--- title: "Hold dates for shows at your venue | Ticket Fairy Guides" description: "Hold a date on your rooms and stages for an artist, promoter or client, see every hold in queue order on one calendar, challenge the first hold when you need the date, and confirm the date once the event is agreed." canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/hold-dates-for-shows-at-your-venue" --- 1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/) 2. [Guides](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides) 3. Hold dates for shows at your venue Artists, offers and advancing # Hold dates for shows at your venue Venue bookers and promoters with their own rooms juggle first, second and third holds on the same Saturday for months before a show is agreed. Event Operations keeps every hold on one calendar in queue order, so your team always knows who has the date and who is waiting. Fai, your AI teammate, can check sales, update your event or change a ticket when you ask. Takes: 9 minutes [Watch the video: Hold dates for shows at your venue](https://d3lcdr963b5ubl.cloudfront.net/uploads/guides/video/hold-dates-for-shows-at-your-venue/6f5eaf1a9bc0a7a1f047cdc56fec648bf2423257c2740db1cd2ef5c1e97aae5c/7a4b58070e933651/guide.mp4) · [English](https://www.ticketfairy.com/resources/captions/guides/guide-hold-dates-for-shows-at-your-venue-7a4b58070e93.vtt) ***Watch how it's done** 4 min, with captions.* - [Open Event Operations](#step-1) - [Add the rooms and stages you book](#step-2) - [Select + on the day you want](#step-3) - [Enter who the date is held for](#step-4) - [Add the details you have](#step-5) - [Your place in the queue](#step-6) - [Open a hold that is behind another](#step-7) - [Challenge the first hold](#step-8) - [Give the date to the challenger if the deadline passes](#step-9) - [Confirm the date when the show is agreed](#step-10) - [Check the calendar](#step-11) ## Before you start - You need an owner, admin or producer role on the brand to place and change holds. Every other role on the brand can look at the calendar and the holds. 1. ## Open Event Operations [Play from here](#guide-video) In the sidebar, select your brand, then select **Event Operations**. The page opens on **Calendar**, with your events, every hold and each open offer on the day it covers. **Note:** Each hold shows its place in the queue, such as 1st hold, and a booked date shows **Confirmed**. When a busy day doesn't fit, select **Week**, or choose one space in the list beside the month. ![The Event Operations calendar for November, with a confirmed show on the 7th and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd hold on Saturday the 14th](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-venue-operations--calendar.png) *Event Operations, Calendar.* 2. ## Add the rooms and stages you book [Play from here](#guide-video) Select **Spaces**, then select **Add a space**, enter the **Name** and **Capacity**, and select **Save**. **Note:** A hold is always on one space, so add every room, stage or area you hold dates on, such as Main Room or Terrace. A new brand's calendar says **Add your first space** until you do. ![The Event Operations Spaces list with a Main Room for 1,200 people and a Terrace for 400](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-venue-operations--spaces.png) *Event Operations, Spaces.* 3. ## Select + on the day you want [Play from here](#guide-video) On **Calendar**, select + in the corner of the day. **Hold a date** opens with that day already chosen. **Note:** With more than one space and **All spaces** showing, the dialog also asks for the **Space**. **Hold a date** at the top of the page opens the same dialog with no day chosen. 4. ## Enter who the date is held for [Play from here](#guide-video) Enter the artist, promoter or client in **Held for**, then select **Hold this date**. A message tells you your place, such as "Date held. This is the 2nd hold on these dates." **Note:** If someone already holds any of those days on that space, your hold queues behind theirs. Nobody else is told about your hold. ![The Hold a date dialog holding Saturday 14 November in the Main Room, asking who the date is held for](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-venue-operations--hold-a-date.png) *Hold a date.* 5. ## Add the details you have [Play from here](#guide-video) Optional: Select **More details** to hold several days, set a start and end time, add a contact, choose when the hold lapses or link one of your events. **Note:** At the end of the day in **Hold lapses on**, the hold lapses by itself and the holds behind it move up. Leave it empty to keep the hold until you release or confirm it. ## Your place in the queue [Play from here](#guide-video) Only the 1st hold on a date can confirm it. When a hold ahead of yours is released or lapses, yours moves up a place, and the hold's history shows when and why. 6. ## Open a hold that is behind another [Play from here](#guide-video) Select the hold on the calendar, or find it under **Holds**. Its panel shows the space and dates, when it lapses, the contact and every change so far. **Note:** The buttons depend on the hold's place: on a 2nd or later hold you see **Challenge the first hold**, and on a 1st hold you see **Confirm**. ![Hold panel for Wet Leg, the 2nd hold on 14 November in the Main Room, with Challenge the first hold, Edit, Make an offer and Release, and its history](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-venue-operations--hold.png) *A 2nd hold, opened from the calendar.