How to use the Pre-Event Email Template

Use our ready-made template to take your Pre-Event emails to the next level. The Pre-Event Email template automatically adds Event information from your Spektrix system - all you need to do is customise the template with your organisation’s brand and style.

This article will take you through how to use the Pre-Event Email template in Pre-Event Emails. 

Before starting, make sure you’re familiar with:

• Pre- and Post-Event Emails

TIP: This article explains how to use the Pre-Event Email Template. You can also choose to build your own custom Pre- and Post-Event Emails.

How does it work?

Using Liquid Script objects and logic, the Pre-Event email template dynamically populates information from your Spektrix system. For example, you can automatically include the Event name, image, description (first 1000 characters) and other information that you have already uploaded into Spektrix.

This means that you can set up a single Pre-Event email campaign that can be used across all of your different Events - saving you time whilst providing a personalised customer experience.

The fields listed below are synced automatically (every 30 minutes) from Spektrix and can be included in the Pre-Event email:

• Event name
• Event image 
• Alt text for the image
• Event description
• Duration of the event
• Date and time of the Instance
• Day of the event (e.g Monday)
• Venue 
• Any Event Attributes
• Any Instance Attributes
   

TIP: You can personalise the template with more customer data by using additional Personalisation or Dynamic Content using Data Fields.

This template comes with built-in custom fields you can use by setting up matching Event Attributes in Spektrix. You can also add your own Event and Instance Attributes to customise the template further.

Example

Below we’ve included an example of an email using the Pre-Event email template with added design elements and customisation.

Following the instructions in this article, you can preview how the Email displays for your different Events.

How to use the template

To usethe Pre-Event email template, follow the steps below.

1. In Dotdigital, under the Campaigns menu, create a new email campaign by clicking the pink + button next to Email:

   

    

2. From the custom templates menu, choose the Shared Templates folder:

   

    

3. Choose the template named Spektrix Pre-Event Email Template v1:

   

    

4. Name your campaign:

   

    

5. Set the campaign details for the Pre-Event Email:

   

    

   TIP: You can use the @EVENTNAME@ data field to personalise your subject line with the Event name.

6. Click SAVE & CONTINUE.

How to preview your Pre-Event email

As you edit and customise the Pre-Event template, we recommend you test how Pre-Event emails are displayed against both different Events and Customers.

To do this, follow the steps below:

1. First, find the Event Instance ID of the Instance that you want to preview.

   • The Instance ID can be found in the Admin Interface > choose the Event > Instances > choose the Instance > Basic Details:

      

2. Go to your Pre-Event email in Dotdigital.
    

3. Click on the block named Pre Event Liquid Header at the top of the email:

   
    

4. Enter your Instance ID in the Test Instance ID box and then click Apply:

   

   TIP:  Do not delete this block. Entering an Instance ID will not affect your Pre- and Post- Event Emails when they are delivered.

5. Click the preview button to check that your email displays correctly:

You can also choose a customer to preview your email as, by clicking the personalisation icon and choosing a customer:

How to customise the Pre-Event email Template

You can customise your Pre-Event email to:

• Add your organisation’s branding and style
• Add or remove merge fields

Before making changes, it’s important to understand the email template. 

WARNING: If your Pre-Event Email Template does not match the below, copy the template again so that you are using the latest version.

Take a look at the numbered image and the corresponding table below to learn more: 

Number	Meaning
1	Liquid Script and preview. Do not edit or delete this block. Without this block, the Pre-Event email will not function. Click the Pre Event Liquid Header block to preview your email.
2	Event image. This populates from the image and alt text you upload into Spektrix during Event set up. The image size is dictated by your system settings.  You can resize the image by clicking the alt text field and dragging side to side.
3	Data Fields. In this example, you can see the @INFORMALSALUTATION@ Data Field. You can customise this section to your organisation’s preferences.
4	Text containing Liquid Objects. Liquid Objects are used to display information from your Spektrix system.  In this section, you can see the event name, date and time of the Instance. You can also add or remove Liquid Objects to meet your organisation’s preferences. In this section, you can also add plain text around existing Liquid Objects and change the appearance (font size and colour). In this template, Date and Time can be displayed using startDateTime.  To change how the date format is displayed, read our article on how to format dates with liquid script.
5	Decisions. You can choose to set up Attributes to display information about your Event or Instance. This is optional and won’t display if you don’t add an Attribute value or set up the Attributes.  To learn more, read the Decisions section of this article.
6	Duration. The duration of the Event will display in hours and minutes. If the Event duration is less than 60 minutes then it will only display minutes.
7	Unsubscribe link. You must include an unsubscribe link. If you choose to remove the unsubscribe link from the template, you must replace it.  You can add your organisation’s usual footer information at the bottom of this email.

