Audience gating

Mercleo Events gives you three separate tools to control registration access: registration paths, access codes, and unlisted tickets. Each one gates registration differently. Knowing which to reach for — and when to combine them — prevents common setup mistakes.

The three features at a glance

Registration paths — audience segmentation. An attendee picks their path at the start of registration (e.g. Member or Guest), and sees only the ticket types assigned to that path. Paths do not restrict who can reach the registration form; they shape what attendees see once they're there. Available on multi-session and conference format events, on the Pro plan.

Access codes — form-level gating. Without a valid code, the registration page is unreachable. Once an attendee enters the correct code, the full form opens and they see all ticket types. Available on every event format and every plan tier.

Unlisted tickets — per-ticket-type visibility. Turning on Hide from public listing on a ticket type removes it from the public event page. The ticket is still purchasable via a direct share link — it's hidden, not locked. No plan restriction.

When to use each

"I have two audiences who should see different ticket types."

Use registration paths. A common example: Members get a $0 ticket; Guests get a $25 General Admission ticket. Each audience picks their path at the start of registration and never sees the other group's ticket types. Paths are available on multi-session and conference format events on the Pro plan.

"Only people I've personally invited should be able to register."

Use an access code. Share the code in your invitation email. Anyone who lands on the event page without it cannot reach the registration form. This is the right tool for private or invite-only events where the event itself may be publicly listed but registration should be gated.

"The event is open to the public, but I have a VIP ticket for sponsors that I send directly."

Use an unlisted ticket. Enable Hide from public listing on the VIP ticket type, then copy the share link from that ticket type's settings and send it directly to sponsors. General registration stays open and public; the VIP ticket type does not appear on the public event page.

"I need to issue complimentary tickets to staff."

Create an unlisted $0 ticket type for staff and send the direct link, or register staff manually from the Registrations tab using the manual-registration flow. Either approach keeps the comp ticket off the public event page.

Combining them

All three features can layer together. The access check runs first, then the path selector appears, and unlisted tickets apply per ticket type within any path.

Path + access code — the attendee enters the access code first; after passing that gate, they see the path selector. Useful for invite-only events that still have distinct audience segments (e.g. an invite-only conference with a Speaker path and an Attendee path).

Path + unlisted ticket — an unlisted ticket type can live inside a path. It will not appear on the public event page, but anyone on that path who has the direct link can still purchase it. Use this when a specific audience segment has a ticket option you're distributing directly rather than listing openly.

Access code + unlisted ticket — both layers apply independently. The code gates entry to the form; the unlisted toggle hides the ticket from the public listing. An event can require a code to register and still contain ticket types that only some invitees receive direct links to.

Common mistakes

Using paths to create Early Bird vs standard pricing. Paths add a picker step and require a Pro plan. If everyone is the same audience type but you want time-gated pricing, create two ticket types — Early Bird and General Admission — and set different sale windows on each. The earlier type closes automatically when its window ends.

Using an access code when you only need to hide one ticket type. Access codes gate the entire registration form. If your event is otherwise open and you only want to hide a single ticket — a sponsor comp, a speaker pass — use an unlisted ticket type instead. The rest of your attendees reach the form without friction.