CEM – Booking

Caz Event Manager Pro uses WooCommerce checkout to allow customers to book places at events.

Customers select an available event, add the event to their WooCommerce cart and complete the normal checkout process.

Once the order is processed, Caz Event Manager records the booking and makes the customer available to event organisers through the attendee-management system.

The booking workflow is:

Event → Book Now → WooCommerce Cart → Checkout → Order → Attendee → Ticket → Check-in

Finding an Event

Events can be displayed on the website using the Caz Event Manager public events listing.

The listing is provided by the:

[caz_events] shortcode.

The plugin creates a public bookings page automatically when it is activated.

The default page is:

Book a Workshop

The page can be changed from:

Caz Events → Settings → Public Bookings Page

Viewing Available Events

The public event listing displays upcoming events in a card-based layout.

Each event can show information such as:

  • Event name
  • Event date
  • Venue
  • Price
  • Places available
  • Capacity
  • Booking status

The availability information is calculated from the event capacity and current bookings.

For example:

15 of 20 spots available

The listing can also indicate when an event is nearly full.

Booking an Available Event

When places are available, the event displays:

Book Now

Select Book Now to open the event’s WooCommerce product page.

The event product contains the event information and the normal WooCommerce purchasing controls.

Reviewing the Event

Before booking, review the event information on the product page.

The Caz Event Manager event details can include:

  • Event date
  • Venue
  • Capacity
  • Number booked
  • Places remaining

The normal WooCommerce product information can also contain the event description, image and price.

Make sure the event details are correct before proceeding with the booking.

Adding Places to the Cart

The event is purchased through WooCommerce.

Select the required quantity and add the event to the cart.

The quantity represents the number of places being purchased.

For example:

Quantity: 2

means that two places are being booked.

The resulting WooCommerce order records the quantity purchased.

Completing Checkout

Proceed to the normal WooCommerce checkout.

Enter the required customer information and select the available payment method.

The checkout process is controlled by WooCommerce and uses the payment gateways configured for the website.

Caz Event Manager does not replace WooCommerce checkout.

Instead, it uses the completed WooCommerce order as the underlying booking transaction.

Completing Payment

Complete the payment using the payment method provided by the website.

Once the WooCommerce order reaches a qualifying booking status, the order is included in the event’s booking count.

Caz Event Manager uses the following WooCommerce order statuses when calculating booked places:

  • Processing
  • Completed
  • On hold

This booking information is then used to determine the event’s remaining capacity.

Booking Confirmation

Caz Event Manager provides a booking confirmation email for event bookings.

The email can be configured from:

Caz Events → Settings → Email

The booking email can contain information such as:

  • Customer name
  • Event name
  • Event date
  • Event time
  • Event location
  • Number of places booked
  • WooCommerce order number
  • Order total
  • Website name

The email content and subject can be customised through the Caz Event Manager settings.

Event Ticket

Caz Event Manager generates a secure ticket token for the booking.

The ticket includes a QR code that can be scanned by event staff when the attendee arrives.

The QR ticket is associated with the WooCommerce order rather than exposing the order number directly in the QR code.

This provides a secure link between the customer’s booking and their event ticket.

Receiving the QR Ticket

The QR ticket can be included with the customer’s WooCommerce email information.

The customer can present the QR code when arriving at the event.

The event staff member can then scan the code using the Caz Event Manager scanner on a phone or tablet.

Booking Multiple Places

A customer can purchase more than one place in a single WooCommerce order where the event’s availability permits it.

For example:

Event capacity: 20

Customer books:

Quantity: 3

The booking contributes three places to the event’s booked total.

The remaining capacity is therefore reduced by three.

For example:

20 capacity − 3 booked = 17 remaining

Event Capacity

Caz Event Manager calculates availability using the event’s configured capacity and qualifying WooCommerce bookings.

For example:

Capacity: 20
Already booked: 12
Remaining: 8

If a customer books two places:

Capacity: 20
Booked: 14
Remaining: 6

This allows the event to automatically close when its capacity has been reached.

When an Event Is Nearly Full

The public event listing can indicate when only a small number of places remain.

For example:

3 spots left

This provides customers with a clear indication that availability is limited.

The event listing can also display an ALMOST FULL indicator when the remaining number of places is three or fewer.

When an Event Is Fully Booked

When all available places have been booked, the event becomes full.

For example:

Capacity: 20
Booked: 20
Remaining: 0

The public event listing displays:

FULL

The normal booking option is no longer presented as available.

