Ticketmaster’s waiting room is a virtual queue that gives fans fair and safe access to high-demand tickets. When ticket demand is expected to exceed supply, Ticketmaster may activate the waiting room. This helps manage traffic and discourage ticket brokers. Joining the waiting room doesn’t guarantee tickets, but it’s required to access ticket sales when they begin. Here’s how the waiting room works and tips for joining it.
What is the Ticketmaster waiting room?
The Ticketmaster waiting room is a virtual queue system used for high-demand events. When tickets go on sale for a major concert, game or show, millions of fans may try to purchase at once. This traffic can overwhelm Ticketmaster’s website and ticket buying experience.
To prevent website crashes and level the playing field, Ticketmaster funnels fans into an online waiting room before tickets go on sale. Fans join the waiting room where they’re assigned a random spot in line. Ticketmaster then meters fans from the waiting room to the ticket buying page as capacity becomes available.
The waiting room helps manage the crush of traffic on Ticketmaster’s site. It prevents bots and scalpers from swarming the site and scooping up tickets ahead of regular fans. The waiting room provides fairer access to tickets and avoids the need to compete in a last-click scenario when tickets go live.
When does Ticketmaster use the waiting room?
Ticketmaster activates the waiting room when an event is expected to have very high demand and limited ticket inventory. The specific triggers may vary, but generally a waiting room is used when:
– The event has widespread mainstream popularity like major concert tours or championship games. These events drive large general public demand.
– The venue has limited seating capacity compared to the size of the fanbase. For example, an artist with an arena-sized following playing a small theater venue.
– The event occurs in a major metropolitan market like New York or Los Angeles. The large population creates more potential customers.
– The event or artist hasn’t toured or performed in several years. This can create pent up demand among fans.
– The event is uniquely memorable like a reunited band or final game/concert in a storied venue. These create a “must-attend” scenario.
– Secondary market ticket prices are expected to be high. Events with expensive resale tickets also tend to see high primary market demand.
– Social media and news coverage stoke interest in an event. More buzz brings more buyers.
Ticketmaster evaluates expected demand in the days and weeks leading up to the onsale. If waiting room criteria are met, Ticketmaster will activate it in advance of the sale. Fans are then notified a waiting room will be used for the specific event.
How does the Ticketmaster waiting room work?
The Ticketmaster waiting room is a digital queue system. To join the waiting room, fans go to the Ticketmaster site for the event before tickets go on sale. There they click to enter the waiting room. This assigns them a random spot in line.
Just prior to the announced onsale time, Ticketmaster will begin allowing people to leave the waiting room and access the ticket buying page. The flow from waiting room to tickets is metered to manage site traffic.
Your spot in line versus others in the waiting room is random. But the longer you’re in the waiting room, the better your chances of getting through earlier. Entering the waiting room right when it opens maximizes your time in line.
Once in the store, fans shop and checkout as normal. The tickets in their cart are held for ~8 minutes during checkout. And they can re-enter the waiting room if tickets sell out to retry accessing tickets later.
Throughout the process, Ticketmaster may employ additional safeguards against bots and broker activity. For example, users may have to verify their identity via mobile tickets transfer or other means. And ticket limits may be enforced.
When does the Ticketmaster waiting room open?
The waiting room typically opens 1-3 hours prior to the scheduled ticket onsale time. Ticketmaster will advertise the specific waiting room start time for each event. This gives fans notice to join early.
Joining early is important. The waiting room uses a queue, so joining when it first activates puts you at the front of the line. Arriving later means more people are already ahead of you.
Here are some guidelines on typical waiting room start times relative to the onsale:
– 1 hour before onsale: Smaller shows or lower demand events. Joining an hour early is sufficient.
– 2 hours before onsale: Medium popularity events. Waiting room may open 2 hours prior.
– 3+ hours before onsale: Very high demand events. Waiting room can open 3+ hours ahead to manage demand.
Again, check Ticketmaster listings for the event to confirm waiting room opening times. The longer the waiting room is live before onsale begins, the higher the expected demand.
How to get notified when the waiting room opens
Sign up for Ticketmaster’s email notifications for the event. When a waiting room is activated, Ticketmaster will email customers who signed up with details on waiting room start times.
Follow the Ticketmaster social media accounts for the event venue or city. They may broadcast waiting room start times and other useful pre-sale updates.
Check back on the Ticketmaster event page repeatedly prior to onsale. The waiting room start time will be advertised there once confirmed. Bookmark the page and refresh to stay updated.
Set a calendar reminder for yourself to check back leading up to the expected onsale. Start checking Ticketmaster regularly a week ahead of the sale date.
Follow fan forums or social media conversations among other fans tracking the event. Often folks will post updates on waiting room status as they see it announced.
Turn on notifications for the Ticketmaster mobile app. If activated for the event, the app may send a push notification when the waiting room opens.
What happens inside the Ticketmaster waiting room?
The waiting room shows your estimated wait time and spot in line. These estimates will fluctuate as fans enter and exit the queue. You’ll also see messages indicating:
– The waiting room is active but hasn’t started letting people access tickets yet.
– When the store has opened and fans are advancing from the waiting room to tickets.
– If a sold out notice is posted indicating all initially available tickets have been purchased.
Typically, your wait is longer than the estimated time shown. Ticketmaster displays conservative times to manage expectations. Even if your estimated wait is 5 minutes, it may take 15-30 minutes in reality.
A progress bar will indicate when your spot is nearing the front. But things still often take longer than estimated once you reach the “almost there” point.
