Help Center

Sessions and seat limits

Breakouts, workshops and meals with limited seats

If some of your choices can only hold so many people, the registration form can count the seats for you. This guide shows what attendees see, how a full session behaves, what happens when someone cancels, and which parts you can watch yourself. To click through a live example, open demo.jumbo.live.

What attendees see

Any choice in your registration form can have its own seat limit. That covers breakout sessions, workshops, meals and tours. Choices without a limit stay open for everyone. The form keeps count as people register, so nobody has to. Hover over a number to see what it marks.

Choose your 10:30 session Planning your run of show Breakout session 12 seats left Registration that scales Breakout session 2 seats left Hybrid events workshop Full Join the waitlist Choose your 11:45 session Hands-on page setup Workshop 8 seats left Sponsor workshop Workshop 20 seats left Register
A session choice list, drawn as a diagram
  1. One list per time slotEach slot gets its own question, and people pick one session from it
  2. Seats leftA count beside each choice. The limit is a number we enter and seats left is worked out from it, so after a limit changes we update the page too. We switch it on if you want it shown
  3. An open sessionAnyone can pick it until the last seat is taken
  4. A full sessionIt closes by itself, stays visible and greyed out, and can't be picked
  5. Waitlist linkShown on a full session if you want a waitlist. See Waitlists
  6. The next time slotCounted on its own, so a full 10:30 session never affects 11:45

Greyed out or hidden. We recommend leaving a full session visible and greyed out, so people can see it filled rather than wonder where it went. We can hide it instead if you prefer. The wording on a full session is yours to choose, for example "This session is full".

Who does what

Seat limits live in your registration form, so we set them up and change them. You decide the numbers and watch how they fill.

TaskWhoHow
Choose the seat numbersYouTell us the limit for each session, meal or tour. A choice with no limit stays open
Put limits on the formWe do this with youWe set each limit and test that a full session closes
Change a limit laterWe doSend us the session and the new total
Change or cancel a registrationWe doEmail us the person and the change. We update the record and the seat comes back
Watch how full each session isYouOpen the capacity dashboard, if your event has one
Export the waitlistYouDownload the list from the capacity dashboard, oldest first. If your event has no capacity dashboard, email us and we send you the list

One session per time slot

Sessions that run at the same time are grouped into one question, so people choose one and can't book two at once. Each slot is counted separately, and a full session only closes itself.

How we set it up

  • One question per slot"Choose your 10:30 session" holds the sessions that run then. "Choose your 11:45 session" holds the next set
  • One pick eachBecause a slot is a single choice, a person can't pick two sessions in it
  • Meals and tours work the same wayGive each its own question with its own limits

Good to know

  • Ranked picksIf you ask for a first and a second choice, the second list can leave out whatever was picked first
  • Send us the scheduleTell us which sessions share a time slot and the seat count for each

Changes and cancellations

Seats are counted from the registration records. When a record changes, the count follows, so there is nothing for you to add up by hand.

  1. Step 1

    Someone asks for a change

    An attendee wants a different session, or can't come. They write to you, and you send us the request.

    You send us the name and the change

  2. Step 2

    We update the record

    We move the person to another session, or remove the registration if they are cancelling.

    We make every record change for you

  3. Step 3

    The seat comes back

    The session they left has one more seat free, and the form shows it right away. If it had been full, it opens again.

    The count updates automatically

Open seats are open to everyone. A freed seat goes to whoever registers next, not to a waitlist in order. If you keep a waitlist, invite people from it soon after a seat frees up.

Waitlists

A waitlist is optional. It collects the names of people who wanted a full session, so you can see how much demand there is. It does not hold or give out seats.

What it does

  • A link appears when a session fillsIt opens a short form where people leave their details. We build it to ask for the same answers your registration form needs, so you don't chase anyone for more
  • A separate list, per sessionWaitlist entries are kept apart from registrations, and you can filter them by session
  • A notice when someone joinsWe can email your team each time a person joins a waitlist
  • Export, oldest firstThe list comes out in the order people joined, as a CSV or Excel file

What it does not do

  • It does not register anyoneA person on the waitlist has no confirmation email and no sign-in link
  • It does not move people up by itselfWe don't turn a waitlist entry into a registration automatically, because joining a list isn't an agreement to attend
  • What you do insteadWhen a seat opens, or we raise the limit, you invite people from your exported list and they register themselves on the form

Timing matters when you add seats. New seats open to everyone who visits the form, not only to the waitlist. Ask us to raise the limit, then send your invitations within a few minutes, ideally at a quiet time, so the people who waited get first go.

Watching your numbers

For events with seat limits, we can build a capacity dashboard: a private page on your event site, behind sign-in, that shows each session at a glance. Its registration counts come from the same records the form uses.

Session Filled Seats left Waiting Planning your run of show 28 of 40 12 0 Registration that scales 38 of 40 2 0 Hybrid events workshop 40 of 40 0 6 Hands-on page setup 32 of 40 8 0 Sponsor workshop 20 of 40 20 0
A capacity dashboard, drawn as a diagram

What you can do there

  • See every session at onceHow many are registered, the limit, seats left, percent full and how many are waiting
  • Read the waitlistNames and contact details, filtered by session and sorted by who joined first
  • Export itDownload the filtered list as a CSV or Excel file for your own emails

Because it shows personal details, only people on your team can open it.

Registered and waiting counts update each time the page loads. They come from the records. The limit and seats left come from a number we enter on the page, so after a limit changes we update the page too. If a count looks off, tell us.

Get notified when a session fills. We can send an email to your team the moment a session reaches its limit, so you don't need to keep checking.

Changing a limit

When a room gets bigger or a caterer confirms more meals, send us the new number. We change it, and the form reflects it straight away.

What to send us

  • The session and the new totalGive the new maximum, not the number to add. To go from 40 to 50 seats, say 50
  • Raising a limit reopens a full sessionThe Full label and the waitlist link go away, and people can pick it again

Why you don't edit limits yourself

  • Limits change rarelyMost events change a limit only a few times
  • A wrong number breaks registrationA limit of 0 means full, not unlimited, and a limit below the people already registered causes problems. We check before we change one
Need a change, or a capacity dashboard for your event

Your Customer Success contact is your first stop. For anything else, email [email protected].