What’s New in Zoho Backstage – November 2025 Updates

A new month, a new set of updates. With a mix of new features and thoughtful improvements, you get smoother workflows and better control across registrations, exhibitors, and communications.

Let's take a look at what's new and enhanced in Zoho Backstage for November 2025. 

---

Ticket Waitlist

You asked, you waited, and yes…the waiting finally paid off.

The Waitlist feature helps organizers manage sold-out ticket classes by automatically handling excess demand. When tickets become available due to cancellations or increased quantities, waitlist tickets are automatically confirmed, subject to event and ticket limits. The feature is enabled per ticket class from Registrations > Ticket Class > Edit > Advanced Settings > Waitlist, where organizers can set a specific waitlist quantity. Once tickets sell out, the website displays the Join Waitlist option.

All waitlisted entries appear in a dedicated Waitlist tab under Registrations, where organizers can view, edit, or cancel entries individually or in bulk (up to 20 at a time). Once confirmed or canceled, entries are removed from this tab. Waitlist orders remain visible in the Orders tab with a clear indicator, and waitlisted tickets are tagged within order details. Associated attendees display a Waitlist status in the Attendees tab.

If a waitlist ticket is canceled, a full refund is always issued, regardless of the event’s cancellation policy. Online payments are refunded to the original payment method, offline payments are marked as refunded offline, and unpaid orders are simply canceled. In mixed orders, cancellation fees apply only to confirmed tickets.

For approval-based tickets, requests go through approval before joining the queue. Waitlist confirmations stop once the event enters the Running state. Unconfirmed waitlist tickets are automatically canceled and refunded three days after the event starts. Automated emails notify purchasers about waitlist orders and confirmations.

Plan availability: Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans. 

---

Exhibitor Pro

A smarter, more flexible way to manage exhibitors and booths.

Zoho Backstage introduces a major upgrade to exhibitor management with the Exhibitor Pro add-on, bringing a clear separation between exhibitor visibility (directory listing) and interactive booth management. This structure gives organizers better flexibility, clearer pricing, and the ability to scale across events of any size.

Organizers can create exhibitor categories with benefits, manage exhibitor profiles, handle requests and proposals, display exhibitors on the website and app, assign booths, manage floor plans, and track booth-level analytics such as revenue, leads, meetings, members, and exhibitors. Exhibitors don't log in at this level. It's designed purely for organizer-managed visibility.

Exhibitor Pro is a paid, booth-level upgrade that unlocks full booth functionality. Organizers can assign one Exhibitor Pro add-on per booth, manage booth members and admins, enable collateral, videos, banners, lead scanning, meetings, and complimentary tickets, as well as track detailed booth analytics. Exhibitors gain access to their Exhibitor Space to manage content, leads, meetings, inquiries, members, and rehearsal tools.

Organizers can explore a fully functional booth with sample content, media, leads, meetings, inquiries, members, and Exhibitor Space navigation before purchasing.

Included across Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans, this layer supports unlimited exhibitor listings per event. Exhibitor Pro remains $49 per booth. Existing customers are auto-migrated. Premium plans includes 5 Pro add-ons, Ultimate includes 15, and they now support unlimited exhibitor listings by default.

---

Exhibitor Import

Exhibitor Import makes it easy to onboard exhibitors in bulk for large expos and recurring events. Instead of creating exhibitors one by one, organizers can now upload exhibitor data using CSV, XLS, or XLSX files and manage everything in one go—saving time and reducing manual errors.

The import option is available within the Exhibitors module and follows a simple three-step flow, supporting up to 500 records per upload. During import, organizers can choose whether to send the Exhibitor Request Approved email to imported exhibitors. This option is enabled by default and can be turned off when communication isn't required.

Smart field mapping and validations ensure data accuracy. Mandatory fields include Exhibitor Category, Company Name, First Name, Email, and Booth Number. The system checks for duplicate emails, category mismatches, duplicate booths, and missing mandatory data. For blank price fields, organizers can apply default pricing, mark exhibitors as free, or skip those records.

After import, organizers receive detailed success and error summaries, with row-specific failure reasons and email reports. 

