Eventonomy

RSVPs

The RSVP system lets attendees register for events with a single click. It supports logged-in members and guests (no account needed), optional party sizes, capacity limits, waitlists, and a secure magic-link flow so guests can manage their RSVP without creating an account.

RSVP block on a single-event page showing the going/maybe/no buttons

What You Will Learn

  • How to enable RSVPs on an event
  • The four RSVP statuses
  • How capacity and waitlists work
  • How guest RSVPs and magic links work
  • How to configure custom registration questions

Enabling RSVPs

RSVPs are enabled site-wide at Eventonomy → Settings → RSVP. Each event then chooses how people register in the event editor:

  • People register here - the RSVP panel appears on the event page.
  • Registration is on another site - the page shows a Register button pointing at the address you supply, and no RSVP panel.
  • No registration needed - no RSVP panel and no spots remaining.

Which of these a new event opens on is the site owner's choice: set New events start as at Settings → RSVP. It is a starting value, not a rule - the organizer can change it on any event, and existing events are never touched. If RSVPs are switched off site-wide, new events start as No registration needed.

The mode is enforced server-side, so an event set to another site or no registration refuses RSVPs and orders even if a request is crafted by hand. Full walkthrough: Create your first event.

Everything below applies to events set to People register here.

When RSVP is on, the eventonomy/rsvp block on the single-event page shows the registration form.

Note: The same eventonomy/rsvp block also handles paid ticket checkout (Pro); there is no separate checkout block. If an event has a paid ticket but no payment gateway is configured, the block shows an honest "Online ticket sales are not available for this event yet" notice instead of a dead Order button. See Tickets & Checkout.

RSVP Statuses

Status What it means
Going Attendee is confirmed. Counts toward capacity.
Maybe Attendee is tentative. Does not count toward capacity.
No Attendee has declined. Does not count toward capacity.
Waitlist Capacity is full; attendee is queued and promoted automatically when a spot opens.

Changing an RSVP from Going to No frees a spot and promotes the oldest Waitlist RSVP to Going automatically.

Capacity and Waitlists

Setting Capacity

Set a site-wide default capacity at Settings → RSVP → Default attendee capacity. Override per event in the event editor's Capacity field. Set to 0 for unlimited.

When capacity is reached:

  • If Waitlist when full is on, further Going RSVPs are placed on the waitlist automatically.
  • If it is off, the RSVP is refused with a "This event is full" message.

Capacity is always resolved on the server from the event, so a full event cannot be oversold by a crafted request. Two people racing for the last seat can never both get it: one is confirmed, the other is waitlisted or refused.

Hiding Events That Are Full

Turn on Hide sold-out events from listings (Settings → RSVP) to drop events that are at capacity out of the events list and upcoming blocks. Page counts may still include them. The event page itself stays reachable, so anyone holding a link still sees it.

Showing Remaining Spots

Enable Show remaining spots (Settings → RSVP) to display "5 spots left" on event cards, the single-event page, and the RSVP block. This is hidden when capacity is unlimited.

Guest RSVPs

Guests without a WordPress account can RSVP by supplying their name and email. After submitting, they receive a magic link by email that lets them view or change their RSVP.

Their RSVP confirmation email also carries a private View or change your RSVP link straight to the same manage page, so a guest can get back to their registration without hunting for a separate email. Because that link is a guest's only way back to their RSVP, it is added automatically whenever Send an RSVP confirmation email (Settings → Notifications) is on - it is not tied to the Manage RSVP by secure link toggle, so a setting left off can never leave a guest with no recovery path. The confirmation screen also offers an Email me a link button, so a guest whose email never arrives can resend one without reloading. All of this appears only for guests; members manage their RSVPs from their dashboard instead, so their confirmation email carries no link. Developers can suppress the guest link in code with the evnm_guest_manage_link_enabled filter (default true).

Enabling Guest RSVPs

At Settings → RSVP, turn on Allow guests to RSVP without an account.

To require login instead, turn on Require login to RSVP; this overrides the guest-RSVP setting and shows a login prompt to visitors who are not logged in.

How the Magic Link Works

  1. Guest submits their name, email, and RSVP status.
  2. Eventonomy emails a signed link (valid for 7 days by default) to the guest's email address.
  3. The guest clicks the link and lands on a manage-RSVP page where they can update their status or cancel.
  4. The link can be re-requested from the RSVP block at any time.

Secrets (the magic token) are never exposed in REST API responses or admin tables.

Party Size (Guests)

Attendees can bring additional guests when they RSVP. Each guest counts toward the event capacity.

Set the maximum number of additional guests at Settings → RSVP → Max additional guests per RSVP (0 = unlimited).

RSVP Deadline

Set a deadline at Settings → RSVP → RSVP deadline (hours before start). When the deadline passes, the RSVP form closes and a "Registration closed" message appears. Set to 0 for no deadline.

Custom Registration Questions

When Custom questions is on (Settings → Questions), attendees can be asked extra questions when they RSVP. There are two levels, and both have to line up:

  1. The site owner writes the questions. One shared bank at Settings → Questions holds the wording, the answer type and the options. Keeping the wording in one place is what makes answers comparable and exportable across events. Answer types:
    • Short text - a single-line input.
    • Paragraph - a multi-line textarea.
    • Choice (dropdown) - a list of options you define (one per line).
    • Checkbox - a yes/no toggle.
  2. The organizer picks which of them their event asks. The event editor shows "Questions to ask when people register" with a checkbox per question. A new event starts with everything ticked, so this is opt-out - untick anything the event does not need. The picker only appears when the event is set to People register here, since there is no form to ask them on otherwise.

So the RSVP form shows the questions this event asks, not everything in the bank. If a question you added is missing from an event's form, check the event's picker before assuming the feature is broken.

Events created before the per-event picker existed have no stored selection and so keep asking the whole bank - updating never silently stops a site collecting answers. The first time such an event is opened and saved, its selection is recorded explicitly.

Mark any question as Required to prevent submission without an answer. Required applies only where the question is actually asked: an event that unticks a required question is unaffected by it. See Questions settings for how to add and remove questions.

What's Next?

Add paid tickets to your events and configure checkout.

Tickets & Checkout →