# Capacity and waitlists

> Limit how many attendees can register for a session, run a waitlist, and manage who has a spot.

Source: https://help.highbar.ai/docs/event-app/content/schedule/capacity-and-waitlists
Audience: event organizers, working in the Highbar dashboard

Capacity limits let attendees reserve a spot in sessions with limited room, such as workshops.

<Steps>
<Step>
Open **Schedule settings** and turn on **Enable capacity limits for select sessions**.

![Schedule settings with an arrow pointing to the Enable capacity limits for select sessions switch, turned on, and its Configure button.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/content/capacity-settings.webp)
</Step>
<Step>
Open a session, tick **Limit capacity for this session** on the **Details** tab and enter the **Capacity**. Click **Save**.

The session's row in the schedule list then shows how many spots are taken, such as 0/30.

![The Edit session drawer with Limit capacity for this session ticked and a Capacity of 30, marked with an arrow. In the schedule list, the session shows 0/30.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/content/capacity-session.webp)
</Step>
<Step>
To add a waitlist, open the session's **Roster** tab and turn on **Enable waitlist**. When a spot frees up, the first person waiting is confirmed automatically. Click **Save**.

![The session's Roster tab with Enable waitlist on, one confirmed attendee with a Remove button, and an empty Waitlist. The list shows 1/30.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/content/roster-confirmed.webp)
</Step>
</Steps>

To set the same limit everywhere, click **Configure** under **Session capacity**. **Set capacity limit for all sessions** applies one capacity to every existing session when you save, and to new sessions from then on. **Add waitlist to all capacity limited sessions** does the same for waitlists. You can still change any session on its own afterwards. Turn on **Email notifications on registrations** to get an email for each registration, and choose who receives it.

![The Session capacity panel with Set capacity limit for all sessions on at 30, Add waitlist to all capacity limited sessions on, and Email notifications on registrations on, with the event owner as recipient.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/content/capacity-defaults.webp)

## Manage the roster

The **Roster** tab lists who is **Confirmed** and who is on the **Waitlist**.

- **Add someone.** Search under **Add attendee** and click **Add**. If the session is full, you're asked to confirm with **Add anyway**.

  ![The Roster tab with a name typed under Add attendee and a matching attendee with an Add button.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/content/roster-add.webp)

- **Remove someone.** With a waitlist, the first person waiting takes their spot. Without one, the spot opens up.

If a session ends up over capacity, nobody is removed automatically. Registration stays closed until enough spots free up.

## What attendees see

Capacity-limited sessions show a registration block on the session page. Attendees never see the capacity or how many spots are left.

| Situation | Attendees see |
| --- | --- |
| Spots available | "Reserve your spot" and a **Register** button. |
| Full, with a waitlist | "Join the waitlist" and a **Join waitlist** button. |
| Full, no waitlist | "No spots left" and a disabled **Full** button. |
| Registered | "You're registered" and a **Cancel** button. |
| On the waitlist | Their place in line, such as "You're #3 in line", and a **Leave waitlist** button. |

![The App preview of a capacity-limited session page with Reserve your spot, Spots are limited and a Register button, marked with an arrow.](https://help.highbar.ai/images/content/capacity-register.webp)



Attendees also get a notification when a waitlist spot opens up for them. See [Schedule and My agenda](https://help.highbar.ai/docs/attendees/schedule-and-agenda#register-for-a-session) for the attendee side.