Registration model
Registration in ema is built around a catalog of purchasable items — types, add-ons, and packages — that registrants browse, select, and buy through a timed cart. Understanding the model helps you configure the right combination of types, pricing, and rules for your event.
Registration types
A registration type is a ticket category. Examples: "Full Conference", "Day Pass", "Virtual Attendee", "Student". Each type is configured independently with:
- Capacity — a hard cap on the number of registrations. ema tracks usage atomically and opens waitlist positions when the cap is reached.
- Price tiers — time-bound prices (early-bird, standard, late). The active tier is resolved at checkout from the current date.
- Approval — whether each registration needs admin review before it is confirmed.
- Entitlements — which sessions or content tracks the type grants access to.
- Visibility — public, hidden, or available only inside a channel or within a publish window.
Add-ons and packages
Add-ons are optional purchasable items alongside a registration type — a workshop seat, a dinner ticket, a lead-capture licence, extra networking credits. They have their own pricing, capacity, and eligibility rules.
Add-on packages bundle multiple add-ons together with a combined price, making it easier to offer curated upgrades without managing each item individually at checkout.
Eligibility
Eligibility rules gate who can buy a type or add-on. Rules can require:
- A prerequisite registration type — "must hold a Full Conference ticket to buy the Workshop add-on."
- A form answer — "must answer 'Yes' to the membership question on the registration form."
- Registration type restriction — "only delegates from approved organisations can see this VIP ticket."
An item without eligibility rules is available to anyone who can see it. Add rules to restrict access within a visible catalog.
Channels and visibility
Channels control which catalog items a registrant sees. A registrant who arrives without activating a channel sees the default catalog. A registrant who uses a code or a special link activates a named channel that surfaces a different subset of types and add-ons.
See Access and permissions for the full model.
The cart and checkout
When a registrant selects items, ema creates a cart. Carts are time-limited — by default 30 minutes. If the registrant does not complete checkout in time, the cart expires and the selected capacity is released back to the pool.
At checkout, the cart converts to a financial order with line items, calculated tax, any surcharges, and the applied discount code (if any). From that point on, the financial system handles invoicing and payment.
After purchase: approval, transfer, and change requests
Approval — If a registration type requires approval, the registration sits in a pending state until an admin approves or rejects it. Approved registrations then follow the normal payment path.
Transfers — A confirmed registration can be transferred to a different person. Transfers can carry a fee, configured per project.
Change requests — Registrants or admins can submit a change request to modify an existing registration — for example, to switch from a Full Conference pass to a Day Pass. Change requests go through an approval workflow.
Group registrations
A single purchaser can register multiple attendees in one checkout. Group registrations share a single order but produce individual registrant records, each with their own attendee details and QR check-in code.
Waitlists
When a registration type reaches capacity, new registrants go on the waitlist. ema can automatically promote the next person on the waitlist when a spot opens, or you can manage promotions manually. Promotions send a time-limited offer to the registrant; if they do not accept within the configured window, the offer expires and the next person is promoted.
Overview of all registration configuration screens.
Set up and configure registration types.
Create add-ons and add-on packages.
Configure price tiers and discount codes.
Set prerequisites and restrictions on catalog items.
Manage waitlists and configure auto-promotion.
How the financial order, invoice, and payment system works.