HappenBoard Pro is a second plugin that works on top of the free HappenBoard plugin. You install it from a zip file, then activate your licence key so your site receives Pro updates.
HappenBoard Pro is a paid add-on. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.
Before you start
- HappenBoard, the free plugin, version 0.2.0 or newer, installed and active. Pro adds to it, it does not replace it. If you do not have it yet, follow the installation and requirements guide first.
- WordPress 6.9 or newer, and PHP 8.2 or newer.
- Your happenboard.com account, where you download Pro and find your licence key.
Install Pro
- Log in to your happenboard.com account and download the HappenBoard Pro zip file. Keep it zipped.
- In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add Plugin and click Upload Plugin.
- Choose the zip file and click Install Now.
- Click Activate Plugin.
WordPress refuses to activate Pro while the free plugin is missing or switched off. Install and activate HappenBoard first, then activate Pro.
If Pro says it is switched off
If HappenBoard is deactivated, deleted or older than 0.2.0, Pro switches itself off and a red notice at the top of your admin says why.
- HappenBoard is not active: activate it again on the Plugins screen.
- HappenBoard is too old: update it in Dashboard → Updates.
Nothing is deleted while Pro waits. Once HappenBoard is up to date, Pro finishes its setup on its own at the next page load. You do not need to reactivate it.
On a site that sells tickets, fix this notice right away. While Pro is switched off, your site cannot receive Stripe’s payment confirmations, so a buyer can pay without getting a ticket.
Activate your licence key
Your licence key gives your site Pro updates, including security fixes. Features do not depend on it: every Pro feature works without a key, or with an expired one.
- In your happenboard.com account, copy your API key: the Master API Key, or the key of your Pro order.
- In WordPress, go to HappenBoard → Settings → Licence.
- Paste the key into Licence key.
- Click Activate.
The section then shows Status: Active and how many sites use the licence, for example “1 of 3 sites”. Each site you activate takes one place on the licence.
New versions of Pro now appear in Dashboard → Updates and on the Plugins screen, like any other plugin update. Click View details to read the release notes. Your site also checks the licence once a day, so a renewal or an expiry shows up on its own.
The licence buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Activate | Activates the key on this site, using one place on your licence. |
| Save without activating | Stores the key you typed without contacting happenboard.com. |
| Deactivate on this site | Frees this site’s place on the licence. The key stays saved. |
| Check now | Asks happenboard.com for the current status of the key. |
| Remove key | Deletes the key from this site. Shown only while the licence is not active here. |
If the status is not Active, the section says what to do. Expired means you renew the licence in your account. No site left on this licence means you deactivate it on another site or upgrade the licence. Not recognised means the key was not copied correctly.
When the key is missing, expired or not active, the Plugins screen also shows a warning with a link to the Licence section. You can dismiss it: it only comes back if the problem changes.
The key is stored on your site and sent only to happenboard.com, with your site’s address and Pro version. Without an active key, nothing is sent unless someone clicks one of the licence buttons.
Move Pro to another site
- On the old site, go to HappenBoard → Settings → Licence and click Deactivate on this site.
- On the new site, install Pro and activate the same key.
Remove key alone does not free the old site’s place on the licence, so deactivate first.
On a multisite network
One licence covers every site of the network, because plugins are updated for the whole network at once. Only a network administrator can change it, from any site of the network. Site administrators see its status.
Where Pro shows up
Pro adds to the screens you already know:
- Orders appears in the HappenBoard menu.
- Settings gains the tabs Custom fields, AI assistant, Stripe, Ticket design, Submissions and Licence.
- Integrations gains cards for Slack, WhatsApp, MailerPress, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Webhooks, Map Design Studio, SEOPress and Multilingual.
- Attendees gains a Check-in tab, and Bookings gains Resources.
- The event editor gains the Tickets (Pro) and Custom fields panels.
- The block inserter gains ten Pro blocks.
Most features stay inactive until you set them up. The overview of what Pro adds explains them one by one.
Deactivate or delete Pro
Deactivating Pro keeps your settings, tickets, orders and licence key. While Pro is off, the Ticket Picker no longer sells tickets and the free RSVP form comes back on ticketed events.
If you sell tickets through WooCommerce, deactivating Pro takes the ticket products out of your shop (they go back to draft), since nothing would create their tickets. They come back when you activate Pro again.
Deleting Pro from the Plugins screen also keeps its data, so a reinstall finds everything. WooCommerce ticket products stay in your shop too, as drafts. To erase it for good, add this line to wp-config.php before you delete the plugin:
define( 'HAPPENBOARD_PRO_UNINSTALL', true );Pro then removes its settings (Stripe keys included), its tables, its permissions and the licence key. WooCommerce ticket products stay in your shop but go back to draft, so nobody can buy them. The free plugin’s data is not touched: see GDPR, personal data and uninstalling.
Next steps
- Setting up Stripe: connect your Stripe account before you sell tickets.
- What Pro adds: overview: find the guide for each Pro feature.
- Pro roles and permissions: choose who can manage tickets, orders and check-in.