Create an Event

INTRODUCTION

Feature Summary: System users can create an event and configure important settings such as schedules, fees, and registrant limits.

Use Cases: Running a successful event—like a clinic, camp, or social—takes thoughtful planning and attention to detail. The Event tool makes it easy for admins to stay organized, track key details, and make updates on the fly.

If your club produces a large number of events, system users can save time by creating Event Defaults. Quickly apply common default settings to each new event, thereby avoiding the need to repeat steps and avoid errors. Click to learn more about Event Defaults.

▶️ If you prefer a visual walkthrough for setting up events, we recommend starting with the video below.

PREREQUISITES

Event Category: Ensure that an appropriate event category exists under the event categories page. If not, a system user can create a new one to match the planned event.
Online Payments: To require registrants to pay upfront, online payments must be enabled in the system.
Taxes and Revenue Tracking:
- To collect taxes on an event, a system user must set up a tax rate.
- Setting up a revenue category is also recommended for proper financial tracking.

Name: Enter a unique name for the event. Examples include: Beginner Pickleball Clinic, Mixed Open Play 3.0-3.75, Men's Crazy 8's.
Category: Click the Category field and select an option (or create an event category). The Category is a high-level classification used to group similar events or programs. Categories help with filtering, reporting, and organizing offerings. Examples include: Adult Social, Junior Clinics, or Adult Competitive.
Tag: Add a tag or create a new one (optional). To create a new tag from this field, start typing and click to Add. Tags are keywords used to further describe and organize the event. Tags improve searchability and can help users discover relevant events. Examples include: adult, summer, tennis, fun/social, co-ed, evening.

Session: Select an event session (optional). If this event should be organized under a particular session, select it here. Using sessions helps staff and players filter and locate relevant events more easily—especially on busy calendars or multi-season environments. Examples include: Summer, Junior Camp Session 1, September Sessions.
Max Registrants: Enter the maximum number of registrants.

Once the maximum number of registrants has been reached, CourtReserve hides the signup buttons and creates the option to join the waitlist (if enabled). Click here to learn more about waitlists.

In the example below, the system user is booking two pickleball courts for this event so set the Max Registrants to 10—this allows for 4 players on each court, with one player sitting out on each.

Player view:

Player view (search using Categories and Tags):

Setting Dates and Times

Override Hours of Operation: Check the box if the event starts or finishes outside normal business hours (e.g. 9 am to 9 am). The default setting is not checked.
Event Date: Use the calendar to select the event date. If the event occurs only once, this will be the scheduled date. For recurring events (daily, weekly, etc.), this will be the start date of the series.
Start Time / End Time: Click the clock icons to set the start and finish times.
Recurrence: Click the field and select an option (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, custom). The default setting is None. If None is selected, the event will occur once.
- If the event is recurring, a Recurrence Rules section will appear. The fields shown will vary based on the recurrence pattern you select. [See detailed information here.] In the example below, a weekly recurring event is being set up.
- Recur Every [X] week(s) on: Sets how often the event repeats (e.g., every 1 week, every 2 weeks). Enter a number to define the recurrence interval and check the day(s) of the week when the event should occur.
- End Event After X Dates: Ends the recurring series after a specified number of event occurrences. Enter a number (e.g., 6) to stop the series after 6 sessions. Or, you can choose to End By Date.
- End By Date: Sets the final possible date in the series. No occurrences will be scheduled after this date.
- Exception Dates: Dates on which the event should not occur, even if they fall within the recurrence pattern. Enter one or more dates (e.g., holidays, closures) to skip them. For example, if an event recurs every Monday but you want to skip Memorial Day, you’d add that date here.

In the example below, the first date of the event is June 9, 2025. The event will take place weekly on Monday nights from 6-8:30pm and will end on June 30, 2025. There are no exception dates.

Event Registration

Allow Registrants to Register for Single Dates: This setting allows participants to sign up for one or more individual dates within a recurring event series. It's ideal for flexible programs like drop-in clinics or casual sessions, where attendees may not be able—or want—to commit to every date. For example, if you’re running a weekly clinic over six weeks, this option lets a player register for just one or two specific weeks instead of the full series.

Player example (they can select which dates in the series to register for):
Allow Registrants to Register for All Dates: When this option is enabled, participants register for all dates in a recurring series with a single registration. For instance, if your event runs every weekday for two weeks, selecting this option allows a participant to register once and be signed up for all dates automatically.

Player example (they will register for the full event):
Hybrid Model: If your event allows both drop-in and full registrations, automatic event cancellation is not supported. Admins must monitor attendance and manually cancel dates with low registration numbers if needed.

Players can choose to register for the full event or select specific dates. The registration button will display the first available drop-in option, while all available dates are listed under the Dates tab.

