A Company in Lisbon Spent More Than 18 Hours Per Week Managing Event Registrations Manually: An Automation Success Story

Managing event registrations manually can be a tedious and time-consuming task, especially when done inefficiently. A company in Lisbon spent more than 18 hours per week managing event registrations manually This case study shares how automation transformed their process, dramatically improving efficiency and accuracy. 

In this article, you will learn the challenges faced by this Lisbon-based company in the events sector, how RestFlow applied a well-architected automation workflow using n8n integrated with Gmail, Google Sheets, and Slack, and the impressive results achieved. We will also dive deep into the technical architecture, detailed workflow steps, and best practices for error handling, scalability, and security. Whether youre a startup CTO, automation engineer, or operations specialist, this real-world example will help you explore practical automation solutions for event management.

Ready to optimize your event registration process? Explore the Automation Template Marketplace to get started.

The Problem: Manual Event Registration Management in Lisbon

The client is an event management company based in Lisbon, Portugal, operating in the professional events and conferences sector. Their operations team was responsible for managing registrations across multiple events monthly. Before automation, they manually handled attendee signups, confirmations, data entry, and communications.

Specifically, their main inefficiency stemmed from using spreadsheets and email threads to: record registrant data, check availability, update statuses, and send confirmations. This process consumed over 18 hours weekly, equating to about 72 hours monthly.

Key pain points included:

• Manual Data Entry: Multiple data re-entries led to errors and duplications.
• High Error Rates: Incorrect or missing registrant information caused follow-up delays.
• Slow Communication: Sending confirmation emails manually caused SLA breaches and frustrated attendees.
• Lack of Visibility: The team had no centralized dashboard to track registration statuses or event capacity in real time.

Such inefficiencies affected event attendance accuracy, team morale, and customer satisfaction, ultimately impacting the companys revenue and reputation.[Source: Internal operational metrics]

Our Approach: RestFlows Automation Proposal

RestFlow engaged with the client through a discovery phase to map the entire registration process in detail. This involved interviewing the operations team, analyzing existing tools, and identifying bottlenecks.

The analysis revealed:

• Primary systems: Gmail for communication, Google Sheets for tracking, Slack for internal notifications.
• High reliance on manual updates and no integration between communication and registration data storage.
• Need for a real-time, end-to-end automated workflow for data capture, validation, communication, and reporting.

To address this, RestFlow proposed building an automation workflow leveraging n8n as the orchestration tool. n8n was chosen because of its flexibility, open-source nature, extensibility, and ability to easily integrate with the clients existing tools.

The high-level architecture involved:

• Triggering automation via a webhook that captures new form submissions (registrations).
• Integrations with Gmail (for confirmation emails), Google Sheets (for data persistence and status tracking), and Slack (for internal notifications).
• Validation and deduplication steps to ensure data quality.
• Automated SLA monitoring and error alerts.

This workflow promised to reduce manual effort significantly, improve data quality, and deliver better visibility to stakeholders.

The Solution: Architecture & Workflow

The global automation architecture consisted of the following components:

Trigger: Webhook endpoint in n8n receiving attendee registration form data.

Orchestration Tool: n8n hosted by RestFlow, handling logic and integrations.

External Services Integrated:

• Google Sheets: Serves as the central database for registration records and event statuses.
• Gmail: Sends automated confirmation and reminder emails to attendees.
• Slack: Internal notifications alert the operations team of new registrations and any exceptions.

Outputs:

• Updated registration sheets
• Automated emails to attendees
• Real-time internal alerts and dashboards

End-to-End Workflow Walkthrough

1. Step 1 – Registration Form Submission: Attendees submit their registration details via an online form connected to a webhook.
2. Step 2 – Webhook Trigger: The submitted data triggers the n8n webhook node.
3. Step 3 – Data Validation: Workflow validates required fields (name, email, event selection) and formats.
4. Step 4 – Duplicate Check: Searches Google Sheets for existing registrations with the same email to prevent duplicates.
5. Step 5 – Record Creation/Update: Adds new records or updates existing entries in Google Sheets.
6. Step 6 – Confirmation Email: Gmail node sends a personalized confirmation email to the attendee.
7. Step 7 – Slack Notification: Sends a summary notification to the operations Slack channel.
8. Step 8 – Reporting: Updated dashboard generates automated registration summaries accessible to management.

This workflow transformed a manual, error-prone process into an efficient, reliable automation.

Step-by-Step Node Breakdown 🚀

1. Webhook Node: Capturing Registrations

The webhook node acts as the entry point. It exposes a secured HTTP endpoint where attendee registration data is posted.

Input: JSON payload from the online form containing attendee name, email, selected event, and preferences.
Output: Triggers the workflow, passing raw submission data.

Configuration highlights:

• Secure URL with authentication token in headers for security.
• Payload format validation configured in n8n to detect missing fields early.

2. Data Validation Node 🛡️

Purpose: Ensures submission includes all required data fields and formats (e.g., valid email syntax).

Implementation:

• Custom JavaScript function node checks presence of ‘name’, valid ’email’, ‘eventId’.
• Rejects or routes faulty submissions to an error queue.

3. Google Sheets Lookup Node: Duplicate Detection

This node searches the Google Sheets spreadsheet for the registrants email.

Key fields:

• Sheet name: “Registrations”
• Search column: Email
• Filter: Exact match of email address

Output:

• If no match, proceed to record creation.
• If match found, route to update flow or send duplicate alert.

