A ticket-buying expert has explained exactly what you should be doing to secure tickets to the most competitive concerts and festivals - including Glastonbury. Music journalist Georgie Rogers, a veteran of what she describes as the ‘military operation’ of grabbing tickets, says teaming up with friends and family to all try their luck is key.
Tablets tend to work best as they are the quickest to connect to the internet, and would-be attendees should know the layout of different venues off by heart so they know what tickets to get. But overloading a Wi-Fi network is a big no she says, as this can slow the connection and lead to missed opportunities.
It comes after research, into 2,000 adults, found 53 per cent have missed out on attending their dream festival or gig - because they were stuck in an online queue. Tickets to Glastonbury, the World Cup, Ed Sheeran and Wimbledon were voted the hardest live events to get tickets for online.
Of every three attempts to buy tickets for a live event online, they’re only successful with two of them. When trying to secure the goods, 32 per cent set up different devices and log in 12 minutes before the queue opens.
Georgie Rogers, who is working with Lottoland.co.uk on a must-have guide to getting high demand tickets, said: "There are countless gigs and live events I’ve been desperate to get tickets for, only to find them all seemingly selling out within a second of going live on sale.
"Through trial and error, research and lots of practice I’ve perfected the art and there are definitely tips and tricks you need to be aware of if you’re going after the hottest tickets. Glastonbury is in huge demand every year and any stadium tour will usually mean online queues and sweaty palms as you wait for your turn to book."
The research also found 62 per cent of adults think buying tickets online is simply too hard nowadays. Pricing (50 per cent), automated bots buying up tickets (44 per cent) and the time involved (37 per cent) are the biggest barriers to success, according to the OnePoll.com figures.
And 52 per cent consider getting tickets to something like Glastonbury about as unlikely as winning the actual lottery. As many as 12 per cent would even trade in a jackpot-winning lottery ticket if it meant front-row seats to the band or artist of their dreams, dead or alive.
A spokesperson for Lottoland said: "Trying to get tickets for a big event can definitely feel like a lottery. And it’s surprising to see that as many as one in 10 of us would trade a winning jackpot in for gig tickets.
"Given how strongly people feel about getting to see their favourite artists, it’s no wonder we employ all sorts of tips and hacks to try and make our odds of getting through just a little better. With any luck, the people reading this guide will be on their way to Glastonbury this time next year."