EventsDesk: What steps are required to create Basic Events in EventsDesk? – Knowledge Base

This guide will walk you through creating basic events. Basic events are events which occur on a single day between a specific time frame.

If you’d like to create an event with multiple sessions whereby invitees are able to register for different event periods, please follow this guide to creating a Multi-session Event.

To create a basic event, follow these steps:

Create an Event
Set event type and preferences
Customise your event
Add tickets
Add a registration form

Step 1: Create an Event

Click the Suite drop-down module and select Event Desk.
Click the New Event button.

Step 2: Set your event name, type, and preferences

Type your Event name.
Select Basic event as an event type.
Add Event preferences (if there are any).
Click Confirm.

Click here to learn more about Event Types and Preferences. If you’ve already set up the event and wanted to make changes, you can always update its settings later.

Step 3: Customise your Event

The Event Dashboard contains all the tools you need from building and customising the event to linking communication emails.

In the Event Settings section, there are fields that are required to fill in before you can save the Event. These are labeled with a red asterisk (*).

A. Add Event Details

Add details for the following fields:

The Event name and Display name are automatically filled out based on your input from the previous steps.

Name of Event (System): This is the name of the event that will reflect on your Swift Digital Suite. This is a required field that can’t be left blank.
Display Name: This is the name of your event that will be shown to booking agents or guests. This is another required field that can’t be left blank.
Event Description: This is a customizable field where you can write a short description of your event. It can be an introduction to your event or any other information that describes your event.
Choose Venue: This is where your event will take place. It can be a physical location or a virtual event with any video conferencing platform like Zoom or Google Meet. Learn more about adding a Venue to your event.
Map: This section reflects the actual map to the Venue of your event. The data is pulled directly from Google Map.
Timezone: Select a timezone in which the event is hosted. We strongly suggest adding this if you’re hosting webinars.
Start Date and Time: This is when the event will start. This is a required field.
End Date and Time: This is when the event will be finished. This is a required field.
Registration Open: This is when the registration will start. This is a required field.

Specific Time: Select a specific time date and time using the calendar pop-up.
Relative Time: Set a relative day and time based on the Start date of the event.

Registration Close: This is a required field. This is when the registration will end.

Specific Time: Select a specific time date and time using the calendar pop-up.
Relative Time: Set a relative closing date and time based on the Start date of the event.

Archive On: This is when the event will be inactive and stored in the Archive’s tab. This is a required field.

Specific Time: Set a specific Date and Time when the event will be archived.

Relative Time: Set a relative archive date and time based on the Closing date of the event.

B. Add Number of Attendees

You can set how many attendees can attend your event and who can register for it.

If you have a maximum number of seats available for the event, set a number in the Event Capacity field. Check the Unlimited checkbox to set unlimited seats.
Set who can register.

Only contacts I’ve invited: Only the specific list in your Mail House you’ve published the invitation to can register for the event.
Subscribers: Any contacts who exist in your Mail house can register.
Anyone: Anyone who has access to the link can register.

C. Add Organiser details

There are two required fields that you need to enter:

Organiser’s name: The name that will appear on both the Invoice and Confirmation emails.
Organiser's email: The email address that will appear on both the Invoice and Confirmation emails sent to the booking-agent.
Organiser's Phone, Fax, Job title and Presenters are optional. You can input fields based on your preference.

D. Customise Auto-responders messages

Auto-responders are messages sent automatically to invitees based on certain event actions.

Auto-responder Messages:

Event Full: A message that appears when the event has reached maximum capacity.
Registration closed: A message that appears when the registration for the event has closed.
Registration not open yet: A message that appears when the event registration has not been opened yet.
Confirmed registration: Message that appears when a booking agent successfully registers for an event.

E. Customise Confirmation messages

Confirmations are emails sent automatically to event booking agents, once they register for the event.

Confirmation Settings:

Send confirmations: Automatically Send confirmation tickets to the booking-agent.
Confirmation template: Select the confirmation template that will host the details of the event and the booking-agent's and their guests' details.
Confirmation subject line: Subject line of the confirmation ticket received by the booking-agent. You can add personalisation to the subject line.
Confirmation reply-to email: Reply-to email defaults to the Organiser's email address. This can be changed in this section.
CC confirmations to CC an individual email or group email to receive confirmation tickets from ALL booking-agents. This can be used as a way to receive notifications of new event registrations.
Ticket notes: Extra information added to the confirmation email.
Show QR code on confirmation tickets: Generally added to tickets if scanning QR codes to track registrations is done via the Swift Digital Events App.

