Virtual Waiting Room
A branded virtual waiting room guests can’t stop checking
A virtual waiting room holds each guest’s place in line on their phone, with no app to download. They wait wherever they like and keep checking a page that shows where they stand, with your brand and your offers in between.
- unique visitors
- 5M+
- total views
- 21M+
Across all NextMe virtual waiting rooms since January 2022, and growing.
What your virtual waiting room can do
One link in a guest’s text opens a page that keeps them in the loop and puts your business in front of them for the whole wait.
Keep guests in the loop
Their place in line and estimated wait update live, with guidance on when to head back.
Make it yours
Your logo, colors and content on a page guests check again and again while they wait. Change it whenever your goals change.
Sell while they wait
Promotions, product rows and pre-orders on a page you own, with clicks you can see.
Engage with quizzes and polls
Give guests something fun to do. Every answer is first-party data you own, so you learn what they like.
Collect what you need up front
Intake and pre-screening forms in the waiting room mean less paperwork when guests arrive.
See what’s working
Engagement stats show how many guests clicked in, how often they came back, and what they tapped.
See what brands put in theirs
See all examplesFrom a cafe grand opening to a DMV branch, every NextMe customer makes the page their own.
3rdin line
Hello Kitty Cafe Chicago
Virtual Waiting Room
Hello Kitty Cafe Chicago
Grand opening in Chicago
7thin line
The Shop at Fanatics Fest
Virtual Waiting Room
The Shop at Fanatics Fest
Barbershop at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026
12thin line
LEGO Pokémon SMART Play
Virtual Waiting Room
LEGO × Pokémon
LEGO Pokémon SMART Play Experience
2ndin line
SCDMV
Virtual Waiting Room
SCDMV
DMV branches
Running an event or a venue? Every guest in line opens the same page and keeps checking it, which makes it sponsor inventory you can sell. Every placement is tracked by the click, so sponsors see exactly what they got.
Sponsor cards and pages
At Cvent CONNECT 2025, an American Express card in the Headshot Experience’s waiting room drew a 15.9% click-through.
Sponsored experiences
At Connect Marketplace, Visit Anaheim sponsored a gifting suite where guests picked their gift while they waited, with about 700 clicks into the catalog.
Results you can report
Views, clicks and time spent for each placement, ready for the sponsor recap.
Attention you can measure
- of guests click into the virtual waiting room
- 50%+
- repeat visits per guest on average
- 6+
- repeat visits per guest in the top 10% of waiting rooms
- 12+
- average engagement time per guest
- 3+ min
Knowing their place in line and how long it’ll be takes the guesswork out of waiting, so more guests stay. And they keep checking: millions of people view NextMe virtual waiting rooms each year.
Every check is time with your brand: your menu, your offers and anything else you want guests to see before they reach the front of the line.
2026 year-to-date stats across all NextMe businesses. Engagement varies with wait time and waiting room content.
How a virtual waiting room works
Guests join your waitlist
Guests join by QR code, a kiosk, your website, or with your host. Their first text includes a link to your virtual waiting room. There is no app to download.
They wait on your branded page
The page shows their place in line and estimated wait, updated as the line moves. While they wait, they browse your menu, follow your socials, or explore what’s nearby.
They come back when it's their turn
When it’s time, guests get an SMS to head in. No crowded lobby, no names shouted over the room, no “how much longer” questions at the front desk.
How is it different from a traditional waiting room?
A traditional waiting room is a room: chairs, a TV and magazines nobody reads, with guests stuck there until their name is called. A virtual waiting room is on the phone they’re already holding, so they can wait anywhere.
And because it’s digital, it can do what a room can’t: set expectations, collect intake details, take pre-orders and sign guests up for rewards. You can change any of it at any time.
Ideas for your virtual waiting room
Guests in your line are thinking about your business and have time to spare, which makes the wait a good moment to reach them. Here’s how a few kinds of businesses use it. For more, browse real virtual waiting room examples from LEGO, Fenty Beauty and Hello Kitty Cafe.
The streamlined urgent care
A busy urgent care adds a pre-screening form to its virtual waiting room, so intake is done before patients reach the desk.
The marketing-savvy dispensary
A dispensary adds a “New Arrivals” product row, so customers can browse and shop before they walk in.
The neighborly brunch spot
A brunch spot adds nearby shops and sights, so guests can explore the neighborhood instead of crowding the door.
Easy to set up, easy to customize
Upload your logo, pick your colors and choose what to show. It works like a mini website, with no developers needed. Popular options include:
- Place in line and estimated wait
- Your website and socials
- Services or menus
- Intake forms
- Pre-orders
- Rewards programs
- Deals and promotions
- Quizzes and polls
- Sponsor placements
- Local recommendations and partner offers
What is a virtual waiting room?
