High-Demand Ticketing: A Success Story
When hundreds of thousands of Metallica fans registered for tickets to shows at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna, it set the stage for one of the most high-demand onsales the region had ever seen. The event was a significant test for funcode.hu, Central and Eastern Europe’s largest independent ticket provider, which turned to long-time technology partner Nuweb Group to power the ticketing infrastructure.
The highly acclaimed Metallica tour had already seen the band play for over 4 million fans worldwide since opening in April 2023. As the band made its way to Hungary, funcode.hu knew it had to meet the staggering demand from fans. “This was the biggest seated event we’ve tackled so far,” said Barna Jardany, Head Pilot at funcode.hu. “One of the biggest in Hungary simply because there isn’t much room for bigger seated events in this country.”
In preparation for the onsale, the teams ran extensive tests and reinforced the system to handle surges without fail. They also deployed aggressive bot detection protocols to keep the experience fair for real fans. Tickets launched on May 27th at 9AM and disappeared rapidly once general sales began. “There’s always a moment – right as the tickets go on sale – when you brace for the worst,” said Jose San Miguel, Managing Director at Nuweb Group. “But it never came. Just fans moving through, picking their seats, and checking out. Most were done in under five minutes.”
The fastest buyers completed their purchases in under two minutes. Automated scalping programs attempted to flood the system, but over 80% of the traffic was identified as bots and scalpers. “We managed to hold off high traffic volumes and kept the bots out while processing legitimate purchases from thousands of people,” explained Jose. “We could limit seat selection to reduce system strain, but customer experience matters more,” added Barna. “70% of fans opted to pick their own seats, and we kept checkout times to minutes. Those little details matter to us.”
For Barna and his team, the Metallica sale represents a watershed moment. By successfully handling one of Hungary’s largest seated concerts, they’ve proven their platform can handle whatever the local market throws at them. For Nuweb Group, the success validates their white-label approach and proprietary technology investments. The partnership with Funcode offers proof that independent players can go head-to-head with industry giants and win.
The success of this ticket sale stood out for what didn’t happen: no crashes, no chaos, no headlines about angry fans. As the event industry continues to evolve, the collaboration between funcode.hu and Nuweb Group serves as a model for handling high-demand events while maintaining a fair and seamless experience for fans.
