SMS Campaigns
Create and manage SMS campaigns for your event guests.
Overview
An SMS campaign is a text message sent to one or more guests. You create a campaign by writing a message, choosing who should receive it, and deciding when it should be sent. Evencia then handles the sending and tracks whether each message was delivered.
Use campaigns to send event reminders, arrival instructions, schedule changes, or any other message you want to reach guests on their phones.
Where to find it
From your event, select SMS in the navigation menu, then select the Campaigns tab.
Before you start
- You need the Campaign: View permission to see the list of campaigns.
- You need the Campaign: Create permission to create, edit, pause, resume, or cancel a campaign.
- Each guest must have a phone number saved in their profile to receive an SMS.
- If you want to send to a group, make sure your guests are organized into Tags.
Campaign statistics
At the top of the Campaigns page, you will see four summary cards:
| Card | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Campaigns | Total number of SMS campaigns created for this event. |
| Messages sent | Total number of messages that were successfully sent. |
| Billable segments | Total number of SMS segments used across all campaigns. A long message may count as more than one segment. |
| Active | Number of campaigns that are currently scheduled, sending, or paused. |
How to create a campaign
Step 1 — Open New Campaign
Go to SMS → New Campaign.
Step 2 — Name the campaign
Enter a name in the Campaign name field. This is for your own reference — guests will not see it.
Step 3 — Write your message
Type your message in the Message field. As you type, Evencia will show you how many characters you have used, how many SMS segments the message will use, and how many recipients it will reach.
Using placeholders
Below the message field, you will see small buttons showing available placeholders such as {{guest.first_name}} or {{event.name}}. Select a placeholder to insert it into your message. When the campaign is sent, each placeholder is automatically replaced with the real value for that guest.
For example, a message like:
Hi {{guest.first_name}}, we look forward to seeing you at {{event.name}}!
will be sent to each guest with their actual name and the event name filled in.
Language and encoding
In the Language / encoding field, choose how the message should be encoded:
- Auto-detect — Evencia automatically uses Latin encoding for standard text and Arabic encoding when Arabic characters are detected. This is the recommended setting.
- You can also manually select Latin or Arabic if needed.
The encoding affects how many characters fit in a single SMS segment (160 for Latin, 70 for Arabic).
Step 4 — Choose your audience
In the Audience section, choose who should receive the message. You have several options:
Tags
Select one or more Tags to send the message to all guests in those groups who have a phone number. Leave this empty to target all guests with a phone number.
Specific guests
Select individual guests from the Specific guests field. When you select specific guests, the tag and filter settings are ignored — only the guests you pick will receive the message.
Filters
You can further narrow the audience using filters:
| Filter | What it does |
|---|---|
| Registration status | Only send to guests with a specific registration status (Pending, Approved, or Declined). |
| RSVP status | Only send to guests with a specific RSVP response (None, Yes, No, Maybe, or Invitation sent). |
| Registration completed | Only send to guests who have or have not completed their registration form. |
Filters only apply when you have not selected specific guests. Leave all filters empty to include all guests with a phone number.
Step 5 — Choose when to send
In the Scheduling section, choose one of three send options:
Send now
The campaign will be sent immediately after you create it.
Scheduled
Choose a specific date and time for the message to go out. The time is interpreted in the event's timezone, which is shown next to the Scheduling heading.
Recurring
Set the message to be sent automatically on a regular schedule. You will need to choose:
- Frequency — Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
- Time — The time of day to send the message.
- Repeat until — An optional end date. If left empty, the campaign will continue indefinitely.
Step 6 — Create the campaign
Select Create campaign.
- If you chose Send now, messages will start sending immediately.
- If you chose Scheduled or Recurring, the campaign will be saved and will send automatically at the right time.
You will be taken to the campaign detail page.
Campaign statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | The campaign was saved but has not been sent. |
| Scheduled | The campaign is waiting to be sent at the scheduled or next recurring time. |
| Sending | Messages are currently being sent to guests. |
| Paused | The campaign has been paused. It will not send until you resume it. |
| Completed | All messages have been sent. |
| Partial | Some messages were sent but others failed. |
| Failed | The campaign could not be sent. |
| Cancelled | The campaign was cancelled and will not send. |
Campaign detail page
Select any campaign from the list to open its detail page. You will see:
- The campaign name, send type, and who created it.
- A status badge showing the current state of the campaign.
- Four summary cards: Recipients, Delivered, Failed, and Billable SMS.
- The message text.
- A list of every guest the campaign was sent to, with the delivery status for each one.
You can search the recipient list using the search bar.
Recurring campaign details
For recurring campaigns, the detail page also shows the frequency, the scheduled time, the end date (if set), and the next scheduled run time.
Managing campaigns
Editing a campaign
You can edit a campaign that has the status Draft, Scheduled, or Paused. Select the Edit button (pencil icon) on the campaign.
Once a campaign has started sending, it can no longer be edited.
Sending a campaign manually
If a campaign is in Draft status, you can send it immediately by selecting the Send now button on the campaign detail page.
Pausing a campaign
Select the Pause button to stop a Scheduled or Sending campaign. The campaign will not send any more messages until you resume it.
Resuming a campaign
Select the Resume button to restart a Paused campaign. The campaign returns to Scheduled status.
Cancelling a campaign
Select the Cancel button to permanently stop a campaign. A cancelled campaign cannot be restarted. You will be asked to confirm before the campaign is cancelled.
Resyncing statistics
If the delivery numbers look incorrect, select Resync stats to recalculate them from the message log. This is useful if the numbers appear out of date.
Sending to selected guests directly
You can send an SMS to a specific set of guests you have selected from the Guests page, without creating a full campaign.
To do this, go to Guests, select the guests you want to contact, and choose Send SMS from the bulk actions menu. You will be taken to a compose screen where you can write your message and send it immediately.
Guests who do not have a phone number will be shown separately and will be skipped automatically.
Sending a quick message to one guest
You can also send a direct SMS to a single guest from the guest detail page without setting up a campaign. This creates a one-off send that appears in the campaign list under the guest's name.
Understanding SMS segments
A standard SMS can hold up to 160 characters in Latin (standard) text, or 70 characters in Arabic text. If your message is longer, it is split into multiple segments — and each segment is counted as a separate billable SMS.
The message composer shows you in real time how many segments your message uses. Keep an eye on the Billable SMS estimate before sending, especially for large campaigns.
Common problems
Some guests did not receive the message
Only guests with a phone number saved in their profile can receive SMS messages. Open the campaign detail page to see which guests failed and why.
The campaign is stuck on Sending
Large campaigns may take some time to process. Wait a few minutes, then select Resync stats to update the counts. If the issue persists, contact your administrator.
I cannot edit my campaign
Only campaigns with a status of Draft, Scheduled, or Paused can be edited. Once a campaign has started sending, it is locked.
The New Campaign button is not visible
You do not have the Campaign: Create permission. Contact your administrator.
Guests without a phone number are not receiving messages
Check that each guest has a valid phone number saved in their profile on the Guests page. Guests without a phone number are automatically skipped.
Tips
- Use the Scheduled send type to prepare campaigns in advance and review them before they go out.
- Use Tags to organize guests into groups so you can easily target the right people.
- Check the Billable SMS estimate before sending — a message with many characters or many recipients can use a large number of segments.
- For regular communications (like weekly reminders), use the Recurring send type instead of creating a new campaign each time.
- After a campaign completes, open the detail page and check for failed messages. You may want to follow up with those guests through another channel.