Our Invite Process

For the past 10+ years, a group of Inviters went into the Soup database (which includes all Soupsters who have come to The Soup) and selected who they’d like to invite to that year’s event. The people they chose were people with whom they had a connection. This process was cumbersome and unwieldy. It also meant people who previously attended the Soup may have been overlooked in the database marking process.

Going forward we want to simplify the process and make sure Soupsters don’t fall through the cracks. It’s an experiment and we may try something else later or revive some of the way it worked before. Our hope is to streamline the process, allow all Soupsters that want to come to Soup to request tickets, and re-invigorate the role of Guides (formerly known as Shepherds).

Several months before the event, an email will be sent out to the All list with a pre-registration URL. Anyone on the All list can use the web app to request a registration code for themselves, two kids, and a plus-one (if desired.) The pre-registration process will end with the Soupster getting a 6 digit Slurp! Code, which acts as a receipt and will then be used to apply for tickets. SAVE THIS CODE! The pre-registration period will last about three weeks. Everyone who is on the Soup ALL email list has attended a Soup, which means everyone on our list has had an inviter and is therefore connected and a part of our community.

For pre-registration, each Soupster who registers for a Slurp! Code to request tickets will need all the names of their invitees, and some other details relating to food, arrival, etc. This personal info is being added during pre-registration to make the Ticketing Day as quick, easy, and fair as possible. That way people requesting multiple tickets can do so in the same amount of time as people requesting one ticket, since requests are first come-first served, based on when you click submit.

On Ticketing Day everyone can go to the web app and enter their 6 digit Slurp! Code. We will count down ticket sales based on a first-come first-served basis. We will stop guaranteeing tickets when we get to 75% of the available tickets sold and everyone who registers after that will be added to a waitlist. We anticipate that many on the waitlist will still be able to get tickets, but the break in sales ensures that our volunteer entertainers, beneficiaries, and our ‘essential personnel’ such as committee leaders, kitchen leads, etc., have tickets. This reflects the survey results that Soupsters support merit-based ticketing.

Once your registration is confirmed you’ll be directed to a payment page with options to pay via Zelle or check.

Some time after ticket registration day a dedicated list-serve will be set up and we will notify all on the waitlist of their status.

Tickets are non-transferable and will be refundable until two weeks before the event.

Newbies: Based on the feedback we received in the survey and looking at the history of past Soups, we determined that a Soup with 20% of the population as newbies is ideal. In keeping with the hope that each newbie is well-guided, each Soupster can only request an invite for one new Soupster. If you want to invite an awesome couple, find a friend to share the invitation process. When registration opens, the count of tickets available for new Soupsters will dwindle down to zero as registrees enter requests for newbie tickets. Once we hit zero, all additional newbies will be put on a wait list. Each person requesting tickets will be aware of the status of their plus-one during check out, so that if their plus-one is not ticketed, they can decide how to proceed.

A few reminders will be sent out as we get closer to pre-registration, and you can remind your friends too! If you have questions regarding the process please send them to BigSoupyLove@gmail.com. The Soup is always an experiment — thanks for your patience and understanding as we try something new.