Attendees can cancel their own sign-up, without contacting you, from a personal link in their emails. Their seats go back to the event at once, so someone else can take them.
There is nothing to set up. The link works for every sign-up made through the RSVP form.
Where attendees find the link
The link sits at the bottom of these emails, under the line “Can’t make it?”:
- the confirmation sent when they sign up;
- the reminder sent before their date;
- the email telling them their date has changed.
Each link belongs to one sign-up. It is sent by email only, never shown on your site, so only the person who owns the mailbox can use it. The link has no deadline: it works until you delete the attendee.
If you turn off confirmation emails in the automatic emails settings, people get the link with the reminder only. With both turned off, every cancellation has to go through you.
What the attendee sees
The link opens a page on your site, with your theme’s header and footer.
- The page is headed Cancel your RSVP and asks, by name, whether they want to cancel their sign-up for the event.
- They click Yes, cancel my RSVP, or Keep my RSVP to go back to the event page.
- After confirming, the RSVP cancelled page appears, with a Back to the event button.
The confirmation click is there on purpose. Mail security filters open links in the background to scan them; a one-click link would cancel sign-ups nobody meant to cancel.
Other messages the page can show:
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| Already cancelled | The sign-up was cancelled earlier. Nothing more to do. |
| Cancellation link expired | The sign-up no longer exists, usually because it was deleted. |
| Invalid cancellation link | The address was cut or mistyped. Ask the person to click the link in their email. |
| Session expired | The page stayed open too long. Reloading it and confirming again works. |
| Cancellation failed | The sign-up could not be updated. The person can try again or contact you. |
What changes on your side
- The sign-up gets the status Cancelled on the Attendees screen. The record stays, with the name, email, seats and sign-up date.
- The seats are freed at once. A full event, or a full date of a recurring event, reopens.
- The attendee receives an email confirming the cancellation, unless their date has already started.
- Their reminder is not sent.
- The same email address can sign up again later.
You are not emailed about it. Keep an eye on the Attendees screen, or let HappenBoard Pro post cancellations to Slack.
Cancel a sign-up for someone
When someone phones or writes to you instead, you do not need their link. On the Attendees screen, select their row and choose Cancel RSVP. It has the same effect, and they receive the same cancellation email.
With HappenBoard Pro, cancelling a paid ticket puts its seats back on sale but does not refund the buyer. Refunds are a separate step, described in refunding an order.
Appointment bookings have their own link, from which the customer can move or cancel the booking (see the appointment booking overview).
Next steps
- Automatic emails: keep the emails that carry the link turned on.
- Managing attendees: cancel, reinstate or move sign-ups yourself.
- Customizing email branding: preview the cancellation email.