Whether you're launching a new season, sending a big press release, or opening ticket sales for a high-demand show, moments of peak traffic require careful planning. This guide walks you through the tools available in CultureSuite CMS, when to use them, and how to protect both your website and your visitors' experience.
The Tools Available to You
CultureSuite CMS offers several tools that work together to manage high-traffic moments. Understanding what each one does will help you choose the right combination for your situation.
- Groups – Control from which date your events become visible and bookable on the website.
- Presale Groups / Visitor Tags – Segment your audience to offer early or exclusive access to specific groups such as members or newsletter subscribers.
- Time slots – Hand out individual booking windows so Visitors are not all trying to buy at the same time. This is the single most effective tool for managing popular onsales.
- Queue – A waiting room that limits how many visitors can access the site simultaneously.
- Secure / Extra Secure Tickets – Additional layers of protection against ticket touting and unauthorised resale.
- Wish List – Allows Visitors to register interest before an onsale begins.
- Privileges – Offer special access or pricing to defined visitor segments.
- Bundles – Group events together to help visitors discover and purchase combinations based on their interests.
- Ticket Ballot – A fair, data-rich alternative to a standard onsale for high-demand events. Visitors register during a set window and winners are selected and notified before the presale opens.
Quick Reference: Queue Settings by Scenario
Queue settings are managed in Website > Queueing > Maxiumum concurrent visitors
Scenario | Recommended Approach |
Announcement – no ticketing | Queue at 500 (if a specific time is communicated) or 1,000 (if traffic will spread out) |
Onsale using Time slots | Keep Queue at 400 as a precaution – it won't be very active |
No popular events (Onsale without Time slots) | Start at 0, shuffle before start, increase by 50–100 every 5–10 mins |
Popular events, BAS (Onsale without Time slots) | Start at 0, shuffle before start, increase by 50–100 every 5–10 mins |
Popular events with Seat selection (Onsale without Time slot) | Start at 0, shuffle before start, increase cautiously to by 25-50 to start with. |
Scenario Guidance
Announcement – No Ticketing
When you send out a big mailing or publish your new season programme, you can expect a surge of visitors even without ticket sales involved. Because there are no seatmaps or booking flows, the site can handle a large volume of traffic relatively easily.
- Set the Queue to at least 500 if a specific time has been communicated.
- Set the Queue to 1,000 if traffic is expected to spread out over time.
- Consider using Visitor Tags to give members an early preview before general release.
- Add a Queue message to explain any waiting, if needed.
Onsale Using Time slots
Time slots are the recommended approach for almost all onsales. By giving each visitor a dedicated booking window, you eliminate the problem of hundreds of people competing for seats at once.
- Set up Time slots in advance and communicate the process clearly to your visitors.
- Keep the Queue at 400 as a safety net.
- The Queue will mainly be active during the brief window when everyone is requesting their time slot simultaneously.
Regular (low traffic) Events
If you're opening ticket sales across a season where no individual event is likely to cause a rush, manage the Queue manually and build up capacity as orders flow in.
- Prepare a Queue message in advance explaining the booking procedure.
- Set the Queue to 0 shortly before the start time.
- Shuffle the Queue just before opening.
- Increase by 50–100 every 5–10 minutes, checking that orders are coming through and the site is responding quickly.
- Once things are running smoothly, you can safely increase to 500 or more.
Popular Events with Seat Selection
This is the most challenging scenario. When many visitors try to select seats from the same seatmap simultaneously, most will find their chosen seats taken by the time they reach checkout. Consider these alternatives first:
- Ticket Ballot – If you know a show is going to sell out, a ballot is the fairest and least stressful approach for everyone. Open registration for a set window, select your winners, and assign them presale access via Visitor Tags. There's no race, no seatmap chaos, and you get richer data on your audience in the process. See the Ticket Ballot section above for full details.
- Time slots – Spread seat selection across booking windows.
- Best Available Seats (BA) – Remove the seatmap and let the system assign seats automatically. Visitors move through checkout much faster.
If you do proceed with a seatmap and no Time slots:
- Start Queue at 0 and shuffle just before the onsale begins.
- Increase to 25-50 to start with.
- Only increase if you're seeing very few complaints about seat conflicts.
- Use Queue messages to keep waiting visitors informed. I.e. if the show sells out.
- Be cautious about going above 100-200 visitors selecting seats simultaneously could mean up to 800 seats being held at once.
Full Season Onsales
When your onsale covers a large part of your season rather than a single event, the approach is different. The goal is to remove the feeling of stress and urgency for your visitors, and give them a relaxed, personal experience.
- Use both Groups and Time slots. This gives each Visitor a dedicated booking window where they can explore events, make selections, and complete cross-sells without feeling rushed.
- Separate out popular events. Selling high-demand shows as part of a general season onsale creates unnecessary pressure. Consider selling these separately so the majority of your Visitors can browse freely.
