A few years ago, everyone used to stand in long queues to book tickets for the upcoming concert, a sports event, or a theatre show. But, because of advancements in technology and the internet, the burdensome task of standing in never-ending queues has been completely eliminated. In the current era, you can book a ticket online from your mobile or laptop from your home or office. Although online ticket booking has been a revolutionary change, it still has disadvantages. This article takes you through all the advantages and disadvantages of booking online tickets for a concert, theatre show, sporting event, or any other event, including convenient options for securing tickets to  concerts in tampa area.
Advantages
Convenience
Arguably, one of the most significant advantages of online ticket booking is convenience. Now, you don’t need to stand for hours in long queues in front of opera halls and stadiums. Moreover, in cities like Los Angeles, where concerts are a part of people’s lives, standing in long queues in front of the LA Staples Center LA used to be a challenging task. With the introduction of online ticket booking, all you need to do is open your mobile or laptop, enter the number of? auditorium seats ?you want, make the payment, and enjoy the show. Online ticketing saves you loads of time and energy you waste by physically going to the booking station and battle for your chance.
Booking from Anywhere
Another extension to the above point, you can book online tickets from anywhere, and for anywhere. Suppose you are in a movie that ends at 16:30, and you have a Hello Dolly theater show at 17:00 that you want to attend. Imagine finishing the movie, driving to the theatre, getting in the queue for tickets, and ending up missing a significant part of the show. On the other hand, why not book the tickets while watching your movie? So, all you have to do is drive to the theater and take your seats. Online ticketing offers this luxury of booking tickets from anywhere.
Booking Anytime
Similar to the previous point, you can also book online tickets anytime. Suppose you are playing video games with your friends in your apartment at 1 am. You suddenly came to know about the LA Lakers vs. Atlanta Dream match tomorrow morning. No matter how eager you are to stand in the queue for the tickets, you will not get them because all ticket counters have a fixed closing time. Online ticketing, on the other hand, has no such issues. Even if you want to book Los Angeles Lakers tickets at 1 am, 3 am, or 5 am, you can do it without any issues.
No Cash Issues
Have you ever been in a situation where the price of the tickets has been increased because of high demand? Many people take limited cash to the counters. If there is a sudden increase in ticket price, they end up having less money and thus, are not able to get the tickets. In the case of online ticketing, you usually pay from your cards, and even if the price is increased, you will not run out of money.
Card Presale
Many cardholders will agree to this. Credit card companies frequently host presales for their cardholders. If you don’t book tickets online, you can only pray that the tickets are not sold out. On the other hand, if you are a credit cardholder of the company who has hosted the presale, you can easily book tickets at a lower cost and higher convenience.
Discounts
One of the obvious reasons for shopping for anything online is the discounts you can avail. Almost all ticketing websites provide discounts on tickets, especially during popular events. Therefore, you don’t only get the benefit of a convenient ticket booking, but a cheaper alternative to physical ticket booking as well. Other benefits also include cashback and various other offers.
Disadvantages
Internet Connection is Required
Although everyone uses the internet nowadays, 24 percent of people in the USA still don’t have internet access. And, even if you have internet access, it is not necessary that it will work everywhere. If you want to book a ticket from your home or office, you will not face any problem but, if you are traveling or driving through the countryside where the connection is bad or even not available, you will be stuck. Therefore, even the internet requirement is obvious, is the biggest disadvantage of online ticket booking as well.
Booking Errors
Many people book tickets online in a hurry. In most cases, people don’t check the details, i.e., the date, time, seats, etc. After the booking is completed, people realize that there is an error in the booking. Most online ticket systems don’t have a refund policy, and even if they have, you will not get all of your money back. When booking tickets from booking counters, it is the responsibility of the booking clerk to double check all the details before finalizing the booking.
Technical Knowledge is Required
Many people might not agree with this point, but a few people will. Although most of the people who use online ticket booking systems are millennials and have ample knowledge of the internet and the interface of the booking system. However, a few older people might get completely confused when landing on the booking website for the first time. When booking tickets offline, all you need to do is tell your details, and the booking clerk will take care of the rest of the operation.
Crashes
Website crashes usually take place when a website suddenly experiences a lot of traffic. Most websites have strong, powerful servers that are capable of accommodating any amount of traffic. But, some websites might not be prepared for such situations, and when such instances happen, the website crashes. The time taken to recover from the crash is highly variable. Some websites might be back in action within minutes, whereas some might take hours.
Leaked Personal Information
Personal information can be leaked only if you are using a public network. If you are using public wifi, e.g., in a cafe or restaurant, chances are that your details can be stolen. When booking tickets online, you have to add your card or wallet information to make the payment. If the public network is not secured, your details can be easily stolen and leaked.
Commissions
Not all, but many online ticket booking systems take some money as their commission over the tickets you book with them. Although they have all the rights to do so, some people might not just agree to spend some extra money. Offline booking has no such commissions, and you will get a ticket on the price that has been fixed.
Conclusion
Online ticket booking has a lot of advantages and disadvantages. However, the advantages obviously overpower the disadvantages because all the disadvantages mentioned above can be avoided. The problem of a lack of technical knowledge can be solved by learning about the system and the technology as it is very simple and uncomplicated. System crashes can be avoided by using reputable websites. Personal information can be prevented from getting leaked by using a secured network only. Commissions can be avoided by checking beforehand about the terms and conditions of the website.
