When creating Events, it is often necessary to limit the number of participants. Capacity limits ensure that the instructor is not overloaded and that sufficient time, attention, and instruction is given to each attendee; or to ensure the number of attendees is below the physical capacity limit of an in-person event.
Learners may join a waiting list for an event that is at full capacity when an Admin enables the Waiting List feature.
This article outlines the following concepts:
Enable the Waiting List
Global Setting
Waiting Lists can be enabled globally for all events in the General tab ofEvent Configurations.
Individual Events
To use or override the global setting for a specific event; go to the Basic Information tab of the Event edit screen, assign a registrant Capacity, and select to Enable Waiting List or Use Global Configuration.
If a Parent Event has the Auto-Register Child Events toggle to Yes and the Learner is added to the Waiting List, they’re also added to the waiting list for all Child Events and a single registration notification is sent including all events
Reorder Waiting List
Go to Registrants list view > Quick Filter an Event > click View waiting list. Note that only events with the waiting list enabled show the View waiting list button.
In the slide-out window, the registrants currently in the Waiting List are shown. The order determines which registrants are auto-enrolled when capacity is available.
The registrants within the waiting list can be reordered by dragging a recipient to the desired location or manually entering the new placement ordering.
Add a User to the Waiting List
In the Registrants list, click New.
Select a User to be the registrant and select an Event with the Waiting List enabled.
In the Status field, select Waiting List.
The registrant is added to the Waiting List of the event.
Remove a User from the Waiting List
A Registrant can be removed from the waiting list by changing their Status to “Canceled.”
A wait-listed registrant can also be deleted entirely.
Learner Experience
Users join a Waiting List from the Event Details page of the Learner Portal.
When an Event is free, registrants first in line on the waiting list are automatically enrolled when any of the following occurs:
- An Event’s capacity is increased
- A Learner cancels a registration
- An Admin, Team Lead, or Instructor cancels a registration
When capacity is made available for a paid event, all learners on the waiting list are notified and it’s first-come, first-served to purchase the available seats.
Waitlisted users who are automatically registered are sent a Registration notification email.
For paid Events, a User may add themselves to the Waiting List. When a space becomes available, they must return to the LMS and pay for the Event.
Users may leave a Waiting List at any time through the Learner Dashboard.
Multi-Day Events
If a Parent Event has the Auto-Register Child Events toggle to Yes and the Learner is added to the Waiting List, they’re also added to the waiting list for Child Events and a single notification is sent.
Use Cases
The following are possible general use cases for utilizing this feature:
Managing event attendance without exceeding instructional or physical limits
A training coordinator needs to cap registration for both virtual and in-person events to ensure quality engagement, instructor availability, or room capacity compliance.
This feature is useful because:
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Admins can set capacity limits per event and control access dynamically
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Waiting lists ensure users don’t get turned away completely
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Capacity increases or cancellations automatically trigger re-enrollment for waitlisted users
Example Use Case
A classroom-based leadership workshop is limited to 20 participants. Once the cap is reached, additional users join a waiting list. Two registrants cancel, and the top two on the waiting list are automatically enrolled and notified via email, all without admin input.
Streamlining fair and transparent enrollment for high-demand events
An organization offers limited-seat certification training that always fills up quickly. They want to allow more learners to express interest and join when seats open — while maintaining fairness.
This feature is useful because:
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Waiting list order can be manually rearranged for priority handling
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For free events, top-listed users are auto-enrolled as space opens
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For paid events, available seats are released first-come, first-served with notification triggers
Example Use Case
A “First Aid Certification” course fills within hours. The Admin enables the waiting list, and 10 users opt in. When 3 spots open, the system enrolls the top 3 automatically and notifies them. For the next session, the Admin manually reorders the list to prioritize staff from high-risk departments.
Reducing admin overhead for multi-session events and last-minute changes
A learning admin managing multi-day training wants to simplify the process of handling oversubscription and avoid micromanaging registrations across multiple sessions.
This feature is useful because:
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Waitlisting a learner on a parent event cascades to its child events
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One notification can cover the entire training series
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Admins, instructors, or team leads can cancel users to trigger auto-enrollment
Example Use Case
A four-day technical bootcamp uses the Parent/Child Event structure. Capacity is set to 25, and a waitlist is enabled. When a registrant drops out the day before the event, the next user on the waitlist is added to all four child events and notified instantly.