Frequently Asked Questions

Fill out the three setup forms first — New Event, Website Content, and Ticketing — and our team will configure your event in the system. Once your account is ready, we'll send you login credentials for the Web Manager at app.paradesmart.com/manage. From there, add your builders, set up your parade settings, and configure ticketing. See the full Getting Started guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.

In the Web Manager, click Change Event at the top of the screen and select a different event by date. The manager stays in that year's data even if you close and reopen the browser — so always confirm you're back in the current year before making any edits or saving changes.

All times in the ParadeSmart system are based on Mountain Time (MST/MDT), since our servers are located in Utah. Keep this in mind when setting ticket sales start times, parade dates, and voting windows if your event is in a different time zone.

In the Web Manager, go to the Homes tab. Each home has a Hidden column — "False" means it's visible, "True" means it's hidden. To change multiple homes at once, check the boxes on the left side of the list, scroll to the bottom, and use the dropdown to "Hide selected" or "Unhide selected." Alternatively, set a Plottable Date in Parade Settings to control when all homes become visible on the map.

The Plottable Date controls when homes become visible on the map and when addresses are shown publicly. If no Plottable Date is set, homes appear immediately once published. This setting is helpful for testing the map before your parade launches without exposing addresses to the public early. You can adjust it at any time.

See the full walkthrough in our blog post: How to Set Up Voting and People's Choice Awards in ParadeSmart →. You can configure the minimum number of homes a visitor must visit before voting, how many days voting stays open after the event, and whether voting is limited to homes actually visited.

Yes. In Parade Settings, paste your complete analytics snippet (including script tags) in the Analytics/Tracking field. This supports Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, and other providers. You can add more than one tracking code.

Go to App and Web Content in the Web Manager sidebar. Click Create to make a new page, or click any existing page to edit it. You can add headings, paragraphs, lists, images, links, and even custom HTML. Once you save, the page is live immediately at a URL based on your domain.

ParadeSmart includes 15+ reports covering: ticket sales by day, hour, location, type, and payment method; scan counts by home; visitor demographics and zip codes; email opt-in lists; ad click performance; voting results; and donation totals. Access them in the Web Manager under Tickets & Analytics → Reports. Always set your date range before running a report, and use the Export/CSV option for the most detailed data.

You have two options: (1) Purchase tickets yourself on the ticket sales page and use "Email tickets to specific recipients" to send individual tickets to different addresses. (2) Create a free ticket type with a coupon code and share the code — recipients get their own ticket on demand. For large quantities, the coupon code method is easier. See the full Complimentary Tickets guide for more detail.

We strongly recommend against deleting any content, even from past events. Old data is used for historical reports and comparisons, and deleting a builder will also remove all homes linked to that builder. To remove something from public view, use the Hidden toggle on homes or mark content as inactive — this keeps the data intact while hiding it from attendees.

Go to Advanced → Traits in the Web Manager. Click Create and configure the field type (text, number, currency, yes/no, dropdown, etc.). Once created, contact ParadeSmart so we can add the new trait to your website and app display code — it won't appear publicly until we do this step.

Data sharing is subject to privacy laws that vary by jurisdiction. Before sharing names or email addresses with sponsors or third parties, ensure your terms and conditions explicitly allow this and that attendees have had an opportunity to opt in or out. We recommend consulting a legal expert familiar with data privacy in your state. ParadeSmart provides the data collection tools — your HBA is responsible for how that data is used.

ParadeSmart supports five user roles: Builder (auto-created; can upload home info and scan tickets at their home), Super User (full access; use sparingly), Staff (can view some reports and scan tickets), Subcontractor (can edit some of their own information), and App/API User (internal, for website use). Do not manually create builder accounts — they're created automatically when you add a builder.

Your HBA coordinator will provide you with a username and password. In the ParadeSmart app, go to the menu and tap Admin & Staff Login. Enter your credentials. You'll see your home's scanning interface, where you can scan QR codes from attendee tickets and sell door tickets. If you can't find your credentials, ask your HBA coordinator — they can look them up or reset them in the Web Manager.

Log in to the Web Manager at app.paradesmart.com/manage with your builder credentials. You'll see the homes linked to your account. Click a home to edit details like photos, description, price, square footage, and your builder profile. For a full step-by-step walkthrough, see the Builder Self-Entry Guide →

Builder profiles only appear in the app if they include either a logo or an About section. Make sure your profile has at least one of these. Also confirm your home is not set to Hidden — ask your HBA coordinator to check the Hidden column in the Homes tab.

