# Events benefit

Create member-only events and show them inside your members area. Events can be free RSVP-only events, or paid events that link to a Shopify product used as the event ticket.

Use this benefit when you want members to discover upcoming workshops, launches, in-store events, online sessions, previews, meetups, or other member-only experiences.

## What members can do

Members can view eligible events in the members area.

For free events, members can RSVP as:

* Going
* Maybe
* Not going

If the event has a capacity and all spots are taken, members who are not already marked as Going will no longer see the Going button. If the waitlist is enabled, they will see Join waitlist instead.

For paid events, members can buy a ticket from your Shopify store. When a member purchases the event ticket product, Memberply marks them as Going automatically. Members can still RSVP as Maybe or Not going if they are interested but have not purchased a ticket.

## Before you start

If you want to create a paid event, first create a Shopify product for the event ticket. This product is what members will buy to attend the event.

For example, you could create a Shopify product called VIP Styling Night Ticket or Member Workshop Ticket.

You can use Shopify's product inventory settings if you want to limit the number of tickets available.

## How to add the Events benefit

1. From the main menu, click on Benefits.

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2. Find the membership tier you want to add this benefit to and click on the Edit Benefits button.

<figure><img src="/files/Ray9MmxnfmIgetmt4auh" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

3. Find the Events row and toggle the Events benefit to Enabled.
4. Click the Edit button.
5. Click Add event.
6. Enter the Event title. This is the name members will see in the members area.
7. Enter the Location. This can be an in-store location, venue address, or online event link.
8. Select the Start date and time.
9. Optionally select the End date and time.
10. Enter the Description. Use this to tell members what to expect, what is included, and how to prepare.
11. Choose the Visibility:
    * All active members: any active member can see the event.
    * Only this membership tier: only members on this membership tier can see the event.
12. Optionally enter a Capacity if you want to limit how many members can be marked as Going.
13. Optionally enable the waitlist. When capacity is reached, members who are not already marked as Going will see Join waitlist instead of Going.
14. Choose the Event type:
    * Free event: members can RSVP directly as Going, Maybe, or Not going.
    * Paid event: members must buy a Shopify ticket product to be counted as Going.
15. If you choose Paid event, search for and select the Shopify ticket product.
16. Repeat the process and add as many events as you need.
17. Click Save.

## Paid events

For paid events, always select the Shopify product using the product search field. Do not use a manually typed product URL.

Memberply uses the selected Shopify product to detect when a member purchases a ticket. When the member completes checkout for that product, Memberply updates their RSVP for that event to Going.

If the member previously selected Maybe or Not going, their RSVP will be updated to Going after the ticket purchase is recorded.

When you save a paid event, Memberply automatically adds the selected ticket product to the Exclusive Product Access list for that membership tier. This helps prevent non-members from accessing or purchasing the ticket product directly.

## Capacity and waitlists

Capacity controls how many members can be marked as Going for a free event.

When capacity is reached:

* Members who are already marked as Going continue to see their Going RSVP.
* Members who are not marked as Going no longer see the Going button.
* If waitlist is enabled, those members see Join waitlist and are notified by email as soon as a spot becomes available.
* If waitlist is not enabled, those members can still choose Maybe or Not going.

If a member who was Going changes their RSVP to Maybe or Not going, this can create a new available spot. Memberply checks for waitlist openings automatically and can email waitlisted members when a spot becomes available.

## Notifications and reminders

The Events benefit includes optional emails for event announcements, reminders, and waitlist openings.

In the Notifications and reminders section, you can enable or disable:

* New event announcement email
* First reminder email
* Second reminder email
* Final reminder email
* Event waitlist opening email

For reminder emails, set how many hours before the event each reminder should be sent.

You can edit the email copy by clicking Edit email from the Events benefit page, or by going to the Emails page.

The event waitlist opening email is sent to waitlisted members when capacity becomes available again. Memberply checks for openings automatically in the background. The background job runs hourly, at 15 minutes past the hour.

## What members see

Once saved, eligible members will see the event in the members area.

Free events show RSVP buttons for Going, Maybe, and Not going.

If a free event is full, members who are not already Going will not see Going. If waitlist is enabled, they will see Join waitlist.

Paid events show a Buy ticket button. Members are told that purchasing the ticket marks them as Going, while Maybe and Not going remain available as RSVP options.

## Notes

Events are designed for member-only experiences inside your Shopify membership program. Shopify still handles checkout, payment, and ticket product inventory for paid events. Memberply handles event visibility, RSVP status, member display, and event email notifications.


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