A registration was wait-listed unexpectedly

Someone registered and was told the event is full, when you did not expect it to be.

The rule

When an event has an Available space value and its registrations have reached it, further registrations are placed on the waiting list and the visitor is told so.

So the question is always: what is the capacity, and how many registrations exist?

1. Check the capacity

Events settings → Attendants → Available space.

Common findings:

• the number is lower than intended — a typo, or a value copied from another event;
• it was set during testing and never corrected;
• it should be empty, for an unlimited event, and is not.

Leaving it empty means no limit at all.

2. Count what actually exists

Open the Event assistants panel and look at all three sections.

The comparison is against the registrations stored on the event, so anything left there counts towards a full event — including:

• test registrations made while setting up;
• cancelled registrations that were never cleaned up;
• waiting-list entries from an earlier round.

Clean up the ones that should not be there: move test registrations to cancelled and delete them, remembering that deletion is permanent.

3. Check the Assistants column

All Events shows the confirmed count. If that number is well below the capacity while new registrations are being wait-listed, the difference is in the other two sections — which is exactly the situation above.

4. Was the capacity reduced?

Lowering Available space below the current number of registrations does not remove anyone, and it does mean the event is immediately full for anyone new.

That is intended: the plugin never withdraws a place someone already has.

5. Is this a paid event?

With WooCommerce, a buyer who completes an order for a full event is enrolled on the waiting list — after paying.

Prevent it by keeping product stock aligned with the event capacity; they are independent limits and nothing synchronizes them. See Refunds, cancellations and attendee status.

6. The button suggested the waiting list before the event was full

Expected: an event with a capacity set uses the waiting list button label, whether or not it is full.

Word that label to suit a capacity-limited event in general — Request a place rather than Join the waiting list! — and enable Display remaining space so visitors can see how full the event actually is.

Fixing it for the person affected

1. Correct the capacity if it was wrong.
2. Open the attendee panel.
3. Move their row from Waiting list to attendants.
4. Contact them — nothing is sent automatically, so they still believe they are queued.

Preventing recurrences

• [ ] Set the capacity deliberately, and check it before publishing.
• [ ] Delete test registrations before the event goes live.
• [ ] Keep cancelled entries under control.
• [ ] Watch the Assistants column as the event fills.
• [ ] Align product stock with capacity for paid events.
• [ ] Word the waiting-list label for a capacity event.