Allgemein – SeminarDesk.com

November 16, 2021November 18, 2021

Additional merge fields for semails, new dashboard display for external accommodations, improvements for profiles and much more…

In this article we would like to show you all the new features and improvements of the current November 2021 SeminarDesk update

Additional merge fields for status emails

The status emails, which can be configured under Administration – Setup – Emails – Default Email Settings, have been equipped with new merge fields in the course of the November update. At the end of the list you will now find the placeholders for the “Preferred email”, “Preferred phone”, “Preferred address” and the “Date of birth” of the email recipient.

New Dashboard Panel: Unassigned External Accommodations with a Cancellation Date Pending

The November update also unlocks a new dashboard panel. This panel shows the list of active external accommodations with their cancellation dates.

The dashboard panel thus gives a quick overview of the external accommodations for which a cancellation date has been set in the near future. This way you can see which of these unused accommodations may need to be cancelled.

Improved communication orkflows within profiles: Directly create email or open website

Within the profiles, it is now possible to open either the dialogue for sending e-mails directly or the stored website (in a new browser window) by clicking on the corresponding icons.

Address check hint in profiles

If the chargeable address verification service is active, a note is now displayed in profiles if the address has not yet been verified.

Warning if no contact details are stored in profiles

If no contact data is stored in a profile, a corresponding warning will be displayed at the top when editing the profile:

Warning if selected "preferred address", "telephone number" or "email" is empty

If the preferred address within a profile does not contain any data, a warning is now displayed with the note: “There is no data for the selected entry”.

List of bookings for attendees can be viewed in the online account

Attendees who have an online account can now view their bookings at any time via the “Bookings” tab.

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

Best regards from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

October 18, 2021November 18, 2021

Generate partial/split invoices, confirm several bookings at once, settings for emails and other improvements…

In this article we would like to show you all the new features and improvements of the current October 2021 SeminarDesk update

Generate split invoices

Under Edit Booking – Payment and Invoice there is now the option to also create split invoices. This makes it easy to create several invoices for e.g. an instalment payment.

Afterwards, you can select how many partial invoices are to be created.

The “percentage of the total balance” and the respective invoice date can then be set for each partial invoice.

SeminarDesk then generates the desired number of invoices with the respective partial amounts. Apart from this, the invoices generated in this way do not differ from “normal” invoices.

Confirm several bookings at once

In the list of all bookings you will now find the function “batch confirmation”. This allows several bookings to be selected and confirmed in one step.

List of bookings/balance report: "Number of differences".

The “Number of differences” column is now available in the balance report under the menu item “Bookings”:

With this and in combination with the number of invoices, it is easy to find bookings for which one or more invoices still have to be created.

Settings for failed email send outs

Under Administration – Setup – General Settings, you can now select who should be informed in the event of a failed e-mail transmission. SeminarDesk users can be selected here or any e-mail addresses can be entered manually.

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

Best regards from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

September 10, 2021November 18, 2021

New dashboard views, webhooks for profiles, show booking extra fields in lists, information for internal and external remarks and much more…

In this article we would like to show you all the new features and improvements of the current September 2021 SeminarDesk update

Edit room assignment and "marker" directly in the list of bookings

Rooms can now be assigned faster and directly from the list of bookings (and the “Booking overview”) without having to switch to the details of each booking.

Via the Actions menu, you can either click on “Assign room” to display the room selection as a dropdown.

What is new is the assignment via the column “Room”. This field can be clicked – if an overnight stay was booked in the booking – and edited directly within the booking overview.

In the same way, from now on the “marker” field can be easily edited, because it is editable directly in the list.

Note: For the changes to take effect, you still have to click on “Save changes” below the list.

Contact e-mail address for display on booking page in case of an error

Via Administration – Setup – Booking page – Booking Page, a contact email address can now be added.

Diese E-Mail-Adresse wird im Fehlerfall auf der Buchungsseite als Kontaktmöglichkeit angezeigt.

Webhooks for profiles

The webhooks under Administration – Setup – Webhooks and Interfaces were already available for events and labels, for example.
From now on, events for profiles can also be automatically transmitted to external systems via webhooks. Triggers can be the creation of a new profile, the modification or deletion or the merging of two profiles.