F. Customise the Feedback option

The Composer RSVP widget allows invitees to decline an invitation. Here you can customise the decline message and add an option for invitees to provide feedback or reason for the decline.

RSVP Feedback Option:

RSVP decline message: Invitees who decline an event invitation will receive this message.
Decline feedback option: Enable or disable feedback options for invitees who decline invites.
Decline feedback text: Message displayed once invitee has submitted their feedback.
Other comment: Enable or disable other comment sections for invitees to explain their decision to decline the invitation.

G. Cancellation Function

You can enable or disable the cancellation of tickets for your guests once they have already registered for the event.

Note: Refunds are not automated and need to be processed separately.

Cancellation options:

Show cancel link on confirmation: Enables a cancel link to be embedded into the confirmation ticket received by booking agents.
Cancellation Function: To allow your guests to cancel their tickets please use this function (refunds will not be automated).
Cancellation web confirmation: Message displayed when an event booking agent has successfully cancelled their registration.
Cancellation link expired: Message displayed when an event booking agent has failed to cancel their event registration due to link expiry.
Send cancellation email confirmation: Enable or disable automatic emails sent to booking agents who have successfully cancelled their registration.
Cancellation email subject line: Subject line of cancellation email sent to the cancelled booking agent.
Cancellation email confirmation: Content of email sent to event booking agents who've successfully cancelled their registration.
CC cancellations to: Nominate an email address that will be CC'd in all confirmed cancellation emails.

H. Enable Calendar

Adding events to an external calendar developed by the Swift Digital Team.

I. Customise your Header and Footer

Header and Footer Options:

Header Image: An image banner that’ll show on top of your event confirmation tickets and invoices. You can select from existing images in the Art Library or upload a new image.
Header Alternative Text: The text message is shown when the header image isn’t available.
Footer Image: An image banner that’ll show at the bottom of your event confirmation tickets and invoices. You can select from existing images in the Art Library or upload a new image.
Footer Alternative Text: The text message is shown when the footer image isn’t available.

J. Set a Folder Location

You can select to save the event in your Default Folder or Existing folders. Click here for more information on EventsDesk folders.

K. Save your Event

Once all the details have been filled out, save the event to avoid losing the data you filled in.

Note: We don’t have an auto-save feature, always remember to save before heading over to the next page or tab.

To Save the Event:

Scroll to the top of the page > On the top right corner > click Save.

If you missed any required fields, you’ll get the following error message shown in the image below. The missing fields will be highlighted so it’s easy to find them. Fill in the missing fields and save your event again.

Great work! Now that we have completed all the settings needed for your event, it’s time to create the sessions.

Step 4: Add tickets

Tickets are proof of admission to the events. You can set a ticket as paid or free.

To add a ticket:

Click the Ticket Types tab.
Click the Add ticket button.
Add ticket details. Click Confirm.

Learn more on how to create tickets and discounts.

Step 5: Add Registration form

To get input data from the invitees, we have to create the registration form.

To create a registration form:

Click Forms in the Event’s settings tab.
Click Create a new form button.

Copy or use an existing form:

If you already have an existing form that you’d like to use for this event, you can use or copy it in this event. Please see the instructions below.

Express form or Standard form:

You can create either an Express Form or a standard form that allows multiple guests.

You can refer to the guides below to know more about which type of forms to use, or simply copy an existing form used in other Events created in EventsDesk.

Accessing the Registration Link:

To access the registration form link:

Click Forms in the Event settings.
Click the link button icon.
Click the Copy URL to Clipboard from the pop-up dialogue box.

Step 6: Publish your Event Emails

You’re now ready to publish your event emails. You can publish your event through Email Composer with the RSVP link added to the email. Our suggestion is to clone an existing invitation previously used by other users, and going through these steps to ensure that the email is correctly linked to your email.

Once you have your Emails ready, it's time to publish! Our step-by-step guide on how to publish your communications via the EventsDesk module can be found here.

What we've learned:

How to create Basic Events and add tickets to the event.
How to create a new form to collect guest information.
How to apply correct settings to your event.

What's Next?

EventsDesk: How to copy an existing Registration Form to my Event?

EventsDesk: What steps are required to create Multi-Sessioned Events in EventsDesk?

Last Updated: 07/28/2022