Run an event from setup to follow-up

This guide walks one event through its full lifecycle: create and publish it, repeat it on a schedule if it recurs, manage capacity and waitlists, collect attendee details, send attendee emails, run check-in at the door, and export the guest list afterwards. Each stage links to a detailed guide, so you can follow the path straight through or jump to the part you need.

1. Create and publish the event

From your dashboard, click New event to start a fresh event. Publishing requires an event name, a date and time, and at least one ticket type; in the Tickets card, choose Free, Paid, or External registration. Paid tickets check out through your Squarespace store, while free events register directly through Eventually.

Set Capacity on the same page to cap attendance, or leave it blank for unlimited. Everything else sits in the More options drawers and can be added after publishing. Click Publish event when you are ready, or Save as draft to keep working on it later. Field-by-field walkthrough: Create an event.

2. Repeat it on a schedule (optional)

For weekly classes, daily tours, or monthly meetings, switch the Date & time field from Single to Recurring and pick a pattern under Repeats. Every session appears separately on your calendar widget, and attendees register for individual dates.

Each generated session runs independently: it has its own capacity, its own waitlist, its own attendee list, and its own check-in. Recurring events need the Essentials plan or higher; on Free, single events and multiple dates stay available. Setup steps: Creating recurring events.

3. Manage capacity and waitlists

Total capacity is set in the Tickets card, and per-ticket limits and sale rules live in the Tickets & sales drawer under More options. How the two interact: Set event capacity and ticket limits.

When an event reaches capacity, enable a waitlist to capture interest from people who missed out. Open the event's settings and turn on Open when sold out, or set the Turn on the waitlist for new events default so new events start with one (Essentials plan and above). Guests who join receive a branded confirmation email telling them they'll be emailed if a spot opens, and team members get an alert when someone joins. When a spot opens, invite attendees off the waitlist: the offer is emailed and expires after 24 hours. Full waitlist setup: Waitlists for sold-out events.

4. Collect attendee details

Name and email are always collected for every registration. Add your own questions in the Registration questions drawer of the event editor with Add question, choosing from text, choices, contact fields, numbers, and dates. Each question can be required or optional, and its Asked on control scopes it to all tickets, specific tickets, or specific add-ons.

You also choose when the extra questions appear: Before checkout, After checkout, or Off. Custom registration fields require the Essentials plan or higher. Answers appear in the attendee detail view, the CSV export, and each attendee's confirmation email. Field types and timing: Custom registration questions and fields.

5. Set up attendee emails

Your attendees get confirmation, reminder, thank-you, and cancellation emails automatically, so you never send them by hand. The registration confirmation goes out immediately on registration. Reminders send 24 hours and 1 hour before the event, each with its own switch, plus an optional 1-Week Reminder that is off by default.

A thank-you email follows the event at your chosen timing: 2, 24, or 48 hours after it ends, defaulting to 2 hours. Emails use your brand name, logo, and colors. Edit templates under Customize → Communications, where each email has its own on/off switch. Email types and timing: Setting up automated emails.

6. Check in at the door

Check-in opens 30 minutes before your event's start time; before then, the guest list shows Check-in opens on event day. Open check-in from the event page on your phone, then scan each ticket's QR code with Scan tickets or search attendees by name or email. No app download or special hardware is required.

Your event page shows Registered, Revenue, Spots left, and Checked in counts, and the Guests section lists every registration. For someone who shows up unregistered, use Add guest to register and check them in: Check in walk-in guests. Full check-in workflows and door fixes: Using QR code check-in.

7. Follow up and close out

The thank-you email sends automatically once the event ends, so post-event communication is already handled. To keep a record for attendance tracking and reporting, export the guest list as a CSV.

1. Open the event in your Eventually dashboard.

2. In the Guests section header, click Export and choose CSV.

The CSV always includes ten standard columns such as name, email, ticket type, amount paid, and checked-in status, followed by one column per custom registration question, with one row per seat. Export is available in the browser dashboard, not the iOS app. Export details: Exporting attendees to CSV.