Dates, "To be Announced" and the sign-up deadline

Start and end#

Every event has a Start and an End (date + time). Both are shown on the event page and in the Add to calendar details members get. Rules the admin enforces when you save:

• All four fields are required unless To be Announced is ticked – "Please select the start date, start time, end date, and end time."
• End must be after start – "Start time cannot be later than end time."
• Times use Hong Kong time as shown in the admin.

Event date to be Announced (TBA)#

Tick Event date to be Announced when you want to open sign-ups (or start promoting) before the date is fixed.

• The date fields are disabled and the event page / event card show "To be Announced".
• Members can still join, pay and be approved.
• When you know the date, untick the box in the Setting tab, enter the dates and click Update. Send a notice so attendees hear about it.
• Duplicated events are always created as TBA – remember to set the new date.

Sign-up deadline#

Set sign-up deadline (Step 2, or Setting → Ticket card) closes registration at an exact date and time.

• After the deadline the Join button disappears from the event page; existing members are unaffected.
• The deadline cannot be after the event start – "Sign-up deadline cannot be after the event start date." If you move the event later, you can move the deadline too.
• Once ticked, the date and time are required – "Please select the sign-up deadline date and time."
• No deadline set → people can join until the event starts (or until it is full).

Typical uses: order catering numbers on Thursday for a Saturday event; stop late joiners for a race with bib printing; close a course once it begins.

Early bird deadline#

The Before date on an Early Bird price is a separate deadline: it only changes the price, not whether people can join. It must also be before the event start. See Early bird pricing.

Multi-session events#

With multiple sessions each session has its own start, end and location. The event-level dates describe the whole programme (first to last day) and can also be TBA.

Past events#

Once the end time has passed the event is treated as past: it moves out of Upcoming on theground.io, and it can no longer be cancelled ("Past events cannot be canceled."). You can still open it, export members and duplicate it.