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Event Waitlist Management

Handle full events and manage people waiting for spots

Written by Hayden Zammit Meaney
Updated over 2 months ago

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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