How to sell seats for a tasting, cupping or workshop

Start with the number of seats

A tasting, a cupping and a workshop each have a fixed number of seats: six at the bar, twelve at a long table, eight benches with tools. Every other decision follows from that number, so settle it first.

Count the glasses, cups and chairs, and how many guests one person behind the bar can look after. Decide how many seats one person may book at once; with six seats, a group of four takes most of the table. When it is full, stop selling, and take the next person's name in case someone drops out.

Price per guest, and what it covers

Guests ask the same three things: how much, what do I get, how long does it take. Put the answers next to the event and most of the messages never arrive.

Price it per guest, not per group. Say what the price covers: five wines with bread and cheese, three coffees from one farm, materials and the finished piece to take home. Give the start time and the length, and whether people should arrive early.

When you set the price, count your time for preparing, running the evening and cleaning up, not only the ingredients. A small event that only covers the wine costs you a night.

Pay at the venue or pay in advance

Both work. The difference is who carries the risk of an empty chair.

Paid at the venue, the guest books and pays when they arrive. It is simple, and it suits cheaper events and regulars you know, but someone who does not turn up pays nothing and the seat stays empty.

Paid in advance, the guest pays by card when they book. You have the money before the evening and buy for the exact number of people. It suits events where every empty seat is wine, meat or materials you already paid for. Whichever you pick, write the refund rule next to the event: for example, a full refund up to 48 hours before the start, none after.

A date that repeats every week

A cupping every Saturday or a tasting every Thursday is a good format for a small venue. Guests remember the day, and you are not inventing a new programme each time. The cost is the admin: a new story every week, new DMs, a new row in the spreadsheet. It gets easier when you publish the dates all at once.

1. Pick the weekday, the time, and how long the format runs, say until the end of December.
2. Publish every date at once, each with its own seat count.
3. Put one link in your stories that shows the next dates, so guests pick their own.
4. When you skip a week, cancel that one date and tell the guests who booked it.

Show how many seats are left

A guest who sees three of twelve seats left decides, and does not message you to ask if there is still room. Show the real number. Do not write "last few seats" when half the room is free. Guests notice, and next time they stop believing you.

A reminder on the day

Someone who booked two weeks ago can forget. On the morning of the event, send a short reminder with the time, the address and a way to cancel. A guest who cannot come gives the seat back while you can still offer it to someone else. If guests paid in advance, keep refunds in your own hands: they contact you, and you decide by your rule.

The guest list on the night

Half an hour before you start, you need to know who is coming, how many, and who has paid. If that lives in your DMs, a spreadsheet and your bank statement, you are checking three places. Keep one list with the name and party size, whether it is paid or due at the venue, any dietary note, and a phone number for the guest who is running late. Tick people off as they arrive. Afterwards you see who did not come, and which format needs payment in advance.

Where STOL fits

Each event on your STOL page has its seat count, its price and what it covers. The guest sees how many seats are left, and when it is full booking stops, so two people never get the last seat. A series takes the weekday, the time and the last date and creates the events for you. On your page it shows as one offer, and the guest picks a date inside it.

Guests get a confirmation at once and a reminder on the morning with a link to change or cancel. The list is the Board, which the whole team has on their phones: a booking appears the moment the guest makes it, and you mark arrivals during the evening.

Paying at the venue is on Basic, €12 a month without VAT. Card payment when they book is on Plus, €22. STOL takes no cut of ticket sales on any plan; you pay the card fee. A paid ticket is cancelled by you, so the refund is your call. You can also create an event or a series from ChatGPT or Claude (setting up through AI).

STOL does not keep a waitlist. The name of the next person in line is yours to note.

The first 7 days are free, no card: create your page. Questions go to support.