1. Enable PHONE NUMBERS in Your Registration Form
Make sure the built-in Phone Number field is active when setting up your registration form. This allows attendees to provide their phone numbers and opt in to receive text updates. You can turn this on under Registration>Form Questions and setting Phone Number to ACTIVE with an option to make it REQUIRED:
When the Phone Number field is turned on, it will appear on the registration form with a checkbox for attendees to consent to receive event updates via text message (as shown below):
Only attendees who check this box will receive SMS reminders, updates, or last-minute instructions.
Note: Currently, it is not possible to edit the built-in consent checkbox text that appears on the registration form asking attendees to receive event updates via text message.
To See Who Granted Permission:
Click on Attendee List to view everyone registered for your event.
Check the Phone Number Consent column — it will display True if the attendee opted in or False if they did not.
Only attendees marked True can receive SMS messages through the system.
Please note: Once a phone number is submitted, neither EventCreate nor the event coordinator is allowed legally to make changes. Users grant consent during registration and changing the number would invalidate that consent.
2. Sending Messages via the Dashboard
After attendees register and opt-in to receive texts, you can send reminders, updates, or any last-minute instructions directly via SMS.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
1. From your EventCreate Dashboard, Navigate to Share → More → Text Messages:
2. Under Templates tab, select Create New Template:
3. Add in Body Text for SMS and add in a Template Name. By default, your event link will automatically be included in the SMS for attendees to access event details, so there’s no need to add it to the body text.
Body SMS Text Notes:
Event Link: By default, your event link will automatically be included in the SMS so attendees can access event details. You do not need to add it to the body text. If you need to remove the event link, please contact [email protected] and provide your event link and sms template name.
We do not allow external links to be inserted into the text messages body text. This is a restriction in place to prevent spam.
No Reply: Attendees cannot reply to SMS messages. We recommend to include in the body text: No reply to this message.
If a user does reply, they will receive an automated response instructing them to reply STOP to unsubscribe.
SMS Sender Number: SMS messages are sent from an unmonitored shared EventCreate-managed number, not your personal number. You are unable to edit this number or will receive any messages that are sent to this number. Attendees will see a number from which the SMS originates, usually a short code or local number. Because it’s shared and managed by EventCreate, attendees cannot reply directly (which is why including “No reply to this message” in your text is recommended).
4. Click Save Text Message Template and then in upper left, you can click to go Back to Templates:
5. Click Send New Text Message:
6. To send a Text Message, first select the Text Template and Select Recipients. Only the people that have granted consent will appear. You can select to send to All Attendees, Attendees by Status, Attendees by Ticket Type or send to Specific Attendees:
7. To send, click Send Text Message:
8. Once Sent, a message will appear that says in the upper right corner: Processing text messages to be sent to all attendees
9. To check SMS Stats, under Text Messages & Analytics tab, go to SMS stats and click VIEW to see the Report:
SMS Delivery Times:
Sending SMS through EventCreate is usually almost instant once you hit “Send.”
Small groups: Messages typically send within a few seconds to a minute.
Large groups: Delivery may take a few minutes depending on the number of recipients.
Note: Actual delivery also depends on the attendee’s mobile network, so slight delays may occur.
10. The SMS Report, will show total number of SMS's sent, who it was sent to and when. You can also click on tabs to view Recipients, Preview the SMS Message send and check for any Errors
