The challenge
Aphmau’s Mini Mart drew more fans than its booth could hold, and by the end of day one the crowd had outgrown what in-person management could handle. CatFace needed comic con booth crowd control that worked fast, with three show days still ahead.
- Crowds beyond what the booth could hold. Day one was spent managing the crowd in person, and the size of the line put the booth at risk of being shut down.
- A one-minute experience with a long line. Each guest pulled the lever, watched a 45-second animation, and received a ball with a prize, about a minute per guest. Demand far outpaced how quickly the booth could serve fans, and guests needed to be ready to step up the moment it was their turn so the line kept moving.
- Fan expectations. With this much demand, the team needed a clear and honest way to set expectations with fans about getting in.
- A tight turnaround. The solution had to be ready overnight, with no time for CatFace to build or learn a new system.
The solution
NextMe gave the Mini Mart a hybrid physical and virtual queue and handled the setup end to end.
- Concierge setup, up and running overnight. NextMe’s concierge account support took the setup off CatFace’s plate. After meeting the team in person at the show, NextMe configured the account, the queue, and the branded Virtual Waiting Room on their behalf overnight, so the Aphmau team could stay focused on the crowd in front of them and the line was ready for the next show day.
- Joining by text. Fans joined from their phones with Self Check-in and received a text confirming their spot, with a link to see their place in line. No one had to hold a spot at the booth.
- A hybrid queue with an on-deck area. Waitlist Management let fans spend the typical wait of about two hours exploring the convention floor. Fans could not enter the physical queue, an on-deck area at Booth 1345 that held about 20 people, until a text told them to check in. That kept the crowd at the booth under control while keeping turnaround quick, because everyone in the on-deck area was ready to go when it was their turn. The confirmation text also set honest expectations: capacity was limited, joining did not guarantee entry, and fans who did not get in that day were invited back the next.
- A branded Virtual Waiting Room. While they waited, fans could open a Virtual Waiting Room in Aphmau’s purple branding, with a reminder to return to Booth 1345 and a link to shop the New York Comic Con exclusive drop.
The results
Once the line moved to phones, the Mini Mart stayed open for the rest of NYCC and the crowd became far easier to manage.
- Up and running overnight, booth stayed open. With NextMe’s concierge account support, CatFace went from a crowded first day to a live queue in time for the next show day. The booth stayed open, and crowd control was much smoother for the remaining three days of the show. With an on-deck area that only opened to fans who had received a check-in text, the crowd at the booth stayed under control while each guest still turned over quickly.
- Over 2,100 fans served. Nearly 4,000 people in over 1,700 groups joined the line across three days, and over 2,100 people, in nearly 1,000 groups, made it into the Mini Mart. Demand held all three days, from over 440 groups signing up on Sunday to nearly 650 on Friday.
- Retained 57% of guests. Fans waited about two hours on a typical visit, and 57% of the groups who joined were served. With demand far beyond what a one-minute experience could handle, the virtual queue let fans explore the show instead of standing in line. That freedom to explore is the halo effect of virtual queuing at work.
- Fans engaged with the Virtual Waiting Room. Over 600 fans opened the branded waiting room and spent over 32 hours with it in total, about three minutes per visit. They tapped through to the brand more than 160 times, a 14% click rate, most of them to the New York Comic Con exclusive drop.
“The demand and the crowds are much more manageable than yesterday, and it's made managing fan expectations a lot easier.”
