Using waitlisted event registration

If you have specific rules for how athletes are accepted into a division in your event, for example, using a seed list, or a pre-qualified invitation, you should use LiveHeats' powerful waitlisting feature, which allows the Director to review and confirm entries.

This article includes:

• How to set an event's registration to be waitlisted
• How to confirm a waitlisted athlete into an event
• How payments work with waitlisting
• Frequently asked questions about waitlisting

How to set an event's registrations to be waitlisted

1. Go to the Event settings and click the Registration tab
2. Under the field for Waitlisting, select Yes to activate 
3. Click Update event (at the bottom) to save
4. Once set, all future registrations will be waitlisted before being confirmed into a division. Note, that you must confirm athletes to notify them that they're in the event and for them to appear in the draw when created. Below displays the experience for an athlete entering an event with waitlisting and payments:

How to confirm an athlete into a division

1. From the Event dashboard, select the division and go to the Athletes tab.
2. Click Confirm to accept the athlete into the division. The athlete will receive a confirmation email, and if entry fees apply, payment will also be processed.

   To confirm multiple athletes at once, use the checkboxes on the left to select them, then click the Confirm button at the top. This button displays the number of athletes that will be confirmed. On mobile, activate bulk select & confirm via the ellipsis (three dots) next to the Status header.

Example confirmation email received by the athlete:

To edit the confirmation email, see: Customise or edit the confirmation email sent to registrants and new members

How payments work with waitlisting

If you have activated payments on the event, during event registration, the athlete will be required to enter a valid credit/debit card. This payment information is securely stored with their entry, and the payment is only captured when they are confirmed into an event division. Clicking the Confirm button triggers the payment capture on their card.

Addressing payments that fail during confirmation

When you Confirm an entry, and the athlete's attached card fails, due to not having sufficient funds or any other reason, they will receive an email to fix their payment to complete their confirmation into that division (see next heading below for more).

For any entry that was confirmed but the payment failed, you also have the choice to:

• Confirm and request payment - this confirms the entry but leaves the payment pending for the athlete to fix and pay
• Confirm and mark as paid - this confirms the entry and removes the payment pending status from the athlete

How the athlete can address a failed payment

1. Follow the prompt in the email they receive, or visit their Athlete dashboard
2. Click on the warning to fix the payment
3. Re-pay with the same card, or click Change to update details to a card with sufficient funds
4. Once successfully paid they will be confirmed into the division
5. They will need to repeat for any other divisions

Frequently asked questions about waitlisting

When the payment fails, what does the athlete see?

We've written a specific guide for athletes here: For athletes: Entry confirmation for waitlisted events and resolving payment issues.

Once the athlete completes an outstanding payment, are they confirmed?

Yes, once the athlete completes the payment, the entry is auto-confirmed.

How long does the payment authorization last for on the charge?

We don't actually authorize their charge, instead, we securely hold their card details, and when the director confirms them we make the charge.