Event Statuses and Pipeline
Event statuses track where each event sits in your sales and delivery pipeline. Every status belongs to a category — New, Lead, Contracted, Closed, or Lost — and carries a probability percentage that feeds into your pipeline value calculations.
Getting There
You can see and change event statuses in several places:
- Events list — The status column shows each event's current status as a coloured badge. The tabs along the top filter by status category.
- Event dashboard — The status dropdown in the sidebar lets you change the status directly.
- Settings — Go to Settings > Events > Event Statuses to manage your available statuses.
Key Concepts
Status Categories
Every status belongs to exactly one of these five categories:
| Category | Purpose | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| New | Freshly created events, initial enquiries | Event appears in the "New" tab |
| Lead | Active prospects being worked on | Event appears in the "Leads" tab |
| Contracted | Confirmed, contracted events | Sets the contracted date, unlocks financial tabs (Costs, Invoices, etc.), recalculates reported figures from actual costs |
| Closed | Completed events | Event appears in the "Closed" tab |
| Lost | Events that didn't proceed | Event appears in the "Lost" tab, may require a lost reason |
Probability
Each status has a probability percentage (0–100%) that represents how likely the event is to proceed. This is used to calculate pipeline values:
- Pipeline Value = Estimated Price (or Reported Revenue) × Probability %
- Pipeline Profit = Estimated Profit (or Reported Profit) × Probability %
For example, a £10,000 event with a "Provisional" status at 50% probability shows a pipeline value of £5,000. Once it moves to a "Confirmed" status at 100%, the full £10,000 is reflected.
Status Colours
Each status has a background colour and text colour that are used throughout EventWorks — on the events list badges, calendar entries, and pipeline views. There are also separate "public" colours used for external-facing views like shared calendars.
Changing an Event's Status
From the Event Dashboard
- Open the event.
- Find the Status dropdown in the sidebar.
- Select the new status.
- Click Save (or the status may change immediately, depending on your settings).
If you're changing to a lost status and your administrator has enabled the required lost reason setting, you'll be prompted to select a lost reason before the change is saved.
Using the Release Workflow
To move an event to a lost status with a formal lost reason:
- Open the event.
- Click the Release button (the red button in the actions area).
- Select a lost status from the dropdown.
- Select a lost reason.
- Click Release.
This updates the event status, records the lost reason, and also changes all of the event's dates to the lost status. See Recording Lost Reasons for more detail.
What Happens When a Status Changes
Moving to a contracted status:- The Contracted Date is set to the current date and time (if not already set)
- Financial figures switch from estimated values to reported values calculated from actual costs
- Additional tabs become available (Costs, Invoices, Purchase Orders, etc.)
- The contracted date is cleared
- Financial figures revert to estimated values
- Pipeline values are recalculated based on the new status probability
- If your administrator has enabled "Dates inherit status", all event dates automatically take on the event's status when it changes.
- If date statuses are independent, only the event-level status changes.
Managing Statuses in Settings
Administrators can customise the available statuses.
Viewing Statuses
Go to Settings > Events > Event Statuses to see all configured statuses.
Creating a New Status
- Go to Settings > Events > Event Statuses.
- Click Add Status.
- Fill in:
- Click Save.
Reordering Statuses
Statuses can be reordered by dragging them into the desired position. The order affects how they appear in dropdown menus and filter lists.
Deleting a Status
You can delete statuses that are no longer needed. Events currently using a deleted status will retain it until their status is changed.
Warning: Deleting a status cannot be undone. Consider whether any events are currently using it before deleting.
Settings & Configuration
Several settings affect how statuses behave. These are managed in Settings > Events:
- Dates inherit status — When enabled, all dates on an event use the event's status. When disabled, each date can have its own status.
- Required lost reason — When enabled, changing to a lost status requires selecting a lost reason.
- Only managers can confirm events — Restricts the ability to change an event to a contracted status to users with the Manager role.
- Default status — The status pre-selected when creating new events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I have multiple statuses in the same category?Yes. For example, you might have "Provisional" and "Confirmed" both in the Contracted category, but with different probabilities (e.g., 75% and 100%). This lets you reflect different levels of certainty within the same pipeline stage.
Q: What's the difference between "Closed" and "Contracted"?"Contracted" means the event is confirmed and active — you're working on it, adding costs, sending invoices, etc. "Closed" means the event is finished and complete. Both have the financial tabs available, but "Closed" typically signals no further work is needed.
Q: Why can't I change the status to Contracted?Your administrator may have enabled the "Only managers can confirm events" setting, which restricts contracting to users with the Manager role. Contact your administrator if you need this access.
Q: Does changing a status affect my pipeline reports?Yes. Pipeline values are recalculated whenever a status changes, using the new status's probability percentage. This is reflected immediately on dashboard widgets and pipeline reports.