WalletWallet API
Get API Key Docs Log in
Back to Blog

Event Ticketing for Agencies: Digital Event Passes for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet

How event agencies can improve event ticketing with digital event passes, faster check-in, and Apple Wallet today with Google Wallet support coming soon.

2026-03-22 By Alen event-ticketing digital-tickets event-pass apple-wallet google-wallet

More event agencies are moving from PDFs and printable guest lists to mobile-first event ticketing. The reason is simple: a wallet pass is easier for guests to save, easier for staff to scan, and easier for agencies to manage when details change close to showtime.

If you run launches, conferences, VIP dinners, brand activations, or invite-only client events, a digital event pass can act as the invite, the event badge, and the check-in credential in one place.

This guide covers:

  • why digital tickets improve the guest experience
  • what to include on an event pass or event badge
  • how to create an Apple Wallet pass with WalletWallet
  • how Google Wallet tickets fit into the same workflow soon

Event Ticketing Is Moving from PDFs to Digital Tickets

Traditional event ticketing creates friction in places guests notice immediately:

  • the ticket is buried in email
  • the PDF opens slowly at the door
  • the guest forwarded the wrong attachment
  • the check-in team has to manually verify names when the barcode does not scan

Digital tickets reduce that friction because the pass lives where people already keep time-sensitive credentials: on their phone, in their wallet app, ready to open in one tap.

For event agencies, that matters beyond convenience. Better event ticketing means fewer support messages before arrival, faster queue movement at the entrance, and a more polished first impression for the client.

Why Digital Tickets Improve Event Registration and Check-In

Most event ticketing articles focus on sales or platform comparisons. Agencies usually care about a different part of the workflow: how smoothly event registration turns into guest arrival.

Digital tickets help in a few practical ways:

  • Faster event check-in. A wallet pass opens faster than searching through inboxes for a PDF attachment or confirmation email.
  • Fewer lost guest credentials. Guests are less likely to misplace a pass that lives on their phone than a printed invitation.
  • Cleaner event registration handoff. Once a guest is approved or registered, you can generate a pass directly from your attendee list.
  • Better mobile experience. Guests do not need to install your app just to access a barcode or QR code.
  • Offline access. Once a pass is saved, the barcode is still available even when venue connectivity is weak.

That combination is why digital tickets are becoming the default for brand events, conferences, and invite-only experiences where the check-in moment shapes the whole tone of the event.

What to Include on an Event Pass or Event Badge

An event pass should feel like a digital version of a well-designed event badge: clear, branded, and instantly useful.

At a minimum, most event passes should include:

  • Event name so the guest immediately recognizes what the pass is for
  • Guest name so staff can visually confirm who should be holding it
  • Ticket type or access level such as VIP, guest, speaker, sponsor, or backstage
  • QR code or barcode for fast scanning at the door
  • Date and venue context so the pass is self-explanatory even when the guest opens it days later

If you are planning a richer wallet pass program, agencies also often want venue directions, parking notes, schedule reminders, or sponsor branding. Even when your first version is simple, the pass should still clearly answer the guest’s immediate question: “Can I get in, and where do I show this?”

How Digital Event Passes Enhance the Guest Experience

The best event technology disappears into the experience. Guests should not have to think about the ticketing system at all.

Wallet-based event passes improve the guest experience because they:

  • reduce stress on arrival by making the pass easy to find
  • make the event feel more premium than a plain PDF or generic email confirmation
  • support quicker scanning when there is a line at the entrance
  • keep the guest on mobile instead of sending them through account logins or app installs

For agencies, this is not just an operations win. It is part of the product you deliver to the client. A smoother arrival experience makes the event feel better run, even when the guest never thinks about why.

How to Create an Apple Wallet Pass with WalletWallet

WalletWallet’s current API is intentionally simple. You send a single HTTP request to generate a signed Apple Wallet pass, then save the response as a .pkpass file and send it to the guest.

