# Guest List Attendance Statuses

:::note
This article describes the guest list from **Release 18** onward. Earlier versions showed a
different set of values in the same column.
:::

The **Attendance** column on the guest list tells you where each guest is on the way from
"on the list" to "in the room." It is a simple workflow with three steps, and every guest is on
exactly one of them.

## The three attendance statuses

### Listed

The guest is on your list and nothing else has happened yet. A guest becomes Listed when you
[add them](/how-to-add-a-guest/), [import them](/how-to-import-a-guest-list/), or when a
[ticket purchase creates their seat](/how-tickets-create-guest-list-slots/).

If you have sent this guest an invitation, an **Invite sent** tag appears next to the status.
Sending an invite does not change the status itself.

### Registered

The guest is set up to bid: they have a bidder account linked to this event and a paddle
number. A guest becomes Registered when your team
[registers them from the guest list](/check-in-guests-and-register-bidders-from-the-guest-list/),
when they register themselves, or when their ticket purchase registers them.

### Checked in

The guest has arrived. Your staff checked them in from the guest list, from the iPad app, or by
scanning their QR ticket. The time of check-in is shown next to the status.

If you [un-check-in a guest](/un-check-in-a-guest/), they return to **Registered** if they have a
paddle or bidder account, otherwise to **Listed**.

## When a guest is not coming

"Not coming" is not a status. The guest list is the list of people you expect in the room, so a
guest who will not attend comes off the list:

- **Seat from a ticket or sponsorship:** release the seat from the sponsor's table. The seat stays
  on the table as an open placeholder so someone else can take it.
- **Any other guest:** [delete the guest](/how-to-delete-a-guest/).

## Filtering by attendance

The **Attendance** filter above the list shows one status at a time. The default view shows every
guest on the list.

## Where a guest came from: the Source tag

Each guest also carries a small **Source** tag that tells you how they got onto the list. It is
set once, when the guest is created, and never changes.

| Source | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Imported | You uploaded them in a guest list import. |
| Added by manager | Someone on your team added them by hand. |
| Ticket purchase | A ticket purchase created the seat. |
| Named by purchaser | A ticket or sponsorship buyer filled in this guest on their own sponsor page. |
| Self-registered | The guest registered themselves for the event. |

Guests created before Release 18 may show no Source tag when Handbid cannot tell how they were
added. You can filter the list by Source, and the Source appears in the guest export.

## Attendance is not the ticket status

You may also see a value in the **Ticket** column such as *VIP*, *General* or *Runner*. That is
the **ticket status**: a label your organization creates on the ticket itself so you can segment
guests by what they bought. It never changes on its own. See
[Create a Custom Status on a Ticket](/creating-custom-status-on-a-ticket/).

Attendance, Source and ticket status are independent. A VIP guest who was imported can be Listed,
Registered or Checked in, and stays a VIP import the whole time.

## Who is not on the guest list

The guest list is the list of people you expect **in the room**. Bidders who only bid online and
never registered as a guest do not appear here. Find them under **People → Bidders**.

## Related articles

- [Guest List Overview](/guest-list-overview/)
- [Check in guests and register bidders from the guest list](/check-in-guests-and-register-bidders-from-the-guest-list/)
- [Un-check-in a guest](/un-check-in-a-guest/)
- [How to delete a guest](/how-to-delete-a-guest/)
- [How to bulk edit guests](/how-to-bulk-edit-guests/)
- [Guest list frequently asked questions](/guest-list-frequently-asked-questions/)