Advanced Customisation Options

Below is a table of the liquid objects that can be included in the Pre Event Email Template, and their definition.

WARNING: If you need to copy and paste a liquid script object from this article into your Dotdigital email, use Control+Shift+V (paste without formatting). Copying directly from the article and pasting with formatting will cause the email to fail.

Decisions

The Decision blocks included in the Pre-Event email template use conditional logic to display information about your events.

To use the Decision blocks, you’ll need to set up Event Attributes which correspond to the Attributes referenced in the template. When the email is sent, if one of the Attributes has a value, then the value will display in your email. If there is no value, then the block will not display.

For example, you might use these Attributes to display extra information about an Event such as:

• Entry information or timed admission rules
• Readmission policy
• Intermission or break details
• Content or subject matter notes / warnings
• Security or bag-check policies
• Photography or filming policies
• Cloakroom information or usage policies 

Or, for Instances, you might use:

• Day-specific travel or disruption advice
• Accessible Instance specific information
• Post-Event talks or special one-off elements
   

The Attributes referenced in the template are:

• dotdigitalEventField1
• dotdigitalEventField2
• dotdigitalEventField3
• dotdigitalInstanceField1

We recommend that you assign each Attribute a specific purpose in your system and make this consistent across all of your Events and Instances.

For example:

• dotdigitalEventField1 = Entry and arrival  information
• dotdigitalEventField2 = Content or subject matter notes
• dotdigitalInstanceField1 = Travel advice

How to set up the Pre-Event Template Attributes

To create the required Event Attributes for the Pre-Event Email, repeat this process for each of the Attributes:

1. Navigate to the Settings Interface > Attributes > Event or Instance
    

2. Name the Attribute exactly as one of the below (not case sensitive).
   
   Event Attributes:

   • dotdigitalEventField1
   • dotdigitalEventField2
   • dotdigitalEventField3

   Instance Attribute:

   • dotdigitalInstanceField1
      

3. Add a description to let the rest of your team know what this Attribute is for. For example, “Used in Dotdigital Pre-Event emails, use for day-specific travel advice”.

   
    

4. Choose either a Text Field or Dropdown List Attribute Type. If it is a Dropdown List, set up the Attribute Values. 

REMINDER: Attribute Values are limited to 255 characters.

Once you’ve created your Attributes, you’ll need to apply the Values to any new or existing Events or Instances that you set up. 

The Attribute Values will then automatically populate in the Pre-Event Email when sent to a customer.

Creating a Plain Text Version 

To create a plain text version of your Pre-Event Email, click SAVE & CONTINUE from within the Easyeditor. 

Emails containing Liquid Script cannot be automatically turned into plain text by clicking the GENERATE PLAIN TEXT VERSION button. Therefore, you will need to write the plain text version using legacy Event Data Fields. 

• Hi @INFORMALSALUTATION@, 
  
  We're excited to see you for @EVENTNAME@ on @EVENTDAYOFWEEK@ @EVENTDATELONG@ at @EVENTTIME@. 
  
  Want to unsubscribe or change your details? $UNSUB$

Plain text versions must not contain:

• RSS feeds
• Sharing blocks
• Social links
• Dynamic Content blocks 
• Forward to a friend links
• View in browser links

WARNING: These features must be removed from the plain text version of the email.

Further Reading

To continue setting up your Pre- and Post-Event Emails, return to the Pre- and Post-Event Emails article.

You can learn more about Advanced Personalisation and Decisions in the Custom Pre- and Post-Event Emails article.

For more information about Dotdigital, take a look at the Communicate with your Customers section of the Support Centre.