A virtual waiting room is a live page on a guest’s phone that holds their place in line. Guests join a waitlist by QR code, kiosk, website or with your staff, then see their position and estimated wait, wait wherever they like, and get a text when it’s their turn. There’s no app to download.
With NextMe, that page is also all yours. Match it to your brand and fill it with whatever helps your business, from menus and intake forms to promotions and pre-orders, and change it any time.
Not to be confused with telehealth or website queues
Elsewhere, “virtual waiting room” can mean the screen before a video visit or the queue for an online ticket sale. NextMe’s is for people waiting in line at a real place.
| NextMe’s virtual waiting room | Telehealth waiting room | Website queue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who’s waiting | Guests at a restaurant, clinic, store, event or government office | A patient before a video appointment | Visitors to a website that can’t keep up, such as a ticket sale |
| Where they wait | Anywhere: the car, the bar, the event floor | In front of a screen until the clinician joins | On a holding page in their browser |
| When it’s their turn | They get a text and come in | The video call starts | They’re let through to the site |
Case studies
All case studies
Restaurants
Mama Lu’s Boosts Revenue with a Virtual Waiting Room
Read how Mama Lu’s restaurant uses NextMe to improve their customer experience and reduce no shows using a virtual waiting room.
Events
NextMe Powers Evereden’s Express Pop-Up at The Grove with a Branded Skincare Experience
Evereden used NextMe to manage hundreds of guests at their Grove pop-up, pairing a digital queue with a branded quiz that turned wait time into engagement.
Events
How NextMe’s Modern Virtual Waiting Room Helped South by Southwest XR Exhibitors Retain 32% More Attendees
Learn how South by Southwest event organizers used NextMe’s waitlist and virtual waiting room to streamline attendee flow to their exhibits.
“The Virtual Waiting Room allows our customers to come in with a game plan and stick to it. Our servers are saving so much time overall.”
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual waiting room?
It's a live page on a guest's phone that holds their place in line. Guests join a waitlist by QR code, kiosk, website or with your staff, then see their position and estimated wait, wait wherever they like, and get a text when it's their turn. There's no app to download. With NextMe, the page also carries your brand and any content you choose to add.
How is it different from a telehealth waiting room or a website queue?
A telehealth waiting room holds a patient online before a video appointment, and a website queue holds online visitors when a site is overloaded, such as during a ticket sale. NextMe's virtual waiting room is for a line at a physical place, like a restaurant, clinic, store, event or government office, where guests hold their place from their phone and come in when called.
How many people use NextMe virtual waiting rooms?
More than 5 million unique visitors have used a NextMe virtual waiting room since January 2022, for over 21 million total views. In 2026, over 50% of guests click into the waiting room from their text, come back 6 or more times on average, and spend more than 3 minutes in it on average.
Does it replace the physical line?
It can, or it can work alongside one. Many events and busy venues keep a short physical line at the front and move everyone else to the virtual waiting room, and the business decides where that split sits.
Do guests need to download an app to use a virtual waiting room?
No. It's web-based, so guests open it from a link in their text message. There is nothing to download or sign up for.
What can we put in our virtual waiting room?
Popular options include position in line, estimated wait times, your website and socials, services or menus, intake forms, pre-ordering, rewards programs, deals and promotions, quizzes and polls, sponsor placements, and local recommendations and partner offers. You choose what to show based on your business goals.
Can sponsors advertise in a virtual waiting room?
Yes. Events and venues sell sponsor cards, sponsored pages, games and gifting experiences inside the waiting room, and every click is tracked so you can report results back to the sponsor. At Cvent CONNECT 2025, 15.9% of guests in the Headshot Experience's waiting room clicked through to its American Express sponsor.
What kinds of businesses use a virtual waiting room?
Any business with an in-person line. NextMe customers include restaurants, clinics and urgent cares, retail stores, cannabis dispensaries, salons, DMVs and government offices, and brand activations at events and trade shows.
Which NextMe plans include the virtual waiting room?
The virtual waiting room is included on the Starter plan and above, alongside self check-in and customizable texts. See the pricing page for current plans, or try NextMe free for 14 days.
Can we match it to our brand?
Yes. Upload your logo, choose your accent colors, and build the page to match your style. It works like a mini website, without the development hassle.
Can we change the content later?
Yes. You are in control of the content, and you can update it at any time. Swap in new promotions, products, or recommendations whenever your goals change.
How does a virtual waiting room keep guests from leaving?
Not knowing how long it will be is one of the most frustrating parts of waiting. A virtual waiting room shows guests their place in line and estimated wait, updated as the line moves, so more of them stay.
Ready to get started with your virtual waiting room?
Try NextMe free for 14 days or book a demo with one of our onboarding specialists.