Waiting list when sold out
When a session or ticket type sells out, buyers can ask to be told when tickets are free. As tickets come back, the people waiting are told in turn, each with a link and a time to buy.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- A show sells out, and returned tickets sit unsold because nobody knows they are back.
- The office keeps a waiting list on paper and phones people one by one.
- The first to refresh the page gets the returned seats, not the first who asked.
How it works
- The Waiting List is on for every event to start with; turn it off on the Sales Rules tab.
- On a sold-out session, the buyer fills Tell me when tickets are free: the ticket, how many (1 to 10), name, mobile and email.
- When tickets come back, through a cancellation or a lapsed hold, the first person is told by a message with a link.
- The link opens the order form with their number filled in. They have Time to Buy, 2 hours to start with.
- If they do not buy in time, the next person is told. Organisers see everyone under Events > Waiting List.
Everything it does
Joining
- Only while that ticket type, or the whole session, is sold out
- A ticket type, or Any ticket when every type is sold out
- How many: 1 to 10; asking again for the same session changes the number
- Signed-in buyers have their details filled in; members-only events need a sign-in
- Not for an event sold at the counter only
Telling
- In the order people asked
- The system looks every 5 minutes; Tell the Waiting List Now does it at once
- Someone who wants more than are free keeps waiting, and so do those behind them for that ticket
- No tickets are kept aside: the link only tells the person in time
States
- Waiting, Told: Tickets are Free, Bought, Did not Buy in Time, Cancelled
- Did not Buy in Time is closed, not put back in the line
- Take off the List removes someone
Who uses it
BuyerAsks to be told, then buys through the link in time.
Event organiserTurns the list on or off, sets the time to buy and tells the list at once when needed.
Where you use it
- The event pages: Tell me when tickets are free on a sold-out session
- Web: the Sales Rules tab of the event; Events > Waiting List; the Waiting button on the event
- The SmartMy Events app: Tell me, then Waiting list on My Tickets with Buy now and Leave. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Not on Starter
What you control
Settings
- Waiting List: on for every event
- Time to Buy: 2 hours
Notifications
- Waiting List: Tickets are Free: to the person told, with the link and until when it is good, by email, WhatsApp or SMS
- Each of these goes out at once. WhatsApp or SMS go where you set them up, from your message credits; app push follows once the apps are in the stores. A person can switch off email, WhatsApp or SMS for themselves, never the event; in-app notices always arrive
Questions
Are tickets kept for the person on the list?
No. The tickets stay on sale to everyone. The person is told first and has the link, so they can buy in time.How long does a person have to buy?
Time to Buy, 2 hours to start with. After that the next person is told.Can buyers wait for any ticket type?
Yes, when every type of the session is sold out, they can choose Any ticket.Can I tell the list at once after a cancellation?
Yes. Click Tell the Waiting List Now on the Sales Rules tab.Related features
SELLINGTickets held while the buyer pays, never oversoldWhen a buyer places an order, the tickets are taken from the session at once. They are kept for the buyer while they pay, 10 minutes to start with. Two buyers can never both get the last ticket, and unpaid tickets go back on sale by themselves.FANS AND SEATINGCancellations and refunds within your termsYou set the refund terms per event: not refundable, or refundable until some hours before the session, less a fee you keep. Buyers cancel by themselves within them; event managers can refund any time, to the original payment or by hand, from one Refunds list.FANS AND SEATINGSales alerts: sold out and slow salesThe organisers of an event are told once when a session sells out. They are told once more when a session has sold less than a share you set a few days before it. Nothing to watch: the message comes to them.SELLINGPublic event pages, order form and My ticketsYour events get their own pages. There is a list with search, a page per event with its sessions and prices, an order form, and a tickets page for each order. Signed-in buyers also find every order under My tickets.MESSAGESTickets, reminders and session changes sent to buyersBuyers get their tickets the moment they pay. They get a reminder the day before and on the day with the time the gates open. They get a message when a session moves or is cancelled. Messages go in the app and by WhatsApp, SMS or email.
See your next event on it.
Tell us what you are running, how many people come and how you sell today. We will set up the event with you on SmartMy Events.