Bookings and resources

The Bookings and resources tab on the event editor controls how an event sells and what venue resources it consumes. Decide whether the event is private (one group per slot) or public (multiple groups share the slot), set player count limits, configure single or multi-category resource allocation with fixed or tiered counts, add buffers around the event, and choose which overlapping events to block when this one is booked.

Getting started

Open Events > Event settings, pick an event, and switch to the Bookings and resources tab in the event editor.

How it works

The tab is organized into three areas:

• Booking site: reservation style, public-to-private upgrades, and player limits
• Resource management: how resources are allocated when this event is booked. Either a simple count (e.g., "1 room"), or per-category requirements (e.g., "1 room and 1 host") with fixed counts or tiered counts that scale with group size. Includes pre and post buffers
• Override rules: when this event is booked, what other events get auto-blocked from being booked at the same time

Step-by-step guide

Configure the booking site behavior

On the Bookings and resources tab, find the Booking site section. Pick a Reservation style of Private (one group books the entire slot, sold out after one booking) or Public (multiple groups share the same slot up to capacity). If Public is selected, the Allow option to upgrade reservation type to private toggle appears; when on, customers can pay an upgrade fee to convert a public slot into a private one. Changing the style later does not change bookings already made: a slot with parties booked into it stays shared and a slot booked by one group stays private, whatever the event's style is now.

When the upgrade toggle is on, an Upgrade pricing segmented pill picks how the upgrade is priced:

Enter the amount in the field below the toggle (currency prefix, min 0, precision 2). The popover hint reads: "Buyout charges one fixed amount for the whole slot. Tickets plus fee charges normal per ticket pricing plus a flat private booking fee."

Set Minimum number of players (min 1, can't exceed the maximum) and Maximum number of players (must be at least the minimum). Click Save.

Configure simple (single-category) resource allocation

1. Scroll to the Resource management section
2. Leave This event requires multiple resource categories to run toggled off
3. Set Number of resources required to run a single event (min 0)
4. Save

The system reserves the configured count of resources from the event's linked schedule when a booking is made. Most simple events need exactly 1 resource (e.g., 1 escape room).

Configure multi-category resource allocation

Use this when the event needs different kinds of resources at the same time (e.g., a room AND a facilitator).

Scroll to the Resource management section, toggle This event requires multiple resource categories to run on, and click Add category requirement. A new row appears with four fields:

Add another category requirement for each kind of resource (room, facilitator, equipment, etc.) and save the event.

Configure tiered resource counts

When Allocation type is Tiered, the count of resources scales with group size. Useful for events where larger groups need more facilitators.

On a category row, set Allocation type to Tiered and click the tier expand link to open the tier panel. Each tier has four fields:

Click the + to add another tier; click - on a tier (other than the first) to remove. Save the event when you're done.

For example: 1-4 players needs 1 facilitator for 60 minutes, 5-8 players needs 2 facilitators for 60 minutes, 9+ players needs 3 facilitators for 90 minutes.

Add pre and post buffers

Buffers reserve resource time before and after the event for setup, reset, or briefing. In the Resource management section, find the buffer fields:

Set the buffer minutes appropriate to the event and save. The booking calendar shows the buffer reservation in addition to the event itself.

Pick the blocking unit

Blocking unit decides what level the auto-block rules apply to. Find Apply blocking rule to in the resource management section and pick from these options:

Save the event when you've chosen.

Configure override blocking rules

When this event is booked, you can auto-block overlapping slots on other events. This prevents a single resource (a host, a shared space) from being double-booked.

Scroll to the Override rules section at the bottom of the tab and pick one or more rules to enable:

If Block select overlapping events is on, the Select events to block multi-select appears below. Pick one or more events from the filterable dropdown (each option shows the event name and duration in minutes) and save. At least one event must be selected while this rule is on. Saving with none selected shows "Select at least one event to block, or turn this rule off" under the field.

If Block select overlapping events when fewer than a set number of resources cover the booked time is on, three fields appear below it. Select events to block when resources are short is its own event list, separate from the list above, so one event can always block some events and block others only when staff is short. Fewer than this many resources sets the number (it starts at 2). Count resources in picks a resource category, or Any applicable resource.

When this event is booked, the rule counts the resource time slots that cover the booked time and can serve this event. Each resource time slot counts once, however many events it can run, so one host who can run two events is still one host. With a category picked, only that category's resource time slots count. With Any applicable resource, a resource time slot in a category counts only when this event uses that category in its resource allocation; resource time slots without a category always count. The listed events' overlapping slots are blocked only while that count is below the number. Adding a resource time slot that brings the count up to the number reopens those slots on the next automatic run, as long as capacity allows.

