Managing the availability of venues can be a complex task, especially when you need to consider holidays, special events, and venue-specific restrictions. Our Scribe Bookings software offers versatile solutions to help you effortlessly control when your venues can be booked. This guide covers two essential aspects of managing venue availability:

1. Restricted Dates for All Venues: Learn how to set up dates that apply universally across all venues, making them unavailable for customer bookings on particular days or date ranges.

2. Adding Restricted Dates for Individual Venues: Discover our recommended workaround for setting venue-specific restrictions, providing you with the flexibility to manage each venue's availability independently.

By the end of this guide, you will have a comprehensive understanding of how to manage venue availability effectively, offering a seamless booking experience for your customers while ensuring optimal venue utilisation.

How to Add Restricted Dates for All Venues

Restricted Dates in Scribe Bookings allow you to specify dates on which customers will not be able to make online bookings. This feature is particularly useful for special occasions or holidays like Easter Weekend, when venues might be closed or unavailable.

Step 1: Navigate to Restricted Dates Settings

1. Log in to your Scribe Bookings account.
2. Go to Setup in the main menu.
3. Select Restricted Dates from the dropdown.
4. Click on Add Restricted Dates to proceed.

Step 2: Select the Dates

1. Click on the calendar icon to open the date picker.
2. Select the starting and ending dates for the period during which the venues will be unavailable.
   • For Single-Day Closures: If the venue will be closed for only one day, such as a bank holiday, input the same date into both the 'Start Date' and 'End Date' fields.

Step 3: Confirm the Restrictions

1. Once you've selected the dates, click Add to finalise the restricted dates.
2. Customers will then be unable to make online bookings for the specified dates.

Summary

Setting up Restricted Dates in Scribe Bookings is straightforward and offers you the convenience of universally blocking out dates across all venues. Once configured, customers will not be able to book venues online for the dates you've designated as restricted.

 

How to Add Restricted Dates for Individual Venues 

You will note that Restricted Date setting applies to all venues by default. If you wish to set restricted dates for individual venues, we have a recommended workaround that allows you to maintain flexibility and avoid any confusion

Recommended Workaround: Self-Booking

1. Log in to the System: Sign in using your council email and credentials.

2. Create a New Booking: Manually book the venue for the dates you wish to restrict. For a step-by-step guide on creating a booking, please refer to ▶️ Creating a Booking

3. Calendar Visibility: Once you've booked the venue yourself, the restricted date will be clearly visible on the booking calendar. This ensures that others will be aware that the venue is not available for those specific dates.

4. Customer Type with Zero Fees: If you don't want to incur any fees for these self-bookings, you can set up a special customer type with zero fees. For detailed instructions, please refer to ▶️ Fees.

Benefits of Self-Booking for Restricted Dates

• Flexibility: Booking the venue yourself allows you to set specific restrictions for individual venues.
• Clarity: Since the booking is visible on the calendar, it eliminates any possible confusion regarding venue availability.
• No Additional Cost: By creating a customer type with zero fees, you can book venues without worrying about payment requirements.

Summary

While our system does not natively support individual venue restrictions through the Restricted Dates feature, the self-booking method provides an efficient and clear-cut solution. This approach affords you the flexibility to manage venue-specific restrictions while keeping the booking process streamlined for all users.