- Use Bundles. Research shows that suggested combinations – even without a discount attached – help visitors discover events they might otherwise miss. Bundles are available for all ticketing systems integrated with CultureSuite CMS. (Note: Integrated purchase paths only)
Using an External Ticketing Platform
If purchases are completed outside of CultureSuite CMS (for example, directly on Ticketmaster), your priority during peak traffic is getting visitors to the right place as fast as possible.
- Add a clear message to the Queue with a direct link to your ticketing partner.
- Set the Queue very low at the peak moment – visitors will see your message and link immediately rather than waiting.
- Once the initial rush subsides (usually within 10–20 minutes), you can lift the Queue again.
Real-Life Example: Parktheater
Parktheater managed a major onsale starting at 9:30am, seeing over 10,000 page requests per minute and almost 6,000 active sessions at peak.
Their approach:
Time | Action |
Day before | Added a Queue message explaining the onsale procedure |
07:11 | Set concurrent sessions: 250 → 0 |
07:20 | Shuffled Queue |
09:29 | Shuffled Queue again |
09:30 | Set concurrent sessions: 0 → 50 |
09:34 | Increased to 75 |
09:37 | Increased to 100 |
09:40 | Increased to 200 |
09:52 | Increased to 300 |
09:59 | Increased to 400 |
Understanding the Queue
What the Queue Does
The Queue limits how many visitors can be actively browsing and booking at the same time. It protects the platform from being overwhelmed and creates a fairer experience – visitors can see their position and know they will be let through in order, rather than facing a slow or broken website.
How to Use the Shuffle
Shuffling the Queue resets all current sessions and assigns everyone a new random position. This removes "sleeping" sessions – visitors who opened the site early but are not actively engaged.
- Shuffle the Queue in the minutes just before your onsale begins.
- If you don't shuffle, early visitors will hold their original position even if they opened their browser hours before.
- Communicate to your audience in advance whether early queuing gives an advantage, so they know what to expect.
Sending Messages to Visitors in the Queue 📝
You can update the Queue message at any time while visitors are waiting. Use this to keep people informed and reduce anxiety during busy periods.
Good uses include:
- Confirming when the onsale will begin or flagging any delays.
- Letting visitors know how many tickets remain for popular events as things sell out.
- Directing visitors to an external ticketing page if that is where purchases are completed.
- Reassuring visitors that their place in the queue is secure and they won't lose it by waiting.
Securing Tickets Against Touting
For high-demand events, the Queue alone is not enough. CultureSuite CMS offers additional security layers to prevent tickets being resold or misused.
- SMS Verification: Confirms the person attending is the same as the buyer, by verifying their phone number at the door.
- Just-in-Time Tickets: Hides e-tickets until shortly before the event, making it very difficult to forward or sell them on.
- Dynamic Barcodes: Depending on your ticketing system, barcodes can be made unique and time-sensitive, making copying impossible.
- Named Tickets: A mandatory name field on the ticket, which cannot be changed after purchase, allows identity verification on entry.
Always Let Us Know
Whatever you have an onsale planned, please notify the CultureSuite team in advance by raising a ticket at service.culturesuite.co. We will add your onsale to our calendar so we can be on standby, pause any scheduled maintenance, and respond quickly if you need support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why might a visitor be sent back to the Queue during their booking?
This can happen for a number of reason; if they switch browser after logging in or after an external payment (e.g. iDEAL), if they opt out of cookies, if they are inactive for too long, or if there is a temporary issue with their session. It is rare, but possible during very high-traffic moments when many things are happening simultaneously.
Does Google Analytics show the same numbers as the Queue?
No. GA stops counting a visitor as active if they are not scrolling or clicking. The Queue counts any open session, including visitors who are patiently waiting on the page. The Queue is a more accurate picture of how many people are present on your site at any moment.
What is a good Queue level for a normal day?
500 should be enough for any normal day. If you find yourself needing more than 500, something unusual is going on that warrants your attention.
Does shuffling the Queue risk putting abandoned sessions at the front?
No. The shuffle resets all sessions, and any abandoned sessions are cleared in the process.
What should I tell CultureSuite about an upcoming on an onsale?
- Is ticketing internal or external (e.g. Ticketmaster)?
- Is it one popular event or a full season opening?
- How many visitors are expected, and do they include a member's presale?
- What is the database/mailing list size?
- What is the venue capacity and the maximum tickets per order?
- Are you using Seat Your Own Seat (SYOS) or Best Available?
Want to know more
- Queueing - How to set up and manage your Queue, including adding Queue messaging.
- More on Groups and Presales - How to use Groups and Presale Visitor Tags to control access and timing.
- Visitor Registrations - How to run a Ticket Ballot: setting up registration, selecting winners, and assigning presale access.
- Bundles — How to link prices and discounts to groups of events to encourage multi-show purchases.
- Secure E-Tickets - Dynamic barcodes, SMS verification, named tickets, and more.
- Watch our latest webinar: Mastering Onsales - A Practical Guide to Queue Success 2026
Need Help? Contact the CultureSuite support team if you encounter any issues not covered in this guide.