The waiting list message
When an event is full, registrations continue — they are placed on a waiting list, and the visitor is told so immediately.
What the visitor sees
On submitting the form for a full event, the response states that the event has reached its available space and that they have been moved to the waiting list.
The registration is stored in the Waiting list section of the event's attendee panel.
The button label
The button uses the Waiting list button label from Events settings → Registration form, which defaults to Join the waiting list!.
It is shown whenever the event has a capacity set — not only when the event is actually full. So word it for a capacity-limited event in general:
| Wording | Works when |
|---|---|
| Request a place | Always, full or not |
| Sign up | Always |
| Join the waiting list! | Only reads correctly when the event is genuinely full |
Pairing the label with Display remaining space solves this cleanly: the number tells visitors how full the event is, and the button tells them what to do.
What the waiting list is not
- It is not automatic promotion. Nobody moves from the waiting list to confirmed on their own. You promote them from the attendee panel.
- It is not a notification. POM Events sends no email when someone joins the list, and none when you promote them. Telling the person is your job.
- It is not a queue with a visible position. Visitors are not told where they are in the list.
Running a waiting list properly
- Check the waiting list before the event, not on the day.
- When a place is released — a cancellation, an increased capacity — open the attendee panel and move the top waiting-list row to the confirmed list.
- Contact the person by email or telephone, using the details on their row.
- Keep a note of who you have contacted; the plugin does not track it.
- Set a deadline for a reply and move to the next person if none arrives.
Full workflow: Waiting list workflow.
Set expectations on the page
Because there are no automatic notifications, say what happens next where the visitor will read it — in the introduction or the form clause:
If the event is full you will join the waiting list. We contact people individually as places are released.
That one sentence prevents most of the follow-up questions a waiting list generates.
Collect a telephone number
For an event with a real waiting list, enable the Telephone field. Places are usually released close to the event, and email is often too slow. See The telephone field.
Verify
- Set a capacity and fill the event.
- Register once more from a private window.
- Confirm the visitor is told they are on the waiting list.
- Confirm the row is in the Waiting list section of the attendee panel.
- Move it to confirmed and confirm it changes section.
- Confirm no email was sent by either action.