Events with a waiting list

When you have limited spots configured for your event and registrations have reached the maximum available spots resulting in your event being full, you can use the waiting list feature to continue accepting potential registrations.

Using the waiting list feature gives you the opportunity to know how many more attendees would like to attend the event, and decide how you want to accommodate those on the waiting list. You may be able to add more spots, regain some spots from cancellations, or just squeeze in that extra person or two. You may have such high interest that you decide to create another event for the attendees on the waiting list or be able to add them to a future date of the same event.

Either way, using a waiting list will also help you with future event planning to better gauge the interest of your audience.

How to Use the Waiting List Feature

To enable this feature, follow these steps:

Go to Step 5 – Filters & Settings when you are creating or editing the event that you want to have the waiting list.
Assuming that you have set a limit on the number of spots in your event as part of this step, turn on the "Enable waiting list registrations when the event is full" feature.
You have the option to set a maximum number of wait list registrations that you are open to receiving. This is helpful if you do not want your wait list registrations to grow too large.
You have the option to "Automatically and immediately convert any waiting registrations to standard registrations when spots become available for any reason". Leave this option disabled if you want to manually and deliberately convert any waiting registrations to standard registrations. This automatic conversion will go on until 24 hours prior to the registration closing time of the event, but you can change that and select another predefined value, including keeping it active up to the last minute if you desire.
You have the option to "Allow attendees to remove themselves from the waiting list if needed." When enabled, it will add a special link to the confirmation email that your customers get after registering, which will allow them to remove themselves from the waiting list if they no longer wish to be on it.
As part of this configuration, you can also include an optional message with any information about the waiting list for your audience, which will be displayed at the top of the registration form, right below the standard wording.
When you have finished this configuration, Save & Exit.

Waiting List Feature on Registration Forms

When you have the waiting list feature enabled on an event and that event becomes full, meaning it reached the maximum number of spots that you set for it, then a clear message will be displayed on the registration form to indicate that current registrations are for the waiting list only. No payment options are presented to attendees at this point, but they get to fill out all the details needed in case a spot opens up for the event.

Automatic Conversion of Waiting Registrations to Attendee Registrations

When you enable automatic waiting list conversions, then any time a spot becomes available for any of the reasons below, the earliest attendee registration in the waiting list will become converted to a standard registration, and an email confirmation is sent out to them immediately:

If you cancel, delete, or transfer a registration from the event
If someone self-cancels their registration from the event
If you update the event and change the number of spots available or change the waiting list settings

CAUTION: When the automatic conversion option is enabled you do not have the opportunity to decide who gets the new spots available. The attendees will automatically be converted in the order of the earliest registration and receive an immediate confirmation email of their updated registration. This only happens if the event is still open for registrations, and it is not closing for at least 24 hours (or the value you select) from that moment. If registrants owe an amount to be paid, then they would follow the instructions in the email confirmation to pay the amount online or offline, depending on the event setup.

Manual Conversion of Waiting Registrations to Attendee Registrations

When you have a waiting list but do not enable automatic conversions and a spot becomes available in a previously full event, you can convert an attendee from being "In Waiting List" to a standard registration.

To convert a waiting list registration, open the attendee's registration card. Select the Convert to attendee button or go to the Actions menu and select Convert to attendee. A window will appear to confirm your choice and give you the option to send this person a new confirmation receipt, which will also ask them to pay for any pending amounts, if applicable.

Other Waiting List Options

You can move any standard attendee to the waiting list of the same event, as long as they have no payment transactions already associated with that specific registration.
You can move an attendee from the waiting list of one event to another event, either still as a waiting list status or as a standard attendee, using the Transfer to another event feature in the above menu.
You can manually register attendees straight to a waiting list of an event.

IMPORTANT: If you make more spots available or if someone cancels a registration on the event but there are still registrations in the waiting list for that event, then no new person can register for that event and take one of the new spots until you clear everyone from the waiting list first.

This is to honor the registration order and give priority to those who registered previously, as they are next in line on the waiting list. New people can still register to the event, but it will be to the waiting list only in the order they are received.

By managing the waiting list manually, you have the option to convert a waiting list registration to a standard registration, or transfer the registration to another event, or cancel the registration altogether.