Manage availability and avoid double-bookings

For a venue, the worst mistake is promising a date that's already taken. Joinways shows on the events calendar everything that occupies each venue and space, and lets you set your opening hours and closure periods. This article explains how to read the calendar, close dates, handle closed days and spot two inquiries on the same date.

The key idea: Joinways doesn't decide for you. When you create an event, it shows the events already using the same spaces, or the entire venue, on the same dates, and whether the venue is closed. You decide whether to confirm.

What you'll learn

• Check whether a space is free on a date
• Add a closure period without creating an event
• Set your opening hours and out-of-hours policy
• Spot events already placed on the same date

What the calendar shows

In "Events", the "Calendar" view has one row per venue and per space. A block's look depends on the event's status; the legend is available from the calendar.

• "Confirmed": solid block. The event is won.
• "Hold": dashed block. The date is held for a client who hasn't confirmed yet.
• Closure: a band on the venue or space row, with its name on hover. Hours outside opening hours show too.

"Lost" and "Canceled" events are hidden by default: tick their status in the filters to show them, in grey or red. Public holidays and school holidays show as a line on the grid: they are informational only and never close a date.

An event that takes the entire venue also shows, shaded, on every space row ("Whole venue booked" on hover). A combined space shades the rows of the spaces it joins. A venue set to "This venue is always privatised whole" has no space rows.

The venue's "Availability" page

Everything is set in "Settings" > "Venues" > your venue > "Availability". This page is reserved for the venue owner and has five blocks.

• "Booking": the "This venue is always privatised whole" setting, which defines which events on the same dates are flagged as conflicts. This block only exists for the main venue.
• "Out-of-hours policy": what happens when someone creates an event while the venue is closed.
• "Opening hours": your typical week, with one or more slots per day. A day switched off shows as "Closed": this is where you set a weekly day off.
• "Closure periods": one-off closures (holidays, renovations, private use), over one or more dates, optionally on a time slot.
• "School holidays": the venue's school zone, shaded on the calendar. Informational only; this block exists only for the main venue, not its spaces.

Check a space's availability

This is the most frequent move: a client asks for a date and you need to answer right away. Open "Events" in "Calendar" view: each venue has its row and each space its sub-row, with events and closures.

1. Open the calendar and pick the date the client asked for. The grid lands on that period and shows the events and closures of every space.
2. Find the requested space's row: a solid block means a confirmed event, a dashed block a hold, a band a closure.
3. If the space already has an event that day, check with that file's owner before promising the date: Joinways doesn't prevent two events on the same space.

The calendar updates as soon as an event is created, moved or changes status. You have no side list to maintain by hand.

Close dates

Some dates aren't for sale: holidays, renovations, private use, maintenance. Add them as closure periods so they show on the calendar and when an event is created.

A closure doesn't hold a date for a client. To hold a date while a client decides, create the event with the "Hold" status: it shows as a dashed block on the calendar and keeps the whole file (contact, quote, emails).

1. Open "Settings" > "Venues" > your venue > "Availability", then in "Closure periods" click "Add closure".
2. Pick the date range in the calendar (future dates only) and give it an optional label, for example "Summer break". Turn on "Specific time slot" to close only part of the day.

1. Click "Add": the closure appears in the list and on the events calendar.

Delete a closure: click the trash icon on its row, and the date is open again at once. Past closures stay available under "Show past closures".

Opening hours and out-of-hours policy

Days the venue never opens are set once in "Opening hours", not date by date. Public holidays show automatically on the calendar based on the venue's country: there's nothing to import, and they don't close the venue.

1. In "Opening hours", start from a template ("Templates") or set each day: switch a day off to mark it "Closed", add slots with "Add slot". "Copy Monday → weekdays" copies Monday onto the other weekdays.
2. In "Out-of-hours policy", choose "Soft warning" (a notice shows, the event can still be created) or "Block creation" (the submit button stays disabled while the date falls in a closure or outside opening hours).

These settings act on event creation: if the chosen date falls on a closed day, outside opening hours or during a closure, a notice says so in the form. With "Block creation", Joinways also refuses to move or duplicate an event onto a closed period, and refuses bookings made through the API or MCP. A space inherits its venue's hours and closures by default.

Multi-day stay: when the end time falls before the start time (arrive Monday 2:00 PM, leave Wednesday 11:00 AM), only the arrival time and the departure time are checked against opening hours. The days in between are only checked against closures.

Spot two inquiries on the same date

Joinways doesn't keep a conflicts list. The check happens when you create an event: once the venue, dates and spaces are picked, the form lists the "Hold" or "Confirmed" events using the same spaces on the same dates, with their client and owner (for example "2 events found at this venue on the same date").

1. Read each listed event's status: a "Hold" can still fall through, a "Confirmed" event holds the date. "Lost" and "Canceled" events are never listed.
2. Decide: offer another space, another time, or turn the inquiry down. Nothing stops you from creating the event anyway: it's a signal, not a block.

When are two events in conflict?

The same rule drives the create form, the event page, moving an event on the calendar, the API and MCP. Only "Hold" and "Confirmed" events count.

• An event with no space chosen takes the entire venue: it conflicts with any other event at the venue on the same dates.
• Two events that each have their own spaces only conflict if they share a space. A combined space counts for the spaces it joins.
• With time slots, the comparison is made by the hour: two slots in the same room that do not overlap are not in conflict. The space's set-up and tear-down time is added before and after each slot.
• At a venue set to "This venue is always privatised whole", every event takes the entire venue, whatever spaces it lists.