Upload documents in "mailbox" of online account

From now on, participants who have registered for an online account can be provided with documents in their personal mailbox.

To do this, the “Activate mailbox” function must first be selected under Administration – Setup – Booking page – Online account:

The corresponding profile can then be called up and the “Online account” tab clicked on:

The “Files in Inbox” section now allows us to upload files that only this person will then have access to.

f we log into the corresponding online account as Nicola Tesla, we will see the document under the “My Inbox” tab and we can download it.

New dashboard views: New bookings/bookings on waiting list for my events

In addition to the current waiting list, there is now also a dashboard view for viewing the bookings on the waiting list for your own events.

Archive" Report Templates

Under Administration – Reports, reports that are not required can now be archived or switched to inactive.

By clicking on “Edit settings” of a report, you will now find a corresponding checkbox named “Active”.

By default, only the active reports are displayed in the overview list. By clicking on “All”, the inactive ones will also be displayed. Inactive report templates are not offered when selecting to create a report.

Display extra fields of the booking forms in booking lists/overviews

Self-created additional fields of the booking form can now also be displayed in the list of bookings or the booking overview.

In order for the fields to be displayed in the filters of the booking lists, they must first be activated during creation under Administration – Setup – Additional fields – Booking form fields.

Through the “Edit display” icon above the booking lists, the additional field can now be found in the filter lists. Via the “Column selection” tab, the field can be shown and hidden like all others.

NOTE: Change regarding "Remarks" in a booking

Finally, a note about a small but important change that takes effect with this update:

In the bookings there is a new field “Internal remark”. This is, as the name suggests, for internal information, exchanges within the team or even notes about this booking.

The previous field “Remarks” has been renamed to “External Remarks” to make it clearer that this field could be sent to the booker via the email placeholder [Booking Remarks] e.g. in the confirmation email – along with any manual changes made.

It is therefore recommended to change the content of the “External remarks” field only with special care and to use the “Internal remarks” field or the “Notes” for internal remarks or communication instead.

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

Best regards from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

August 18, 2021September 23, 2021

User groups, iCal feeds and attachments, new email placeholders and much more….

In this article we would like to update you with all the new features and improvements of the current SeminarDesk update from July and August 2021.

User Groups

The current update improves data protection and data management and allows only certain groups of employees to access specific profile data.

User groups can now be used for this purpose. Under Administration – Setup – User Management, one or more user groups must first be created.

Subsequently, the individual users can be assigned to the user groups.

Profile visibility

In order to display certain profiles only to a certain user group, the option “Restricted” can be selected under Visibility when editing a profile. Now one or more user groups can be selected here that should have exclusive access to this profile.

Visibility of "sensitive data

In the same way, particularly sensitive data can be hidden for all users except for a certain user group. This sensitive data includes the fields date of birth, profession as well as the account data.

Display arrivals per booking

Under Bookings – Arrival Management, the list can now also be displayed grouped by booking. Thus, not each guest is listed individually, but only one line per booking.

iCal-Attachment and iCal-Feeds

From now on, iCal attachments for calendar entries can be attached to e-mails in all e-mail templates. All you need to do is click the checkbox “Attach iCalendar (ICS) file.

iCal-Feeds

Under events, function rooms and guest rooms, you will find the menu item iCalendar feeds.

These iCal “files”, which SeminarDesk generates dynamically, can be accessed via a specific URL. This allows event dates in a certain period, room bookings or event room bookings to be included in a calendar (or other software that understands ICS).

Afterwards, the iCal file can be downloaded or the generated URL can be copied, which can then be integrated into a calendar software, for example.

Reset event-specific email settings to default

In the email settings of an event, the default email settings can now be restored with one click. This is especially helpful if errors have occurred during formatting or important passages have been deleted or updated in the default settings.

Beim Klick auf „Standard zurücksetzen“ muss die Auswahl nochmals bestätigt werden.

New email placeholder/merge field: [GuestNames].

With the new email placeholder [GuestNames], it is now easy to list all guests of a booking in an email.

This is relevant for confirmation emails or if further information is needed from certain guests and they should be directly addressed or mentioned in the email.

