Set Up Flat-Rate Pricing for Group Visits

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How to Set Up Flat-Rate Pricing for Group Visits

Step-by-step instructions for setting up flat-rate group visit pricing in Muse — charging one price per group instead of per person, while still tracking exact headcounts for attendance reporting.

 

Some groups pay one flat price instead of paying per person. A school might pay $250 for a class visit, no matter how many students come.

This guide shows you how to set that up. It also shows you how to still count every student, teacher, and chaperone who attends.

💡 Build it in Sandbox first. Sandbox works exactly like your live site. Test the whole setup there, then build it again in your live site once you're happy. Nothing moves over on its own.

 

How Ticketing Works in Muse

Before you start, it helps to understand how Muse builds a ticket. Three pieces work together.

Piece	What it answers
The Event (event, exhibition, experience)	What is this thing, and when does it happen?
The Visitor Type	Who can take part?
The Ticket Type	What does it cost?

You link all three together to create something you can sell or track.

For group visits, the Event is an Exhibition.

 

Step 1: Create Your Exhibition

Go to Ticketing > Exhibitions and create a new exhibition.

Name it something clear, like "Group Visit – On-Site" or "Mobile Museum – Color Lab."

Make it evergreen. Leave the permanent/evergreen checkbox checked. This makes it available any day you need it, so you don't have to rebuild it every season.

You can create one exhibition for all group visits, or a separate one for each program you offer. Separate exhibitions give you cleaner reporting for each program.

 

Step 2: Create Your Visitor Types

Go to Ticketing > Settings > Visitor Types.

Create one visitor type for each thing you need to track. Keep these separate from your regular visitor types.

You will need:

Your flat rate bands — one for each price level.

• Group Flat Rate 1 (1–25 people)
• Group Flat Rate 2 (26–60 people)

Your $0 headcount types — these cost nothing but let you count people.

• Student
• Teacher
• Chaperone

Your overage type — for groups larger than your biggest band.

• Extra Student Above Flat Rate

If you run both on-site and mobile programs with different prices, create separate visitor types for each. For example: "Flat Rate On-Site 1" and "Flat Rate Mobile 1."

 

Step 3: Create Your Ticket Types

This is where you set the price.

Go to Ticketing > Ticket Types. Link each visitor type to your exhibition and enter the price.

• Flat Rate 1 → $250
• Flat Rate 2 → $400
• Student → $0
• Teacher → $0
• Chaperone → $0
• Extra Student → $15

⚠️ Click the blue checkmark.

After you type a price, a small blue checkmark appears next to it. You must click that checkmark or your entry will not save. The page will not let you continue and will not tell you why.

This is the most common problem people hit during setup.

 

Step 4: Hide Flat Rates From Your Website

Set your exhibition to Floor Sales Only.

This is important. It lets your staff use the flat rates at the front desk, but keeps them off your public website. Regular visitors won't see group pricing by mistake.

 

Step 5: Build the Reservation

Now you're ready to book a group.

1. Go to Operations > Group Visits
2. Click the group, then click View Details
3. Go to the Reserved Items tab
4. Click Build (or Edit if you've already started)
5. Muse takes you to the Museum Floor. Scroll to the Exhibition section
6. Add your line items
7. Click Save to Visit — do not take payment here

A typical cart looks like this:

Item	Quantity	Price
Flat Rate 1	1	$250
Student	22	$0
Teacher	1	$0
Chaperone	2	$0
Total	25 people	$250

When you save it this way, the revenue and the attendance both stay tied to the group visit. That means your reports will show that $250 covered 25 people — not just a lump sum with no detail.

 

FAQs

Do I need a separate exhibition just for the $0 headcount types?

No. This is a common mix-up.

Your $0 visitor types attach to the same exhibition as your flat rate. One exhibition holds all of them — the flat rate, the students, the teachers, the chaperones, and any overage.

You only need separate exhibitions if you want separate reporting for different programs.

How do I charge a mileage fee or other add-on?

Build it the same way as a flat rate. Create a visitor type called "Mileage Fee," then create a ticket type with your price. Add it to the cart like any other line item.

Some museums use retail or café items for add-ons instead. We don't recommend this. It can throw off your cost-of-goods and retail reports.

What if more people show up than they paid for?

Add a second line item for the difference. Don't delete and rebuild the cart.

For example, if a group paid the 1–25 rate and 30 people arrive, add 5 of your "Extra Student" line items.

Should I turn on auto check-in?

It depends on what you want your attendance reports to show.

Auto check-in marks people as attended automatically. If you turn it off, someone has to check them in manually via scanning.

 

Things to think about:

• For on-site visits, auto check-in usually makes sense. The group is physically in your building.
• For mobile or off-site programs, think about whether those students should count toward that day's building attendance. Some museums want this. Others track it separately.

Test this in Sandbox before you decide. Run a sample reservation and check how it appears in your attendance reports.

 

How do groups pay?

You have two options:

Pay at the museum — the group pays when they arrive. You can split the payment across more than one method, like a check plus a card.

Send an invoice — Muse generates an invoice you can email. The email includes a payment link that goes to Stripe. The group can pay by card or bank transfer, and Muse updates the payment status automatically.

 

Tips

Use the status field. Set a visit to "In Discussion" while you're still working out details, and "Confirmed" once it's locked in. This is for your team's tracking. It doesn't block anything in Muse.

Set up your inquiry emails. Go to Settings > Email Templates and find "Group Visit Inquiry Received." Edit the wording to make clear that a request is not a confirmation. This prevents groups from showing up unbooked.

Confirmation emails are automatic. When you change a visit to "Confirmed," Muse can send the group a confirmation email.

Know which site you're on. Your live site is app.musesoftware.ai. Sandbox is sandbox.musesoftware.ai. Bookmark the Sandbox one so it's easy to find.

Add your team to Sandbox. Go to Settings > Users and click New User. Museum Admin is a good role for testing.

 

Need Help?

If you get stuck, contact your Muse Support at support@musesoftware.ai.