How to Create a Class Booking Calendar in Sparkforge

Class Booking Calendars handle group sessions where one host meets multiple attendees in the same time slot — fitness classes, webinars, workshops, training sessions. You define seats per class, recurring schedules, and payments, and Sparkforge handles the rest.

What you get

• Flexible scheduling: set class days, slots, and seat counts in one place.
• Built-in payments: collect via your connected Stripe account.
• Automated notifications: bookings, reschedules, cancellations, reminders, follow-ups.
• Attendee management: see who's booked, who's paid, and who's confirmed from one dashboard.
• Custom branding: logo, colors, and widget style match your brand.

Creating the calendar

1. Click Settings in the left sidebar.
2. Open Calendars, then the Meetings tab. Click + New Calendar.
3. Pick Class Booking as the calendar type.
4. Enter a Calendar Name that reflects the class.
5. Add a short Description. This shows up on the booking page.
6. Pick the host in Select Team Member. Bookings sync to that user's availability.
7. Set a Custom URL for a clean, branded booking link.
8. Set the Meeting Duration.
9. Set Seats per Class — the cap on attendees per session.
10. Add the Meeting Location (Zoom or Google Meet link, or a physical address). Attendees get this in their confirmation.
11. Toggle Accept Payments if you charge for the class. Set Amount, Currency, and a short description.
12. Click Advanced Settings for the rest of the configuration.

Advanced settings

Meeting Details

• Calendar Logo: PNG, JPEG, or GIF for branding.
• Calendar Name & Description: what attendees see on the booking page.
• Group: assign to a Group Calendar for organization (optional).
• Custom URL: your branded booking link.

Availability and Booking Rules

• Booking Availability: the host's working hours.
• Recurring Meeting: turn on for repeat sessions.
• Meeting Interval: spacing between available slots.
• Meeting Duration: length of each class.
• Minimum Scheduling Notice: how close to start time attendees can still book.
• Date Range: how far into the future bookings open.
• Seats per Class: the per-session attendee cap.
• Pre/Post Buffer Time: blocks time before or after each class so back-to-back classes don't overlap.

Adding multiple sessions to one calendar

Run the same class on a recurring schedule plus one-off dates from a single booking link. Attendees see every available date and pick the one that fits.

1. Go to Settings → Calendars and edit the Class Booking calendar.
2. Open the Availability tab.
3. Toggle Recurring Availability and add days/times (e.g. Tuesday and Thursday, 6:00–7:00 PM).
4. Click + Add Date Override for one-off sessions (e.g. Saturday, March 7, 10:00–11:30 AM).
5. Save and open the booking link preview to confirm every date appears.

How seat capacity and overlapping bookings work

Each confirmed booking reduces available seats by 1 for that slot. If an appointment overlaps multiple slots, Sparkforge reduces capacity by 1 in each affected slot. A slot only shows as full when it actually hits zero — overlapping bookings don't prematurely block neighboring slots.

This logic applies across:

• Public booking widgets
• The in-app appointment modal
• Personal calendars
• Round Robin calendars
• Event calendars

Forms and Payment

• Select Form: the default form or a custom one for collecting attendee details.
• Widget Order: form first or time first.
• Pre-populate Fields: sticky contacts auto-fill known data for return visitors.
• Consent Checkbox: add marketing-compliance language.
• Confirmation Page: default message or a redirect URL.

Notifications and follow-ups

• Appointment Notifications: on book, confirm, reschedule, cancel — via email, SMS, WhatsApp, or in-app.
• Reminders and Follow-Ups: automated before and after the class.
• Status Labels: visual indicators for appointment state.
• Calendar Sync: push attendee invites to Google, Outlook, or iCloud.

Customize calendar appearance

• Calendar Cover Image: banner for the booking page.
• Calendar Widget Style: Neo (recommended for class seat display) or Classic.
• Primary Settings: colors, background, and button styles.