Back to Home
Captain Guide

Captain Guide: Managing Your Captain's Table

This guide is for Table Captains who organize a Captain's Table (where guests pay as they join). As a Captain, you bring people together—each guest pays for their own seat to sit at your table.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview: What is a Captain's Table?
  2. Setting Up Your Table
  3. Sharing Your Table Invitation Link
  4. Accessing Your Table Dashboard
  5. Understanding Your Dashboard
  6. Managing Your Guest List
  7. Understanding Self-Pay Guest Protections
  8. Editing Table Settings
  9. Common Tasks
  10. Troubleshooting

Overview: What is a Captain's Table?

A Captain's Table allows you to organize a group where each person pays for their own ticket.

How it works:

  1. You create and "captain" the table
  2. You share an invitation link with friends, colleagues, or community members
  3. Each person clicks the link and purchases their own ticket
  4. They're automatically seated at your table
  5. Everyone sits together at the event!

Key Benefits:

  • No upfront cost for the full table
  • Fair cost-sharing among attendees
  • Easy recruitment via shareable link
  • You maintain visibility into who's joined

Who Pays for What:

  • Guests: Pay for their individual tickets when they join
  • You (Captain): You may purchase your own seat (required to attend) at any time, but it's often helpful to purchase your seat before inviting guests so they can see your name already at the table when they are invited to purchase their seats

Setting Up Your Table

Step 1: Choose to Captain a Table

From the event page:

  1. Look for "Be a Table Captain"
  2. Select your preferred tier (VIP, Standard, etc.)
  3. Click to begin the captain setup

Step 2: Your Captain Information

Enter your details:

  • First Name and Last Name
  • Email Address (you'll receive your dashboard link here)
  • Phone Number (optional)

Step 3: Purchase Your Own Ticket(s) (Recommended)

Step 4: Confirmation

After setup:

  • You'll see your Table Dashboard
  • An email confirms your captain status
  • You'll receive your unique invitation link to share

Accessing Your Table Dashboard

From Your Email

Check for emails from the event that contain:

  • Table setup confirmation
  • Dashboard access links
  • Guest notification updates

Lost Your Link?

  1. Go to the event website
  2. Click "Manage Tickets" in the header
  3. Enter your email address
  4. Click "Send me a login link"
  5. Check your inbox for a new access link

Bookmark for Easy Access

We recommend bookmarking your dashboard URL for quick access. No password is required.

Understanding Your Dashboard

Your Captain Dashboard shows your table's status and guest list.

Header Section

  • Table Name: Your table's name (customizable)
  • Event Details: Date, time, and venue
  • Table Reference Code: Unique ID (e.g., 25-T015)

Seat Overview

  • Capacity: Total seats available (typically 10)
  • Filled: Seats purchased and assigned
  • Available: Remaining seats for new guests

Guest List

Each filled seat shows:

  • Guest name (who purchased/is assigned)
  • Reference code (e.g., G0042)
  • Self-Pay indicator: Shows if they paid for their own seat
  • Dietary restrictions (if provided)

Actions

  • Invite Guests: Access your sharing link
  • Edit Table: Modify table name and welcome message

Managing Your Guest List

Viewing Your Guests

Your dashboard shows everyone who has:

  • Purchased a ticket through your table link
  • Been manually assigned (if you purchased extra seats)

Each guest card displays:

  • Their name and email
  • Whether they paid for themselves (Self-Pay badge)
  • Dietary restrictions
  • Reference code for check-in

Editing Guest Information

For guests on your table, you can edit:

  • Display Name: Custom name display
  • Dietary Restrictions: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free

To edit:

  1. Click on the guest's card
  2. Modify the available fields
  3. Click "Save Changes"

What Captains CANNOT Do

Due to self-pay protections (see next section), captains cannot:

  • Remove guests who paid for themselves
  • Reassign self-paying guests to different seats
  • Reassign self-pay tickets to other people

Only the guest themselves or an event administrator can make these changes.

If You Purchased Extra Seats

If you bought multiple tickets:

  • You control any unassigned seats from your purchase
  • You can assign these seats to specific people
  • You can reassign or remove guests you assigned (non-self-pay)

Understanding Self-Pay Guest Protections

What is a Self-Pay Guest?