A Merge Existing Requests option prevents duplicates by automatically merging matching records while retaining full history.

Plan availability: Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans. 

---

Other enhancements 

Quick access to the embeddable widget

We’ve made it easier for event organizers to access the Embeddable Widget for attendee registrations with a new quick-access entry point. The Embeddable Widget is now available directly under Registrations > Setup > Embeddable Widget, allowing organizers to find and configure it right from the Registration module.

This shortcut is in addition to the existing access under Manage > Promote, so your current workflow remains unchanged. With this enhancement, setting up and managing your registration embed is now faster and more intuitive.

Plan availability: Included in the Free, Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans. 

WhatsApp message preference for attendee imports

Organizers can now choose whether WhatsApp messages should be sent during attendee imports. This helps prevent unnecessary WhatsApp credit usage, especially when importing attendees for post-event reporting, internal tracking, or data updates.

During the import process, you can enable or disable WhatsApp messaging from Registrations > Attendees > Import. Based on your selection, WhatsApp messages will either be sent or skipped for the imported attendees.

After the import is completed, the summary screen clearly indicates:

1. If WhatsApp messages were skipped based on your selection.
2. If messaging couldn't be sent because WhatsApp isn't enabled at the event level.

This ensures full visibility into message delivery during imports.

Smarter country code detection during registration

Phone number country codes are now auto-detected during registration based on the attendee’s location, improving WhatsApp messaging accuracy and credit usage. The system follows this priority:

1. IP address
2. Browser locale
3. Event location (for in-person events)

This works across in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. 

Zone module support in workflow automation

You can now automate zone-based access control using Workflow Rules in Zoho Backstage. The Zone module is now available as a workflow trigger under Portal Settings > Automation > Workflow Rules.

With the new Before Check-In, Check-In, and Check-Out triggers, you can control how many times a participant is allowed to access a zone. This enables use cases like limiting food counter visits or restricting multiple goodie collections. Once the defined limit is reached, further check-ins are blocked and organizers are notified in real time.

---

All the features and enhancements mentioned in this article are available across all Zoho Backstage-supported data centers.

We’re excited for you to experience them in your next event. If you have any question or need access to early access features, please contact support@zohobackstage.com. 

• Topic Participants

• Jithan Raghuraj

  

• Recent Topics

• This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

  Hi Team, when I,m trying to create a email account (imagixmidia.com.br) it's showing this error >>  This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details plz help me  thanks

• How to manage task lists in Zoho Desk?

  Hello, I use Zoho Desk for IT customer support. I have a list of standard operating procedures (SOPs), including SOPs for onboarding new users, offboarding users, losing a device, etc. These are lists of tasks to be performed depending on the situation.

• User

  If user is already part of manage engine endpoint central , what hapens when i try to add them to another Zoho org / directory? Are these users added as external users?

• Adding a new section to the related details sidebar when creating a new ticket.

  Hello, I was wondering if you can add a new section to the related details sidebar when creating a new ticket. I was wanting to have it to where it also shows the account information related to the contact chosen as well. This is the section I am referring

• Displaying only unread tickets in ticket view

  Hello, I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with this one. We use filters to display our ticket list, typically using a saved filter which displays the tickets which are overdue or due today. What I'd really like is another filter that

• One Contact with Multiple Accounts with Portal enabled

  I have a contact that manages different accounts, so he needs to see the invoices of all the companies he manage in Portal but I found it not possible.. any idea? I tried to set different customers with the same email contact with the portal enabled and

• Is Zoho Shifts included in the Zoho One plan?

  In case the answer is no: there's any plan to make it available via One? Thank you

• Zoho Tracking Image location

  So we've been having an issue with tracking email opens. Specifically in Gmail. Our emails are not that long either, maybe 4 sections of image/250 characters of text/button per section.  But all my test accounts I used via Gmail we're showing opens. But then come to find out the tracking image is at the very bottom of the email. So If the message is clipped (It always just clips our social icons on the bottom) and the user doesn't click the show more button it never tracks the open.  Looking at other

• Creating an invoice to be paid in two installments?