Example: two buildings with two events each, and one host who can run two events at once as long as both are in the same building. Give each event this rule with the other building's two events, set Fewer than this many resources to 2 and Count resources in to the Hosts category. With one host on shift, a booking in one building blocks the other building. With two hosts on shift, nothing is blocked by this rule and capacity decides.

If Block events that start at the same time is on, two fields appear below it. Block once this many events are booked at the same start time sets how many events can be booked at the same start time before the rest are blocked. Leave it at 1 to block as soon as this event is booked. Set it to 2 or more to let that many events start together first (for example, two sessions sharing a briefing area).

The Select events to block at the same start time multi-select appears under the count. Leave it empty (it shows All events) to block every other event that starts at the same time. Pick one or more events to limit the rule to those events. Events that are not selected stay bookable at that start time as long as a resource can support them.

All five rules share the same resource-coverage semantics: they only block events that a resource time slot actually covers, and only where auto-block is enabled on that resource. Events with no resource coverage aren't affected by Override rules. If auto-unblock is set up on the covering resource, blocked slots reopen automatically whenever bookings change and capacity is available, and stay blocked while any other booking still holds them.

Custom-status slots are outside the Override rules. Slots tagged with a custom status (set up in Booking slot settings > Custom statuses) are exempt in both directions: they don't get auto-blocked when this event is booked, and they don't trigger auto-block on other events. This is true regardless of the status's Show on booking site mode (Hidden, Bookable, or Sold out). Bookable custom slots are still capped by underlying resource capacity, so they can't be over-booked, but they don't participate in the rule-based blocking above.

Reference

Booking site fields

Resource management: simple mode

Resource management: multi-category mode

Tier fields (Tiered allocation)

Buffers

Blocking unit

Override rules

Good to know

• Rating visibility is set per rating. Whether a rating shows on the booking site is controlled by its Show to customers switch in the Ratings section of the Event details tab, together with the booking site template's Show event ratings switch.
• Private vs Public is the most consequential setting on this tab. You can change it at any time: bookings already made keep the reservation style they were booked with, and the new style applies to slots with no bookings yet. When the event has upcoming bookings, pressing Save after a style change opens a Change reservation style? confirmation that tells you how many bookings keep their current style; Change style saves, Cancel leaves the event as it was.
• The Allow option to upgrade reservation type to private toggle is for venues that want to sell shared experiences with an upgrade option (a customer pays extra to lock the slot for just their group).
• Upgrade pricing has two styles. Use Buyout when the private upgrade should replace all per-ticket pricing with a single flat amount, best when you want a clean "rent the whole room for $X" offer. Use Tickets + fee when you still want to charge per head and add a flat private booking fee on top, best when costs scale with group size and the fee covers the exclusivity, not the experience itself.
• The upgrade pricing style is locked at booking time. Each booking remembers which style it was made under. Reschedules and edits keep the original pricing even if you later change the event's Upgrade pricing mode, a booking made under Tickets + fee stays Tickets + fee; a booking made under Buyout stays Buyout.
• The private booking fee is taxed the same way the buyout amount is taxed. No new tax configuration needed when switching between styles.
• The fee is per slot, not per order. A customer who books several private slots in one order is charged the fee once per slot.
• Multi-category resource allocation is the right choice when an event needs more than one type of resource at the same time. Configure each category separately so the system can find the right combination of resources from your schedule.
• Tiered allocation is most useful for events where staff requirements scale with group size. A 4-player escape room might need 1 host, but a 12-player big-group event might need 2-3 hosts.
• Buffers are blocking time around the event, not extra event time. Use them for room reset, customer briefing, debrief, etc. The customer doesn't see the buffers; they just experience the event itself.
• The Pre-event buffer is reserved before the customer's start time, so a 60-minute event with a 15-minute pre-buffer requires a free resource starting 75 minutes ahead.
• Override rules are the easiest way to prevent double-booking when one resource serves multiple events. The "select" option is usually the right level: less aggressive than blocking everything, more flexible than blocking only the same event type.
• The "not recommended" badge on Block all overlapping events isn't there to scare you off; it's a hint that this option blocks a lot of inventory. Most venues do better with same-type or select blocking.
• Block events that start at the same time is the right pick for venues that don't want concurrent sessions starting together (e.g., to stagger check-in queues). It only blocks events whose start time exactly matches, so non-overlapping later starts aren't affected.
• Select events to block at the same start time works in one direction. Booking this event blocks the events selected here. Booking one of those events blocks this event only if this event is selected on that event's own rule, or that event's rule applies to all events.
• Block once this many events are booked at the same start time counts every booked session at the exact same start time, including events that are not selected. Two booked sessions of the same event at one start time count as two. When a booking is cancelled and the count drops below the number, the blocked slots can reopen.
• The count applies while the event that carries the rule is booked. To protect the same events no matter which event is booked first, turn the rule on for each event that can trigger it and give each the same count.
• Archived events are ignored in both event selections. If every event selected under Block events that start at the same time is archived, the rule applies to all events again and the field shows All events.
• Duplicating an event copies its selected events for Select events to block, Select events to block when resources are short and Select events to block at the same start time, along with the count and the fewer-than number and category.
• The two select rules are independent lists. Booking this event blocks the first list every time and the second list only while resources are short. An event can be on both lists, in which case the first list wins and it is always blocked.
• Fewer than this many resources counts resource time slots on the schedule, not free capacity. A host who is already running an event still counts as long as their time slot covers the booked time.
• Override rules need resource coverage to take effect. Events with no resource time slots aren't managed by any of the five rules; the rules only fire where auto-block is enabled on the covering resource.

