Peak crowds: a major challenge for major events

Major events such as decisive league matches, concerts by popular artists or major festivals often attract thousands or even hundreds of thousands of spectators. This sudden influx generates peaks in demand on ticketing platforms, which have to be able to absorb these volumes without failing. For example, when tickets go on sale for a cup final or a concert by an international star, the platform can receive a ten-thousand-fold increase in traffic almost instantaneously, going from a negligible flow to 100,000 connections in just a few minutes. Anticipating these peaks and guaranteeing the technical capacity to handle this flow is essential if all fans are to be able to access the service without interruption.

The consequences of poor peak management

A ticketing system that is ill-prepared for these situations can quickly saturate, slow down or even break down. Imagine a site that crashes just as a fan is trying to buy a ticket for a unique event: that spectator may not come back, and several thousand others in the same situation will have the same experience. This frustration leads to a high rate of shopping basket abandonment and a direct loss of sales.

If everyone is allowed access at the same time – i.e. without queuing – to a sale where supply (number of seats available for sale) is lower than demand (number of users wanting to buy), there will be, for example, 100 people for every seat available, which means that in the end 99 people out of 100 will not be able to go through with the purchase, which generates enormous frustration.

As well as the financial impact, the reputation of the club or organiser suffers, with viral criticism on social networks and a lasting loss of confidence among fans.

A robust, scalable platform to meet demand

To meet these challenges, Ticketchainer has developed a robust, scalable ticketing platform that adapts in real time to the influx of visitors. For example, during the last sale of a high-demand French football cup match, our virtual queue management system was made available to buyers on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, avoiding server overload and drastically reducing errors. This intelligent management allows fans to wait serenely without losing their place, while ensuring a continuous and fluid service for all.

Instant scalability and responsiveness to needs

Ticketchainer guarantees instant scalability, whether the ticket office needs to manage 1,000 or 100,000 simultaneous connections. For example, for a very popular music festival, we were able to scale up without interruption, offering spectators a stable experience, even at the peak of sales. Another example: traffic during the final of the African Cup of Nations reached 350,000 connections over the course of the day. Our modular architecture also allows us to intervene quickly if necessary, to adjust capacity or implement additional functionalities, such as setting up flash offers or private sales, without disrupting the service.

Anticipation and flexibility, the keys to commercial success

By anticipating peaks and offering a flexible, agile platform, clubs and organisers can maximise their sales while ensuring a smooth experience. Ticketchainer supports its customers in this proactive approach, with personalised support and tailored tools. The result: a better managed event, an improved image, and satisfied fans who return season after season.