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, player limits, and difficulty visibility
- 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, with the Upgrade override price numeric input (currency prefix, min 0, step 0.1) controlling the fee.
Set Minimum number of players (min 1, can't exceed the maximum) and Maximum number of players (must be at least the minimum). Toggle Show event difficulty on booking site to control whether the difficulty rating appears on the public listing. Click Save.
Configure simple (single-category) resource allocation
- Scroll to the Resource management section
- Leave This event requires multiple resource categories to run toggled off
- Set Number of resources required to run a single event (min 0)
- 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:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Resource category | Filterable dropdown of every resource category in your group |
| Allocation type | Fixed (the same count regardless of group size) or Tiered (count varies by group size) |
| Required count (Fixed only) | Minimum 1, maximum 100 |
| Tier details (Tiered only) | Click to expand the nested tier panel |
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:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Group size (range start) | The smallest group size this tier covers (min 1) |
| Group size (range end) | The largest group size this tier covers |
| Required | The number of this resource category required for the tier |
| Duration (min) | The blocking duration in minutes for this tier (min 1, step 5) |
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:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Pre-event buffer (minutes) | Time before the event starts where the resource is also reserved (min 0, max 120, step 5) |
| Post-event buffer (minutes) | Time after the event ends before the resource is available again (min 0, max 120, step 5) |
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:
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Event slot | Blocking applies once per event slot, regardless of tickets |
| Ticket | Blocking applies per ticket (resource consumed per participant or category as appropriate) |
| Purchase | Blocking applies per purchase (transaction-level) |
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:
| Rule | Effect |
|---|---|
| Block all overlapping events when a booking is made | When this event is booked, every overlapping slot on every other event is blocked. Most aggressive option (badged "not recommended") |
| Block all overlapping events of the same type when a booking is made | When this event is booked, only overlapping slots on this same event are blocked |
| Block select overlapping events when a booking is made | When this event is booked, blocks overlapping slots on a chosen list of other events |
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.
Reference
Booking site fields
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reservation style | Dropdown | Private or Public |
| Allow option to upgrade reservation type to private | Toggle | Shown only when Reservation style is Public |
| Upgrade override price | Number | Currency prefix, min 0, precision 2, step 0.1 |
| Minimum number of players | Number | Min 1, max = max_players_count |
| Maximum number of players | Number | Min = min_players_count |
| Show event difficulty on booking site | Toggle | Hides or shows the difficulty rating on the public event card |
Resource management: simple mode
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| This event requires multiple resource categories to run | Toggle | Toggles between simple and multi-category modes |
| Number of resources required to run a single event | Number | Shown in simple mode only. Min 0 |
Resource management: multi-category mode
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Add category requirement | Button | Adds a new category row |
| Resource category | Dropdown | Filterable; pulls from the resource categories in your group |
| Allocation type | Dropdown | Fixed or Tiered |
| Required count (Fixed) | Number | Min 1, max 100, step 1 |
| Tier details (Tiered) | Expandable panel | One row per tier with group size range, required count, blocking duration |
Tier fields (Tiered allocation)
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Group size (range start) | Number | Min 1, step 1 |
| Group size (range end) | Number | Min = group size start, step 1 |
| Required | Number | Min 1, step 1 |
| Duration (min) | Number | Min 1, step 5 |
Buffers
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-event buffer (minutes) | Number | Min 0, max 120, step 5 |
| Post-event buffer (minutes) | Number | Min 0, max 120, step 5 |
Blocking unit
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Event slot | Block at the event-slot level (default) |
| Ticket | Block at the ticket level |
| Purchase | Block at the purchase level |
Override rules
| Toggle | Effect |
|---|---|
| Block all overlapping events when a booking is made | Maximum aggression. Blocks every overlapping slot on every other event |
| Block all overlapping events of the same type when a booking is made | Same-event-only blocking |
| Block select overlapping events when a booking is made | Targeted blocking; uses the multi-select below |
| Select events to block | Multi-select. Filterable; each option shows event name + duration |
Good to know
- Private vs Public is the most consequential setting on this tab. Switching from Private to Public on a live event with existing bookings can confuse the calendar; do it before any bookings exist.
- 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).
- 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.
FAQ
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: 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.