Ticketmaster’s waiting room is a virtual queue system used for high-demand events where ticket demand far exceeds supply. It helps manage the rush when tickets go on sale by controlling the flow of traffic to the ticket purchasing pages. The goal is to provide a fair and consistent experience for all fans trying to buy tickets.
What is a virtual waiting room?
A virtual waiting room is an online system that requires people to “get in line” before proceeding to the checkout or product pages of a website. Just like at a store or venue where customers wait in a physical line, Ticketmaster’s virtual line makes users wait in an online queue before their turn to access the ticket purchasing pages.
It works by assigning customers a random spot in line when they join the waiting room. This prevents overloading the ticketing system all at once and ensures fair access. While in line, customers go through periodic screen refreshes showing their wait time and position updates until it’s their turn to proceed.
When does Ticketmaster use waiting rooms?
Ticketmaster deploys waiting rooms specifically for high-demand events where there will likely be many more people trying to buy tickets than there are tickets available. Usually for concerts of major artists or shows that are expected to sell out very quickly.
The waiting room helps manage the incoming traffic spike when tickets first go on sale. Millions of fans may be logged on and requesting seats at the exact same moment. Without a waiting room, this sudden crush of traffic would immediately overwhelm the ticketing system and cause it to crash.
How does joining the waiting room work?
Fans can join the waiting room ahead of the scheduled ticket sale time. Ticketmaster will advertise that a waiting room will be used for the specific event and when it opens. Typically the waiting room opens 30 minutes to an hour before the tickets go on sale.
There are a couple ways customers can access the waiting room queue:
- Via the Ticketmaster website – look for a “Join Waiting Room” button on the event page.
- Via the Ticketmaster app – open the event in the app and tap “Join Waiting Room”.
Upon joining, fans are assigned a random spot in line. They will see an estimated wait time that updates periodically as the show time approaches. Patrons do not need to stay on the page or in the app continuously. Ticketmaster will send reminders when it’s almost time for them to enter as tickets go on sale.
Waiting in the virtual line
The waiting room shows the user’s estimated wait time, current place in line, and number of people ahead. These numbers continuously update to give fans a sense of their progress. As more and more users join the queue, the estimated wait times will increase.
Here are some key things to know about the wait:
- No need to refresh – the waiting room display automatically updates on its own.
- Page can be minimized but not closed – fans must keep browser tab or app open.
- Random assignment – place in line is randomly assigned, does not depend on join time.
- Spots don’t change – user’s line position will not move up or down once assigned.
The waiting room will display tips, announcements, or entertainment while people are in line. It essentially tries to replicate the experience of waiting in a physical line at a venue.
When it’s your turn
As the event start time nears, Ticketmaster will move people from the waiting room into the ticket purchasing area in small groups. When it’s almost their turn, users will get a notification by email or on the app.
The notification will display a countdown clock, at the end of which the user can proceed to the ticket selection and purchase pages. This metered release continues until all waiting room users get through or no more tickets remain.
Ideally customers proceed through checkout immediately once their countdown ends. If they don’t, they may lose their spot and have to rejoin the waiting room.
Tips for navigating the waiting room
Here are some tips and best practices for making it through Ticketmaster’s waiting rooms:
- Join as early as possible – the line moves slowest right at the open.
- Keep app running – can minimize but don’t force quit or leave the page.
- Have payment ready – save time by preloading your Ticketmaster account.
- Act fast – purchase immediately once notified, or risk losing your spot.
- Persist if you miss out – people drop out, so keep trying as long as tickets last.
- Avoid scalpers – don’t trust third party offers, stick with official Ticketmaster sales.
Advantages of the virtual waiting room
While often frustrating for fans, virtual waiting rooms provide important advantages for Ticketmaster and event organizers:
- Prevents website crashes – meters traffic to avoid overloading ticketing system.
- Reduces stresses on servers – running an orderly queue requires fewer computing resources.
- Ensures fair access – first-come first-served would reward fastest internet speeds.
- Disincentives scalpers – bots can’t monopolize tickets as easily.
- Generates hype – having fans wait and compete makes shows seem like must-see events.
The bottom line is that waiting rooms allow Ticketmaster to control traffic, maximize system stability, and deliver the best experience for legitimate fans. And for hot shows, some waiting is inevitable when demand far exceeds supply.
Waiting room alternatives
There are some other systems Ticketmaster occasionally uses besides standard waiting rooms:
- Verified Fan – makes fans register ahead of time to get emailed purchase codes.
- Verified Fan Onsale – fans with codes get randomly assigned purchase times.
- #VerifiedFan – registers fans on Twitter by following and Retweeting.
These generally work similarly to waiting rooms but with an extra preregistration step. Verified Fan is for Ticketmaster’s biggest shows where demand wildly dwarfs supply. It aims to give all legitimate fans a shot while preventing scalpers from taking over.
Waiting room criticisms
Despite their advantages, waiting rooms also draw extensive criticism from fans who get frustrated with the system:
- Long uncertain waits with no guarantee of tickets.
- Little transparency into how the line operates.
- Perception that scalpers game the system.
- Annoying countdown clocks and changing times.
- Rewards those who can wait online for hours.
Much of the irritation stems from popular shows selling out instantly where many people wait but only a few get tickets. This leads some to complain that the system is biased or broken, even when that is not the case.
Future waiting room changes
Ticketmaster is exploring ways to improve waiting rooms and ease fan frustrations. Some potential changes could include:
- More transparency into how wait times are calculated.
- Absorbing wait times into prepurchase registration periods.
- Rewards for longtime customers.
- VIP access for fan club members.
- Tighter purchase limits to hinder scalpers.
- Auctions or dynamic pricing to better match supply and demand.
However Ticketmaster also needs to balance improvements with the core purpose of managing extremely high traffic events. Virtual queues will remain an important tool on that front even if the user experience evolves.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster’s waiting rooms act as virtual queues to smoothly manage the rush for highly coveted tickets. Joining is easy through the website or app, but actually getting tickets depends on having a good place in line and quickly completing purchases. While frustrating at times, waiting rooms are a necessary mechanism for Ticketmaster to cope with sky-high demand and minimize technical issues during sales. With some future enhancements, the waiting process may become more transparent and less onerous for fans vying for hot tickets.