Yes there was a waiting room problem.

[Jovankat]

From the BM Journal:

We do everything we can to give everyone a fair shot at a ticket to Burning Man, and we work with our ticketing partner Ticketfly to do just that. In an attempt to execute a smooth sale, Ticketfly adjusted how they implemented the queueing technology they use, which inadvertently resulted in 3,500 people who showed up early being placed in the front of the line during the March 23 Main Sale.

Because these people did nothing malicious, we’re not going to cancel their purchases, but unfair advantages are not acceptable, and we are working with Ticketfly to fix this problem for all future sales, including the August 3 OMG Sale. So what happened?

What Happened Before the Sale

Early in the planning process for the 2016 Main Sale, Ticketfly wanted to put a waiting room in place before the sale to accommodate the expected high server load. Under this plan, Burners who entered the sale before it opened would be placed in a “pre-queue” waiting room, and when the sale opened, everyone in that room would be randomly assigned a place in line.

We pushed back on this idea because it conflicted with our longtime policy that arriving early for a sale shouldn’t give one an advantage over someone who arrives when the sale officially begins. In this respect we’re kind of industry oddballs — it is standard practice in most high-volume ticket sales to use a waiting room like this, but it is philosophically out of line with how we feel participants should be treated in a sale.

In response, Ticketfly insisted the system was necessary to ensure a smooth sale, so we sent our standard night-before reminder email to everyone registered for the sale, including an explanation about the waiting room, to be transparent about the process.

In order to be fair to people who signed on at noon (as they were originally told to), we wanted the 20-minute waiting room to open at 11:45 am. That way, places in line wouldn’t be assigned until 12:05 pm, allowing people arriving promptly at noon to still have an equal chance. Everyone who showed up after 12:05 would be placed in line behind them.

It wasn’t ideal, but this compromise satisfied Ticketfly’s need to protect their system from attack and overload, and our need to not leave anyone out in the cold who showed up right at the official 12:00 pm sale time. Unfortunately, it turns out this isn’t what happened.

What We’ve Learned Since the Sale

Before 11:30 am, the Ticketfly system reached a load threshold that triggered the opening of a pre-pre-queue, called a “safety net”, that could absorb the crush of people attempting to line up in the minutes before the official start of the pre-queue. Here’s where human error comes into play: Ticketfly did not anticipate how the safety net would interact with the waiting room, and proceeded to open the expected waiting room at 11:30 am, 15 minutes earlier than we’d agreed and publicized. This waiting room was open for 35 minutes, still ending at 12:05 pm. Unbeknownst to us though, the roughly 3,500 people that arrived in the “safety net” period were given preferential placement ahead of everyone else to buy tickets and vehicle passes.

Reports from participants who experienced anomalies during the Main Sale began trickling in, and our team immediately started researching the claims and pressed Ticketfly for a more in-depth analysis. We scheduled a debrief meeting for April 11 to share the results of the research and address any remaining questions. It was at this point BRC learned about the failure of those caught in the “safety net” to be randomized along with everyone else.

Needless to say, we don’t like being in the position of having to notify people late in the game of a change in how the system works. On top of that, you can imagine our frustration upon learning of the system’s failure to faithfully randomize everyone. We hate that this happened. Please know that Ticketfly is keenly aware of how important it is to fix this problem and are committed to getting it right next time. And to you, we are sorry.

We genuinely wish ticket scarcity didn’t have to weigh on the community consciousness. Unfortunately, the reality is that demand far outstrips supply. But if you didn’t get tickets in the Main Sale, try not to lose heart; there are still options: The Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP) opens to those seeking tickets April 27, the OMG Sale happens August 3, and the Low Income Ticket Program is still accepting applications for those who have a demonstrable need for it. Also, keep in mind many tickets change hands among Burners during the summer as people’s plans settle down. This is practically a tradition. Be patient, get the word out, stay connected to your Burner community, and one could very well make its way to you.

[BBadger]

Ticketfly is paid a LOT of money to not fuck up, and yet purposely violates their agreed protocol at the expense of (non) attendees.

With such untrustworthy instructions and violated agreements, TicketFly better expect 120,000 people to relentlessly bombard their servers next year. No "safety net" bullshit is going to save them.

[Jackass]

Looks as though someone did whiz in the secret sauce... That Tricky Lawrence. We dodged the squirting flower, the whoopee cushion and the hand buzzer, now this.

ETA: Fuck you Ticketwasp!

Now I gotta go make nice with the fine folks at RND. See if the cache stash is still available

[Skuzzy61]

Well there is a way to resolve this mess in the future and allow BMORG complete control over the dispatching of tickets/passes. It is up to them. If they want to take control of it, they can. I hope they do.

