Waiting List

This guide is for site admins who want to let users join a waiting list when event tickets are sold out.

The Waitlist feature allows users to:

1) Join a queue for a sold-out ticket.
2) Receive a confirmation email after joining.
3) Receive an availability email when a ticket opens.
4) Get a temporary hold window to claim that ticket.

Waitlist currently works with WooCommerce ticket bookings.

Prerequisites

1) WooCommerce is active.
2) WooCommerce ticketing is enabled in Eventer.
3) Your event has booking enabled.

Step 1: Enable Waitlist globally

1) Go to Eventer > Settings > General > Waitlist.
2) Enable “Enable waitlist”.
3) Click Save Changes.

Step 2: Configure waitlist behavior

In the same Waitlist settings screen, configure:
1) Hold window (minutes)
– How long a notified user can claim a reserved ticket.
– Example: 60 = 1 hour, 120 = 2 hours, 1440 = 24 hours.
2) Max notifications per run
– Limit of availability emails sent per cron run.
3) From name(Name from which emails will be sent)
4) From email(Email address from which emails will be sent)
5) Confirmation subject/content
– Sent immediately after user joins waitlist.
6) Availability subject/content
– Sent when a ticket becomes available.

Step 3: Enable/disable Waitlist per event

1) Go to Eventer > Events.
2) Edit an event.
3) In the “Waitlist” box (right side), choose one:

– Use global setting
– Enable for this event
– Disable for this event
4) Update/Publish the event.

How display works on frontend

“Join waitlist” appears only when:
1) Ticket is sold out.
2) Booking is still open.
3) Event waitlist is enabled (global/event rule).

Step 4: User joins waitlist

1) User clicks “Join waitlist” on sold-out ticket.
2) User submits Name, Email, and optional Phone.
3) System adds user to waitlist and shows queue position.
4) System sends confirmation email.

Step 5: Ticket becomes available

1) Waitlist cron checks availability.
2) Next user in queue gets availability email with claim link.
3) A temporary hold starts based on Hold window setting.
4) Reserved ticket is shown to that user as “Claim reserved ticket”.

Step 6: User claims reserved ticket

1) User opens claim link from email.
2) User adds reserved ticket to cart (quantity is fixed to 1 for reserved claim).
3) User completes checkout.
4) Waitlist entry status changes to claimed.

If user does not claim before hold expires

1) Hold expires automatically.
2) Reservation is released.
3) Next eligible waitlist user can be notified.

WAITLIST EMAIL SHORTCODES

You can use these in waitlist email subject/content:

{evt_title}
{evt_date}
{evt_time}
{ticket_name}
{waitlist_position}
{claim_url}
{hold_minutes}
{hold_hhmm}
{hold_hours_minutes}

Suggested Confirmation content example
Thanks for joining the waitlist for {evt_title} on {evt_date} {evt_time}.
Your position is {waitlist_position}.

Suggested Availability content example
A ticket is now available for {evt_title} on {evt_date} {evt_time}.
Claim your ticket here: {claim_url}
This hold expires in {hold_hhmm}.

ADMIN MANAGEMENT

Where to manage all waitlist entries
Go to Eventer > Waitlist.

Available tools
1) Filter by Event, Status, Email, Date range.
2) Bulk actions:
– Remove
– Mark expired
3) CSV export of filtered results.

Per-event entry management
Inside each event edit screen, “Waitlist Entries” box shows:
1) Name
2) Email
3) Ticket
4) Event Date
5) Status
6) Created/Notified/Expires/Claimed timestamps
7) Actions (Remove, Mark expired)

STATUS MEANINGS

waiting
User is in queue and has not been notified yet.

notified
User received availability email and currently has a hold.

claimed
User claimed and completed order flow for reserved ticket.

expired
Hold expired, reservation released.

removed
Entry removed by admin action.

TEST CHECKLIST (RECOMMENDED)

1) Set a short hold window (example: 15 minutes) on staging.
2) Ensure event waitlist is enabled.
3) Make a ticket sold out.
4) Join waitlist with test email.
5) Make one ticket available.
6) Confirm availability email arrives.
7) Open claim link and complete checkout.
8) Verify status updates in Eventer > Waitlist.
9) Restore production hold/max notify settings after testing.

TROUBLESHOOTING QUICK CHECKS

If users cannot join waitlist
1) Check global waitlist is enabled.
2) Check event waitlist mode is not disabled.
3) Check ticket is actually sold out.
4) Check WooCommerce ticketing is enabled.

If availability emails are delayed
1) Waitlist processing uses cron (not always instant).
2) Check Max notifications per run is not too low.
3) Check mail deliverability from your site.
4) Check Eventer > Settings > Email Log (use “Only waitlist” filter).

If claim link says no longer available
1) Hold already expired.
2) Ticket/date does not match token.
3) Token already invalid/used.

FAQ

Can waitlist be used without WooCommerce?
No, this waitlist feature is for WooCommerce ticket bookings.

Can I turn waitlist off for only one event?
Yes. In event edit screen, set Waitlist mode to “Disable for this event”.

Can I control how long reserved tickets are held?
Yes. Use “Hold window (minutes)” in Waitlist settings.

Where can I see all waitlist entries?
Eventer > Waitlist.

Eventer