Waiting List Addon

The Waiting List Addon is a powerful tool designed to help event organizers manage sold-out events efficiently. It allows potential attendees to join a chronological queue when an event reaches full capacity, ensuring that any spots made available through cancellations are promptly filled based on reservation priority.

Initial Setup

Before you begin, ensure you have the following requirements met:

• MEC Pro: This addon requires the Pro version of Modern Events Calendar (version 6.0 or higher).
• Activation: Ensure both the MEC plugin and the Waiting List Addon are installed and activated on your WordPress site.

Configuring Waiting List Settings

Once activated, you can find the global configuration options by navigating to MEC Settings > Booking > Waiting List.

Waiting List Setting

• Limit: Define the total number of bookings a user can add to the waiting list. The default is set to 12; leave it empty for an unlimited list.
• Auto verification for waiting list: When enabled, users are verified automatically. If disabled, a verification link is sent to the user’s email to ensure the authenticity of the entry.
• Auto Confirmation for waiting list: Enabling this allows users to be added to the waiting list without manual approval from the administrator.
• Send confirmation email in auto confirmation mode: When active, users receive an automated email notifying them they have successfully joined the queue.
• Enable Express Attendees Form: This feature saves time for users booking multiple spots by applying the information from the first attendee to all others in that reservation.
• Verify & Cancel Page: Select a dedicated page where users can verify their email or cancel their spot.

Pro Tip: If the Verify & Cancel Page is not created automatically, you need to create a WordPress page and add the [waiting_notif_page] shortcode for it to function properly.

User Registration

• Registration: Setting this to Enabled allows MEC to automatically create a WordPress User account for the main attendees.
• Username & Password: Choose Manual to let users select their own credentials during registration or allow MEC to auto-generate them based on their email.

Waiting List Form Builder

You can create a dedicated form to capture specific information from users joining the waiting list.

• Global Form: Accessible in the main settings, this form acts as the default for all events.
• Form Elements: You can drag and drop various fields, including MEC Name, MEC Email, Text, Date, Tel, File, Checkboxes, and Agreement.
• Validation: You can add Custom validation regex to fields like Name and Email to ensure data accuracy.

Per-Event Customization

You can override the global form for specific events by going to the single event settings under the Waiting List Form tab.

Management Hub

All waiting list requests are housed in a dedicated menu for easy oversight.

• Accessing Requests: Navigate to the main WordPress sidebar and select Waiting List to view all active requests.
• Priority Tracking: Requests are displayed chronologically, allowing you to see the order in which users joined.
• Manual Actions: If Auto-verification or Auto-confirmation is disabled, administrators must manually update the status of these requests from this menu.

The Waiting List Workflow

Understanding how a user moves from the waiting list to an active booking is critical for smooth operation.

1. Submission: When an event is sold out, the standard booking form is replaced by the Waiting List Form.
2. Status: All waiting list entrants are registered with a Pay Locally status.
3. Transfer: If a registered attendee cancels or if an administrator increases the event capacity, the system automatically moves the next person in the queue to the main attendee list.
4. Payment: Once transferred, the administrator must contact the user to collect the ticket fee, either online via services like PayPal or locally at the venue.

Pro Tip: To manage outgoing communications, go to MEC Settings > Notifications to customize the Waiting Verification and Waiting Confirmation email templates.

Use Cases (When This Addon is Useful)

• Sold-Out High-Demand Events: Perfect for concerts or workshops where demand exceeds initial capacity, allowing you to gauge interest for adding more sessions.
• Managing Cancellations: Automatically fills empty spots when someone drops out, ensuring your event remains at maximum capacity without manual re-listing.
• Gauging Interest for Expired Events: Useful for seeing how many people would have attended an event that has already passed to plan for future dates.

Situations This Addon May Not Be Ideal

• MEC Lite Users: This addon is strictly incompatible with the free version of Modern Events Calendar.
• Instant Payment Workflows: Since users are added as “Pay Locally,” it is not suitable for workflows requiring immediate upfront payment to join a queue.
• Non-WordPress Sites: This is a dedicated WordPress plugin and cannot be used on other platforms.

Troubleshooting for Beginners

• Users not receiving emails? Ensure your notification settings are configured in MEC Settings > Notifications and check your server’s email delivery status.
• Shortcode not working? If the Verify/Cancel page isn’t loading, double-check that you have pasted [waiting_notif_page] exactly as shown onto the page.
• Update issues? If you don’t see an update option in the Plugins menu, ensure your addon license is correctly activated in the Webnus dashboard.

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FAQ