[mudpuppy000]

Oops, welcome to the latest installment of being beta testers for their ticket system. Maybe they should spend some time beforehand trying to figure this stuff out before the sale goes live.

[The Rod]

And people wonder why people still complain... Because they keep fucking shit up.


Year after year.

[stygmah]

I really didn't want to know this...
I have my flights from Barcelona and was coping with the fact that i am going there without ticket because I had bad luck on an even and fair 'game'. Knowing this changes a bit that prespective.

[vargaso]

"In this respect we’re kind of industry oddballs — it is standard practice in most high-volume ticket sales to use a waiting room like this, but it is philosophically out of line with how we feel participants should be treated in a sale."

Yes, adorable industry "oddballs," not obstinate and insular. The BMORG needs to accept the reality of supply and demand and start treating the ticketing process with the seriousness most other high demand events do.

[BBadger]

Oops, welcome to the latest installment of being beta testers for their ticket system. Maybe they should spend some time beforehand trying to figure this stuff out before the sale goes live.

Or at least not have us pay $15 or whatever the amount was per ticket for the benefit of it. At least when Microsoft makes people beta testers for their Windows 10 they're giving the OS upgrade (and I use that term loosely) away for free. Or when people get to be the guinea pigs for video games, people get access to play the games early (except for Bethesda games).

Of course if there were fuck-up refunds, they would only go to the people who received the tickets, so that wouldn't help anyone else.

[vargaso]

Oops, welcome to the latest installment of being beta testers for their ticket system. Maybe they should spend some time beforehand trying to figure this stuff out before the sale goes live.

Or at least not have us pay $15 or whatever the amount was per ticket for the benefit of it. At least when Microsoft makes people beta testers for their Windows 10 they're giving the OS upgrade (and I use that term loosely) away for free. Or when people get to be the guinea pigs for video games, people get access to play the games early (except for Bethesda games).

Of course if there were fuck-up refunds, they would only go to the people who received the tickets, so that wouldn't help anyone else.

Yeah but:

"Early in the planning process for the 2016 Main Sale, Ticketfly wanted to put a waiting room in place before the sale to accommodate the expected high server load. Under this plan, Burners who entered the sale before it opened would be placed in a “pre-queue” waiting room, and when the sale opened, everyone in that room would be randomly assigned a place in line.

We pushed back on this idea because it conflicted with our longtime policy that arriving early for a sale shouldn’t give one an advantage over someone who arrives when the sale officially begins. In this respect we’re kind of industry oddballs — it is standard practice in most high-volume ticket sales to use a waiting room like this, but it is philosophically out of line with how we feel participants should be treated in a sale."

Ticketfly was upfront about the waiting room thing from the get-go, the BMORG "pushed back" because it somehow conflicted with an unstated principle against first-come/first-served. I'm not sure Ticketfly was beta testing anything, sounds like this is industry standard and they'd done it before.

[BBadger]

Ticketfly was upfront about the waiting room thing from the get-go, the BMORG "pushed back" because it somehow conflicted with an unstated principle against first-come/first-served. I'm not sure Ticketfly was beta testing anything, sounds like this is industry standard and they'd done it before.

This makes no difference at all. None.

Here's what I'm referring to:

Here’s where human error comes into play: Ticketfly did not anticipate how the safety net would interact with the waiting room, and proceeded to open the expected waiting room at 11:30 am, 15 minutes earlier than we’d agreed and publicized.

(emphasis mine)

The BMORG article is being way too kind terming this "human error." This was not "human error." This was a purposeful contravention of agreed protocol on part of TicketFly. TicketFly was not supposed to open up the line until 11:45 AM regardless of rationale. Full stop.

That was the agreement, and an agreement communicated to the community. An agreement that was violated by TicketFly, resulting in the fuck-up described above.

[dustyfux]

First thought when I read this - wait is this April Fools Joke 2.0?

Sorry, sounds seriously rookie. OK, BORG we get it-you have a problem with demand. But you've been doing this for years and ticket sales is a major part of your business model. Maybe its time to really tackle a problem that's been plaguing you for years?

But then again, what do I know. Maybe being known for consistently screwing up the ticket sales is a badge of honor.

[Jenifersteppat]

I don't understand how going into the waiting room early equals they didn't do anything wrong.

[Popeye]

I don't understand how going into the waiting room early equals they didn't do anything wrong.

