Creating an event booking in WordPress is easier when you treat the event, its dates, and its tickets as separate parts of one flow. With DayTidy, you publish an event offering, add the sessions customers can attend, define the ticket choices, and test the public booking page before sharing it. This walkthrough builds one simple event first; you can add more sessions and ticket types once the customer journey works.
If you are setting up DayTidy for the first time, the WordPress booking setup guide explains how offerings, schedules, booking options, and booking records fit together.
1. Create an event offering
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Offerings → Add New. Add a clear title and a short description that tells people what the event is, who it is for, and what they should expect. Add a featured image if it will help visitors recognize the event.
In the Offering panel, choose Event as the offering type. Add optional details such as a location, category, host, or agenda only when they help someone decide whether to attend. You do not need to fill every field before building a bookable event.
Think of the offering as the event page and its public information. The schedule and tickets come next: they determine when people can attend and what they can reserve.
2. Add the event date and time
Open the offering’s Schedule tab. For a single workshop or event date, choose Custom Date and Times, enter the start and end, then select Add. Each entry becomes a session that customers can book.
If the event repeats on a regular pattern, choose a recurrence instead and configure its start, duration, interval, and finish method. Check the generated-session preview before publishing so that the dates and times match the schedule you intend to offer. For the full set of recurrence options, see the DayTidy schedules and sessions guide.
Use the business’s actual time zone and event duration. A schedule that looks plausible in the editor can still confuse attendees if its time or end point is wrong.
3. Add tickets customers can choose
Open the Booking section and add at least one ticket. Give it a name customers will understand, set its price, and enter the available count. For a free event, set the ticket price to 0.
A session and a ticket answer different questions: the session is when the event happens; the ticket is what the customer is booking. For example, a workshop might have one Saturday session with separate standard and student tickets. Set the available count for each ticket according to the places you actually intend to offer.
Review the booking settings and the booking or participant form fields. Ask only for information you need to run the event. If you need a deeper explanation of ticket configuration and booking fields, use the DayTidy ticket and booking-options guide.
This guide focuses on getting the event live, not configuring a paid checkout. If you charge for tickets, confirm that your payment method is already configured and test its full checkout flow before announcing the event.
4. Publish the event page
Publish the offering when it has the essential pieces:
- A clear event title and useful public details.
- At least one valid session in the Schedule tab.
- At least one ticket with the intended price and available count.
- Booking enabled and the right customer or participant fields.
Start with the offering’s generated public page. Open it as a visitor would and check that the event details, session, ticket choice, price, and booking form are understandable. If the page is not ready for customers, return to the offering editor and correct it before sharing its URL.
5. Test a booking and check the record
Open the published page in a private or incognito window and submit a test booking. This lets you check the public flow without relying on what an administrator sees while signed in. Confirm that the correct session and ticket are selectable and that the form asks for the information you expect.
Then go to DayTidy → Bookings in the WordPress dashboard and open the new record. Check the customer, offering, selected session, ticket, and booking status. For a paid event, also confirm the payment outcome using the payment method’s test mode or other safe test procedure.
The booking management guide explains what the booking record contains and how booking status differs from payment status.
Common first-event mistakes
Adding tickets but no session
A ticket defines what someone can book; it does not set the event date. Add and save at least one session in Schedule as well as the ticket in Booking.
Setting a ticket count that does not match capacity
The available count should reflect the places you are actually offering. Review each ticket choice and avoid using a count that exceeds the event’s real capacity.
Sharing the page without testing it
Review the public page in a private window and submit a test booking. Then verify the resulting record in DayTidy → Bookings. That catches issues on both sides: what the attendee sees and what the organizer receives.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create a free event booking with DayTidy?
Yes. Add an event ticket and set its price to 0. Customers can complete a free booking, and you can review its booking record in WordPress.
What is the difference between an event session and a ticket?
A session is a bookable date and time. A ticket is the booking option a customer selects; it has its own name, price, and available count.
Can one DayTidy event have more than one ticket type?
Yes. Add the ticket choices that match the event, such as standard and student admission, and set each choice’s price and available count.
How do I confirm that an event booking was recorded?
Submit a test booking from the published event page, then open DayTidy → Bookings in WordPress and check that the expected customer, offering, session, and ticket appear in the record.