> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.pears.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.pears.io/plan/community-events/event-waitlists.md).

# Event Waitlists

Enable a waitlist for a community event registration type, collect waitlist signups, and invite waitlisted people to register when a seat opens up.

When a registration type fills up, a waitlist lets interested people sign up anyway. A waitlist helps you gauge demand and gives you a ready list of people to contact when someone cancels.

Waitlists are configured per registration type, so an event can waitlist Participants while leaving Volunteers open, or run separate waitlists for each type.

<details>

<summary>GLOSSARY: Waitlist terminology</summary>

* **Registration Cap** — The maximum number of registrations allowed under a registration type. All registrations count toward the cap, whether completed or not.
* **Waitlisted** — A registration status meaning the person signed up after the cap was reached. They are not registered and hold no seat.
* **Registration invite** — An email sent to a waitlisted person inviting them to complete a registration when a seat opens up.

</details>

## Enable a Waitlist

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Open Registration Types

Open the event and click the **Registration Types** tab in the progress panel.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Set a Registration Cap

Add or edit a registration type. In the **Registration Cap** field, enter the maximum number of people who can register under this type.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Check Enable Waitlist

Once a cap is set, the **Enable waitlist** checkbox appears. Check it to make a waitlist signup available after the cap is reached, then save.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**NOTE:** The **Enable waitlist** checkbox is only shown when a **Registration Cap** is set. Clearing the cap also turns the waitlist off — with no cap there is nothing to fill up.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

Each registration type's card shows a **Waitlisted** badge with the current count once a waitlist is enabled, alongside its **Capacity** and **Registrations** badges.

## How Registrants Join the Waitlist

Once a registration type is at capacity and its waitlist is enabled, the public event page changes for visitors:

* The event card in the public event list shows a **Waitlist Available** badge instead of **Registration Full**.
* On the event detail page, the message "This event is at capacity. Join the waitlist and the event organizers may contact you if a spot opens up." appears, and the button reads **Join the Waitlist**.
* On the registration screener, selecting a waitlist-eligible registration type changes the **Continue** button to **Join the Waitlist**.

Joining the waitlist collects only the person's name, email, and registration type — there is no form, payment, or session selection. They land on a "You're on the Waitlist!" page and receive a confirmation email.

{% hint style="info" %}
**TIP:** From the waitlist confirmation page, a visitor can click **Join the waitlist again** to add another person, which is useful when one person is signing up a household or a team.
{% endhint %}

If someone with the same name and email is already on the waitlist, PEARS shows an "Already on the waitlist" page so they can either **Submit Anyway** or **Go Back**.

## Add Someone to the Waitlist Yourself

You can add a person to the waitlist from inside PEARS — useful when someone stops by the office or calls.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Start an Admin Registration

Open the event, go to **Manage Registrations**, and click **Add**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Enter Their Details and Registration Type

Fill in the person's name and email and select a registration type.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Choose Register or Waitlist

If the selected registration type is full, the button reads **Add to Waitlist**. If seats are still open but people are already waiting, PEARS shows a prompt with both options: continue registering the person, or click **Add to Waitlist Instead**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**TIP:** Being on a waitlist does not reserve a seat, and it does not block anyone else from registering. If seats are open you can always register someone directly, even while others are waiting.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Manage the Waitlist

Waitlisted people appear on the [Manage Registrations](/plan/community-events/manage-registrations.md) page alongside regular registrations:

* Their **Status** is **Waitlisted**. The **Status** **filter** includes **Waitlisted**, so you can narrow the list to just the waitlist.
* A **Waitlisted Date** column records the date and time they joined. This column is hidden by default — turn it on from the column configuration.

Opening a waitlisted registration shows a **Waitlisted** badge and a waitlist history: when the person joined the waitlist and, if an invite has been sent, when it was sent and when it expires.

Waitlist details also appear in the capacity summary. The number next to the hourglass symbol represents the number of people on the waitlist.

<figure><img src="https://2560412328-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Ff0820LrBGQ9ZA8SC4BR1%2Fuploads%2FabQ9g8JTXbh4RtVHUaVK%2Fimage.png?alt=media&amp;token=6eb2bd93-3071-406a-9b8c-1d20325cc31d" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Invite a Waitlisted Person to Register

When a seat opens up, send a registration invite. The invite emails the person a link they can use to leave the waitlist and complete a real registration.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Open the Waitlisted Registration

From Manage Registrations, open the waitlisted person's registration detail view.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Click Send Registration Invite

Open the **Actions** menu and click **Send Registration Invite**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Set the Expiration and Message

Set **Registration link expires at** to the date and time the invite link should stop working. Edit the **Message** as needed — PEARS pre-fills a default invitation you can customize.

Click **Preview** to see the email exactly as the recipient will receive it, then **Back to Edit** to make further changes.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Send the Invite

Click **Send Invite**. The recipient gets an email with a **Register Now** link that takes them to a confirmation page, then into the normal registration flow.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**NOTE:** An invite does not hold a seat. If you send more invites than there are open seats, the seats go to whoever starts their registration first. Re-sending an invite extends the expiration.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Complete a Waitlisted Registration Yourself

If you would rather fill out the registration on the person's behalf, open their waitlisted registration and click **Register Now** in the **Actions** menu. This moves them off the waitlist and into the registration form.

If the registration type has no open seats, **Register Now** is disabled with a tooltip explaining why. Free up a seat — by cancelling a registration or raising the **Registration Cap** — and the action becomes available.

## Increasing Capacity

If you increase registration capacity after a waitlist is running, the waitlist option remains enabled until all waitlist members have been cleared. Complete the waitlisted registrations, or cancel as needed, to clear the waitlist and re-open registration.

## Waitlists in Exports

The [registration export](/plan/community-events/export.md) reflects waitlist data:

* **Status** is "Waitlisted."
* A **Waitlisted Date** column records the date and time the person joined the waitlist, including seconds so same-day signups stay in order.

## Related Documentation

* [Registration Types](/plan/community-events/registration-types.md) — Set the **Registration Cap** and enable the waitlist.
* [Manage Registrations](/plan/community-events/manage-registrations.md) — View waitlisted entries and send registration invites.
* [Registration and Payment Statuses](/plan/community-events/registration-and-payment-statuses.md) — Reference for the **Waitlisted** status.
* [Email Notifications](/plan/community-events/email-notifications.md) — What the waitlist confirmation and registration invite emails contain.
* [Public View: Register for an Event](/plan/community-events/public-registration.md) — The registrant's view of joining a waitlist.