  Hi there, I own a small Photographic Services business and have not been able to find a way to fit my billing system into Zoho, or any other Accounting software. The way my payments work is: 1. Customer pays 50% of total price of service to secure their

• Zoho Tables is now live in Australia & New Zealand!

  Hey everyone! We’ve got some great news to share — Zoho Tables is now officially available in the Australian Data Center serving users across Australia and New Zealand regions! Yes, it took us a bit longer to get here, but this version of Zoho Tables

• Delivery and handling of documents e-stamped using Zoho Sign

  Hello everyone! Zoho Sign makes it easy to pay non judicial stamp duty online and automatically attach the digitally generated e-stamp challan to electronic documents. We also manage the delivery of physical e-stamped papers. We periodically receive these

• Introducing Dedicated Modules for Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing

  We’ve enhanced the way you manage Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing. Previously, all three grouped together under Subscription Items. Now, each one has its own dedicated module, giving you a cleaner and more intuitive experience. This update

• Sortie de Zoho TABLE ??

  Bonjour, Depuis bientôt 2 ans l'application zoho table est sortie en dehors de l'UE ? Depuis un an elle est annoncée en Europe Mais en vrai, c'est pour quand exactement ??

• Issue with WhatsApp Template Approval and Marketing Message Limit in Zoho Bigin

  We are facing issues while creating and using WhatsApp message templates through Zoho Bigin, and we request your clarification and support regarding the same. 1. Utility Template Approval Issue Until December, we were able to create WhatsApp templates

• Drop Down Value

  Hi, May I know why Zoho Flow treat this drop down as number and not as string. If so, how can I fetch the right value for filtering. This field is from Creator, in Creator upon checking by default it is a string since it's not a lookup field.

• Zoho CRM's mobile apps: A 2025 Recap

  2025 marked a year of steady progress for Zoho CRM's mobile apps. We rolled out several updates and features to improve usability and make everyday CRM work a lot easier to manage. Here’s a look back at some of the key releases from 2025. Android releases

• Facebook follower count doesn't match FB Analytics

  Hi all, I am wondering if anyone else has issues with follower counts for Facebook not matching FB's native analytics tool. On the Zoho dashboard, it's showing 1,007, but FB shows 1,060. All the other channels match up. Any insights are much appreciated!

• Meta and Facebook data report discrepancy

  I have been currently gathering manually facebook follower data thru meta. In zoho marketing plus the social media reporting only allows for page likes, and so there is a discrepancy with the data. please the difference in files attached. Is there way

• Unlocking New Levels: Zoho Payroll's Journey in 2025

  Every year brings its own set of challenges and opportunities to rethink how payroll works across regulations and teams. In 2025, Zoho Payroll continued to evolve with one clear focus: giving businesses more flexibility, clarity, and control as they grow.

• Can I export all attachments from Zoho CRM?

  Can I export all attachments from Zoho CRM?

• Community Digest — Noviembre y Diciembre 2025

  ¡Hola, Comunidad de Zoho en Español! Cerramos el año de la mejor forma con nuestro último Community Digest de 2025, donde podrás encontrar las últimas novedades de nuestros productos. ¿Todo listo para empezar 2026 con el mejor pie? ¡Vamos a ello! Zoho

• Zoho Projects Plus’ 2025- the year we launched

  We’ve been building project management tools for the past 19 years, and a question we often hear is: Different teams in our organization prefer different project management methods; while the development team prefers agile, the marketing and sales teams

• Zoho Books emails suddenly going to Spam since 11 Nov 2025 (Gmail + now Outlook) — anyone else?

  Hi everyone, We migrated to Zoho Books in July 2025 and everything worked fine until 11 Nov 2025. Since then, Zoho Books system emails are landing in customers’ Spam (first Gmail, and now we’re seeing Outlook/Office 365 also starting to spam them). Impacted

• How do you print a refund check to customer?

  Maybe this is a dumb question, but how does anyone print a refund check to a customer? We cant find anywhere to either just print a check and pick a customer, or where to do so from a credit note.

