Enable or disable registration
Registration can be switched off for the whole site, or hidden on one event. The two controls are different and are used for different reasons.
Site-wide
Settings → POM Events → General → Totally disable event attendees functionality
Enabling it removes attendee functionality from the entire site:
- the Registration form and Attendants tabs disappear from the event panel;
- the Event assistants panel disappears from the event editor;
- the Assistants column disappears from the events list;
- the registration button is not rendered on any event page;
- the remaining-places display is not rendered.
Use it when the site announces events but never takes registrations — a cultural programme, a corporate calendar, a public agenda.
Existing data is not deleted
Turning it off hides the interface; it does not remove registrations already stored on events. Turning it back on brings the panels and the stored data back.
That makes it safe to try, but it also means an unexpectedly missing attendee list is usually this setting rather than lost data.
Make the decision early
The switch changes what visitors see on every event at once. Deciding it during setup avoids publishing a calendar with buttons that later vanish.
Per event
Events settings → Attendants → Disable signup button — If checked, the signup button won't be displayed.
It hides the button on that event only. Everything else stays: the attendee list, existing registrations, the remaining-places display if enabled.
Use it when:
- an event is announced before registration opens;
- registration is handled elsewhere and you link it as an additional link;
- an event is invitation-only;
- registration is temporarily paused while something is decided.
Opening registration later is one switch, with no other changes needed.
Which control to use
| Situation | Control |
|---|---|
| The site never takes registrations | Site-wide, General |
| This event does not take registrations | Per event, Disable signup button |
| Registration opens next week | Per event, then unhide |
| Registration happens on an external platform | Per event, plus an additional link |
| Access is sold | Neither — associate a WooCommerce product |
What still happens with the button hidden
- The event page renders normally.
- The attendee list still exists and can still be edited and exported.
- Registrations made earlier are untouched.
- No new registrations can be made from the page.
Finished events
A published event whose end date has passed shows the finished button label and refuses registration automatically. You do not need to disable anything when an event ends.
See When registration is closed.
Verify
- Change the control and save.
- Open the event signed out.
- Confirm the button is present or absent as intended.
- If you disabled it site-wide, confirm the event editor no longer shows the registration tabs.
- If you hid it on one event, confirm other events still show their buttons.