Participation and Cancellation

Require Minimum Participation for This Event to Occur: Enabling this option ensures that the event only takes place if a minimum number of participants register. It helps prevent running events that don’t meet the required size, saving resources and ensuring a better experience for attendees. If the minimum is not met by a certain time, CourtReserve auto-cancels the event (however, it is not possible to enable the auto-cancel feature for events that accept both drop-in and full registration). If an event is auto-cancelled, the results are normally visible up to 15 minutes after the cancellation.

This setting works together with the “Minimum Participation” and “Automatic Event Cancellation Time” fields to determine when and whether the event should proceed.
- Minimum Participation - This field sets the minimum number of registrants needed for the event to occur. This number cannot be greater than the maximum number of registrants for the event. If the event doesn’t reach this number by the specified cancellation window, it will be automatically canceled. In the example below, if this is set to four, and only three players have signed up 12 hours before the event, the system will cancel it automatically.
- Automatic Clinic Cancellation Time Before Start - Set the deadline to achieve the minimum number of registrants. The deadline is relative to the event's start date (i.e. hours, days or weeks). For full event registrations, auto-cancel checks the first date of the series and cannot be enabled after the event has started. See details in the next section.

Auto-Cancellation Rules

System users can enable the auto-cancel feature for drop-in (allow registration for single dates) OR full registration (allow registration for all dates) events. It is not possible to enable the auto-cancel feature for events that accept both drop-in and full registration.

Drop-In Auto Cancellation - CourtReserve applies the minimum registration to each event date. If registration conditions (see above) for a single date are not met, CourtReserve cancels that date, but not the event.
Full-Event Auto Cancellation: CourtReserve applies the minimum registration to the first date of an event. If registration conditions (see above) are not met, CourtReserve cancels the event. This condition cannot be applied to events with dates in the past.

How do player cancellations affect the auto-cancellation feature?

For example, there is an event with a minimum number of 8 registrants. Two days after the cancellation date passes, a registered player drops out, which means the total number of registrants falls below the minimum. CourtReserve does not auto-cancel the event but records the milestone in the event's Audit Log. The event should be cancelled manually by an admin.

When a system user enables the auto-cancel feature, CourtReserve displays a note on the Event Details page (if turned on in settings). The note describes the minimum number of registrants and cancellation date.

Allow Waitlist

Check the Allow Waitlist box to enable a waitlist. The default setting is disabled. If enabled, CourtReserve displays an optional Auto Register From Waitlist check box, which in turn opens several configuration options.

Click here to learn about waitlist options and settings.

Instructors

System users can add instructors to the event and optionally display those names on the member portal. The default setting is to make the names visible. Uncheck the box to hide instructor names.

Click here to learn how to add instructors to the system.

If CourtReserve finds a scheduling conflict with the event, the platform displays a warning icon.

Coordinators - Click the field to add one or more coordinators by default to any new event. Coordinators are sub-admins with permission to manage events on the platform. Click here to learn more about coordinators.

Assigning Courts and Equipment

Use these fields to specify the facilities needed for the event and the required equipment, if any.

Click the fields to select your options. Any scheduling conflicts will be displayed.
Use the Select All and Deselect All buttons to fill or clear a field (optional).

Registrants

These optional fields give registrants information about the event.

Prevent Member from Withdrawing From Event Within: This setting restricts participants from withdrawing (canceling their registration) within a specified timeframe before the event starts. If set to 24 hours, for example, players will not be able to cancel their registration within 24 hours of the event's start time.
Note: An optional field where system users can add a custom note related to the event. This note may be visible to staff, registrants, or both depending on the system's configuration. Click here to learn about notes.
Event Registrants Custom Fields: Click the field and select one or more custom fields (optional).

Use custom fields to collect additional information about event registrants (e.g. T-shirt size). Click here to learn about custom fields.

Event Notifications

Admins - CourtReserve sends the admin an email when an event has a low number and may be canceled. To update the setting that controls when a notification is sent, go to SETTINGS > ORGANIZATION SETTINGS > General. Scroll to the bottom of the page and locate the heading Notify Admin X Hours Before Clinic is Cancelled for Low Numbers.

Admins/Players - CourtReserve sends the admins and players a cancellation email if the minimum registration number is not met by the deadline. To update the setting that controls which admins receive the notification, open an event and click the Additional Setup tab. Click the What System Users Receive Notifications for this Event field and select an option.

Advanced Settings

Configure advanced settings in the multi-tab table at the bottom of the page. Click a link to open a new article.

ADMIN PERSPECETIVE

Below are two examples of where system admins can view and edit events.

Scheduler:

Event List:

USER PERSPECETIVE

Below are examples of how events appear from the player’s perspective.

Player Event List:

Player Event Details:

Player Event Calendar:

VIDEO TRAINING

Click here to watch the section of the Events: Overview video that covers the information in this article.