• Company Multiple Branch/ Location Accounting

  Hi All, anyone know whether company can maintain their multiple Branch Accounting in Zoho  Books. It will be chart of Accounts & Master Data will be same but different report available as per per Branch. Thanks & regards, Vivek +91 9766906737

• Zoho Books Invoices Templates

  It would be really helpful to have more advanced features to customise the invoice templates in Zoho Books. Especially I´m thinking of the spacing of the different parts of the invoice (Address line etc.). If you have a sender and receiver address in

• Email Administrators! Join our tips & troubleshooting series

  Greetings to all the admins out there! This announcement is exclusively for you. As we step into the New Year, we’re excited to start a dedicated series of admin-specific tips curated to support you. These posts will help you overcome everyday challenges

• Deprecation of the Zoho OAuth connector

  Hello everyone, At Zoho, we continuously evaluate our integrations to ensure they meet the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of these ongoing efforts, we've made the decision to deprecate the Zoho OAuth default connector

• Free Webinar : Unlock AI driven business insights with Zoho Inventory + Zoho Analytics

  Are you tired of switching between apps and exporting data to build customized reports? Say hello to smarter & streamlined insights! Join us for this exclusive webinar where we explore the power of the Zoho Inventory–Zoho Analytics integration. Learn

• Import Function: ONLY update empty fields

  When setting up an import from a spreadsheet to CRM, there is a checkbox "Don't update empty values for existing contacts" (see screenshot below). While I see some limited benefit from this functionality, I think there should also be an "ONLY update empty

• Begin the year with best practices in the Zoho Desk mobile app : Part 2

  In focus: Optimizing collaboration and supervision Let's begin 2026 with Part 2 of our tips series on driving your ticketing operations at your fingertips. In Part 1, we explored streamlining operations within tickets. This helped individuals at Omniserve

• How to update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records

  Hello Zoho CRM, How do I update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records at once? To give you a background, these leads were uploaded or Imported at once but the lead status record was incorrectly chosen. So since there was a way to quickly add records in the system no matter how many they are, we are also wondering if there is a quicker way to update these records to the correct "Lead Status". I hope our concern makes sense and that there will be a fix for it. All the best, Jonathan

• JWT Token authentication problem that sometimes generates infinite redirect loops

  Description : Nous proposons un bouton sur notre plateforme permettant de rediriger l'utilisateur vers le portail ZohoDesk via un jeton JWT pour une authentification transparente. Cependant, il arrive que certains utilisateurs soient pris dans une boucle

• ZOHO Work Drive Back Up

  I am looking for a ZOHO Work Drive backup solution. Something that is cloud based. There's lots of these kinds of options for Google Drive and other providers, but I have not seen anything for WorkDrive. Any suggestions?

• ZOHO Reports - Filter Logic?

  Hi, I need a way to apply filter logics such as ((1 AND 2) OR 3). All I can see as of now is a way to enter different AND filters in the respective filter column. But how can I add an OR filter? Any advice would be highly appreciated. Mark

• Scanned Doc - selecting Item overwrites Rate

  I have a Vendor Invoice which was uploaded to Documents. I select Add To > New Bill. The OCR is actually quite good, but it is reading an Item Description instead of an Item Number. I remove the description and select the correct Item Number... and it

• Recruit API search

  Hi all, Attempting to call the search api endpoint from Postman using the word element as mentioned in api docs Search Records - APIs | Online Help - Zoho Recruit When making the call to /v2/Candidates/search?word=Saudi receive response of { "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND",

• Saving reading position + Keep screen on

  While Zoho Notebook is excellent for saving and annotating articles, its utility is severely limited by the lack of reading progress synchronization. On the Android app, if a user exits a long note after reading 50%, the app fails to save the position.

• Multiple Vendor SKUs

  One of the big concerns we have with ZOHO Inventory is lack of Vendor Skus like many other inventory software packages offer. Being able to have multiple vendor skus for the same product would be HUGE! It would populate the appropriate vendor Sku for

• Zoho LandingPage is integrated with Zoho One!

  Greetings to the Zoho One users out there! We're delighted to let you know that Zoho LandingPage is available in Zoho One too! With Zoho LandingPage, you can host custom-made landing pages, and persuade the visitors to dive deeper by making further clicks,

• Next Page