How Do I Handle Waitlists for Popular Events?
Famlo has a waitlist, and calls it a waitlist. On a full activity the button reads Join the waitlist, and once you are on it the button reads You're on the waitlist. What it is not is a queue, and that difference decides how you should use it. This guide is for organizers running activities that fill up, and for families trying to get into one.
Quick Answer
When an activity is full, select Join the waitlist. That saves the activity to your list, and saving is the whole mechanism.
When a place frees up, everyone waiting on that activity is alerted at the same moment, and whoever registers first takes it. Nobody holds a position, nobody is promoted, and no seat is set aside for anyone.
A waitlist, not a queue
Most people arrive expecting a line: you sign up, you are third, and when three places open you are in. Famlo does not work that way, and the difference matters before you rely on it.
| Famlo's waitlist | A queue | |
|---|---|---|
| Who hears a place opened | Everyone waiting, at the same moment | The next person in line |
| Who gets it | Whoever registers first | Whoever is at the front |
| Your position | There is none. Joining earlier does not put you ahead | Fixed by sign-up order |
| Getting in | You register yourself | You are promoted into the place |
| Is a seat held | No | Yes, for the person promoted |
Nobody holds a position on a Famlo waitlist. Joining early does not put you ahead of anyone. You are told a place exists, at the same time as everyone else, and you have to go and register for it.
The upside is that nothing depends on being watched. There is no queue to administer, no promotion to chase, and no family sitting at position four wondering whether their turn is ever coming.
For organizers
Set a limit, then leave it alone
Capacity is set on the activity when you create or edit it. Once the places are gone, the activity page stops selling and starts offering Join the waitlist instead. See Scheduling activities.
The activity page shows how many families are waiting, so you can see demand without going looking for it. Before anyone joins, it reads "This event is full — be the first on the waitlist."
When someone cancels
Nothing is asked of you. The cancelled place goes back on sale, and every family waiting is alerted automatically. You do not have to notify anyone, choose anyone, or approve anyone.
What you cannot do
- You cannot register a family into a full activity. There is no add-attendee control. If you want someone in, the place has to exist first.
- You cannot cap how many places one family takes. There is no per-family limit field. If that matters for your activity, say so in the description and price it accordingly.
- You cannot reorder or prioritise the waitlist. There is no order to work with.
What you do have on the day is the attendance roster. See Attendance and check-in.
If demand keeps beating capacity
- Run it again. A second date is the only real answer to a waitlist that never shrinks.
- Raise the limit if the venue and the ratios allow it. The extra places go on sale like any others.
- Announce the opening time in advance so everyone starts level, rather than rewarding whoever happened to be refreshing.
- Say the capacity in the description. Families plan differently for twelve places than for forty.
For families
Join the waitlist
- Open the full activity.
- Select Join the waitlist. On an activity card, the heart does the same thing.
- The button changes to You're on the waitlist, and a line beneath says how many families are waiting.
The activity now appears on Saved & watchlist in your account menu, badged You're on the waitlist.
To leave the waitlist, unsave the activity. Select the filled heart on the row, on the card, or on the activity page.
Getting told when a place opens
A saved activity sends exactly one kind of alert: a place opened. It arrives in Famlo and by email, and it links to the activity page rather than straight to checkout, so you can see what you are claiming.
Be quick. Everyone else waiting got the same alert at the same second.
Famlo will not send it if you already hold a booking for that activity, and it will not send a second one while an earlier one is still unread.
Make sure the alert reaches you
- Open Account settings → Notifications.
- Find the Activity updates row. That is the one covering freed-up spots.
- Tick In-app, Email, or both.
- Select Save preferences. Nothing is saved until you do.
Famlo sends notifications in the app and by email, and nowhere else. There are no browser or phone push notifications, no digests, and no quiet hours. If you want to hear about a place quickly, leave Email ticked.
Improve your odds
- Save the activity the moment you find it full. You cannot be alerted about something you are not watching.
- Save a card first. Checkout is faster when you are not typing card details against the clock.
- Know your answer in advance. Which child, which ticket, whether the date still works.
- Watch the alternatives too. A less popular time slot often has places when the headline one does not.
- Stay on after a near miss. Cancellations cluster as the date approaches, and the alert can come more than once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where am I on the waitlist? Nowhere in particular, and that is deliberate. There are no positions. Everyone waiting is told at the same moment and the first to register takes the place.
Does joining earlier help? No. It makes no difference to who gets the place. It only makes sure you hear about it.
How quickly should I respond? Immediately. Other families received the same alert, and the place goes to whoever finishes registering first.
I clicked through and it was full again. Somebody was faster. Stay on the waitlist and you will be told next time.
Can I see how many people are waiting? Yes. The activity page shows the count to anyone looking at it.
Can an organizer let me in as a favour? They cannot add you to a full activity. There is no control for it. If they can take more people, they raise the limit, and the new places go on sale to everyone.
How do I get off the waitlist? Unsave the activity. The filled heart removes it immediately, with no confirmation step.
Related Articles
- Saved activities and alerts - The saved page, badges, and location alerts
- Managing Events - Capacity and the rest of activity setup
- RSVP and Registration - Claiming a place when one opens
- Notification Preferences - Which channels these alerts use