Messaging
The Messaging tab on the event dashboard lets you send SMS or email to your event guests automatically. You can set up messages that trigger based on travel milestones, schedule a message for a specific date and time, or send something immediately.
Messages are sent via each guest’s preferred notification channel (SMS or email), set during onboarding.
Configure vs. Sent
The tab has two views:
- Configure — Set up and manage your messages for this event
- Sent — See the full history of messages sent to guests, with status and delivery details
Setting Up Messages
Custom Messages
Click New Message to create a message for this event. You’ll set:
- Name — An internal label (guests don’t see this)
- Message Content — The text to send. Use placeholders to personalize (see Placeholders below)
- When to send — Choose a send timing from three options:
- Automated — Sends relative to a travel milestone (e.g., “1 day before event start”)
- Scheduled — Sends at a specific date and time you pick
- Send Now — Sends immediately when you save the message
- Who receives it — Send to all guests, or only guests meeting specific conditions (such as a particular group)
When a group is selected in the group filter on the dashboard, new messages are automatically pre-targeted to that group.
Smart Texts
Smart texts are pre-built templates that handle common scenarios automatically:
| Smart Text | When it sends |
|---|---|
| Flight Check-In Reminder | When online check-in opens (24 hours before departure) |
| Hotel Payment Information | Notifies guests the hotel is prepaid and what to expect at check-in |
| Uber Voucher Reminder | Reminds guests they have Uber coverage and how to use it |
| Rental Car Expense Reminder | Reminds guests to submit rental car costs as an expense (sent when vendor is not on direct bill) |
| Feedback Request | Asks for post-trip feedback 3 days after the event ends |
Click Enable on any smart text card to activate it for this event. You can optionally add targeting conditions to restrict which guests receive it.
Automated Timing Options
When using Automated timing, messages are scheduled relative to a milestone in the guest’s travel journey:
| Milestone | Description |
|---|---|
| Event Start | When the event begins |
| Event End | When the event concludes |
| Departure from Origin | When the guest leaves their home location |
| Arrival at Destination | When the guest arrives at the event location |
| Departure from Destination | When the guest leaves the event location |
| Arrival at Origin | When the guest returns home |
| Expense Submission Deadline | Before the expense submission deadline |
| Outbound Flight Check-In | 24 hours before the outbound flight departure |
| Return Flight Check-In | 24 hours before the return flight departure |
Specify the offset in minutes, hours, or days, and whether it’s before or after the milestone. For example: “2 hours after arrival at destination” or “1 day before event start.”
If a guest doesn’t have the relevant booking (for example, no flight booked for a flight milestone), the message is skipped for that guest.
Placeholders
Use these placeholders in your message content to insert dynamic guest and event information:
| Placeholder | What it shows |
|---|---|
{{firstName}} | Guest’s first name |
{{lastName}} | Guest’s last name |
{{organizationName}} | Your organization name |
{{eventLocation}} | Trip destination |
{{eventStartDate}} | Event start date |
{{eventEndDate}} | Event end date |
{{expenseSubmissionDeadline}} | Expense submission deadline |
{{coordinatorFirstName}} | Your first name |
{{coordinatorLastName}} | Your last name |
{{coordinatorEmail}} | Your email address |
Sent Messages
Switch to the Sent view to see every message that has been sent, is pending, or was skipped for your event guests.
Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sent | Successfully delivered |
| Pending | Scheduled and waiting to send |
| Skipped | Not sent — guest wasn’t eligible (e.g., missing booking, notifications disabled) |
| Cancelled | Was pending but cancelled before sending (e.g., invite was withdrawn) |
| Failed | An error occurred during delivery |
Filtering and Sorting
Use the filter and search controls to narrow the table by message name, guest, status, or group. Sort by sent date, scheduled date, guest name, email, or message name.