Refunds, Transfers and Cancellations: Writing an Event Policy

Nobody reads a refund policy until they want a refund. That is exactly why it should be written calmly, months in advance, by someone who is not currently being emailed.

Cover these five things

1. Refund deadlines, as dates. "Up to 30 days before" is fine; an actual date is better, because it cannot be argued about.
2. What is retained. A full refund, a partial refund and a no-refund window, with the percentages stated.
3. Transfers. Whether a ticket can be passed to a colleague, by when, and how.
4. If the event changes. Date change, venue change, format change — what the attendee is entitled to in each case.
5. How to ask. One email address or one form. Not "contact us".

A tiered structure most attendees accept

• More than 60 days before: full refund, less the payment processing fee.
• 30–60 days: 50% refund, or a free transfer to a colleague.
• Under 30 days: no refund, transfer still available.

The logic is that your own costs lock progressively — catering guarantees, badges, rooms — and saying so in one sentence makes the policy read as fair rather than arbitrary.

Prefer transfers to refunds

A transfer keeps the revenue, keeps the seat filled, and often brings a person who has never attended before. Make it easy and free up to a late deadline; the administrative cost is a name change and a badge reprint, which is much less than a refund and an empty chair. The one thing to insist on is that the new attendee completes their own details — dietary requirements and accessibility needs do not transfer with the ticket.

The clause everyone forgets

What happens if you cancel. Attendees assume a full refund; say so explicitly, and state whether you cover anything else (you almost certainly do not cover flights and hotels — say that too). A policy that only describes the attendee's obligations reads badly at exactly the moment it is being read most carefully.

Put it where it is agreed, not where it is hidden

A link at checkout with a tick box, and the same text on the ticket page. Referenced in the confirmation email. That is the difference between a policy and a page.

Keep a log

Every refund and transfer, with the date and reason. Two events later it will tell you whether your 30-day window is in the right place, and it is one line in the post-event report that changes next year's terms.

Gathervo records refunds and name transfers against the original registration, so the numbers reconcile and the badge follows the person. Start free, and see collecting event payments for the money side.