Having the Ticketmaster app may provide a slightly more accurate sense of progress. Using the web version tends to show more generic wait time estimates. Either way, the key is persistence. Don’t abandon your spot if it’s taking 2-3x the estimated wait.
Tips for using the Ticketmaster waiting room
Here are some top tips for making the most of the Ticketmaster waiting room:
– **Join immediately when the waiting room opens** – Getting in queue early is critical. The earlier you join, the better your spot in line and shorter your wait.
– **Persist through long waits** – Your actual wait will almost certainly be longer than the estimated times shown. Stick it out even if it’s 2-3x the estimate.
– **Use multiple devices** – Open the waiting room on 2 browsers or devices simultaneously to double your chances. Use 1 to hold your spot if the other gets through.
– **Have accounts set up in advance** – Make sure you have Ticketmaster account credentials, payment info and more ready to go ahead of time.
– **Beware errors and glitches** – Expect waiting room errors or getting booted back to the queue. Stay patient and keep trying if kicked out.
– **Use the mobile app** – For some events the app may work better than desktop. Launch both and go with what gets through quickest.
– **Keep trying after sellouts** – Inventory is sometimes released in increments. Re-enter the waiting room even if tickets appear sold out at first.
Errors and issues with the Ticketmaster waiting room
With millions trying to use the waiting room at once, errors and glitches are common. Here are some typical issues fans may encounter:
– Getting randomly booted back to the waiting room after a long wait
– Error messages when trying to move to tickets after your wait
– Loss of connection to the waiting room and having to re-enter the queue
– Showing sold out even as others are still accessing tickets
– General latency and slow response as servers struggle with traffic volume
– Prematurely losing your spot if your browser crashes or the page closes
If booted back to the waiting room after a long wait, try logging in and out of your Ticketmaster account. You may pick back up at or near your prior spot. Beyond that, persistence and patience is key. Keep relaunching the waiting room if you encounter errors or glitches.
Using multiple browsers and devices
Your best chance of beating the waiting room is using 2 devices or browsers simultaneously. This doubles your odds by holding 2 places in line.
On one device, join the waiting room as soon as it opens. Use this to reserve your place in queue. Then on the other device, join the waiting room later. If the second device gets through to tickets first, use it to shop then hold in your cart. But keep your waiting room place in line on the first device too.
Refresh both periodically to see if either makes quicker progress. Often one browser or device will advance faster than the other for random reasons.
Make sure to use two fully independent browsers like Firefox and Chrome on the same device. Don’t just open multiple windows of the same browser. That likely won’t work.
The key is increasing your chances by reserving multiple spots via different browsers. Keep both going until you either checkout or lose your place.
Using Ticketmaster accounts and verified fan
It helps to have Ticketmaster account credentials, payment options and more entered ahead of the onsale rush. This prevents wasting time entering details as the clock ticks.
Be sure you can access your Ticketmaster account in advance. Verify your password, login and other account details work.
For high demand events, Ticketmaster may use Verified Fan. This requires registering in advance and getting a verification code. Having Verified Fan access is mandatory for some onsales. Check ahead of time if it’s required and get approved.
Make sure payment details are preloaded into Ticketmaster to enable one-click checkout. Double check your saved payment methods are valid and up-to-date.
Tips for getting the best seats
The waiting room order doesn’t necessarily determine seat quality. It’s essentially random. But there are still strategies to get better seats:
– **Aim for seats in the middle sections** – Center and off-center sections in front of the stage are ideal. Avoid extremes on far ends where viewing is less direct.
– **Scout the seating map in advance** – Review the venue map ahead of time and target specific sections/rows. Have a mental map for navigating quickly.
– **Consider VIP packages** – Many shows now offer premium packages with the best locations. These are costly but guarantee prime seats.
– **Act fast once in the store** – Don’t browse around once you access seats. Grab from the front sections immediately before others take them.
– **Single seats or pairs can be better** – It’s harder for the system to find groups of 4+. Opt for fewer seats together or split pairs in prime spots.
– **Avoid obstructed view seats** – Don’t just take the first open seats. Make sure they don’t have potentially obstructed views on the aisle or behind pillars/structures.
– **StubHub and resale can be backups** – If you miss out initially, decent seats often get resold for reasonable markups after the onsale scramble.
What if tickets immediately show sold out?
Often events will appear instantly sold out at the advertised onsale time. This doesn’t necessarily mean all tickets are gone. Here are some tips for these “fast sellouts”:
– **Refresh obsessively** – Keep hammering refresh. Extra tickets are sometimes released in small batches. Persistence pays off.
– **Repeat the waiting room** – After a “sellout”, go back and re-enter the waiting room. Venues sometimes hold back inventory to later release.
– **Try other sections** – Broaden your search beyond prime sections. Single seats and pairs may still pop up in other parts of the venue.
– **More dates may open** – For high demand tours, added show dates are common. Watch for those to help meet demand.
– **Watch for wristband queues** – Some big shows use in-person wristband distribution for last minute tickets. Look for those announcements.
– **Buy secondary** – As a last resort, StubHub and other secondary sites let you pay a premium for hot tickets post-onsale.
Check fan forums and social media for tips on post-sellout opportunities. With patience and effort, additional tickets often surface.
Conclusion
The Ticketmaster waiting room aims to make accessing high demand tickets fairer and more organized. By joining the waiting room early and understanding how it works, fans can maximize their odds of scoring seats. Persistence through long queues and error messages is key. Have accounts set up, use multiple devices, and keep trying even after initial “sellouts”. While not guaranteed, following these tips will help fans beat the competition.