Test every Event before you promote it. Event mistakes are usually public: wrong dates, wrong ticket limits, unclear refund policy, or payment setup problems can affect every guest who registers.
Use this checklist while the event is hidden or unlisted. Publish broadly only after the guest and staff paths work end to end.
Review The Guest Page
Open the event page on desktop and mobile.
Check:
- Event name
- Description
- Photos and primary image crop
- Date options
- Start time and end time
- Price
- Capacity or sold-out state, if shown
- Refund language
- Any member-only or invite-only instructions
- Contact information for questions
If the page creates confusion, update the details before testing checkout.
Confirm Event Times
For single-time events, confirm the date and start time are correct.
For multi-time events, review every time guests can choose:
- Date
- Start time
- End time
- Capacity
- Sold-out or closed state, if applicable
Same-day pickup parties and staggered dinners are easy to misread. Verify the available times against your actual calendar before publishing.
For details, see Set event dates and times.
Test Ticket Limits
Confirm:
- The maximum tickets per registration is correct.
- Guests cannot select more tickets than allowed.
- Guests cannot reserve more tickets than remain.
- Free events still enforce ticket limits.
- Sold-out times stop accepting registrations.
For high-demand events, test the low-inventory case if possible. This is where guest confusion is most likely.
Test Pricing And Checkout
For free events:
- Confirm no card step appears.
- Confirm the confirmation email still sends.
- Confirm the attendee list updates.
For paid events:
- Confirm Stripe is connected.
- Confirm ticket subtotal, tax, service charge, gratuity, and total are correct.
- Complete a test payment only when appropriate for your environment.
- Confirm the registration record shows the correct paid amount.
- Confirm the confirmation email includes the receipt.
For pricing guidance, see Set event pricing, tax, service charges, and gratuity.
Test Cutoffs And Policy Language
Confirm:
- Sales cutoff matches the venue policy.
- Refund cutoff matches the venue policy.
- Event description explains refund expectations.
- Guests understand who to contact inside the refund window.
For details, see Set sales cutoffs, refund cutoffs, and cancellations.
Confirm Guest Self-Service
After a test registration, open the manage-registration link from the confirmation email.
Check:
- Event name
- Date and time
- Ticket quantity
- Receipt
- Refund status
- Add-to-calendar behavior, if used
- Cancellation behavior, if appropriate to test
Guests should be able to understand what they registered for without calling the venue.
Confirm Staff Visibility
Open the attendee list for the selected event time.
Check:
- The test registration appears.
- Ticket quantity is correct.
- Guest name, phone, email, and notes are visible.
- Check-in works.
- Undo check-in works only when needed.
- Cancellation or refund state is clear if you tested cancellation.
For day-of guidance, see Manage event attendees and check-in.
Publish Only When The Full Path Works
When everything checks out:
- Switch to public if the event should appear in public event listings.
- Switch to unlisted if guests should register only by direct link.
- Add the link to your website, email, social posts, or QR codes.
- Tell staff where to view attendees and how to handle guest questions.
Do not rely on the public launch to reveal setup problems. Test while you can still fix the event quietly.