In the app, after logging in as a builder under Admin & Staff Login, tap Scan Stats. This shows the full event scan history as well as scan data specifically for your home(s). The Scanned Tickets Log shows every scan recorded on your device, organized into Pending, Success, and Error tabs.

A Pending scan means the device was offline or couldn't reach the server at the time of the scan. The scan is saved on the device and will upload automatically once the device reconnects to the internet. Check the Error tab if scans are still not uploading after reconnecting — contact support if errors persist.

Tap the Reset button in the app (located near the login button). This clears cached data so you see the latest version. After resetting, you'll need to log in again and re-register your ticket, but your previous scan history will still be there.

When you log in with a builder account linked to multiple homes, ParadeSmart will prompt you to confirm which home you're currently scanning at. This reduces confusion during busy parade weekends. Make sure to select the correct home each time you start scanning at a different location.

First, check your spam or junk folder. If it's not there, open the ParadeSmart app, go to the menu, and tap Recover ticket number & code. If you have the ticket number and access code from your order confirmation page, enter them in the E-ticket section and your ticket will appear in the app. If you still can't access your ticket, contact your HBA — they can look up your order and resend it.

The app is the best experience — it includes interactive maps, routing, voting, home profiles, and your digital ticket in one place. However, your HBA may also offer a website version and paper tickets. Check your specific parade's website for options available for your event.

After visiting the required minimum number of homes (set by your HBA), you'll be able to vote in the app's voting section. Voting categories vary by parade — common ones include Best Interior, Best Exterior, and Best Overall. Voting may stay open for a few days after the parade ends, so you have time to cast your votes even if you finish touring on the last day.

Yes. In the app, open the map to see all home locations. You can browse home details, save favorites, and plan which homes you want to visit before you arrive. On event day, the map provides GPS routing to any home in any order — you're never locked into a fixed route.

Virtual tours let you view featured homes online after the parade — perfect if you couldn't visit every home in person, or if you want to revisit a favorite. They're available through the parade app and website, typically through the end of the year. Look for the Virtual Tour section in the app menu or on the parade website.

In the app, tap on any home to open its detail page. At the top you'll see the builder's profile — tap it to view their contact information, website, Houzz page, and other links they've provided. Builder profiles stay available in the app and on the parade website after the event, so you can look them up any time.

You'll need two things from your Stripe Dashboard: your Publishable Key and your Secret Key (both found under Developers → API Keys). Send these to the ParadeSmart team and we'll connect your account. Get us this information early — payment setup is required before ticketing can go live.

Add two records in your domain registrar's DNS management panel: an A Record pointing @ to 104.236.213.202, and a CNAME Record pointing app to your domain name. See the full DNS setup guide for step-by-step instructions for GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, and others. DNS changes typically take 15 minutes to 48 hours to take effect.

Use Google Maps to find the exact location: zoom in to the property, click the precise spot (even if it's different from where the address pin lands), and copy the latitude and longitude coordinates. Paste these into the home's Latitude and Longitude fields in the Web Manager. Don't press Geolocate — paste the coordinates directly. The website map updates immediately; the app map updates within 24 hours.

This is common for new construction on new roads. In the home's edit screen, use the Google Map Destination and/or Apple Map Destination fields to enter the correct address. The app will try this address first when a user taps Directions; if the address can't be resolved, it falls back to GPS coordinates. Always test on both iOS and Android before the event — Apple Maps and Google Maps can behave differently.

Prepare a CSV file using the exact required column names (Name, Number, Builder, Address, etc. — see the full column list in the Web Manager). Go to Homes → Import or Advanced → Subcontractors → Import. If the import fails, check for spelling errors in column headers, extra commas in numbers, or blank cells (try zeros instead). Uploading again won't create duplicates as long as home names match.

Splash screen: 2732 × 2732 pixels (PNG or high-res JPEG), with the focal content centered within a 1200 × 1200 px safe zone. Don't include the year in the graphic.
App icon: 1024 × 1024 pixels (PNG, no transparency). Keep corners square — the app stores apply their own corner rounding. Don't include the year. Use bold, high-contrast visuals that are legible at small sizes.

Standard banner size is 1200px wide × 200px tall. For app visibility, use large text and a simple layout — small details are hard to read on mobile screens. Consider creating two versions: a more detailed version for the website and a cleaner, bold-text version for the app. Use the Intermediate Image field in the ad setup to upload a separate app-optimized version.

Purchase receipts are sent from your payment processor, not from ParadeSmart — so we can't resend them on your behalf. Stripe: Log in → Payments → find the transaction → Send receipt. Authorize.net: Log in → find the transaction → Email receipt. If you need to resend the ticket itself (not the receipt), you can do that directly from the ticket record in the Web Manager.