Public & Private Events

Make an Event Public

Making your event public creates a registration link you can share anywhere. Anyone with the link can register, even if they’re not in your guest list.

1. Enable public registration

   Find the gray “Invite Only” button next to your event’s date and time. If you already enabled public registration, it will say “Public Link” instead.

2. Toggle to Public Link

   Click the button to switch from private to public registration.

3. Configure your settings

   Choose which options work best for your event:

   • Captcha: Prevents bots and spam registrations
   • Add event to guest calendar: Sends registrants a calendar invite
   • Send registration confirmation: Sends your custom confirmation email
   • Require password: Adds an extra layer of security for registration

4. Set up referral tracking (optional)

   Enable referral links if you want to create custom links and track where registrations come from.

5. Copy and share your link

   Your public registration link is ready to share via email, social media, or your website.

Setting up a public registration link for your event

Generate Personal RSVP Links

Personal RSVP links are useful when you want to send private invitations but still need individual tracking links for specific guests.

1. Go to your guest list

   Navigate to the guest list section of your event.

2. Select your guests

   Choose the specific guests you want links for, or select the entire list.

3. Generate the links

   Click “Generate RSVP Links” from the green menu at the top of your guest list.

4. Use your links

   The RSVP Link column will appear with individual links for each selected guest.

Benefits of Private Events

Private events give you more control over your guest experience and data

Personalized experience

Guests don’t need to enter their name and email because the invitation is customized for them.

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Controlled access

Only people you invite can register. The invitation link can’t be forwarded to others without losing its personalization.

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Better privacy

Private invitations don’t appear in search engines, keeping your event confidential.

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Automatic data sync

Survey responses are saved directly to each guest’s contact information in your Gatsby database.

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Streamlined surveys

If you’ve asked a guest certain questions before, their previous answers auto-fill to save time.

FAQs

What happens when someone registers who isn’t already in Gatsby?

Their information gets added to Gatsby automatically as long as they complete the required survey questions on the registration page.

Can we waitlist anyone who uses the public link to register?

Yes. After enabling waitlist functionality, anyone on the waitlist will show a pink “waitlisted” status in the RSVP column.

Can people forward their invites?

Public links can be forwarded freely. Personal RSVP links lose their personalization when forwarded, so the new person would need to enter their own information.

We want to post our event on social media to gauge interest. How can we do that?

Enable the public link for your event, then activate the waitlist for public registrations. You can customize the registration button text to say “Register Interest” or similar. This lets people sign up to show interest, and you can follow up with full invitations later.