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Event Waitlist Management

Handle full events and manage people waiting for spots

Hayden Zammit Meaney avatar
Written by Hayden Zammit Meaney
Updated today

Event Waitlist Management

When your event sells out, a waitlist lets interested people queue for spots. If registrations cancel or you increase capacity, waitlisted people get the chance to attend.

How the waitlist works

The process

  • Event reaches capacity

  • New registrations join the waitlist instead

  • If a spot opens, the first person in queue is notified

  • They have a set time to confirm (usually 24-48 hours)

  • If they don't confirm, the next person is notified

  • Process continues until spot is filled

What attendees experience

When joining the waitlist:

  • They see a message that the event is full

  • Option to "Join Waitlist" appears

  • They enter their details

  • Confirmation that they're on the waitlist

  • Email with their waitlist position

Enabling the waitlist

  • Go to Events Management

  • Open your event

  • Click Edit Event

  • Find Registration Settings or Waitlist

  • Enable Waitlist

  • Configure options (see below)

  • Save changes

Waitlist settings

  • Waitlist Capacity — maximum people on waitlist (optional)

  • Confirmation Window — how long to accept offer (24-72 hours)

  • Automatic Release — auto-offer spots when available

  • Manual Mode — you control who gets offered spots

Managing the waitlist

Viewing the waitlist

  • Open your event in Events Management

  • Click on Waitlist tab or filter by waitlist status

  • See everyone waiting and their position

Waitlist information

For each waitlisted person:

  • Position — their place in the queue

  • Name — who they are

  • Email — contact details

  • Date Joined — when they joined the waitlist

  • Ticket Type — which ticket they wanted

  • Status — waiting, offered, expired, converted

When spots open

Automatic mode

Launchpad handles it:

  • Cancellation or capacity increase occurs

  • First person on waitlist is emailed immediately

  • They have the confirmation window to accept

  • If they don't respond, next person is offered

  • Continues until spot filled

Manual mode

You control the process:

  • You receive notification of open spot

  • View your waitlist

  • Choose who to offer the spot to

  • Click Offer Spot

  • They receive the invitation email

  • Monitor for response

Why choose manual mode?

  • You want to select specific people

  • Some waitlist spots are for VIPs

  • You need to verify eligibility

  • You want personal communication

Offering spots

How to offer a spot

  • Go to your waitlist

  • Find the person you want to offer to

  • Click Offer Spot

  • Confirm the action

  • They receive an email with registration link

The offer email

Includes:

  • Congratulations message

  • Event details

  • Link to complete registration

  • Deadline to respond

  • Payment details if applicable

Tracking offers

Monitor offers in your waitlist:

  • Offered — waiting for response

  • Accepted — they've confirmed

  • Expired — didn't respond in time

  • Declined — they chose not to attend

Waitlist communications

Automatic emails

Launchpad sends:

  • Joined waitlist — confirmation of their position

  • Spot available — offer to register

  • Reminder — if they haven't responded

  • Expired — when offer expires

  • Registration confirmed — when they accept

Custom messages

Send updates to your waitlist:

  • Click Email Waitlist

  • Write your message

  • Common updates:

- "We've increased capacity!" - "Unfortunately, no spots have opened" - "We're running this event again on [date]"

Increasing capacity

If you can accommodate more people:

  • Edit your event

  • Increase the Capacity

  • Save changes

  • Waitlisted people are automatically offered spots (in order)

This triggers the spot offer process for as many people as you've added.

Closing the waitlist

When to close

  • Event is imminent, no time for new registrations

  • You've filled all potential spots

  • You want to manage expectations

How to close

  • Edit your event

  • Disable Waitlist option

  • Or set Waitlist Capacity to 0

  • Save changes

People can no longer join the waitlist.

Removing from waitlist

Individual removal

  • Find the person on your waitlist

  • Click Remove from Waitlist

  • Confirm the action

  • They receive a notification (optional)

Bulk removal

After your event:

  • View remaining waitlist

  • Select all or specific people

  • Click Remove Selected

  • Send a thank-you message

Converting waitlist to registrations

Track your conversion

Monitor:

  • How many joined the waitlist

  • How many were offered spots

  • How many accepted

  • How many expired or declined

Improve conversion

  • Keep confirmation window reasonable (24-48 hours)

  • Send reminder before offer expires

  • Make acceptance process simple

  • Consider time zones for your attendees

Communicating with unsuccessful waitlisters

After your event, reach out to those who didn't get spots:

  • Thank them for their interest

  • Share event highlights or recordings if available

  • Invite them to future similar events

  • Offer early access to next event

Sample message

Hi [Name],Thank you for your interest in [Event Name].Unfortunately, a spot didn't become available this time, but we really appreciate you joining our waitlist.Good news — we're running this event again on [Date]. As a waitlist member, you'll get early access to register.We'll be in touch soon with details.[Your Name]

Waitlist best practices

  • Set realistic expectations — let people know their chances

  • Communicate promptly — don't leave people wondering

  • Keep it fair — stick to queue order unless there's a good reason

  • Follow up — thank everyone who showed interest

  • Learn from demand — high waitlists suggest you need bigger venues

A well-managed waitlist turns disappointed would-be attendees into engaged future participants — handle it with care.

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