FAQ

Q: What happens to existing bookings when I switch an event between Private and Public?

A: Nothing changes for them. Each booking keeps the reservation style it was booked with: a slot that already holds parties stays shared, and a slot booked by one group stays private, on the calendar, in the booking drawer and on the booking site. Only slots with no bookings yet take the new style. If the event has upcoming bookings, Save asks you to confirm the change first.

Q: Can one event use both select rules?

A: Yes. Put the events that must always be blocked under Select events to block and the events that should be blocked only when staff is short under Select events to block when resources are short. Each list has its own switch.

Q: My customers can't see this event on the booking site. Why?

A: Check both the event's status (active, not archived) and that the event is added to a booking site template. Active events that aren't on a template don't appear publicly.

Q: What's the difference between "Block all overlapping" and "Block all overlapping of the same type"?

A: All overlapping blocks every other event during the same time. Same type only blocks other slots of this event during the same time. Same-type blocking is what you usually want when you have parallel sessions of the same event in different rooms.

Q: How does tiered allocation interact with the schedule?

A: When a booking is made, the system looks up the tier whose group size range includes the booking's participant count, then reserves that many resources from the linked schedule for the tier's blocking duration. Make sure your schedule has enough resources at peak times.

Q: Can I have different buffers for different group sizes?

A: The pre and post buffers are global to the event. The tier-level Duration (min) field on tiered allocation indirectly varies blocking time by group size, but the buffer fields themselves don't tier.

Q: I see "Number of resources required to run a single event" but no category dropdown. Where do I pick which resource?

A: In simple mode, the system uses any available resource from the event's linked schedule. Switch to This event requires multiple resource categories to run to specify which categories.

Q: How is "Block events that start at the same time" different from "Block all overlapping"?

A: Block all overlapping blocks every other event whose time range overlaps at all, even by a minute. Block events that start at the same time is narrower: it only blocks events whose start date and time exactly match the new booking, so a 10:00 booking blocks other 10:00 events but leaves a 10:15 or 11:00 event alone. Pick it when the goal is "no two starts at the same moment" rather than "no time-conflict at all."

Q: Can I allow two events to start at the same time and block the rest?

A: Yes. Turn on Block events that start at the same time and set Block once this many events are booked at the same start time to 2. The first booking at a start time blocks nothing. Once two events are booked at that start time, the remaining events are blocked. This works for staggered schedules too, because only bookings with the exact same start time are counted.

Q: Can "Block events that start at the same time" block only some events?

A: Yes. Turn the rule on and pick the events in Select events to block at the same start time. A booking then blocks only those events at the same start time. Leave the field empty to block every other event that starts at the same time.

Q: What happens if no compatible resource is available when a customer tries to book?

A: The booking site shows an error and the booking can't be completed. The customer-facing message is configured under Booking site settings > Confirmation > Insufficient resource error message.

Q: I changed my pre/post buffer. Did it update existing bookings?

A: No. Buffers apply to newly created bookings only. Existing bookings keep the buffer they were created with. To update existing bookings, you'd need to cancel and rebook them.

Q: What's the difference between Buyout and Tickets + fee for private upgrades?

A: Buyout replaces all per-ticket pricing with one fixed amount for the whole slot, per-person rates are hidden from the customer entirely. Tickets + fee keeps the per-ticket pricing visible and adds a flat private booking fee on top. Pick Buyout for a clean "rent the room for $X" offer; pick Tickets + fee when your costs scale with group size and the upgrade fee is just for the exclusivity.

Q: I changed the Upgrade pricing style. Did existing private bookings change too?

A: No. Each booking remembers the style it was made under. Reschedules, edits, and the customer's transaction details all keep the original pricing. New bookings made after the change use the new style; existing ones stay as they were.

Q: A customer is booking three private slots in one order. Is the fee charged once or three times?

A: Three times, the fee is per slot, not per order. Each upgraded slot carries its own private booking fee on top of any per-ticket pricing.