The shoes are in a back area and the ticket gets you into that closed off section where you can view the shoes, try them on, and make your selection. They also have a display case where you can view the selection and decide if you even want to waste your time (personally, they never have shoes I like).
Sometimes the ticket guys are at the front and give you one (if you want one) at the entry way and other times they're near the back area where the shoe section entrance is, it depends on how crowded it is.
I'm a sample sale reporter for Racked NY (ny.racked.com) and I will be covering this sale. So watch the site for full coverage once it opens next week. i'm very excited, this is my favorite one of the year.
Personally, the DvF sale didn't do it for me and I went home empty handed. Here's my coverage on that one:
http://ny.racked.com/archives/2012/06/04/_stylefontsize_9px_textalign_centerclick_6.php
Let me know if anyone has sample sale related questions! I'm a bit of a veteran at this.