That means you do not need to handle Apple pass certificates, signing, packaging, or pass validation yourself.

cURL: Create a Guest Pass for an Event

curl -X POST https://api.walletwallet.dev/api/pkpass \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "barcodeValue": "SPRING-LAUNCH-ANNA-001",
    "barcodeFormat": "QR",
    "title": "Spring Launch Guest Pass",
    "label": "GUEST",
    "value": "Anna Lindqvist",
    "colorPreset": "dark",
    "expirationDays": 30
  }' \
  -o guest-pass.pkpass

The response is a signed .pkpass file. Once you save it, you can distribute it by email, SMS, or a private guest portal. On iPhone, the guest opens the file and adds it to Apple Wallet.

For most agency workflows, the implementation pattern is straightforward:

  1. Export or sync your approved guest list from Airtable, Notion, your CRM, or your event registration tool.
  2. Generate one pass per guest with a unique barcodeValue.
  3. Send each guest their pass link.
  4. Scan the pass at check-in using the same unique value as the lookup key in your system.

If you are issuing VIP credentials, backstage access, or partner passes, the same structure still works. The main difference is the pass title, the visible label/value pair, and the barcode value you encode for validation.

Google Wallet Tickets Are Coming to WalletWallet

Apple Wallet handles the iPhone side of event ticketing well. But agencies rarely control what device every guest brings.

That is why Google Wallet tickets matter. On Android, Google Wallet plays the same role that Apple Wallet plays on iPhone: a native place to store event credentials and open them quickly at the door.

WalletWallet will soon support both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. For agencies, that means one event pass workflow can cover mixed guest lists instead of forcing Android users back to PDFs or email screenshots.

Today, WalletWallet’s production endpoint returns Apple Wallet passes. If your audience includes Android guests, this is the right moment to plan your pass structure so it can extend cleanly to Google Wallet tickets as soon as support is available.

Why Event Agencies Are a Strong Fit for API-Based Event Ticketing

A lot of event ticketing software is designed for public ticket sales, venue inventory, seating maps, and large box-office operations. That is useful for some teams, but many agencies need something lighter.

Agency workflows are usually closer to:

  • curate a guest list
  • approve attendees
  • issue event passes
  • manage changes close to the event
  • move people through the entrance quickly

That is why API-based event ticketing fits agencies so well. You do not need a heavy platform if your main job is generating a clean, branded, scannable guest credential from a list you already manage elsewhere.

FAQ: Event Ticketing, Event Passes, and Google Wallet Tickets

What is event ticketing?

Event ticketing is the system you use to issue, distribute, validate, and manage access credentials for an event. For agencies, that often includes guest invitations, attendee approval, pass delivery, and check-in.

What is an event pass?

An event pass is the credential a guest uses to enter an event. It may be a paper ticket, printed event badge, PDF, or a digital wallet pass stored in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

What is the difference between an event pass and an event badge?

In practice, they often overlap. An event badge usually emphasizes identity and access level, while an event pass emphasizes entry. For invite-only events, one digital credential can handle both roles.

How do digital tickets improve the guest experience?

Digital tickets are easier to save, faster to access, and faster to scan than paper tickets or emailed PDFs. That reduces friction before arrival and at the door.

Can I use Apple Wallet and Google Wallet for the same event?

Yes. The platform formats differ, but the guest experience is similar: a mobile pass that stores the event credential on the phone. WalletWallet supports Apple Wallet today and is adding Google Wallet support soon.

How do I create an Apple Wallet pass without managing certificates?

Use an API that returns a signed .pkpass file. With WalletWallet, you make a POST request to https://api.walletwallet.dev/api/pkpass, save the binary response, and deliver it to the guest.

If you want to test the workflow, you can get an API key from walletwallet.dev/signup and review the current endpoint details at walletwallet.dev/docs.

For event agencies, digital wallet passes are one of the clearest ways to improve both operations and guest experience at the same time. If your current event ticketing flow still ends with “we’ll email over a PDF,” there is usually a better way to handle it now.

Want a second opinion?

Tell me what you’re building and what constraints you have, and I’ll recommend a sensible path.

Get API Key Email Team