Event Waitlist and Capacity Management
Mid-size events run smoother than you think. For 50 to 500 guests: cap the room, let a waitlist form when it fills, approve who gets in, and check guests in from staff phones.
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How do you manage event capacity and a waitlist?
Set a hard capacity on the event; once confirmed seats reach it, new RSVPs join a waitlist instead of being turned away. When someone cancels, either confirm the next person yourself or switch on auto-promotion so the freed seat goes straight to the next in line. Approval mode lets you choose who gets each seat.
- Capacity counts: Confirmed seats and imported guests
- When full: New RSVPs join the waitlist
- Auto-promotion: Optional, off by default
- Pending requests: Hold no seat until confirmed
- Platform fee: 0% at any size
Who this is for
Sized for 50–500 guests — the tooling is identical at every scale, only the defaults change.
Common formats: Club nights and bar takeovers; Run clubs and fitness meetups; Community workshops and skill sessions; Networking events and professional meetups; Pop-up markets and creative showcases; Mid-size concerts and venue shows.
Event Flo for mid-size events
Everything below is included at a 0% platform fee — there is no tier to upgrade to and no per-attendee charge.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Multi-Staff Check-In | Deploy multiple staff with phones at the door. All scanning simultaneously, all tracked in the same real-time dashboard. |
| Live Headcount Dashboard | See exactly how many guests have checked in at any moment. Track against capacity in real time — no manual counting. |
| Waitlist With Auto-Promotion | Set a capacity and a waitlist forms once you are full. Switch on auto-promotion and the next guest in line gets a freed seat and their QR pass, with no action from you. |
| ID-Verified Attendees | Verification is on by default for every event you publish except business events, and you can switch it off: unverified guests can send a request, and their spot is confirmed once their ID is verified. Scale without losing the trust and safety of a smaller event. |
| One Price, Free or Paid | Set one ticket price per event, or keep it free, and pair it with approvals and a waitlist. Guests pay you directly, so nothing is deducted. |
| Post-Event Attendance Export | Who registered, who checked in, each guest's ID status and their answers to your questions, in one CSV. Business conference and training events add a CSV or PDF attendance report. |
How to set up capacity, approvals and a waitlist
- Set the capacity. Enter the number of seats when you create the event. Every confirmed seat counts, including a booker's extra seats and guests you import from a spreadsheet. The event publishes once your host ID is approved, usually within an hour.
- Decide who gets in. Turn on approval to review each RSVP; a request holds no seat until you confirm it. Guest ID checks are on by default, so requests also wait for each guest's ID.
- Let the waitlist form. Once confirmed seats reach capacity, new RSVPs go to the waitlist instead of being refused. You see them on the Pending & waitlist tab of your guest list.
- Fill freed seats. When someone cancels, confirm the next person yourself, or switch on auto-promotion in the event's settings so the seat goes to the next in line and their QR pass is emailed.
- Check guests in. Invite door staff by email. On the day they scan passes from their own phones, all against the same guest list, so each pass checks in once.
Event Flo for other event types and sizes
Frequently asked questions
How does Event Flo handle check-in for 200+ guests?
The Bouncer Portal runs on any smartphone via browser. Deploy 2–4 staff with phones at entry points. All check-ins sync in real time to the same guest list, and your check-in screen shows one live count for the whole event.
How do I manage an event waitlist?
Set a capacity and the waitlist forms on its own: once confirmed seats reach it, new RSVPs join the waitlist in order. When a seat frees up, confirm someone from your Pending & waitlist tab, or switch on auto-promotion in the event's settings and the next guest in line whose booking fits is confirmed and emailed a QR pass. Auto-promotion skips your approval, so leave it off if you want to choose.
Does Event Flo charge more for larger events?
No. Event Flo charges 0% platform fees for all event sizes. A 50-person event and a 500-person event both cost the same — nothing. For paid tickets, guests pay you directly, so there are no processing charges through the platform either.
What analytics does Event Flo provide after a mid-size event?
After your event, export the guest list as a CSV: every registration with its status, check-in date and each guest's ID-verification status, plus answers to your registration questions, so confirmed attendees and no-shows are both on the list. Business conference and training events also get a CSV or PDF attendance report with check-in times.
How do I cap event capacity?
Enter a capacity when you create the event, and change it later if the venue changes. Event Flo counts seats, not bookings: a booker's extra seats and guests you import from a spreadsheet each take one, while pending requests and RSVPs still waiting on an ID check hold none. A booking bigger than the seats left is told how many remain, and once you are full new RSVPs join the waitlist.
How does an RSVP approval workflow work?
Turn on approval and each RSVP arrives as a request on your Pending tab, with the guest's profile, ID status and answers to your registration questions. Confirm it and the guest gets a QR pass by email; decline it and they are told. A request holds no seat until you confirm it. Add regulars to your VIP list and they skip the approval queue.
Can I set capacity and approvals before my ID is verified?
Yes. Build the whole event, with capacity, approval, registration questions and a ticket price, and it saves as a draft. Hosts verify a government ID once before a public or members-only event goes live; a person on the Event Flo team reviews it, usually within an hour, and the draft then publishes automatically with your settings in place. RSVPs open once it is live. A private event can go live right away: until your ID is verified, guests join by invite or at the door.