A self-pay guest is someone who purchased their own ticket. On Captain's Tables, most guests are self-pay.

Why Protections Exist

Since guests paid with their own money, they have rights over their seat:

  • They cannot be removed by the captain
  • They cannot be reassigned by the captain
  • Only they (or an admin) can make changes to their seat

Self-Pay Guest Rights

Self-paying guests can:

  • Edit their own display name
  • Update their dietary restrictions
  • Reassign their seat to someone else
  • Note: Self-pay guests cannot "remove themselves" (leaving an empty seat) because they own the ticket; they must reassign it to someone else.

As a Captain

You should:

  • Respect that guests own their seats
  • Direct guests to edit their own information
  • Contact event support if issues arise
  • Understand you cannot force someone off your table

If you need someone removed: Contact event support. They can handle disputes and make exceptions when necessary.

Editing Table Settings

Customizing Table Name

Give your table a memorable name:

  1. Find the edit icon near the table name
  2. Enter your custom name, such as:
    • "Marketing Team Table"
    • "Class of 2020 Reunion"
    • "Smith Family & Friends"
  3. Save your changes

Adding a Welcome Message

Create a personalized greeting for guests:

  1. Look for "Welcome Message" in settings
  2. Write a message that appears when guests view the table
  3. Save your changes

Example messages:

"Welcome to the team table! Looking forward to a great evening together."

"So glad you could join us! See you at the gala!"

Common Tasks

"I want to add more friends to my table"

Share your invitation link! As long as seats are available, anyone with the link can purchase a ticket and join your table.

"Someone wants to join but the table is full"

Options:

  1. Ask if another guest might give up their seat (reassign)
  2. Suggest they purchase an individual ticket (different table)
  3. Contact event support about table capacity

"A guest can't attend anymore"

Since they're self-pay:

  1. They should log in to their ticket dashboard
  2. They can reassign their seat to someone else
  3. Or contact event support about refund policies

You cannot remove or reassign their seat on their behalf.

"I need to track who's joined"

Your dashboard updates in real-time:

  • See all guests who have purchased
  • Check seat availability
  • View dietary requirements for planning

"Someone purchased but their name is wrong"

The guest should:

  1. Access their ticket dashboard
  2. Update their display name
  3. Save changes

You can also edit the display name from your captain dashboard.

Troubleshooting

"My invitation link isn't working"

  1. Verify you're copying the complete URL
  2. Check if seats are still available
  3. Confirm the event is still accepting purchases
  4. Contact event support if the issue persists

"A guest says their purchase failed"

Have them:

  1. Check their email for a receipt (may have succeeded)
  2. Try the purchase again
  3. Use a different payment method
  4. Contact event support with details

"I can't see my guests"

  1. Refresh your dashboard page
  2. Clear your browser cache
  3. Try accessing via email link
  4. Ensure you're logged in as the captain

"I want to remove someone from my table"

If they're self-pay (purchased their own ticket):

  • You cannot remove them directly
  • Contact event support for assistance

If you assigned them (from seats you purchased):

  • Open their guest card
  • Click "Remove Guest"
  • Confirm the removal

"Someone joined the wrong table"

Contact event support. They can move guests between tables if needed.

"I'm not going to attend anymore"

Options:

  1. If you own a seat, you can reassign it to someone else
  2. Find a new captain to take over (contact support)
  3. The table will remain for guests who already purchased

Best Practices for Captains

  1. Share early, share often: More time = more sign-ups
  2. Personalize your message: Explain why you're organizing
  3. Set a deadline: Create urgency ("Join by Friday!")
  4. Follow up: Remind people who expressed interest
  5. Keep track: Note who's confirmed so you know who to follow up with
  6. Communicate: Let guests know about event details, parking, dress code

Captain vs. Host: Key Differences

| Aspect | Captain's Table | Prepaid Table | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Payment | Each guest pays | Host pays for all seats upfront | | Seat Control | Limited for self-pay guests | Full control over all guests | | Guest Removal | Cannot remove self-pay guests | Can remove any guest | | Reassignment | Cannot reassign self-pay guests | Can reassign any guest | | Invitation Method | Share purchase link | Direct assignment |

Still need help? Contact the event organizers directly.

Return to Events