* 7. ## Challenge the first hold [Play from here](#guide-video) Select **Challenge the first hold**, choose the time under **They have**, then select **Send the challenge**. - **24 hours**: For a date that is close, or an offer you need to send today. - **48 hours**: Chosen for you when the dialog opens. - **72 hours**: Three days, for a first hold that has to check with an artist on tour. - **168 hours**: A week, for a date that is months away. **Note:** The first hold shows **Challenged** with its deadline, and it has until then to be confirmed or released. We don't email anyone, so tell the first hold's contact yourself. ![The Challenge the first hold dialog, giving the first hold on 14 November 48 hours to confirm or let the date go](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-venue-operations--challenge.png) *Challenge the first hold.* 8. ## Give the date to the challenger if the deadline passes [Play from here](#guide-video) When the first hold does not answer in time, **Needs attention** at the top of Event Operations lists the missed challenge. Select the button that gives the date to the challenger, named after them, such as Give the date to Kneecap, then confirm. **Note:** We release the lapsed first hold, and the challenger becomes the 1st hold. We don't tell the first hold's contact, so let them know. ![The Needs attention list with a missed challenge on the Terrace and the button to give the date to the challenger, a hold about to lapse, an offer with no answer and a show with no settlement](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-venue-operations--attention.png) *Needs attention, at the top of Event Operations.* 9. ## Confirm the date when the show is agreed [Play from here](#guide-video) Open the 1st hold, select **Confirm**, choose what happens to the other holds on those dates, then select **Confirm**. - **Keep them as backups**: They stay in the queue in case this booking falls through. - **Release them**: We free their dates now. We don't tell them, so let them know. **Note:** Under **Link to an event**, choose the show's event if it has one, so Fai can draft its settlement when it ends. ![The Confirm dialog for Loyle Carner in the Main Room, choosing whether to keep the other holds as backups or release them, and linking an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/embeds/posters/marketing-venue-operations--confirm-hold.png) *Confirm a 1st hold.* 10. ## Check the calendar [Play from here](#guide-video) Go back to **Calendar**. The day shows **Confirmed** beside the name, and any holds you kept stay under it in their new order. ## Or have it done for you Fai reads your calendar and holds, places a hold, challenges or confirms the first hold and releases a hold when you ask. She shows you each change and waits for your yes before she makes it. ### In your dashboard, with Fai ``` Hold Saturday 14 November in the Main Room for and tell me which hold we are ``` ### From your own assistant, over MCP Connect your assistant to [our MCP server](https://www.ticketfairy.com/mcp-server) and ask it: The copied MCP configuration includes `--read-only`. Remove `--read-only` only when you want your assistant to make changes. Your assistant makes routine changes when you ask, and checks with you before a destructive action if your client supports that. If your client cannot ask, make the change in your dashboard. ``` Pick the brand, list the holds on Saturday 14 November in the Main Room, then place a hold for and ask me before you place it ``` ## From your terminal Install the CLI from [our CLI page](https://www.ticketfairy.com/cli), sign in with `ticketfairy auth login`, and choose the brand you are working on with `ticketfairy brand use `. `ticketfairy brand list` and `ticketfairy event list` show the IDs the other commands use. Use the CLI to read the calendar and your holds, place a hold, confirm the first hold and release a hold. To challenge a hold or give a missed challenge to the challenger, use the dashboard or Fai. You need an owner, admin or producer role on the brand to change holds. ### List the events, holds and offers in a date range, with each space id. ``` ticketfairy event-os venue calendar --brand --from 2026-11-01 --to 2026-11-30 ``` ### Place a hold on a space. The answer says which place in the queue it took. ``` ticketfairy event-os venue holds place --brand --space --starts-on 2026-11-14 --hold-for "" ``` ### List the holds that are still held. ``` ticketfairy event-os venue holds list --brand --status hold ``` ### Confirm the first hold and keep the holds behind it as backups. This changes the booking and asks you first unless you add --force. ``` ticketfairy event-os venue holds confirm --brand --lower-holds keep ``` ### Release a hold, so the holds behind it move up. This asks you first unless you add --force. ``` ticketfairy event-os venue holds release --brand --reason "" ``` ## Release a hold you no longer need [Play from here](#guide-video) 1. ### Release the hold Open the hold, select **Release**, add a reason if you want one, then select **Release**. **Warning:** You can't bring back a released hold. You can hold the date again, but the new hold joins the back of the queue. Fai releases a hold when you ask, after she shows you which hold it is and you say yes. ### In your dashboard, with Fai ``` Release the hold for on in the , the tour has moved ``` ### From your own assistant, over MCP The copied MCP configuration includes `--read-only`. Remove `--read-only` only when you want your assistant to make changes. Your assistant makes routine changes when you ask, and checks with you before a destructive action if your client supports that. If your client cannot ask, make the change in your dashboard. ``` Pick the brand, find the hold for on , show it to me and ask before you release it ``` ### From your terminal The CLI releases a hold by its id. Find the id with holds list. #### Release a hold. This asks you first unless you add --force. ``` ticketfairy event-os venue holds release --brand --reason "" ``` ## Change a hold's details [Play from here](#guide-video) 1. ### Edit the hold Open the hold, select **Edit**, change who it is for, the times, the contact, the lapse date, the event or the notes, then select **Save**. **Note:** You can't change the dates or the space. To move a hold, release it and place a new one. Fai changes who a hold is for, its times, contact, lapse date, event or notes after you confirm. ### In your dashboard, with Fai ``` Change the hold for on to lapse on ``` ## Questions you might have **Why can't I confirm my hold?** Only the 1st hold on a date can confirm it. If someone is ahead of you, challenge the first hold or ask them to release it. A confirmed date can only be released. **What happens when a hold lapses?** At the end of the day in **Hold lapses on**, the hold shows **Lapsed** and the holds behind it move up. **Needs attention** lists a hold about to lapse beforehand, so you can change the date or confirm in time. **What if the first hold confirms after I challenge them?** The date is theirs and your hold stays in the queue behind them. If they release instead, the holds behind move up and yours becomes the 1st hold. **Does Fai give the date away on her own?** No. Fai checks every hour and lists what needs a decision. Where a hold is linked to an event, she also suggests giving the date to the challenger in that event's suggestions, and nothing changes until someone approves it. **What happens if two of us change the same hold at once?** The second change does not overwrite the first. You see your teammate's version, so check it and try again. **Can I remove a space?** Yes, once it has no current holds. Release or confirm its holds first, and the past holds and offers on it keep their details. ## Still have a question? Book a demo and we will answer it on a call, on your kind of event. Or create your account and see it for yourself. [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) No setup fees. No monthly fee. No credit card required. ## Related guides - [More ways to use Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features) - [Make an offer to an artist's agent for your show](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/make-an-offer-to-an-artists-agent) - [Settle a show with an artist after your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/settle-a-show-with-an-artist) - [Track every artist booking for your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/book-and-brief-your-artists) - [Keep rider lists and notes for your event's artists](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/keep-rider-lists-and-notes-for-your-artists) - [Build a dressing-room shopping list from your event's artist riders](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/build-a-dressing-room-shopping-list-from-artist-riders) - [Advance your performers before the show](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/advance-your-performers-before-the-show) - [Every Ticket Fairy guide](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides) ## Do this on your own event Create your account, build your event and follow the steps in your own dashboard. You do not need to book a sales call. [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) ## Sell tickets with Ticket Fairy Start free with unlimited events and no monthly fee, and choose a paid plan when you need more. - Set up your event in minutes - Free events are free - Fai, your AI teammate, is built in [Create a free account](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome) No setup fees. No monthly fee. No credit card required. ## See it on a call Book a demo and we will show you how Ticket Fairy handles your kind of event. [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) [More ways to use Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features) ### Tips for selling more tickets Practical advice from working event organizers, and every new guide as it is published. We respect your privacy. 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