Troubleshooting: Society Events

Troubleshooting: society events

Residents cannot see an event

It is still a draft. Only published events are visible to residents. Publish it from the admin events screen.

This is by far the commonest cause. An organiser creates the event, tells people about it verbally, and never publishes — so the calendar looks empty to everyone else.

It is cancelled. Cancelled events remain visible with that status rather than disappearing, so check whether it was called off.

Wrong society. If you belong to more than one society, check your context switcher.

I cannot RSVP

• Not signed in, or flat not claimed. RSVP requires a claimed flat in an active society.
• The event is not open. If you see an "event not open" message, RSVPs are closed — either the event has passed, or it is cancelled or completed.
• The event is a draft. Drafts do not accept RSVPs.

The attendance number looks wrong

RSVP counts split three ways — going, maybe, not going — and organisers frequently read only the first.

If you are planning catering:

• Treat going as your firm number
• Treat maybe as roughly half, in most societies
• Remember residents who never respond still turn up

Ask the committee for the RSVP roster rather than the summary if you need to know who specifically is coming — for a guest-limited event, or one where you need to brief the gate.

Two events clash

Check the calendar before scheduling. Common clashes worth avoiding:

• An event on the same day as a general body meeting — the meeting will lose attendance
• An event clashing with an amenity booking for the same space
• Two wings running separate festival events on the same evening

The calendar exists to make this visible. Use it before committing to a date.

An event needs a notice, not just a calendar entry

A calendar entry is not service of notice. Anything with consequences — a water shutdown, a general body meeting, a fumigation requiring residents to vacate — needs a notice with delivery tracked, in addition to the calendar entry.

Residents who never open the events tab will not know otherwise.

For admins: nobody RSVPs

Usually one of these:

• Published too late. A week's notice minimum for anything social.
• No notice sent. The calendar is passive; residents need to be told an event exists.
• RSVP feels pointless because previous events went ahead regardless of numbers. Show that you use the numbers — "catering booked for the 94 who confirmed" — and responses improve.

For admins: cancelling an event

Set the status to cancelled rather than deleting it. Deleting removes it from everyone's view with no explanation; cancelling leaves it visible with the reason.

Send a notice as well, especially if people have RSVP'd.

Frequently asked questions

Why can residents not see my event? It is almost certainly still a draft. Publish it.

What is the difference between a draft and a published event? Drafts are visible only to the committee and accept no RSVPs. Published events appear on the resident calendar.

Should I delete a cancelled event? No — mark it cancelled so residents can see it was called off, and send a notice.

Can I see who RSVP'd, not just how many? Yes, the committee can view the RSVP roster. Use it for guest-limited events and to brief the gate.

Does a calendar entry count as notice of a water shutdown? No. Send a proper notice with delivery tracking as well.

How far ahead should we publish events? At least a week for social events, and 24 hours plus a one-hour reminder for anything operational like a shutdown.

Related: Resident: RSVP to events · Admin: manage society events · Admin: set up notices