Event managers have the ability to include a “calendar link” within emails, which allows attendees to add the event or individual sessions to their personal calendar. Using calendar links can help ensure attendees are reminded of the event while providing useful details. Event managers should ensure the event date and time are configured correctly by going to Setup > Event > Properties.
Note: The “Venue name” custom event field can be used to include a venue name as part of the details stored in the calendar link.
Types of calendar links
There are two types of calendar links that can be included in emails:
Attendee’s itinerary - shows booked sessions with a ‘calendar link’ for each session, adds session date/time to calendar
Calendar link - adds a single “Add to Calendar” link which adds the event date/time to the calendar
Note: Event managers can configure their own ‘add to calendar’ links outside of Eventsforce, then add the URLs into Eventsforce emails. When custom links are used, the details used in the calendar item (event name, date, etc) do not come from Eventsforce.
Adding calendar links to emails
Once the event manager has determined which email tag to use, the tags can be added by taking the following steps:
Go to Communications > Automatic OR Communications > Ad Hoc
Click to “Edit” the email the calendar links should be added to
Using the tag list on the left hand side, locate and select “Attendee’s itinerary” OR “Calendar link”
Click “Save”
Opening the calendar (ICS) file in Google calendar
In most situations, opening the ICS file will open the default mail program on the computer. IF the ICS file does not open automatically, or opens in a different program, the following steps can be taken to open in Google calendar:
Open Google calendar
In the top right, click the cog icon, then click “Settings”
On the left hand side, click “Import & Export”
Select the .ics or .csv file from your computer, and choose the calendar to import the file to
Click “Import”