hapily Blog

Bringing Event Communications Into Your Plan From the Beginning (Without Overthinking It)

Written by Nikki Zangardi | Jan 22, 2026 7:47:21 PM

Event emails are rarely the problem on their own. The problem is how disconnected they are from the rest of the event.

Most teams eventually send the right messages — confirmations, reminders, follow-ups — but the planning usually happens in pieces. A workflow here. A reminder there. A last-minute “oh right, we should email attendees” moment the day before the event.

What’s missing isn’t effort. It’s structure.

That’s what the new Comms Manager inside the hapily Event Builder is designed to solve — not by adding more automation, but by making communication part of the event plan from the very beginning.

Don't feel like reading? Watch Max dig into it here:

 

Emails are Part of the Event, Not a Side Task

When you build an event in HubSpot, most of the focus goes into the fundamentals:

  • Dates and timing
  • Registration and capacity
  • Pages and forms
  • Lists and workflows

These are the things that have to exist for the event to run at all — so naturally, they get the attention first.

Email planning usually comes later (and at a cost).

Sometimes it gets bolted on at the end, once everything else is “done.” Other times it lives scattered across workflows, lists, and reminders that aren’t clearly tied back to the event itself.

Either way, teams end up context-switching — jumping between the event record, emails, and automation just to piece together a communication plan that should’ve been clear from the start.

The Comms Manager flips that sequence.

Instead of treating emails as a separate set of tasks, it brings event communication directly into the Event Builder flow. While you’re setting up the event, you’re also prompted to think through how you’ll communicate across the full event lifecycle:

  • Before the event — confirmations, reminders, logistics, and last-minute details
  • During the event — time-sensitive messages tied to attendance and real-time moments
  • After the event — targeted follow-up for attendees, no-shows, and event leads

That structure creates a clear mental model for what needs to be sent and when — without forcing teams to overthink timing or setup. Communication becomes part of building the event, not cleanup work that happens once everything else is finished.

 

Built Around Real Event Timing (Not Guesswork)

Instead of one long list of emails, Comms Manager organizes communication into three phases that gives teams a shared mental model for what “good” event communication looks like — without over-engineering it.

1. Before the event
This is where expectations are set. Registration confirmations, reminders, logistics, and last-minute details all live here.

You can add, remove, or customize emails based on what your event actually needs without reinventing the wheel every time.

2. During the event
This is where things usually get messy. Timing matters, attendance matters, and sending the wrong message at the wrong moment can feel sloppy.

Comms Manager limits these emails to the actual event window, removing guesswork and making sure messages align with what’s happening in real time.
 
3. After the event
Follow-up is rarely one-size-fits-all. Attendees, no-shows, and event leads all need different next steps.

Comms Manager makes it easy to plan those paths upfront, instead of scrambling after the fact.


Timing That’s Anchored to the Event Itself

One of the most practical (and underrated) parts of Comms Manager is how tightly it’s tied to the event schedule.

Emails aren’t just scheduled by date — they’re scheduled in relation to the event:

  • Days before it starts
  • Hours during it runs
  • Days after it ends

You physically can’t schedule a “during the event” email outside the event window. And post-event emails are forced to go out after the event concludes.

That guardrail matters. It removes an entire layer of manual checks and second-guessing, especially when plans shift or events span multiple days

 

Audiences That Reflect What Actually Happened

Another place event communication often breaks down is audience logic.

Most teams want to send smart, contextual follow-up, but building the lists to support it takes time and coordination. Who attended? Who registered but didn’t show? Who was scanned on-site?

With Comms Manager, those audiences are already baked in.

Each email can be targeted to:

  • Registrants
  • Attendees
  • No-shows
  • Event leads captured via mobile lead capture

You’re not guessing. You’re not rebuilding lists. You’re working from the actual outcomes of the event, directly tied to the event record itself

 

Templates That Speed Things Up (Without Locking You In)

To keep momentum high, Comms Manager includes prebuilt email templates — with optional AI-generated copy to help teams get started faster.

Use them, tweak them, or ignore them entirely.

What matters is that the infrastructure is already in place:

  • Emails are created
  • Audiences are set
  • Timing is defined

Final edits, approvals, and scheduling still happen in HubSpot — exactly where teams expect to work. Comms Manager just gets you to that point faster and with fewer loose ends.

 

Everything Lives on the Event Record

Once the event is created, all associated emails appear directly on the event record. From there, teams can:

  • Open and edit emails
  • Review timing
  • Confirm audiences
  • Schedule or activate sends

No hunting through the portal. No wondering what’s been set up or what’s missing. The event record becomes the single place to understand not just what’s happening, but how you’re communicating around it.

 

Planning Communication Shouldn’t Be the Hard Part

This update isn’t about sending more emails or adding complexity.

It’s about making event communication intentional, visible, and easier to get right without pulling teams out of HubSpot or forcing them into rigid workflows.

Comms Manager helps teams plan once, execute confidently, and follow through cleanly — all as part of building the event itself. 

Want to see it in action? Request a demo and see how hapily helps you run events the way they should be — clear, connected, and completely in HubSpot.