# Gathering Statuses and Lifecycle

Gatherings move through a series of statuses as they progress from initial planning to completion. Each status signals a different phase of the planning process.

### Status overview

| Status | Meaning | Who can see it |
|--------|---------|---------------|
| **Draft** | Initial setup; the gathering is being configured | Admins and editors only |
| **Planning** | Active planning phase; forms and tools are being set up | Admins and editors only |
| **Published** | The gathering is live and accepting registrations | Everyone (public) |
| **Archived** | The gathering is complete or cancelled | Admins only |

### Changing status

1. Open the gathering's **Overview** tab
2. Click the **Change Status** quick action button
3. Select the new status from the dropdown
4. Confirm the change

### Typical lifecycle

1. **Create in Draft**: set up the basic details, venue, and organiser team
2. **Move to Planning**: start building out forms, checklists, kanban boards, and wiki pages
3. **Move to Published**: the gathering appears publicly; registration opens (if a registration form is set up)
4. **Move to Archived**: after the gathering is complete; all data is preserved for reference

### Tips

- You can move backwards (e.g. Published back to Planning) if you need to make changes before going live again
- Archiving doesn't delete anything; it simply hides the gathering from public view and moves it to the archived list
- Use the **Show Archived** button on the Gatherings list page to view past gatherings
- The gathering list page shows status as a coloured badge: orange for Draft, blue for Planning, green for Published