Events with multiple sub-events (like breakout sessions, workshops, or networking dinners) often hit capacity limits. The Sub-Event Waitlist feature lets attendees join a queue when their preferred sub-event is full — and gives admins full control over how spots are offered as they open up.
Note: The Sub-Event Waitlist feature must be enabled for your site by the Almabase team. Please reach out to your Customer Success Manager to get it turned on.
Allow attendees to join a waitlist when a sub-event reaches capacity, and manage spot availability through manual or automatic notifications.
How the Sub-Event Waitlist Works
When a sub-event reaches its guest capacity, attendees can join a waitlist instead of being turned away. As spots become available (due to cancellations or capacity increases), the system either automatically notifies the next person in line or lets admins manually choose who to offer the spot to.
Here's the high-level flow:
An attendee tries to register for a sub-event that's at capacity
They're offered the option to join the waitlist
When a spot opens up, the next eligible person receives an email notification with a time-limited link
The attendee clicks the link and confirms their spot before the offer expires
If they don't respond in time, the offer expires, and the next person is notified
Setting Up the Sub-Event Waitlist
Step 1: Enable Waitlist at the Event Level
Navigate to your event in the admin panel
Open the Event Settings
Toggle Enable Waitlist to ON
Choose your Waitlist Mode:
Manual — You decide when and who to notify. Best when you want full control over the process.
Automatic — The system automatically notifies the next person in line whenever a spot opens up. Best for hands-off management.
Set the Notification Expiry Hours — This is how long an attendee has to confirm their spot after being notified (e.g., 24 hours, 48 hours)
Step 2: Enable Waitlist on Individual Sub-Events
Each sub-event can independently have its waitlist turned on or off.
Go to the Sub-Events section of your event
Select the sub-event you want to manage
Toggle Enable Waitlist to ON
Optionally override the Waitlist Mode and Notification Expiry Hours at the sub-event level (if different from the event-level defaults)
Important: The sub-event must have a guest capacity (Guest Limit) set for the waitlist to work. Without a defined capacity, the system has no way to determine when the sub-event is "full."
Managing the Waitlist (Admin View)
Once the waitlist is active and attendees start joining, you can manage everything from the sub-event's waitlist panel.
Viewing the Waitlist
Go to your event → click the Waitlist tab in the top navigation → use the dropdown at the top to select the event or a specific sub-event.
Attendee name and email
Number of guests they've requested
Current status: On Waitlist (waiting), Spot Offered (spot has been offered), Offer Expired (didn't respond in time), or Responded (confirmed their spot)
Queue position in the waitlist
Ticket type (for sub-events with multiple tickets)
You can search by name or email and filter by status to quickly find specific registrations.
Waitlist Status Tabs
At the bottom of the waitlist page, you'll see four status tabs with counts. Click a tab to filter entries by that status:
Status | Description |
On Waitlist | Attendees are currently waiting in the queue |
Spot Offered | Attendees who have been offered a spot and are pending confirmation |
Offer Expired | Attendees whose offer expired without a response |
Responded | Attendees who confirmed and successfully got their spot |
Notifying Waitlisted Attendees
Automatic Mode
In Automatic mode, the system handles notifications for you:
When a spot opens up (e.g., someone cancels or capacity is increased), the system automatically sends a notification email to the next eligible person in the queue
If their offer expires without a response, the system automatically moves to the next person in line
This continues until all available spots are filled or the waitlist is empty
No admin action is required — just set it and forget it.
Manual Mode
In Manual mode, you have full control:
Notify a Specific Person: Want to skip ahead in the queue? Click Notify Specific Waitlisted on any registration with "On Waitlist" status. This is useful when you want to prioritize certain attendees (e.g., VIPs or sponsors).
Reorder the Queue: Use the Reorder action to manually rearrange the waitlist positions.
Note: When in Manual mode, admins receive an email alert whenever new capacity becomes available, along with details of the top 3 eligible waitlist registrations. This helps you quickly decide who to notify.
Notification Expiry & Reminders
When an attendee is notified that a spot is available, they have a limited window to confirm. Here's how the expiry system works:
Expiry Timeline
The Notification Expiry Hours setting determines how long the attendee has to respond
This can be configured at three levels (in order of priority):
Per sub-event (sub-event-level setting)
Per event (event-level default)
Automatic Reminders
Reminder emails reuse the same template as the initial spot notification. You can customize it from the Guest Communication tab under "Sub-Event Waitlist Spot Available".
What Happens When an Offer Expires
The waitlist entry status changes to Offer Expired
In Automatic mode: The system immediately notifies the next eligible person
In Manual mode: The admin receives an alert and can decide who to notify next
The expired attendee remains on record for reporting purposes and can be moved back to the waitlist manually by the admin
Restoring an Expired Entry
If an attendee's offer expired, but you'd like to give them another chance:
1. Go to the Offer expired status tab
2. Click View Details on the entry
3. Click Move to waitlist
This moves the entry back to "On waitlist" status. You can then use Notify of an open spot to offer them the spot again. The full status history (including the previous expiry) is preserved in the Waitlist status timeline.