4. Google Sheets Append/Update Node

Adds a new registration or updates an existing record.

Key points:

• Mapping from webhook JSON fields to sheet columns (Name, Email, EventID, Status, Timestamp).
• Use of expressions like current timestamp (`{{ $now }}`) for logging.

5. Gmail Node: Sending Confirmation Email ✉️

Automates sending a personalized email confirming registration.

Configured parameters:

• Recipient: form submission email address
• Subject: “Your Registration Confirmation for [Event Name]”
• Body: Template including attendee name and event details, using variable interpolation.

6. Slack Notification Node

Posts real-time messages to the internal Slack channel:

Content:

• New registration summary with name and event.
• Error alerts if any validation fails.

7. Reporting & Dashboard Updates

Though outside n8n, Google Sheets automatically aggregates totals and statuses for management dashboards updated live.

Error Handling, Robustness & Security

Error Handling and Retry Logic

The workflow catches validation failures early, routing invalid entries to a fallback Google Sheet for manual inspection.

For transient API errors (e.g., Gmail or Google Sheets timeouts), n8n retry settings with exponential backoff ensure robustness.

Duplicate registration attempts trigger Slack alerts for manual review.

Logging and Observability

All workflow runs are logged within n8n with detailed execution records.

Critical errors automatically trigger Slack messages to the ops team.

Usage of webhook headers and unique request IDs ensure traceability and idempotency.

Security Measures

• API credentials stored securely in n8n credentials manager.
• Webhook endpoint protected with tokens and HTTPS.
• Least privilege scopes assigned to Gmail and Google Sheets APIs.
• Sensitive PII data usage complies with GDPR, with encrypted storage and access control.

Performance, Scalability & Extensibility

The webhook-based design allows immediate event-driven execution, avoiding inefficient periodic polling.

For scaling:

• Concurrency limits integrated in n8n prevent API rate limits.
• Batching can be implemented easily for bulk import events.
• The modular workflow structure facilitates adding new event types and teams without disrupting existing flows.
• RestFlows managed hosting platform ensures load balancing and scaling as demand grows.

For example, onboarding a second city event location requires adding conditional branches and new Google Sheets tabs, easily maintained within the existing workflow.

Comparison Tables

Automation Tools Comparison for Event Registration Workflow

Option	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Free/open source, hosting from free to paid	Highly customizable, self-host or managed, wide integrations, complex logic suited	Requires more initial setup and technical knowledge
Make (formerly Integromat)	Tiered pricing starting from free with limitations	Visual flow builder, good integration library, user friendly	Limits on operations in free/low tiers, complex logic can be cumbersome
Zapier	Subscription-based, tiered by tasks/month	Very user friendly, many apps integrated, good support	Limited complex branching, higher cost for high volume

Webhook vs Polling for Event Registration Integration

Method	Latency	API Usage	Scalability	Complexity
Webhook	Near real-time	Efficient, only on data change	High, event-driven	Requires set up and security considerations
Polling	Delayed, depends on interval	Higher, repeated API calls	Limited by API rate limits	Simpler to configure but less efficient

Google Sheets vs Database for Registration Data Storage

Storage Option	Cost	Ease of Use	Scalability	Integration
Google Sheets	Free with Google account	Very easy, accessible via UI	Limited for large datasets	Excellent with automation tools
Database (e.g., PostgreSQL)	Additional hosting cost	Requires DB knowledge	High scalability, complex queries	Needs connectors, more complex integration

Results & Business Impact

After deploying the automation workflow, the client realized substantial improvements:

• Time Saved: Reduced manual event registration management from 18+ hours/week to under 2 hours, a savings of over 88%.[Source: Client reports]
• Error Rate: Duplicate registrations and data entry errors dropped by 95%.
• Faster Communication: Automated confirmation emails were sent within seconds, improving attendee experience and reducing SLA breaches by 80%.
• Operational Visibility: Real-time Slack notifications and updated dashboards allowed proactive event management.

Operations team members reported higher productivity and job satisfaction, and management gained confidence from data accuracy and on-time communications.

If your team faces similar challenges, create your free RestFlow account and start automating today.

Pilot Phase & Maintenance Disclaimer

It is important to note the implemented automation solution underwent an initial pilot phase. During this phase, the workflow processed real but controlled registration data to validate logic, catch edge cases, and refine error handling.

The pilot allowed minor adjustments to the workflow nodes, improved error management, and ensured integration reliability.

Post-pilot, RestFlow assumed responsibility for ongoing hosting, proactive monitoring, maintenance, and iterative updates to keep the automation stable and aligned with evolving business needs.

This approach ensures continuous workflow optimization and long-term partnership with the client.

Conclusion

This case study vividly illustrates how a company in Lisbon spent more than 18 hours per week managing event registrations manually and how automation transformed their operations.

By leveraging RestFlows Automation-as-a-Service and a well-crafted n8n workflow integrating Gmail, Google Sheets, and Slack, the client cut down manual labor drastically, reduced errors, and achieved timely communication with attendees.

RestFlows end-to-end approach—from workflow design to managed hosting and maintenance—ensures stable, scalable automation tailored to business needs.

Whether you manage events, customer data, or complex operational processes, automation can save your team valuable time and boost accuracy.

Explore the Automation Template Marketplace or create your free RestFlow account to revolutionize your workflows today.