Selling out is a great problem to have — but it doesn't mean you have to stop collecting interested athletes. The waitlist feature lets you keep your event open to expressions of interest even after capacity is reached, protecting you against drop-offs and building a valuable contact list you can market to in the future.
Why Enable a Waitlist?
Cover drop-offs
Registered athletes sometimes cancel. A waitlist gives you a ready queue of interested athletes to fill those spots quickly — division by division — rather than leaving them empty.
Build a leads list for future events
Not everyone on your waitlist will get a spot this time. But every athlete who joins has already raised their hand and expressed interest in competing at your event. That's a warm contact list — people who are already engaged with your event and are likely to register for your next one. Use this list to notify them when your next event opens registration.
How to Enable the Waitlist
Navigate to your event's Divisions settings
Enable the Waitlist option on each division you want to accept waitlisted athletes for
The waitlist is configured per division — this gives you full control over which divisions accept overflow interest and which don't.
How It Works
When Does the Waitlist Appear?
Once a division reaches its capacity limit — either the global event limit or the division-specific limit — the Register button automatically changes to Join Waitlist. Athletes can then join the queue for that division.
The waitlist only appears when registration is open and the division is not password protected.
Joining the Waitlist
When an athlete joins the waitlist they are added to a queue organised by division. They can opt out of the waitlist at any time from their athlete dashboard if they change their mind.
When a Spot Opens Up
If a registered athlete drops out and a spot becomes available, you can notify waitlisted athletes manually:
Go to Participants > Waitlist
Sort by division to find the relevant queue
Click the email icon next to the athlete you want to notify
If an athlete on the waitlist has already registered — either in the waitlisted division or another division — their name will automatically be struck through so you can skip them.
⚠️ The waitlist is first-come, first-served. Notifying an athlete does not reserve the spot for them — it simply lets them know a spot is available. If you want to reserve a spot for a specific athlete, use Planning > Invitation Management instead.
Good to Know
Waitlist is enabled per division — you choose which divisions accept it
Athletes on the waitlist are a valuable leads list — even if they don't get a spot, they are warm contacts for future event promotions
Athletes can opt out of the waitlist at any time
Waitlist is not available for password-protected divisions
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