You can start by deciding and defining when Private Events would be available at your studio. Create different kinds of events at Private Events > Event Types, building out the options your customers can select when requesting a Private Event. Follow the instructions within the form to fill in details of what the event is and entails (i.e. Title, Description, uploading your own banner design, etc.)
Booking Type options:
"Customer Suggests Date and Time" – select this option if you want to define a broad timeframe range and let your customers choose their start time within it. Note: you would define that range within Bookable Hours.
"Customer Picks from Studio Defined Blocks" – select this option if you want customers to select a specific time slot you created in Bookable Hours (i.e. 9:00am-12:00pm). Note: this will only work if you also select this specific Event Type under "Apply Schedule To" in the Bookable Hours section, not "All Event Types".
Event Blocking:
This refers to the ability for the system to "see" what other Private Events are already scheduled, and how you prefer the current Event Type to relate to those.
"No Event Blocking" – This option will not prevent any new Private Event requests from being scheduled. Essentially, if someone requests it, it's on the calendar, even if other events are scheduled at the same time.
"Events of Same Event Type Block" – This option will only block events of the same Event Type from being scheduled at the same time (but let other Event Types be scheduled at that time)
"All Private Events Block" – This option will not allow any new private event of any kind be scheduled during another private event already scheduled.
Pricing
You have a few options as to how you want to collect payment. Some studios decide on full price upfront, in which case you would enter "0" for deposit option. Others collect some sort of deposit during initial booking, then invoice the remaining after event if there needs to be some wiggle room for additional or unexpected costs (i.e. more attendees, cleaning fee, etc.) You can find also not charge anything upon submission but then Create Payment or Send Invoice within the scheduled event in Bookings once approved. This gives flexibility to either charge at a certain time or request remaining payment on event date after, whatever your studio prefers.
Timing
"Days Before Start Event Can Be Scheduled" refers to how far in advance someone can schedule this event. In the instance above, a guest could not request this event for December 14 if filling out this form on November 30th or after.
"Days From Today Reservations Can Be Scheduled" refers to how far out your calendar is able to be booked out. AKA, you get to determine how far ahead you are willing to schedule Private Events.
Piece Pick-ups
"None" means there will not be any need for attendees to pick up pottery of any kind after the event.
"Default" means any class participants will use the pickup type that is already built into Piece Pickup Types. You can look at and edit the details of this form by going to Pickups > Pickup Types.
If there is anything significantly different you want to add for these Private Event pickups, you can create a Pickup Group specific to that event or those types of events (i.e. Birthday Party pickup group, etc.) That way you and your staff can track which pieces belonged to a specific reservation or type of event.