For events and secret shows

How to create a events and pop-ups waitlist

A gallery night, a secret show, a rooftop screening. The Eventbrite page is open around the clock, so half the names arrive when nobody can answer. It keeps growing past what the room holds, and you find out at the door with a clipboard.

Names come in at 3:00 AM and the venue holds 200. 6 steps, about five minutes, or one click with the recipe below.

Step by step

Set up the Rooftop sessions yourself

These are the exact values the recipe applies. Change any of them to match your line.

  1. Create the waitlist

    Sign in, click New waitlist, and name it "Rooftop sessions". It starts as a draft, so nothing is public until you publish.

  2. Set capacity to 200 in total

    In Settings, set the capacity to 200 in total. When the 200th person joins, the form reads as full and says so.

  3. Set the opening hours

    Under Hours, set signups to open Sun, Thu, Fri, Sat, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Outside those hours the form shows a closed screen with the next opening time, in the joiner's time zone.

  4. Add the form fields

    Email is built in. On the Form tab, add Name (required), Guests including you (required). Labels and help text render as plain text.

  5. Show the counter

    In Settings, turn on the counter so the form shows how many spots are left. People join faster when they can see the number.

  6. Publish and share

    Click Publish. The Share tab has the hosted link, a QR code, and the script tag or iframe for your site. The submit button reads "Join the list".

Or do it in one click

Use the recipe

The "Rooftop sessions" recipe creates the waitlist with every step above already done. Sign in, click once, and it is live as a draft you can publish.

Create this waitlistSee the recipe page

Recipe

Rooftop sessions

  • 200 total
  • Sun, Thu, Fri, Sat 9 AM–6 PM
  • 3 fields
  • 200 spots total, the room's capacity. The list closes at 200.
  • Names are taken Thursday through Sunday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
  • Outside those hours the form shows the next opening time.
  • Asks for name and number of guests (1 to 4).
  • Guests see their number on the success screen.

After you publish

How the list runs

Opening hours

Thursday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The rest of the time the form is politely closed.

Venue capacity

200 for the room. The list closes at 200 and reopens if you free a spot.

QR on the poster

The hosted page is the link. No site required.

Ask for +1s

A number field for guests, a dropdown for the night, a checkbox for age.

Notify the door

On Pro, webhook new names to a Slack channel or a Google Sheet for the door list.

Export the door list

CSV in order of position, with every field.

FAQ

Questions people here ask

Can I run several nights from one list?

Add a dropdown for the night and export by that field. Per-night capacity needs a list per night.

Can I add names by hand?

Not in the dashboard yet. Submit them through the API with your key.

Do guests get a ticket?

They get a position and a success screen. Tickets, check-in, and payments are not part of the product.

Related

Keep reading

Five minutes by hand, or one click.

Free for 100 signups a month. Unlimited waitlists. Every setting above stays editable.

Create this waitlist