Creatives: taking bookings for workshops and classes

Run each workshop as its own bookable service with a set number of places, matched to the equipment and attention you can give: wheels, easels, cameras, sewing machines, seats at the table. Say in the description what level it's for, what's included, what to bring and what people take home, and open the dates you've chosen. Participants book one place each, the workshop closes itself when full, and you prepare exactly the right amount of materials.

A beginners' pottery evening, a portrait photography morning and an advanced linocut day don't attract the same people or need the same set-up. Give each its own service, so the name tells people what they're booking and the description sets expectations. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot has its own number of places.

Durations, places and prices are examples: set your own.

The right capacity is set by what you have, not by the size of the room: one place per wheel, per camera you lend, per press station, per machine. Set each slot's capacity to that number. When the last place is booked, the workshop disappears from your public page, so you never end up with a participant and nothing for them to work on. Your page doesn't show how many places are left, so if you want to keep a spare place for a friend or a latecomer, set the capacity one lower.

Ask in the booking note for anything you need to prepare, such as left-handedness for a craft, an allergy for food or clay, or the camera model for a photography workshop.

Weekday evenings suit people who work; weekend mornings suit families and longer formats. Open a few dates at a time, a month or two ahead, rather than a whole season at once: you can add dates when one fills up, and you don't leave half-empty workshops on your page for months. A short note in each description saying when the next dates will open helps people who find a workshop already full.

Each slot sits within one day, so a course over several days or weeks is booked day by day. You can open each session as its own slot and say in the description that participants should book all of them, or open the first session only and book the following ones yourself for each participant from your calendar. First and last name are required, email and phone optional; enter the email so each participant receives a confirmation with a calendar file for every date.

Some workshops only make sense above a certain number. Say your minimum in the description and when you decide, for example two days before. If the workshop doesn't run, cancel each booking from your bookings list and contact every participant yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes, and offer them a place on the next date.

Ceramics need firing, prints need drying, photos need editing. When the result isn't ready on the day, say in the description when and how participants collect it. A short collection slot, booked as its own service with a few places, saves you from shelves full of pieces waiting for owners who never come back for them.

Hen parties, team days and birthdays may want the studio to themselves. Offer a private workshop as a separate service with one place, booked by the organiser, and say in the description how many guests it covers. For groups that call you, you can book the session yourself and agree the guest list by email. Participants can't move bookings online: they contact you, and you reschedule from your bookings list. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.