By "they" you mean the ORG?
I see it that Ticket Fly did not properly fulfill their contract. Ticket Fly agreed to conduct the sale so that no one could get in early. Ticket Fly did not do this, it wasn't so much the waiting room, but the safety net not working as it was supposed to and Ticket Fly adding the waiting room without telling the ORG in advance. Take a look at ShaggySkier's post on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/BurningMan/com ... he_ticket/. It's fairly technical but he is credited with finding the problem and it makes an interesting read.
I think everyone needs to remember that the detail of what Ticket Fly is contracted to do very complicated and out of field for ORG management (which is why they contract it out). I doubt that Ticket Fly provides source code for review or that the ORG has anyone with the time/knowledge to review it. This is not the ORG's business.
Ticket Fly fucked up. This is their business and they did not fulfill their contract. Now that the ORG knows where the problem is I expect things will be corrected next year.
Kudo's to ShaggySkier.

[maladroit]

Deflection as usual. I'm not really upset about the people who showed up early. BMORG is deflecting here and hoping we'll forget the fact that people who joined the sale after 12:05 got tickets while people in the queue did not.

[wraith]

Deflection as usual. I'm not really upset about the people who showed up early. BMORG is deflecting here and hoping we'll forget the fact that people who joined the sale after 12:05 got tickets while people in the queue did not.

Yeah, there's no reason to be upset at the people who got in early, but rather at the incompetence of the ticket vendor whose systems have such an easy accidental exploit and the Org for continuing to use them despite recurring issues.

[BBadger]

I'd like to see a monetary penalty for these kinds of fuck-ups and agreement violations too.

[graidawg]

I'd like to see a monetary penalty for these kinds of fuck-ups and agreement violations too.

yup, seems to be the only thing companies understand. and it may keep prices down for anther year

[wraith]

I'd like to see a monetary penalty for these kinds of fuck-ups and agreement violations too.

That's the kind of thing a serious company writes into their contracts. You know, monetary penalties for failing on deliverables.

The Org's a bit too idealistic to play that kind of hardball I think, and it seems to keep getting the people who want to go to the event screwed.

[KPS1980]

I keep reading this thread for insight into why tickets are so hard for our camp and others to obtain this year. I still don't get it. I was in at 11:50 and still didn't get any tickets. So much for the stated preference mistake.

[Ratty]

KPS 1980 you need to accept and move on. There were 400 people trying to buy 100 tickets. It will be the same next year and the year after that. there is more demand than supply. We all need to be flexible and cunning. Raise the bar on your camp activities. That may get you more directed sales tickets next year. Or sign up and work in a department that guarantees you can buy a ticket next year. (This may require you to work everyday for a 4 to 6 hour shift.) Or save up and buy a ticket in the pre sale. We're all in the same boat. Be prepared to take a year off.

[KPS1980]

I'm always moving on. I never accept, I improve over and over. What I hear again and again from other Burners is that this years sales was different than all others. Having the waiting room open early wasn't an issue, mathematically. I just love fixing things. Sorry if I hit a sore spot with you.

[Ratty]

Nope. Not a sore spot with me. I was in the same boat as all the others that missed out. I understand supply and demand. I made some suggestions to you. These were meant to encourage you and others to think about ways to improve your chances next year. BM is evolving fast. MVs have to be a lot better to get the green light. Camps now have to have more than a bar and a sound system to get placed. It's great that you're constantly improving.

As far as this year's ticket sale goes....It's a different kind of shit-show every year since 2011. I have low expectations for the main sale. (Every year is different but the same.)

[Captain Goddammit]

You can still buy a pre-sale ticket, they keep coming up for sale.
It's an expensive trip. If another $500 is gonna make or break the whole thing, well... I mean, how bad do you wanna go?

[KPS1980]

It's an extra $1000+ for me. We're not all in the same boat captain. I haven't abandoned ship yet. Just looking for the pilot buoy.

[Ratty]

Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:37 am

So last ticket time was an absolute fiasco, and now it appears that things are going to be done differently in response to our cries of, "next year things need to be done differently".
This is what we asked for and this is what we're getting. What will we do if there is nothing left to whine about?

Side note, (Wasn't 2012 the LOTTERY?)

[wraith]

KPS 1980 you need to accept and move on. There were 400 people trying to buy 100 tickets. It will be the same next year and the year after that. there is more demand than supply. We all need to be flexible and cunning. Raise the bar on your camp activities. That may get you more directed sales tickets next year. Or sign up and work in a department that guarantees you can buy a ticket next year. (This may require you to work everyday for a 4 to 6 hour shift.) Or save up and buy a ticket in the pre sale. We're all in the same boat. Be prepared to take a year off.

Idly, I find this hilarious when combined with the amount of 'only true Burners are those who go every year' that comes up around here. You've got the reality of it, though. Scarcity's a bitch and gentrification is an ongoing thing.