Offer Mini Sessions

Mini sessions let several clients reserve separate time slots within one scheduled event.

Create the mini-session event

1. Open Bookings.
2. Select New Booking.
3. Choose the mini-session workflow.
4. Add the event date, location, and overall availability.
5. Choose the session length and spacing between slots.
6. Review the generated time slots.
7. Save the event.

The New Session form with the Mini Session workflow selected.View full size

The event is the container for the day. Each client reservation fills one slot and creates its own client-specific workflow.

Review availability

Set the Minutes for each slot, the Number of spots, and the Gap between spots. To give yourself a rest, add a Break length and choose which spot it follows. The gray bar shows when the event starts and ends.

Mini-session controls for location, date, start time, minutes per spot, number of spots, gap, break, the calculated session span, and price.View full size

After you save, the event shows its schedule, client link, and how many spots are booked.

The Fall Mini Sessions event with its date, location, client link, potential total, spots booked, and storefront status.View full size

The Timeslots list shows every slot and any break.

The Timeslots list with open 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, and 3:30 PM slots, a 15-minute break, and later slots.View full size

Open the event to see available, temporarily held, and reserved slots. A client may receive a short temporary hold while completing their reservation.

Do not promise a slot based only on an old screenshot or message. The booking page is the current source of availability.

Publish the event

Use the storefront option in the booking workflow to make eligible mini-session availability public.

1. Confirm the package, price, duration, location, and slot times.
2. Select Publish at the top of the event.
3. Check that the Storefront card says Visible on storefront. Select Remove from storefront if you want to keep the event private. Vignette removes it automatically after the event date.
4. Open Storefront and review Upcoming mini sessions.
5. Preview the storefront and reservation flow.

A published mini session showing Send reminders, the Visible on storefront card, and a Remove from storefront button.View full size

In the Bookings list, a published event shows Awaiting signups.

The Fall Mini Sessions row in the Bookings list with the Awaiting signups status.View full size

On the Storefront page, the Upcoming mini sessions switch controls whether published mini sessions appear to clients.

The Upcoming mini sessions section on the Storefront page with Fall Mini Sessions listed and its switch turned on.View full size

What clients do

Clients find published events under Upcoming mini sessions on your storefront and select Reserve a slot.

The client storefront card for Fall Mini Sessions showing the price, date, open slots, location, and Reserve a slot button.View full size

Clients:

1. Choose an available time.
2. Enter their contact information.
3. Review the session.
4. Complete required signing or payment steps.
5. Receive confirmation when the reservation succeeds.

The client's Choose a time step with open slot times, followed by the Your details form and Reserve this time button.View full size

A countdown may appear while a slot is held. If the client leaves or the hold ends before completion, the slot becomes available again.

Change or cancel a slot

Open the mini-session event and choose the specific reservation. Select an open time to assign a client yourself, or select + New Contact to add someone new.

An open 2:00 PM slot expanded with a Client search field, New Contact, and Cancel.View full size

Select Edit price on a slot to charge a different amount for that time only. Enter 0 for a gift or comp.

The Edit price field for a 2:00 PM slot with Save and Close.View full size

Use the … menu on the event to edit, preview, cancel, or delete the whole event.

The mini-session event menu with Edit booking, Preview as client, Cancel booking, and Delete booking.View full size

Make changes at the reservation level when only one client is affected. Changing the parent event can affect the overall schedule, so review every slot after a time or location change.

Each reserved slot keeps its own client, contract, gallery, payment plan, receipt, and client workflow. The parent event holds the schedule and open spots; it does not combine several clients' money or contracts into one record.

Completed, canceled, and no-show slots stay available as history and may become read-only. Use the actions shown on that slot instead of changing the whole event.

What Vignette does behind the scenes

A short hold protects a time while one client is finishing the public steps. Vignette checks the hold and calendar again before it confirms the reservation. If the hold ends or the time is no longer valid, it releases the spot without creating a partly booked client workflow.

Changing the event price does not silently change a slot that a client already booked. The booked slot keeps the price that belonged to its agreement.