Admin Guide: Creating & Managing Events

This guide walks you through creating and managing events and classes as an administrator.

Getting Started

Navigate to Admin > Series & Sessions to access the events management area. Here you can:

• View all existing events and classes
• Create new offerings
• Filter by workspace, certification, type, or status
• Sort by name, type, workspace, or upcoming sessions

Creating a Single-Session Event

Use this for one-time workshops or activities.

Step 1: Start a New Series

1. Click Create Series
2. Select Single Session as the format
3. Click Continue

Step 2: Fill in Event Details

Description Tab:

• Title - Name of your event (e.g., “Laser Cutter Safety Workshop”)
• Summary - Brief description shown in listings
• Description - Full details about what participants will learn/do
• Cover Image - Upload an image for the event listing
• Point of Contact - Who to reach out to with questions

Settings Tab:

• Event Type - Choose “Event” or “Class” (classes require an instructor)
• Status - Keep as “Draft” until ready to publish
• Default Duration - How long sessions typically last
• Primary Instructor - Required if type is “Class”
• Capacity - Maximum number of participants
• Member Price - Price for makerspace members
• Public Price - Price for non-members
• Waitlist - Enable if you want a waitlist when full
• Guest Tickets - Allow members to bring guests
• Workspace - Where the event takes place
• Location - On-site or off-site with address

Step 3: Add Optional Settings

Compliance Tab:

• Add required certifications that participants must have
• Upload any required attachments or waivers

Notifications Tab:

• Configure automated emails/notifications:
  • On Registration - Sent when someone signs up
  • Before Event - Reminder before the session
  • After Event - Follow-up after completion

Step 4: Save and Add Sessions

1. Click Save to create the event
2. Go to the Sessions tab
3. Click Add Session
4. Set the date, start time, and end time
5. Optionally assign a different instructor
6. Save the session

Step 5: Publish

1. Return to the Settings tab
2. Change status from “Draft” to Published
3. Save changes

Your event is now visible to members!

Creating a Multi-Session Course

Use this for classes that meet multiple times, like a 4-week woodworking course.

Step 1: Start a New Series

1. Click Create Series
2. Select Multi-day Course as the format
3. Click Continue

Step 2: Fill in Course Details

Same as single-session events, but configure these as defaults that cohorts can inherit or override:

• Default Duration - Typical length of each session
• Primary Instructor - Default instructor for all cohorts
• Capacity - Default class size
• Pricing - Default member and public prices

Step 3: Create Cohorts

Each time you offer the course, create a cohort:

1. Go to the Cohorts tab
2. Click Add Cohort
3. Fill in cohort details:
   • Name - Identify this offering (e.g., “Spring 2024” or “Tuesday Evenings”)
   • Description - Any specific details for this cohort
   • Instructor - Override the default if different
   • Capacity - Override the default if different
   • Pricing - Override the default if different

Step 4: Add Sessions to Each Cohort

For each cohort, add the individual class meetings:

1. Open the cohort
2. Click Add Session
3. Choose your scheduling method:

Single Session:

• Pick one specific date and time

Specific Days:

• Add multiple specific dates (useful for irregular schedules)

Recurring:

• Set a pattern (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)
• Choose days of the week
• Set start and end dates
• System generates all sessions automatically (up to 100)

4. Save sessions

Step 5: Publish

1. Change the series status to Published
2. All cohorts with sessions become available for registration

Managing Pricing

Setting Default Prices

On the series Settings tab:

• Member Price - What members pay
• Public Price - What non-members pay

These become the default for all new cohorts.

Custom Cohort Pricing

To set different pricing for a specific cohort:

1. Open the cohort
2. Uncheck “Use Event Settings” (if shown)
3. Enter custom capacity and prices
4. Save

Use cases:

• Early-bird pricing for the first cohort
• Premium pricing for weekend sessions
• Discounted pricing for repeat offerings

Configuring Capacity and Waitlists

Setting Capacity

Capacity limits how many people can register:

• Set at the series level as a default
• Override at the cohort level for specific offerings

Enabling Waitlists

When a cohort is full, you can allow a waitlist:

1. Go to series Settings or cohort settings
2. Enable Waitlist
3. Save

When spots open up, waitlisted registrants are notified.

Guest Tickets

Allow members to register guests:

1. Enable Guest Tickets in settings
2. Set any guest limits
3. Guests pay the public price

Adding Prerequisites

Require participants to have specific certifications:

1. Go to the Compliance tab
2. Click Add Certification Requirement
3. Select the required certification(s)
4. Save

Members without the required certifications will see a message and cannot register until they complete the prerequisite.

Setting Up Notifications

Automate communication with participants:

Notification Triggers

Trigger	When It Sends
On Registration	Immediately when someone registers
Before Event	X hours before the session starts
After Event	X hours after the session ends

Notification Channels

• Email - Sent to participant’s email
• SMS - Text message (if phone number available)
• Push - Mobile app notification
• Webhook - Trigger external integrations

Recipients

• Registrants - People signed up for the event
• Instructors - Assigned instructor(s)
• Watchers - Staff monitoring the event

Creating a Notification

1. Go to the Notifications tab
2. Click Add Notification
3. Choose the trigger (registration, before, after)
4. Select channels and recipients
5. Configure timing (for before/after triggers)
6. Save

Publishing and Status Management

Status Options

Status	Visibility	Registration
Draft	Hidden	Not available
Published	Visible	Open
Archived	Hidden	Closed

Required Fields Before Publishing

The Published option in the status dropdown will be greyed out until the following fields are filled in:

Field	Required for
Title	All events and classes
Point of Contact	All events and classes
Primary Instructor	Classes only (not required for Events)

You can always save as Draft even if these fields are empty — your work is never lost. Once you fill in the required fields, the Published option becomes available automatically.

