The Waiting Room is activated when high buyer load is encountered on an event.
It helps control how many people can book per minute across the site, aiding to prevent system outages should unanticipated high loading be experienced on the booking pages.
When does it activate?
We have multiple queues which will activate the Waiting Room under different conditions.
System-wide queue
By default, all events are assigned to the system-wide queue. This queue is configured with a very high booking-per-minute threshold and is designed not to trigger the Waiting Room under normal circumstances.
Instead, it acts as a safeguard that will only activate the Waiting Room if the platform experiences unexpectedly high traffic levels. This helps protect the site from performance issues, outages, or booking errors that could otherwise prevent customers from completing their purchases.
Dedicated event queue
If we anticipate that your event will experience exceptionally high demand relative to its capacity, we may place it in a dedicated queue exclusively for that event.
This means the Waiting Room will only apply to your event, ensuring that increased traffic and booking activity do not impact other events on the platform.
Should your event be assigned a dedicated queue, our team will contact you in advance. We will discuss the expected demand, review your event capacity, and agree on an appropriate rate at which customers will be admitted from the Waiting Room to help deliver a smooth and reliable booking experience.
If this is your first time using TryBooking and you expect demand for your event to significantly exceed capacity, or you have experienced issues with other systems due to high traffic, please contact our Client Success Team. We can discuss your expected demand and determine whether the Waiting Room is suitable for your event.
What customers can expect
When the customer accessed your event URL they will be directed to the homepage.
If the event is not yet open for booking, they Book Now button will read Closed and a message at the top of the screen will confirm when the event will open:
Once the event is open for booking, the Book Now button will be present, allowing the customer to proceed with booking:
When the customer clicks Book Now:
If the event has multiple session times
They will be presented with the session times.
When the customer clicks Select next to their desired session, they will be directed to the Waiting Room
If the event has only one session time
They will be directed to the Waiting Room
Once in the Waiting Room, they will be provided with an count down estimate of their wait time. They will also be provided with their position in the queue:
When they are at the front of the queue they will be directed to the following screen momentarily:
They will then be moved out of the Waiting Room to the next selection point of booking. The customer will then have 20 minutes to complete their booking.
If the event has is a large custom form, they will be given a the option to extend their booking time so they can complete the form.
Commonly asked questions
Why has the Waiting Room activated on my event?
If your event has not been assigned a dedicated Waiting Room queue in consultation with TryBooking, but the Waiting Room has been activated, it indicates that the platform is experiencing unusually high traffic across multiple events.
In this situation, the Waiting Room helps manage demand and maintain site performance, allowing customers to continue booking tickets without encountering errors or service disruptions.
How do I know if my event needs a Waiting Room?
A Waiting Room may be beneficial if you expect demand for your event to significantly exceed the number of tickets available, particularly during the initial on-sale period.
You should consider contacting TryBooking to discuss a Waiting Room if:
You have encountered website performance issues or booking disruptions on other ticketing platforms due to traffic volume
Your event has a limited capacity and is expected to sell out quickly
You anticipate a large number of customers attempting to book as soon as tickets go on sale
Your event has received significant media coverage, social media attention, or public interest.
The Waiting Room helps manage customer traffic by controlling the rate at which customers access the booking page, creating a fairer and more reliable booking experience.
If you are unsure whether your event requires a Waiting Room, please contact our Client Success Team. We can review your expected demand, event capacity, and on-sale plans to determine whether a dedicated queue would be appropriate.
How are queue positions assigned?
Customers who enter the access the event Homepage before ticket sales open are assigned a queue position at random when sales commence. This ensures everyone waiting in advance has an equal opportunity to access the booking page.
Customers who join the Waiting Room after sales have opened are placed at the end of the queue in the order they arrive.
As customers are admitted from the Waiting Room to the booking page, the queue moves forward and customers can monitor their progress in real time.
Can customers lose their place in the queue?
Customers will generally retain their position in the queue provided they remain in the Waiting Room and do not clear their browser data or switch devices.
However, a customer may lose their place if they:
Clear their browser cookies or cache.
Open the event on a different browser or device.
Use private/incognito browsing and close the session.
Disable cookies in their browser.
If a customer joins the queue from multiple browsers or devices, each session will receive its own queue position. Customers will typically proceed with the session that reaches the front of the queue first.
To ensure the best experience, customers should remain on the same browser and device while waiting and avoid refreshing unnecessarily unless instructed by the Waiting Room.
Can customers join the queue from multiple devices or browsers?
Yes, customers can join the queue from multiple devices or browsers. However, each browser or device session is treated independently and will be assigned its own queue position.
For example, if a customer joins the Waiting Room on both their laptop and mobile phone, each session will receive a different place in the queue. Customers will typically continue with whichever session reaches the front of the queue first.
Please note that joining from multiple devices or browsers does not guarantee a better queue position, as positions are assigned independently. Once admitted to the booking page, customers should complete their purchase using a single session.
Will customers be able to refresh the page?
Yes. Customers can refresh the Waiting Room page without losing their place in the queue, provided they remain on the same browser and device.
The Waiting Room uses a unique identifier stored in the browser to recognise returning customers and maintain their queue position. If a customer is unsure whether the page is updating, they can safely refresh the page without affecting their place in the queue.
However, customers should avoid switching browsers, changing devices, or clearing cache while waiting, as this may result in a new queue position being assigned. In addition, some browser settings, privacy extensions, or security software may also affect browser storage used by the Waiting Room. In these cases, refreshing the page may not preserve the customer's queue position.
Does the Waiting Room guarantee tickets?
No. Entry to the Waiting Room does not guarantee that tickets will be available when a customer reaches the booking page.
The Waiting Room is designed to manage high demand by controlling the rate at which customers access the booking page, creating a fair and reliable booking experience. However, tickets are still sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
If demand exceeds the number of tickets available, tickets may sell out before all customers have progressed through the queue. Customers who reach the booking page after tickets have sold out will not be able to complete a booking.
What happens if tickets sell out while customers are waiting?
If tickets sell out while customers are still in the Waiting Room, those customers will still be admitted to the booking page but will be unable to complete a booking if no tickets remain available.
These customer may see a sold-out message when they reach the event page, or they may received a "no more tickets available" message after selecting tickets. In some cases, tickets may become available again if reservations expire or bookings are not completed, allowing other customers the opportunity to purchase them.
Buyer stuck on final Waiting Room screen
On the final waiting room screen (pictured below), we check every 10 seconds for queue availability (not ticket availability).
When a spot becomes available, the customer is automatically moved to the ticket selection screen to continue their purchase.
If a customer reports being stuck on the final Waiting Room screen for more than two minutes, ask them to refresh their browser. A device or network issue may be preventing them from progressing.
Session Expired Error
A "Session Expired" error after leaving the Waiting Room indicates that the buyer was in the queue for longer than the system's maximum session duration of one hour.
TryBooking continuously monitors queue wait times and adjusts queue throughput to minimise the risk of sessions expiring. However, during periods of exceptionally high demand, it may not be possible to prevent all buyers from exceeding the one-hour limit.
When a session expires, the buyer loses their position in the queue and must re-join the Waiting Room to continue their purchase.