2 Capacity Strategies for Group Classes, Shared Pool or Per-Location Limit?

You run group classes, 20 people in the studio and a simultaneous livestream for another 50. If the system only lets you set one limit, what do you choose: 20 or 50? If 20, you block online sign-ups even though the stream has more capacity. If 50, you risk more people showing up than the room can hold. In many tools, the workaround is to create two separate services, duplicate the description, photos, pricing, and hope clients pick the right one. Mavify solves this differently: one service, two locations, separate seat limits. Because '20 seats' in a studio and '50 seats' online are not the same problem, and shouldn't have the same solution.

One limit, zero control

Many booking platforms treat group class capacity as a single number: 'how many people can sign up.' That works for simple classes, but it handles 'how many can sign up in the studio vs. how many via livestream' poorly. You need a distinction between a physical room and a remote location, plus an option for 'same class, different limits depending on location.'

This isn't a minor inconvenience, it's a fundamental flaw that forces trainers running hybrid classes into one of three bad workarounds.

Workaround 1: Set one limit and hope for the best

You set the limit to 20 (room capacity). The online stream could hold 50, but those spots simply don't exist in the system. Result: you lose 50 potential online sign-ups. Or you set it to 50 (combined capacity), and risk 35 people showing up in a room that fits 20.

Workaround 2: Create separate services per location

You create 'Bootcamp, Studio' with a limit of 20 and 'Bootcamp, Online' with a limit of 50. Two seemingly identical services in your offering, duplicated descriptions, prices, photos. The client sees two items and doesn't know the difference. And you manage double the services, because the platform can't handle one service in two locations with different limits.

Workaround 3: Track manually in a spreadsheet

You set a high limit on the platform and manually check in Excel how many people are in the room vs. online. When the room fills up, you disable the on-site location. When it empties, you re-enable it. This sounds absurd, but many trainers do exactly this when their tool does not distinguish capacity by location.

Two strategies, because one limit does not fit every class model

Mavify offers two capacity strategies for group services available in more than one location (e.g., studio + online stream). You choose one when creating a service, matched to how your classes actually work. Important: if your service has only one location (e.g., studio only or online only), the capacity strategy doesn't matter, it simply works as a regular seat limit per session. Strategies become essential when you run hybrid classes.

Strategy 1: Shared Pool

One seat count shared across all locations. Whether a client books a spot in the studio or online, it deducts from the same pool. A limit of 10 means 10 people total across all locations, no split.

When does this make sense? When you run classes simultaneously on-site and online, but in-person and online participation are essentially the same experience, the same resources, the same trainer time, the same 'slot.' A creative workshop in-studio + online stream, 10 material kits shipped in advance, regardless of how someone participates. A hybrid mentoring session, 6 people total, because the trainer needs to give attention to each. A small training group (studio + online) of 8 where the personal approach matters. In every case: the service has two locations, but the limit is shared because the resource (materials, trainer attention, intensity) doesn't depend on where someone joins from.

Strategy 2: Per-Location Limit

Each location has its own independent seat limit. Studio: 20. Online: 50. Class full online? The studio still accepts bookings. Studio full? Online is still open. Each location lives its own life.

When does this make sense? When you run hybrid classes (on-site + online) and the physical room and the online stream have completely different constraints. A bootcamp with 20 studio spots and 50 livestream spots, the room fits 20 people, while the online limit depends on the chosen tool and the quality of delivery. Yoga with 15 studio spots and 40 online stream spots, the studio has 15 mats, while the stream has its own limit. In each case, a single global limit is the wrong compromise because the room's constraint is not the same as the stream's constraint.

When to use which strategy?

Shared Pool works best when you run hybrid classes (on-site + online) and every seat is the same resource, regardless of participation format: a workshop in-studio + online stream with limited material kits (10 kits = 10 seats total, not 10 in-studio and 10 online), a hybrid coaching session (6 people total, each a full participant, no matter where they join from), a small training group on-site and online (8 people, intensive work, no point splitting the limit per location).

Per-Location Limit is ideal when the physical room and the online stream are two different constraints: bootcamp in studio (20 people, that's the room's capacity) + livestream (50, here the limit is stream quality and the chosen tool, not square meters), yoga in studio (15, that's how many mats fit) + online stream (40, a separate remote limit), training in a conference room (12, that's how many chairs) + remote participants (30, no room-capacity constraint). In every case: if you set one shared limit, you'd either waste online spots or risk overcrowding the room.

Per-location pricing, because a studio costs differently than Zoom

Different locations often mean different costs. Studio rental: 200 PLN per hour. Online stream: practically free. Why should the online client pay the same as the in-studio client? In Mavify, you can set a different price per location: bootcamp in-studio, 80 PLN, bootcamp online, 45 PLN. Same service, same schedule, same trainer, but the price matches the participation format.

Per-location pricing is fully compatible with both capacity strategies. Whether you use shared pool or per-location limits, each location can have its own price. The client sees the price matched to the location they chose.

How to set up a capacity strategy, step by step

Setup takes less than a minute:

1. Create a group service

Go to the services panel and add a new group service. Fill in the name, description, base price, just like any service.

2. Add locations

Assign locations: training studio + Zoom, gym + Google Meet, one on-site location and one remote. Each with optional price overrides.

3. Choose a capacity strategy

Shared Pool, set one global seat limit. Per-Location, set a separate limit for each location. You can change the strategy at any time in the service settings.

4. Done, the system enforces limits

From this point, Mavify automatically checks available spots on every booking, separately for each location or globally, depending on the chosen strategy. Clients see the number of available spots in real time.

Real-world scenarios

Yoga instructor, studio for 15 + online stream for 40. Per-Location Limit: 15 in studio, 40 online. Studio full at 8 AM? Online still accepts bookings. Online clients pay 35 PLN, studio clients 55 PLN (because the studio costs rent). One service, two prices, two limits.

Workshop leader, room for 12 + online stream for remote participants. Shared Pool: 12 seats total (room + online combined), because every participant, regardless of format, gets a materials kit shipped in advance. Maybe 7 people come to the room and 5 join online, 12 total. There are 12 kits. When there are 12 bookings from both locations, the slot is full.

Bootcamp trainer, studio for 20 + livestream for 50. Per-Location Limit: 20 in studio, 50 online. Bootcamp in-studio, 80 PLN, online, 45 PLN. The client sees availability and price for their chosen location before booking. One service instead of two duplicates.

Capacity isn't the only thing that changes

Moving to a bigger studio? Changing your pricing? Adjusting working hours? In Mavify, prices, schedules, and locations use a versioning system with effective dates, plan changes in advance without disrupting existing bookings. Details in our articles: Schedule Price Changes in Advance and Availability Versioning.

Who is this for?

Every specialist running hybrid group classes, simultaneously on-site and online. Personal trainers with bootcamps in studio and via livestream. Yoga instructors with studio classes and online streams. Martial arts coaches with in-studio classes and technique livestreams. Workshop leaders with limited material kits (room + remote participants). Tutors running group sessions simultaneously in a classroom and via Zoom. Everyone who ever thought 'why do I need to create two services to handle one class in two locations.'

One service, on-site + online location, full control

Your group classes aren't a spreadsheet, they're a living business with different rooms, limits, and prices. In tools without per-location limits, that often means duplicates, workarounds, and manual tracking. On Mavify, it's one setup and full automation. Capacity strategies and per-location pricing are included in every Mavify plan, see pricing.