Losing $669K on Event Targeting? Master Attendee Management in Odoo 18

Company hosts product launch event. Budget: $87,000. Expected: 500 attendees. Marketing sends mass email to entire CRM database (8,470 contacts). Result: 47 registrations (0.5% conversion). Event day: 23 show up (51% no-show rate). Cost per attendee: $87,000 ÷ 23 = $3,783 each. CEO furious. Post-event analysis: Email went to everyone—including competitors, churned customers, wrong industries. No segmentation. No personalization. No follow-up. Lost opportunity: If targeted correctly (scored leads + existing customers), 340 registrations expected, 240 attendees = $362 per head. Wasted: $83,656 on wrong audience.

Your event disaster: Mass email to entire database (no targeting = wrong audience). 0.5% registration rate (vs 12% with segmentation). 51% no-show rate (no reminders, no engagement). Can't track who opens emails (blind sending). No A/B testing (can't optimize subject lines). Manual attendee management (spreadsheet chaos). No automated reminders (people forget). Can't measure ROI per channel (email vs social—which worked?). Post-event: No follow-up (leads go cold). Event published to website too late (missed early bird registrations). Badge printing manual (hours of work, errors).

Cost: Wrong audience targeting = 51% no-show × 477 ghost registrations × $127 wasted prep = $60,579. Low registration rate (0.5% vs 12%) = 988 missed attendees × $347 lifetime value = $342,836 opportunity cost. No email tracking = can't optimize = 23% lower conversion = $78,000 lost. Manual attendee management = 23 hours × $87/hr = $2,001 per event × 12 yearly = $24,012. No automated reminders = 51% no-show (vs 12% with reminders) = $60,579 wasted catering/venue. No post-event follow-up = 847 leads go cold = $127,000 lost sales. Badge printing errors = 3 hours × $47/hr = $141 per event × 12 = $1,692.

Odoo 18 Events Module fixes this: Targeted invitations (filter by industry, lead score, past purchases). Personalized email templates (dynamic fields: name, company, interests). A/B testing (test subject lines, find winner automatically). Email tracking (opens, clicks, replies—real-time). Automated reminders (3 days before, 1 day before, day-of). Registration management (automatic confirmations, badge generation). Website publishing (instant, SEO-optimized event page). Post-event follow-up automation (thank you + survey + sales call). ROI tracking (which invitation channel converted best). Here's how to manage event attendees so you stop losing $696K annually to poor targeting.

What Odoo 18 Events Module Does

Intelligent event attendee management: Create event → Target specific segments → Send personalized invitations → A/B test messaging → Track engagement → Automated reminders → Manage registrations → Generate badges → Publish to website → Post-event follow-up.

Step 1: Create Event

Set up event with all details before inviting attendees.

1. Open Events app
2. Click New
3. Configure event details:
   • Event Name: e.g., "Product Launch 2024"
   • Date: When event occurs (auto-fills local timezone)
   • Display Timezone: Timezone shown on website
   • Language: Email translation language (if needed)
   • Template: Pre-configured event settings (optional)
   • Tags: Categorize (e.g., "Online", "Conference", "B2B")
   • Organizer: Company or contact organizing
   • Responsible: User managing event
   • Website: Which Odoo website displays event
   • Venue: Event location details (pulled from Contacts or manual)
   • Limit Registrations: Cap attendee count (if needed)
   • Badge Dimension: Print format (A4 folding, A6, 4 per sheet)
   • Badge Background: Upload custom badge design
4. Configure bottom tabs:
   • Tickets: Define ticket types, pricing
   • Communication: Email templates, reminders
   • Questions: Registration form questions
   • Notes: Internal notes
5. Click Save

Step 2: Configure Targeted Invitations

Critical: Target right audience instead of mass emailing everyone.

Open Invitation Form

1. From event form, click Invite button
2. Mail configuration window opens

Configure Recipients

Design Email Body

1. Go to Mail Body tab
2. Drag-and-drop email template blocks:
   • Header with logo
   • Event details (name, date, location)
   • Personalization tokens: {{object.name}}, {{object.company_id.name}}
   • Call-to-action button ("Register Now")
   • Agenda/schedule
   • Footer with social links
3. Use editor tools on right:
   • Change colors, fonts
   • Add images
   • Adjust spacing
   • Insert dynamic content

Step 3: Set Up A/B Testing

Test two versions to find what converts best.

Enable A/B Testing

1. Go to A/B Tests tab
2. Enable "Enable A/B Testing" checkbox
3. Configure:
   • Winner Selection: Choose method
     • Manual: You pick winner after reviewing results
     • Highest Open Rate: Auto-select most opened email
     • Highest Click Rate: Auto-select most clicked (best for registration)
     • Leads: Most leads generated
     • Quotations: Most quotes created
   • Send Final On: Date when winner sent to remaining recipients
4. Click Create Alternative Version
5. Design Version B:
   • Different subject line (most impactful change)
   • Different email layout (optional)
   • Different CTA button text (optional)

Step 4: Configure Settings & Tracking

Settings Tab

Step 5: Send Invitations

Send Options

1. Send Now: Immediate delivery
   • Click Send button
   • Confirm: Send to all
   • Emails sent immediately
2. Schedule: Future delivery
   • Click Schedule button
   • Select date and time
   • System sends automatically at scheduled time

Monitor Results

After sending, smart buttons appear at top of form:

Step 6: Set Up Automated Reminders

Critical: 51% no-show without reminders → 12% with automated reminders.

1. Go to event form → Communication tab
2. Click Add a line
3. Configure reminder:
   • Interval: Days/hours before event (e.g., 3 days, 1 day, 2 hours)
   • Template: Email template for reminder
   • Trigger: Before event start or after registration
4. Typical reminder schedule:
   • 3 days before: "Reminder: Event This Friday + Add to Calendar"
   • 1 day before: "Tomorrow: Final Details + Directions"
   • 2 hours before: "Starting Soon: Join Link / Parking Info"
5. System sends automatically to all registered attendees

Step 7: Publish Event to Website

Make event publicly visible for registrations.

1. From event form, click Go to Website button
2. Website preview opens (shows event details page)
3. Toggle Published switch to ON
4. Event now visible on website
5. Visitors can:
   • View event details (date, location, agenda)
   • Register online (fill form, select tickets)
   • Receive automatic confirmation email
6. SEO automatically configured (meta titles, descriptions)

Step 8: Manage Registrations

View Attendees

1. From event form, click Attendees smart button
2. List shows all registered attendees:
   • Name, email, phone
   • Registration date
   • Ticket type
   • Payment status
   • Confirmation sent status

Generate Badges

1. Select attendees (or select all)
2. Click Print → Badges
3. PDF generates with attendee badges (based on Badge Dimension setting)
4. Print and distribute at event check-in

Step 9: Post-Event Follow-Up

Don't let leads go cold—automated follow-up converts attendees to customers.

1. After event, send follow-up email:
   • Thank you message: Appreciation for attending
   • Survey link: Feedback for improvement
   • Recording/slides: Value-add content
   • CTA: "Schedule Demo" or "Request Quote"
2. Segment attendees:
   • Hot leads: Engaged during event → Sales call within 24 hrs
   • Warm leads: Attended but passive → Nurture email sequence
   • No-shows: Registered but didn't attend → "Missed You" email with recording
3. Create opportunities in CRM for qualified leads

Real-World Impact

Best Practices

FAQs