter a particular area at a particular time