If you hover over the greyed-out Published option, a tooltip will list exactly which fields still need to be completed.

Publishing an Event

1. Fill in all required fields (title, point of contact, and instructor for classes)
2. Add at least one session
3. Go to Settings tab
4. Change status to Published — the option is enabled once required fields are complete
5. Save

Archiving an Event

To hide a past or cancelled event:

1. Go to Settings tab
2. Change status to Archived
3. Save

Archived events are hidden from public listings but remain in your admin records.

Managing Sessions

Session Status

Each session has its own status:

Status	Meaning
Draft	Not yet confirmed
Scheduled	Confirmed and visible
Cancelled	Session won’t happen
Completed	Session has occurred

Cancelling a Session

1. Open the session
2. Change status to Cancelled
3. Save

Registered participants will be notified based on your notification settings.

Viewing the Roster

To see who’s registered for a session:

1. Open the session
2. Click View Roster or check the roster section
3. See list of registrants with their status

Comp Registrations

A comp registration is a class registration issued by staff on behalf of another user without payment. Comps are useful for makers, instructors, or guests who should be in the room without going through checkout.

Permission

Issuing comps requires the Comp Class Registrations permission (comp_registrations). Assign it to a role or designation under Admin → Roles & Designations. Without this permission, the Comp controls in the UI are hidden — you don’t get a disabled button, you don’t see the option at all.

Comping a Single Session

1. Open the session’s Roster
2. Click Comp Registration
3. Search for and select the target user
4. Optionally, add a reason (255 character limit). The reason is stored on the registration and shows up in the Class Registrations report so future admins can see why the comp was issued.
5. Click Comp

The user is registered as if they had paid; capacity rules, duplicate-registration checks, and the standard registration confirmation email all still apply.

Who’s grayed out in search

Two kinds of users appear in the search results but are greyed-out and non-selectable:

• The instructor assigned to this class — instructors cannot be enrolled as students in the class they teach.
• Anyone already registered for this session — the system will not let you double-book a seat.

Hovering each grey row shows the reason. If you need to enrol someone who’s listed as the instructor, change the instructor assignment first.

Comping a Cohort

For multi-session classes, you can comp a user into every session in a cohort in one action:

1. Open the cohort’s edit page
2. Click Comp All Sessions
3. Choose the target user and optional reason
4. Click Comp

The cohort must be in Scheduled status. If any session in the cohort would fail (the user is already registered for it, or it’s at capacity), the comp is rejected for the whole cohort — nothing is partially applied. The UI shows which sessions conflicted so you can resolve them first.

Audit Trail

Every comp records:

• Who issued the comp (the actor)
• Why (the reason, if provided)
• When (timestamp)

The Class Registrations report includes these fields, and an event_registration.comped audit entry is written for every comp. Comps are permanent — you cancel them via the standard registration cancellation flow, which writes its own audit entry.

Removing a Registration from the Roster

Staff with the Comp Class Registrations permission can also remove a user from a session’s roster — useful when someone signs up by mistake, asks to be taken off after the cancellation window, or needs to be moved to a different cohort.

1. Open the session’s Roster
2. Find the registrant’s row and click the Remove icon (the person-with-minus icon at the end of the row)
3. Confirm in the dialog that appears

The registration is marked as cancelled, the seat is freed up (so the next waitlisted member can join, if a waitlist exists), and any zone or equipment access tied to the registration is revoked. The action is recorded in the audit log against your user, so future admins can see who issued the removal.

Removal works on both paid and comped registrations. It does not refund paid registrations — issue refunds separately through the standard refund flow if needed.

The remove icon is hidden — not greyed-out — for staff who don’t hold the Comp Class Registrations permission, and for sessions that have been locked (checked in / completed).

Comp vs Free Class

Comps and free classes are different concepts:

• A free class is priced at $0 for everyone and registration is self-service.
• A comp is an admin-issued registration that bypasses payment regardless of the class price. It is always staff-initiated.

Tips and Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Events: Use action words (“Learn to Weld”, “CNC Workshop”)
• Courses: Use course-style names (“Intro to Woodworking”, “Advanced Metalworking”)
• Cohorts: Use clear identifiers (“Spring 2024”, “Saturday Mornings”, “Evening Section”)

Pricing Strategy

• Set member prices lower to encourage membership
• Consider early-bird pricing for first cohorts
• Use consistent pricing for similar offerings

Capacity Planning

• Start with smaller capacities and increase based on demand
• Enable waitlists for popular offerings
• Track enrollment patterns to predict future demand

Communication

• Set up “before event” reminders 24-48 hours ahead
• Send “after event” follow-ups for feedback
• Include location and parking details in registration confirmations

Prerequisites

• Only require certifications that are truly necessary
• List prerequisites clearly in the event description
• Consider offering the prerequisite course alongside the main course