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Event Waitlists Feature

The Event Waitlist feature in Admissions+ allows you to capture interest in an event even after it has reached full capacity. Registrants can add themselves to a waitlist, and you can manage their promotion into the event either automatically or manually.

Enabling a Waitlist

To enable a waitlist for an event, navigate to the Communications and Events section, click Events, and then select the pencil icon under Actions for the event you would like to edit.

Scroll down to the Waitlist Activation section, or select Waitlist from the left-hand menu. Tick the box to Enable Waitlist. Once enabled, you will see several settings that you can configure:

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  • Maximum number allowed on waitlist – Enter a number to set a limit on how many people can join the waitlist, or leave this field blank to allow unlimited registrations.



  • Choose a promotion method:
    • Enable automatic waitlist promotion - the system will automatically offer a place to the next waitlist registrant, as places become available. This offer will be sent via email and contains a link that confirms whether the registrant wants to accept the place.
      • If you select automatic promotion, you must set an expiration time for waitlist acceptance. If the registrant does not accept within this timeframe, the offer is passed to the next person on the list.
    • Manual promotion - if you leave the box unticked, staff will need to manage promotions manually via the Event Waitlists tab.

Booking experience

  • When an event is full, the Add Attendees button on the booking form changes to Add attendees to Waitlist. Registrants then complete the same booking form as usual.


  • After joining the waitlist, registrants will see a confirmation message and receive an automatic waitlist confirmation email. This email can be customised in Communications and Events Section > Automated Messages.

  • If the waitlist is full, they see the following message; registrants will see a message that there are no place left for booking.




Where to See Waitlist Registrants

When a registrant is added to a waitlist, they can be viewed and managed in the Event Waitlists tab of the event. From this tab, staff can see all current waitlisted registrants and take the following actions:

  • Send Email – Contact a registrant directly via email.

  • Change Colour – Apply colour-coding to help categorise or organise registrants.

  • Visit Note – Add an internal note to a registrant’s booking.

  • Promote to Guest – Select one or multiple registrants and click Promote to Guest to move them into the event as attendees. Their status will update to Registered Attendee automatically.

  • Remove from Waitlist – Select one or multiple registrants and click Remove from Waitlist to delete them from the waiting list entirely.



Promoting Waitlisted Registrants

Automatic Promotion (if enabled)

When a registered attendee’s status is updated to Cancelled in the Event Guests table, the system automatically invites the first person on the waitlist to confirm their place. The registrant receives an email containing a secure, one-time confirmation link.

If they confirm within the set window:
  • If a registrant confirms within the set window, their status automatically changes to Registered Attendee, they are moved into the Event Guests table and will receive the standard event booking confirmation email, and the event’s capacity and guest lists will update automatically.
  • If they don’t confirm, the next person on the waitlist is invited and the process starts again.

Manual Promotion (if automatic promotion is not enabled)

If automatic promotion is not enabled, staff can manage promotions manually from the Event Waitlists tab. To do this, select one or more registrants and click Promote to Guest.

Once promoted, their status automatically changes to Registered Attendee, they are moved into the Event Guests table, they receive the standard event booking confirmation email, and the event’s capacity and guest lists update automatically.

Emails

Admissions+ automatically sends emails when certain waitlist actions take place. Registrants receive a sign-up confirmation email when they join a waitlist, a promotion notification email (with a confirmation link if automatic promotion is enabled) when a space becomes available, and a promotion expiration email (if automatic) if they do not confirm their place within the allotted timeframe.

All email templates can be customised by going to Communications > Automated Emails.

By default, the templates are:

  • Waitlist signup confirmation – Subject: You’ve been added to the waitlist for [Event Name]

  • Waitlist promotion notification – Subject: Great news – a place has opened up for [Event Name]

  • Waitlist promotion expiration – Subject: Your waitlist place for [Event Name] has expired