Guest Management & RSVP Check-In

Overview

Guest Management covers RSVP lifecycle for RSVP-type events: viewing responses, managing party sizes, survey answers, waitlist status, and manual check-in from the host guest list.

Purpose

Give hosts a single operational view of who is coming, who declined, who is waitlisted, and who has arrived—without the full Attendees module.

Who should use it

  • RSVP event hosts
  • Day-of check-in volunteers (with host account)
  • Operations staff printing run-of-show headcounts

Benefits

  • Real-time capacity and waitlist visibility
  • Survey answer columns on guest list
  • One-click check-in for Will Attend guests
Action Path
Event detail (host) /events/<pk>/<event_tag>/
Guest list /events/<pk>/<event_tag>/guests/
Check in guest /events/<pk>/<event_tag>/guests/<rsvp_id>/check-in/
Survey responses Event detail → Guest survey responses table
Guest RSVP (token) /events/<pk>/<tag>/guest-rsvp/<token>/

Prerequisites

  • Event registration_type = rsvp
  • User is event host or platform staff
  • Event not past (end_date in future for new RSVPs; check-in may still apply on event day)

Step-by-step instructions

View guest list

  1. Open event as host.
  2. Click Guest Check-In or navigate to /events/<pk>/<tag>/guests/.
  3. Filter/sort by status, check-in state, survey columns.

[SCREENSHOT: Guest list table with status badges]

Check in a guest

  1. Locate guest with status Will Attend (attending).
  2. Click Check In.
  3. checked_in_at timestamp recorded; checked_in_by set to current user.

Review survey answers

  • Event detail: Guest survey responses table (all guests).
  • Guest list: Columns where show_in_guest_list=True on questions.

Manage waitlist

When capacity is full, new attending RSVPs receive waitlist status automatically. Promote manually by editing RSVP or freeing capacity.

Field descriptions

RSVP record

Field Description
Status attending, regrets, tentative, waitlist, cancelled
Adult count Party adults (default 1)
Kid count Party children
Guest name / email For guest-link RSVPs
Message to host Free text
Access token UUID for guest RSVP link
Checked in at Check-in timestamp
Checked in by Staff user FK

Display properties

Property Logic
party_count adult_count + kid_count
display_name User full name or guest name
is_checked_in checked_in_at is set

Business rules

Rule Detail
Capacity counting Only attending status; uses party size
Waitlist Auto on full capacity for new attending
Unique RSVP One per event + user for logged-in users
Check-in Typically only attending guests
Past event RSVP updates blocked

Validation rules

  • Required survey questions enforced on RSVP submit
  • Party size must be positive integers

User permissions

Action Host Staff Guest
View guest list ✅ ✅ ❌
Check in ✅ ✅ ❌
RSVP N/A (mgmt UI) ✅ as guest ✅
Export ✅ ✅ ❌

Workflow

flowchart LR RSVP[Guest RSVPs] --> List[Guest list] List --> DayOf[Event day] DayOf --> CheckIn[Check In click] CheckIn --> Done[checked_in_at set]

Examples

Wedding: 120 attending, meal choice column, check-in at reception entrance.

Company picnic: Tentative count visible; final check-in converts tentatives manually.

Best practices

  • Enable Show in guest list on operational survey questions
  • Export guest list before event day for offline backup
  • Assign dedicated check-in device logged in as host

Tips

  • Guest link RSVPs use access_token — resend from guest detail if needed
  • Profile avatars show when RSVP linked to user with avatar

Common mistakes

Mistake Result Fix
Checking in regrets Misleading headcount Filter status=attending
Ignoring party size Under-count capacity Use party_count column
Using attendee check-in Wrong module Use guest list for RSVP

FAQs

Is guest list available for Registration events?
Use Attendee Management registrations list instead.

Can guests check themselves in?
RSVP events use host-driven check-in; QR check-in is Attendees module.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Cause Fix
Empty guest list No RSVPs yet Share event link
Can't check in Wrong status / past event Verify attending + date
Missing survey column show_in_guest_list off Edit question

Screenshot placeholders

  • [SCREENSHOT: Guest list with check-in buttons]
  • [SCREENSHOT: Survey responses table on event detail]
  • [SCREENSHOT: Waitlist badge on RSVP row]

Administrator notes

  • Bulk check-in not exposed in UI — use admin or custom script if needed
  • Monitor capacity via organizer dashboard

Developer/API notes

Item Detail
Model events.models.RSVP
Answers attendees.models.RSVPCustomAnswer
Check-in view events.views.check_in_guest
Mobile RSVP via mobile API; check-in web-only for hosts

See also: Quick Start — Organizers

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