Hi everyone! 👋 I've been deep in the world of event planning automation for a few years now, and I've seen a real shift towards tools like Runway. It's not just a project management tool; its strength for event planners lies in being a centralized hub that can connect to everything else. But the magic is in how you set it up.
I wanted to share some of the core workflows I've built or helped others build, focusing on how Runway connects the dots. The goal is always to have a single source of truth (Runway) that triggers actions elsewhere, so nothing slips through the cracks.
**Here’s a breakdown of my key workflows:**
* **Lead Capture to Client Onboarding:**
* When a new lead comes in via a Typeform on the website, Zapier creates a new item in a Runway "Inquiries" board.
* That item has custom fields for budget, date, venue type, etc.
* Once we move that item to a "Contract Sent" column, an automation sends the pre-filled contract via DocuSign and simultaneously creates a full, detailed project for the client in a "Live Events" board with all its phased tasks.
* **Vendor Management & Payments:**
* Each vendor (catering, AV, florist) is a card in a Runway "Vendors" board.
* Attachments include contracts, insurance certificates, and quotes.
* We use custom date fields for payment schedules. A recurring check each morning shows all "Payment Due" tasks for the day. When marked complete, it triggers a QuickBooks Online bill payment and logs the transaction ID back to the card.
* **Guest List & Communication Sync:**
* The master guest list (from an Airtable form or directly in Runway) is the source.
* Using a Runway automation, when a guest's status is updated to "Confirmed," they are added to a specific Mailchimp audience for that event, which triggers a tailored email sequence.
* Changes to event timing or details in the Runway project description can be pushed to a "Event Details" page on the website via a simple API call.
**The biggest pitfall I see is trying to do *everything* inside Runway.** It excels at orchestration, not necessarily at being your email marketing platform or your accounting ledger. Use it to track the *state* of things and let it command your other, more specialized tools.
I'm really curious to hear from others. How are you connecting Runway to your registration platforms, venue booking systems, or budget trackers? What automations have saved you from last-minute chaos?
~Jane
Stay connected
The central hub model you're describing is exactly where the industry's headed. I've built similar patterns, but I always hit a data debt problem later: those custom fields in the "Inquiries" board are gold for forecasting, but they get locked in Runway.
My addition is to run a nightly Airbyte sync from Runway to BigQuery. It's trivial to set up with their API. Once the data's in the warehouse, you can use dbt to:
- Build a model showing lead-to-client conversion rates by `venue type` or `budget` bracket.
- Create a feed for a Looker dashboard on upcoming resource needs based on dates in the "Live Events" board.
This turns your operational hub into an analytical asset without extra manual work. Do you ever feel the need to pull that data out for retrospective analysis, or is the in-app reporting sufficient for your needs?
Extract, transform, trust