Joining the Waitlist

If the waitlist feature is enabled, a fully booked event can provide:

Join Waitlist

Customers can enter their:

  • Name
  • Email address

and submit the form.

Caz Event Manager records the waitlist entry for that event.

If a place later becomes available, event staff can notify the next person on the waitlist.

Duplicate Waitlist Entries

Caz Event Manager prevents the same email address from being added to the same event’s waitlist more than once.

This helps prevent duplicate waitlist records.

What Happens After Booking?

Once the booking has been recorded, the customer becomes an attendee associated with the event.

Event staff can view the attendee from:

Caz Events → Attendees

The attendee record can contain information including:

  • Customer name
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Number of places
  • Order number
  • Order status
  • Ticket information
  • Check-in status

This gives the event organiser a complete view of the people booked into the event.

Event-Day Check-In

The booking process continues when the customer arrives at the event.

Staff can open the Caz Event Manager scanner on a phone or tablet.

The customer presents their QR ticket.

Staff scan the QR code.

Caz Event Manager validates the ticket and records the attendee as checked in.

The booking lifecycle therefore becomes:

Booking → Ticket → Arrival → QR Scan → Check-in

Booking and WooCommerce Orders

Every normal online event booking is based on a WooCommerce order.

WooCommerce retains responsibility for the transaction, including:

  • Customer details
  • Order information
  • Payment
  • Order status
  • Refunds

Caz Event Manager uses that order information to manage the event booking and attendee.

This means event organisers do not need to maintain a separate payment system for event bookings.

Cancelling a Booking

Event staff can cancel a booking from the event’s attendee-management interface.

The Cancel & Refund function provides the option to:

  • Cancel the booking
  • Create a WooCommerce refund record
  • Send a cancellation email to the customer

Whether the refund is automatically passed through to the payment gateway depends on the WooCommerce payment gateway configuration.

A manual gateway refund may still be required in some circumstances.

What Happens to Capacity After a Cancellation?

When a booking is cancelled, the event’s booking total can change accordingly.

This can make a place available again.

For example:

Capacity: 20
Booked: 20
Remaining: 0

After a booking is cancelled:

Capacity: 20
Booked: 19
Remaining: 1

The event can therefore have a place available again.

If a waitlist exists, staff can then notify the next person.

Booking Confirmation for Event Organisers

Caz Event Manager can also send an administrative notification when a new booking is received.

The notification can contain information such as:

  • Event name
  • Event date
  • Event time
  • Number of places booked
  • Customer name
  • Customer email
  • Customer phone
  • WooCommerce order number
  • Order total

The notification email address can be configured under:

Caz Events → Settings → Email

Testing a Booking

Before opening an event to customers, it is recommended to perform a complete test booking.

Check that:

  • The event appears on the public bookings page.
  • The Book Now button works.
  • The event opens correctly.
  • The event information is correct.
  • The price is correct.
  • The required quantity can be selected.
  • The event can be added to the cart.
  • WooCommerce checkout works.
  • Payment works.
  • The WooCommerce order is created.
  • The booking appears in Caz Event Manager.
  • The attendee appears in the attendee list.
  • The booking count increases.
  • The remaining capacity decreases.
  • The booking confirmation email is received.
  • The QR ticket is generated.
  • The QR code can be scanned.

The Complete Booking Process

The complete Caz Event Manager booking workflow can be summarised as:

1. Customer browses events

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2. Customer selects Book Now

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3. Event WooCommerce product opens

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4. Customer selects booking quantity

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5. Event is added to WooCommerce cart

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6. Customer completes WooCommerce checkout

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7. WooCommerce creates the order

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8. Caz Event Manager records the booking

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9. Booking contributes to event capacity

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10. Customer receives booking information and QR ticket

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11. Customer arrives at the event

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12. Staff scan the QR ticket

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13. Caz Event Manager records the attendee as checked in

This connects the customer’s online purchase directly with the event’s attendee and check-in records.

Summary

Caz Event Manager Pro uses the existing WooCommerce checkout process to sell places at events.

Customers select an event, purchase one or more places through WooCommerce and receive booking and ticket information.

Caz Event Manager then uses the resulting WooCommerce order to calculate event capacity, maintain the attendee list and provide QR-code check-in.

When an event reaches capacity, normal bookings close and customers can join the waitlist when that feature is enabled.

Caz Event Manager Pro connects WooCommerce purchasing with event booking, ticketing, attendee management and event-day check-in in one WordPress system.