How to create an event

VenueSumo Events Functionality

VenueSumo’s Events functionality allows you to create and manage special events, seasonal sessions, or one-off activities with complete control over availability, pricing, capacity, and linked products. This article outlines how to set up and manage events in the Back Office.

• Login to the backoffice
• Go to operations —> Events —> + new event, and follow the below steps:

Event Details

• The Event Details section stores the core information and configuration for an event.

Name

• The display name of the event shown internally and on the online booking site.

URL

• A custom slug for the event’s booking page.

Location

• The venue location where the event will run.

Tag

• Used to group or categorise events (e.g. “Holiday”, “School Program”).

Unit / Unit Plural

• The label for the booking unit (e.g. “Ticket” / “Tickets”).

Event Date

• The date the event takes place.

Event Time / From Time / To Time

• Used to define the event’s schedule or session times.

Admin Only

• Marks the event as internal-only (not shown online).

Stop Sell

• Stops new sales without deleting the event.

Is Hidden

• Hides the event from public view while keeping it active internally.

Check In (Minutes)

• Pre-check-in window before the start time.

Require Waivers

• Require guests to sign a waiver as part of booking.

Require Names

• Require individual names for each booking.

Block Capacity

• When enabled, blocks other booking types from using capacity during the event.
• This can be edited in orders -> blocked capacity, if you’d like partial blocked capacity.
• Here is our help article on managing blocked capacity: View and add blocked capacity

Sold Message

• A message displayed online if block capacity is enabled and event is sold out.
• If blocked capacity is selected ‘yes’, the sold message will direct the customer to the event page.
• e.g. Sorry! We've sold out of this session time due to out ... event, click here to book!

Location Overrides

• Optional overrides for location contact details shown on confirmation emails.

From Email / Phone / Fax

• Custom contact details for this event’s communications.

Referrer Name / Referrer URL

• Used to track referral sources.

Description

• Long-form event description displayed on the booking page.

Summary Message

• Short confirmation summary displayed on booking site.

Email Content

• Custom confirmation email content sent to bookers.

Availability

• The Availability section controls event dates, capacities, and sold figures.
• Use this to manage when an event is available and how many spots can be booked.

Name

• A label for the availability block (e.g. “Christmas Eve Session 1”).

Date

• The date the availability applies to.

Qty Available

• Total number of spots available to be sold.

Qty Sold

• Number of spots already sold.

Qty Remaining

• Remaining spots available for booking.
• You can add multiple availability blocks for recurring sessions or separate time slots within the same event.

Products

• Each event has one or more Products that define what guests can purchase.
• These can have different prices, taxes, and GL codes while drawing from a shared capacity pool.

Name

• Name of the product (e.g. “Christmas Eve Party General Admission”).

Priority

• Sorting order for display on the booking page.

Stop Sell / Admin Only

• Control online visibility and internal-only products.

Description

• Displayed description on the booking page.

Check-In Message

• Optional message shown to staff during check-in.

Categories

• Used for reporting and organisation.

Linked POS Products

• Maps the online product to POS items for redemption.

Public Cost / In-Venue Cost / Member Cost / Restaurant Cost

• Pricing tiers for different sales channels.

Tax Category

• Select the applicable tax rate (e.g. GST).

GL Account Code / GL Cost Center

• Used for financial reporting and exports.

Availability Pools

• Define which availability pool this product draws from and how many units it consumes per booking.

Image

• Optional product image displayed online.

Extras

• Extras are optional add-ons that can be sold alongside event products (e.g. meal vouchers, merchandise, upgrades).

Name

• Name of the extra.

Priority

• Sorting order for display.

Stop Sell / Admin Only

• Visibility and internal-only control.

Extra Info / Terms Label

• Show additional details or label for terms.

Categories

• Used for reporting and organisation.

Auto Update

• Automatically updates when edited globally.

Cost / Member Cost / Restaurant Cost

• Pricing tiers.

GL Account Code / GL Cost Center

• Used for financial reporting.

Terms & Conditions

• Each event can include custom Terms and Conditions to be accepted during checkout.
• These can be defined at the Product or Event level.

Setup:

• Enter your Terms text in the Terms field within the Product configuration.
• Tick Show terms on page to display these during the booking process.
• Guests must agree to proceed with checkout.

Operational Notes

• Waivers and Guest Names: If enabled, these are enforced during the booking process and displayed to staff during check-in.

• Blocking Capacity: When enabled, this prevents other general admission or timed sessions from using capacity on the same day/time.

• Hidden & Admin Only: Useful for creating internal-only events or staging upcoming events before release.

• Stop Sell: Allows you to close sales without deleting the event or losing its data.