# Understanding visibility options for Circle live events https://help.circle.so/p/live-and-events/events/understanding-visibility-options-for-circle-live-events Category: [Live and events](https://help.circle.so/p/live-and-events) › [Events](https://help.circle.so/p/live-and-events/events) --- _Last updated: January 10, 2024_ When organizing a live event within your community platform, selecting the right visibility option is key to meeting your specific needs. This article will walk you through all available visibility options for live events. ## Understanding live event visibility Similar to instant live sessions, we offer flexible options for visibility of the Circle live events that ultimately give you control over who can see that you are live via an event and access your live event session. When organizing live events in your community, two key elements help you tailor the event access to your preferences: - **Space access** : Your event space's [access configuration](/p/basics/spaces/managing-space-access-and-visibility) determines who can view the event listings within the space and RSVP to events. - **Live event access** : The visibility settings for a particular Circle live stream/room event allow you to manage who receives notifications and can participate in the live event session. With this setting, you can achieve greater flexibility, helping you host live events even for non-space members and visitors. > 🔔  **Live event notifications:** Please note that in order to receive in-app and push notifications about live event, members must have enabled the **Live streams/rooms** option for the respective types in their community account’s [notifications settings](/p/members/account-access-management/manage-your-notification-preferences). ## Disable live link sharing Before we explore the live event visibility options, let’s take a look at an essential privacy feature regarding live event access. When setting up your Circle live event, you can enhance privacy beyond visibility settings by preventing access via the live URL for members who don't meet the visibility criteria. If you've chosen one of the following visibility options for your event, you can activate the **Disable live link sharing** toggle: - Event attendees (for open, private, or secret spaces) - Event space (for private or secret spaces) Here’s what happens when you activate the **Disable live link sharing** toggle in your event setup: - Members included in the visibility settings, those who have RSVPd or have been added as attendees, can access the event via the event detail page, notifications, or live URL. - Members who do not meet these criteria cannot access the live event session, even if someone shares the live URL with them, by copying it from the browser's address bar. - The live URL becomes hidden in the [Overview](/p/live-and-events/events/manage-events) tab of the event setup. Now, let's delve into the visibility options for live events, categorized based on the space access setting. ## Live event visibility for open spaces We offer up to three options for live events when your space access is set to **open:** - Community - Event attendees - Public (for live stream events) ### **Community** This is an excellent option to organize community-wide events open to all community members regardless of whether members are part of the open space where the event is hosted. When you initiate the live event with this option: - The live banner becomes visible in the sidebar, easily noticeable by all members. - In-app and push notifications are sent to all members, notifying them that you are live. - This inclusive approach enables every community member to attend the live event through these notifications and the banner, even if they haven't RSVP'd or if you've hidden the location (the **Hide location from non-attendees** toggle on the event settings). ### Event attendees This option allows you to specifically notify and host events for members who RSVP to the event or members whom you add as attendees for your event. > ❗ **Important:** While using this option, especially in your open event space, members can still manually join event via the **Join this stream** or **room** button on the event details page even if they didn’t RSVP. To prevent space members from seeing the option to join the event if they haven’t RSVP, we strongly recommend turning on the **Hide location from non-attendees** toggle when setting up the event. This restricts live event access to only members who have RSVP'd or those with the live URL. When you go live with this option, members will see a live banner in the sidebar and receive an in-app and push notification only under these conditions: - A member has RSVPd to the event. - You have added the member as an attendee in the [**People**](/p/live-and-events/events/publish-an-event-draft)[ tab](/p/live-and-events/events/publish-an-event-draft) of your event setup page. Additionally, if you have turned off the  **Disable live link sharing**  toggle, you have the option to share the live URL with any community member, granting them direct access to the live event. Attendees of the live event can also share the live URL with other members not initially included in the audience, enabling them to join the live session. ### **Public (for live stream events)** This is an ideal visibility option if you’re looking to organize a public live stream event within your public community where both community members and visitors have the opportunity to join the event. When initiating the live stream event with public visibility: - Notifications are sent to all community members, regardless of their RSVP status or whether you've hidden the location. - Visitors can directly access the live event in the mobile or desktop browser through the public live URL shared by you. - If you have enabled the **Show to logged out visitors** toggle in the **Options** tab of your event space settings and turned off the **Hide location from non-attendees** toggle from the event setting, visitors can also join the event using the **Join this stream** or **room** button on the event details page. 📚 For more information about public live streams, see [**Get to know public live streams**](/p/live-and-events/live-setup/get-to-know-public-live-streams)[**.**](/p/live-and-events/live-setup/get-to-know-public-live-streams) ## Live event visibility for private and secret spaces Let’s explore the visibility options for live events when your space access is set to **private** or **secret:** - Event space - Event attendees - Public (for live stream events) ### Event space Choose this option when you want to host a live event just for your event space members. Since you are hosting an event in your private or secret space, this is an excellent choice when you would like to notify all members who are part of the space when you go live. When you start the live event with this option, only members of your event space: - See the live banner in the sidebar. - Get an in-app and push notification about the live event. - Event space members can join the live event through the notifications and the banner, even if you've hidden the location from members who haven't RSVP'd (the **Hide location from non-attendees** toggle on the event settings). ### Event attendees This is a great option for events where you want members to RSVP or be added as attendees to receive notifications when you go live. To maintain exclusivity, consider activating the **Hide location from non-attendees** toggle while setting up the event. This prevents space members without RSVP from manually joining the event, offering an additional layer of control. We recommend selecting the event attendees option if you want to ensure that members receive an in-app and push notification and view the live banner in the sidebar only under the following circumstances: - Members who have RSVPd to the event. - Members whom you have added as attendees in the [**People**](/p/live-and-events/events/publish-an-event-draft)[ tab](/p/live-and-events/events/publish-an-event-draft) of your event setup. Besides, if you have turned off the  **Disable live link sharing**  toggle, you can share the live URL with any community member to join the live event directly, even if they are not part of the private space. Live event attendees can also share the live URL with any member not included in your selected audience to have them join the live session. ### **Public (for live stream events)** This is a great option for hosting a public live stream event within your community, allowing all community members and visitors to join. When you start a live stream event with public visibility: - Notifications are sent to all community members, regardless of their RSVP status or whether you've hidden the location. - Visitors can only directly access the live event in the mobile or desktop browser through the public live URL shared by you. 📚 For more information about public live streams, see [**Get to know public live streams**](/p/live-and-events/live-setup/get-to-know-public-live-streams)[**.**](/p/live-and-events/live-setup/get-to-know-public-live-streams) ## **Relevant articles** - [**Create an event draft**](/p/live-and-events/events/create-an-event-draft) - [**Publish an event draft**](/p/live-and-events/events/publish-an-event-draft) - [**Limit RSVPs for events**](/p/live-and-events/events/limit-rsvps-for-events) - [**Using Circle live feature with events**](/p/live-and-events/events/using-circle-live-feature-with-events) - [**Hosting Circle live events**](/p/live-and-events/events/hosting-circle-live-events)