[Write-up] How to Set Up Class Booking and Waitlists for Group Classes?

You can allow students to book their spots in a group class and join a waitlist when the class is full.

You can also decide how many students can book and how long before the class starts they can cancel their booking.

Here's how to set it up.

1. Set Up Booking Options

You can configure booking options either while creating a new class or by editing an existing class.

For a new class:

1. Go to Classes → Upcoming Classes.
2. Click Create Classes.
3. Enter the required class details.
4. As you fill in the class details, you will find the booking options.

For an existing class:

1. Go to Classes → Upcoming Classes.
2. Find the class you want to update.
3. Click Edit.
4. If it is a recurring class, click Edit again to access all the class details.
5. Go to the booking options and enter the required details.

You can configure the booking capacity, waitlist capacity and cancellation time for both in-studio and online classes.

2. Available Booking Options

Depending on the class format, you will see the following options:

For an in-studio class:

• Maximum In-Studio Students
• Maximum on the In-Studio Waitlist
• Cancel Until (minutes before the class starts)

For an online class:

• Maximum Online Students
• Maximum on the Online Student Waitlist
• Cancel Until (minutes before the class starts)

For a hybrid class (both online and in-studio):
You will see all four booking capacity options:

• Maximum In-Studio Students
• Maximum on the In-Studio Waitlist
• Maximum Online Students
• Maximum on the Online Student Waitlist
• Cancel Until (minutes before the class starts)

3. Set the Booking Capacity

If you want students to book their spots in a class, enter the maximum number of students allowed.

For example:

• Maximum In-Studio Students: 15
• Maximum Online Students: 20

Once the specified capacity is reached, additional students can join the waitlist, provided you have entered a waitlist limit.

You can also specify how many students can be on the waitlist.

For example:

• Maximum on the In-Studio Waitlist: 5
• Maximum on the Online Student Waitlist: 5

Don't want to offer booking for a particular class?

Simply leave the relevant booking fields blank. You only need to fill in the options you want to enable for that class.

4. How Does the Waitlist Work?

The waitlist is automatically managed by PracticeNow.

Here's how it works:

1. When a class reaches its booking capacity, additional students can join the waitlist.
2. If a booked student cancels their spot, the first student on the waitlist is automatically moved to the booked list.
3. The student receives an automatic email informing them that their booking is confirmed and they are no longer on the waitlist.

You don't have to manually move students from the waitlist to the booked list.

5. Set the Cancellation Time

The Cancel Until option determines how many minutes before the class starts a student can cancel their booking.

For example:

• 60 minutes: Students can cancel up to 1 hour before the class starts.
• 90 minutes: Students can cancel up to 1 hour and 30 minutes before the class starts.

For example, setting it to 60 or 90 minutes before the class starts gives the waitlist system time to move the next student into the available spot.

Choose a cancellation window that works best for your studio and class schedule.

That's it! Your group class booking and waitlist options are now configured. PracticeNow will automatically manage bookings, cancellations and waitlist movements based on the limits you have set.

Updated on: 03/11/2026