On an event page, a banner says for example "2 other events hold these rooms at the same time"; each line opens the event concerned. When you move an event on the calendar, the confirmation window flags overlaps without blocking.

Entire venue or room by room

In "Availability", the "Booking" block holds the "This venue is always privatised whole" setting. On, two events on the same dates are always in conflict. Off, spaces are booked separately.

For billing, a venue set this way counts as 1 space, whatever its number of spaces; it then has no room-by-room booking and no slots. Because the setting changes the venue's price, only members allowed to manage settings can change it. On a paid venue, turning it off when the venue moves up a size asks you to confirm the new price.

How it works

The calendar isn't a manual entry: it shows the venue's events by status, your closures and your hours. Spaces inherit their parent venue's hours and closures by default.

When an event is created, Joinways checks the date against the venue's closures and hours (warning or block depending on your policy) and lists the events using the same spaces on the same dates. Public and school holidays remain informational.

Edge cases

Hold taken over the phone: create the event with the "Hold" status rather than a closure. The date shows as dashed and the file is ready when the client confirms.

Several rooms, only one requested: a conflict isn't always resolved by setting a client aside. Often, moving one of the two events to another free space is enough to sign both.

Space with its own closures: by default a space inherits the venue's closures. Turn off "Inherit closures from the venue" in the space's "Availability" to manage them separately.

Multi-day event: a seminar spread over three days holds the space for the whole period, not just the first day. Check availability across the full slot before promising anything.

Two spaces on the same day: if a client books the main hall and the orangery, select both spaces on their event. It then shows on each space's row.

A room for a few hours: on the event page, the "Room schedule" block books a room on a given day, with times or "All day". The room is only taken during its slots, and another event can use it the same day at other times. Slots are offered when the venue has at least two spaces and is not always privatised whole.

Public holiday: it shows on the calendar but doesn't close the venue. If you don't open that day, add a closure period.

Tip: before sending a quote, look at the space's row on the calendar. A date wrongly announced as free is very hard to walk back.

Best practices

• Create the event as a "Hold" as soon as a serious client mentions a date, so the whole team sees it while they think it over.
• Enter your yearly closures (holidays, planned works) at the start of the year: they then show on the calendar and at every event creation.
• Handle conflicts the same day: the longer you wait, the trickier it gets with the client.
• Give each closure a label ("Summer break", "Kitchen works"): that label shows in the list and on the calendar.
• Check availability across the whole period for multi-day events, not just the arrival date.
• Review your "Hold" events every week: follow up with the client or move the hold to "Lost" to keep the calendar clear.

Troubleshooting

A date shows as closed though no event exists?

Cause: a closure period covers that date, or the day is "Closed" in opening hours; for a space, the closure may come from the parent venue. Solution: open "Settings" > "Venues" > your venue > "Availability", delete the closure or reopen the day.

The form lists an event that doesn't use the same room?

Cause: that event has no space chosen and so takes the entire venue, or it books a combined space that includes your room, or the venue is set to "This venue is always privatised whole". Solution: on that event, pick the spaces it really uses, or turn the setting off in "Availability" if the venue is also rented room by room.

Public holidays don't show on the calendar?

Cause: the venue's country isn't set, or "Show public holidays" is off in your calendar preferences. Solution: set the country in the venue's "General information" and turn the option back on.

Can't create an event on a date?

Cause: the venue's policy is "Block creation" and the date falls in a closure or outside opening hours. Solution: change the date or time, delete the closure, or switch the policy back to "Soft warning".

Real-world example

Two weddings ask for the same Saturday in June. When you create the second event, the form shows you the first one, already placed at that venue on that date: instead of confirming in a hurry, you look at your other spaces.

You offer the main hall to one and the orangery to the other, and sign both instead of losing one. Each event shows on its own space's row.

Second example: a hold that lingers

A client calls in March for a seminar in September. Nothing is signed, but they want to "hold the principle". You create the event on the space with the "Hold" status and a "Follow up with client" task for Apr 30.

At the end of April, the task reminds you to follow up. If they confirm, you move the event to "Confirmed"; if they pull out, you move it to "Lost" and it disappears from the calendar (unless you show lost events).

Without that hold and its dated follow-up, the inquiry would have stayed in your head until September. That's the difference between a managed date and a lost one.

FAQ

Does the calendar update on its own?

Yes. As soon as an event is created, moved or changes status, the calendar shows it, with no action from you.

Can I close a date without creating an event?

Yes, with a closure period in "Availability". To hold a date for a client, use an event with the "Hold" status instead.

Does Joinways prevent double-booking?

Not between two events: the creation form lists those using the same spaces on the same dates, the event page shows a banner, and you decide. For closures and hours, the "Block creation" policy prevents creating an event while the venue is closed.

How do I delete a closure I no longer need?

In "Availability", click the closure's trash icon: the date is open again at once.

What happens if I delete a confirmed event?

It disappears from the calendar and the date shows as free on its space. If another hold was waiting for that date, let its owner know.

Can I close several dates at once?

Yes. In "Add closure", select a date range: a single label applies to the whole period.

Is a closure visible to the whole team?

Yes. It shows on the events calendar for every member. If the venue syncs a Google or Outlook calendar, the "Closure periods" option under "Synchronization" also sends it there as a busy slot.

See also

• Calendar and pipeline views
• Create and structure an event
• Manage your venues and catalogs