How Eventbrite solves the problem of queues

The 2017 festival season has brought issues for promoters and attendees alike. Apart from the bad weather and unexpected event cancellations, long queues at the gates have dampened the festival spirit for many.

The case for fixing the queue problem is obvious: every minute spent in queues detracts from a positive festival experience for attendees, and for promoters represents lost sales on food, drinks and merchandise.

Comprehensive entry management is one of the key ways to tackle queues, and Eventbrite, one of the world’s leading providers of live event technology, has developed a 360° approach to reducing waiting times, starting from the moment that tickets go on sale. Real-time access to ticket data enables promoters to deal with attendee issues as they occur – and live attendance tracking helps boost sales of last minute tickets and merch.

Eventbrite’s box office kit includes dedicated ticket scanners, capable of processing 20 tickets per minute. A five-hour battery makes sure that peak time entry is covered on a single charge. A card reader, also included, enables onsite ticket sales via chip and pin or contactless. Eventbrite offers the equipment for purchase or hire to best fit an event’s budget.

“The transition to Eventbrite was smooth, with very little communication from customers adapting to the new system”

For festivals with thousands of attendees, Eventbrite’s integrated RFID solution takes event production up another notch, with rapid entry and onsite transactions at the tap of a wristband. Attendees can optionally link their wristband to their email account or social media profiles, which opens up new options for fans, events and sponsors to connect and interact. The first European event to implement Eventbrite’s RFID technology is the Reeperbahn Festival Conference 2017 in Hamburg.

Beyond tech
Whichever solution organisers go for, Eventbrite’s field services team stands by to create a strategy unique to any given event, as well as give support on the day, overseeing the technology from load-in to de-rig. It’s an approach that aims to combine the best live event technology with professional onsite support. Proven at festivals like BPM, WOMAD and Ramblin’ Man, it ensures a great experience for attendees and promoters alike.

As WOMAD’s festival director, Chris Smith, explains: “The transition to Eventbrite was smooth, with very little communication from customers adapting to the new system. It was also simple for the team to use, and removed administrative hurdles. Accurate reporting and timely payouts are essential to help the business side of WOMAD run smoothly.”

The figures speak for themselves: Using Eventbrite’s ticket sales data, WOMAD was able to come up with new incentives, which helped their early-bird presales increase by 167%.

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