The Attendee Experience
Joining the Waitlist
When an attendee tries to register for a sub-event that's at full capacity:
1. They see that the sub-event is full
2. They're presented with an option to join the waitlist
3. They select the number of guests and (if applicable) the specific ticket
4. After joining, they receive a confirmation email with a link to manage their waitlist entry
Receiving a Spot Notification
When a spot becomes available, and the attendee is next in line:
1. They receive an email notification that a spot has opened up
2. The email includes:
- A registration link to confirm their spot (time-limited)
- The expiry deadline — how long they have to respond
- Details about the sub-event and ticket
- The number of guest spots being offered
3. They also receive an edit link to manage their waitlist entry
Confirming a Spot
The attendee clicks the registration link in the email
They select which guests to register for the sub-event
They confirm their selection
Their status changes from "Spot Offered" to Responded, and they're now officially part of the sub-event
Tip: If an attendee doesn't respond to the notification email, remind them to check their spam folder. The registration link is valid for up to 7 days or the configured expiry window, whichever is shorter.
Editing or Leaving the Waitlist
Attendees can manage their waitlist entry at any time (as long as their status hasn't moved to Responded):
Update guest count — Change the number of spots they need
Leave the waitlist — Remove themselves from the queue entirely
They can do this using the edit link included in the original waitlist confirmation email.
Multi-Ticket Sub-Events
If your sub-event has multiple ticket types (e.g., "General Admission" and "VIP"), the waitlist operates on a per-ticket basis:
Attendees join the waitlist for a specific ticket type
Capacity is tracked per ticket as well as at the overall sub-event level
An attendee cannot be on the waitlist for the same ticket type more than once
When a spot opens for a specific ticket, only attendees waitlisted for that ticket are notified
Exporting & Reporting
Exporting Waitlist Data
You can export all sub-event waitlist data from the event level. The export generates an Excel file containing the following columns for each waitlisted guest:
Registration ID and Constituent ID
Guest First Name and Guest Last Name
Class Year
Guest Email and Phone Number
Guest Type (Primary Guest or Accompanying Guest)
Registration Date Time
Registration Status
Is Primary Guest (Yes/No)
Primary Guest Email
Current Status (On Waitlist, Spot Offered, Offer Expired, or Responded)
Sub-Event Name
Ticket Name
Note: The waitlist export is available at the event level and includes waitlist data across all sub-events for that event in a single file.
Notification History
For a detailed audit trail, view the Notification History for any individual waitlist entry. This shows:
Every status change with timestamps
Who triggered the notification (system vs. specific admin)
Whether a notification was a reminder or an initial spot offer
Complete timeline from joining the waitlist to final outcome
This is especially useful for reviewing how the waitlist was processed or resolving attendee inquiries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enable waitlist for some sub-events and not others?
Yes. Waitlist is controlled at the individual sub-event level. You can enable it for high-demand sessions (like keynotes or popular workshops) while leaving it off for others.
What happens if I increase the capacity of a sub-event that has a waitlist?
If the waitlist is in Automatic mode, the system will immediately detect the new capacity and begin notifying eligible waitlisted attendees. In Manual mode, you'll receive an admin notification alerting you that capacity is now available, along with the top eligible registrations.
Can an attendee be on the waitlist for multiple sub-events?
Yes. An attendee can join the waitlist for as many sub-events as they'd like. Each waitlist entry is managed independently.
What happens if a waitlisted attendee's main event registration is cancelled?
Their waitlist entries are automatically invalidated. The system will not send notifications to attendees whose main event registration has been cancelled or is not in a successful state.
Can I switch between Manual and Automatic mode after the waitlist is active?
Yes. You can change the waitlist mode at any time. If you switch from Manual to Automatic, the system will begin processing the queue automatically going forward. Switching from Automatic to Manual will pause automatic processing — you'll need to manually notify attendees from that point on.
Does the waitlist work with private/approval-required events?
Yes. The waitlist respects the event's approval settings. Only attendees whose registrations have been approved can be on the waitlist and receive spot notifications.
How does the system determine "next in line"?
The system follows a first-come, first-served (FIFO) order based on queue position. Admins can manually reorder the queue if needed. When processing, the system also checks that the attendee's guest count fits within available capacity.
Can I notify someone out of order?
Yes, in Manual mode. Use the Notify of an open spot action to send a notification to any attendee on the waitlist, regardless of their queue position.
What if an attendee's offer expired? Can I give them another chance?
Yes. Go to the Offer expired tab, click View Details on the entry, and click Move to waitlist. This restores them to the queue, and you can then notify them again.
Where can I customize the waitlist notification emails?
Go to the Guest communication tab for your event. Under "Before the Event", you'll find templates for Waitlist Confirmation, Waitlist Spot Available, and Sub-Event Waitlist Spot Available. Reminder emails reuse the same spot notification template — there is no separate reminder template.