Overview
Organisers can cap the number of tables that the Round Tables placement algorithm uses for a single session. This is useful when the number of applications is expected to exceed the physical capacity of the room — for example, when more participants apply than there are physical tables available.
Before this setting existed, the system auto-calculated the number of tables required to fit every applicant. With the new Tables limit, the organiser can hold the placement to a fixed number of tables; any participants who cannot be placed within that cap are kept on a clearly-labelled Unassigned list for the organiser to resolve manually.
Configuring the limit (Admin Panel)
On the Round Tables session edit page, in the Table settings block, locate the setting Max number of tables.
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Default:
0— Unlimited. The system auto-calculates the number of tables, as before. -
Value greater than 0: Caps the placement to that exact number of tables.
The Max number of tables field becomes read-only once the session has passed its Registration Ends stage. Changes after registration closes are not supported.
What happens when the limit is reached
After the placement algorithm runs:
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Participants who fit within the table cap are assigned to tables as usual — Table # and Topic appear in the session's Attendees list.
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Participants who do not fit are not assigned to any table. They remain in the global Attendees list with the Table column empty, Participation status set to Unassigned, and the Assigned topic column still showing the topic(s) they applied for so organisers can see participant preferences when deciding what to do next.
Unassigned participants are also visible on the Topic pages they applied for, in the "Assigned to this Topic" tab, listed without a table assignment.
End-user experience
Before the Final Schedule is sent: Unassigned participants are not informed that they are unassigned. They continue to see "topic assignment pending" — the same status shown to any other applicant whose placement is still pending. This gives the organiser time to manually resolve the Unassigned list before the schedule goes out.
After the Final Schedule is sent:
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The Round Tables session card is automatically removed from the schedule of any participant who remains Unassigned.
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Their application disappears from their view.
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No notification is sent to the user about the removal.
Manual assignment after the algorithm
The organiser can manually assign an Unassigned participant to a table at any point. When this happens, the session appears in the participant's schedule after the Final Schedule is sent, and standard notifications fire as part of the normal notification flow for that session.