New email placeholder: [DetailedDetails]

With the [DetailedDetails] placeholder, the number of nights, meals and price level can now also be displayed in addition to the previous booking details.

Display of the city/contact details of event locations in the event overview

In the list overview of all events, the city and contact details of event locations can now also be displayed. By default, these fields are always activated and visible. Under “Edit display” the individual view can be customized and columns that are not needed can be hidden.

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

Best regards from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021

Global search, restructured and extended view of person and company profiles, create mail merge letters and more…

In this article we would like to present you all the new features and improvements of the current SeminarDesk update from June 2021.

Global Search Function

A search field is now available at the top right of every SeminarDesk screen. The entire database can be searched, e.g. for booking numbers, names of attendees and guests in bookings, invoice numbers, profiles or for events and event dates.

Restructured display of person and company profiles

With this update, the view of the person and company profiles has been revised.

Using the various tabs such as “Person”, “Billing address”, “Extra fields”, etc., it is now possible to find and edit person- or company-related information more quickly:

Another new feature is the “Data protection (DSGVO)” tab, which can be used to store the legal basis, the data origin and also the storage period for each contact. If these have been created, the consents can also be found under this:

As usual, the most important steps can be carried out via the tabs at the top. For example, a new booking can be created directly for the corresponding person or a new e-mail can be created and sent. In addition, existing invoices and e-mails already sent to this person can be viewed or all bookings made by this person can be displayed.

CRM module: create mail merge letters

Within the new CRM module there was already the function to export the filtered or predefined lists or to send e-mails to the selected contacts.

From now on, serial letters can also be created and printed in the same way:

By clicking on “Create bulk letter”, a comprehensive mail merge editor opens, with which text, logos, tables and dynamic fields can be freely inserted, similar to what is known from e.g. MS Word and other text programs. Alternatively, an existing letter template can be used and edited.

Afterwards, the entire data set can be saved or printed directly using the mail merge function:

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

Best regards from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

May 18, 2021May 26, 2021

Save your custom filters for your lists, optional accommodation and meals, better selection templates and much more…

In this article we would like to present you all the new features and improvements of the current SeminarDesk update from May 2021.

Mark room occupancy as "prepared"

From now on there is the status “Marked as prepared” for the room assignments. This status can be set via the info popup:

Room reservations that have been marked as prepared are indicated by a “key symbol”:

Attendance fee templates

Under Administration – Templates – Attendance Fee Templates, templates for attendance fee price lists can be defined from now on.

A new price list can then be created from a template in the “Attendance fees” section of the event. The templates are especially helpful if the attendance fees for different events are repeated and thus do not have to be created each time.

Scheduled tasks for events and bookings

When editing an event, there is now the possibility to create so-called “Planned tasks” under the menu item “Functions”.

A “planned task” can be used to specify at a certain time for an event date which actions are to be performed with the bookings and/or guests of these bookings.

This function can be used, for example, to map the following use cases:

10 days before the appointment, the invoice is to be generated, posted and sent by e-mail for all confirmed bookings
5 days before the appointment, all guests with the status “Confirmed” should be assigned a specific label.
2 days after the appointment all unconfirmed bookings should be cancelled.

Set default for country prefix for phone numbers

Under Administration – Setup – Settings, under the section “Currency and default formatting”, there is now also a selection list with country names. The country selected there sets the default for the country prefix for phone numbers in profiles. The new feature is particularly relevant for our international SeminarDesk users.

Structure report templates via "categories

A variety of different reports can be created with SeminarDesk. In principle, there are almost no limits here.

In order to better keep track of a larger number of report templates, they can now be structured using “categories”. When selecting a report template via the “Reports” action menu, the templates are then displayed in submenus based on the categories.

Mark accommodation and meals as optional

When editing an event date, it is now possible to offer accommodation and catering not only as mandatory, but also as optional.

If this option is selected, participants can choose on the booking page whether they want to add meals and accommodation or not.

Selection templates: Query bookings

Via the “Selection templates” under the menu item CRM, it is now also possible to evaluate the bookings of the profiles. This means that profiles can now be selected that have bookings for events with a certain label, for example.

Provide bookings/guests with an "identifier

From now on, guests and bookings can be tagged with an “identifier” – this can be any kind of text.

These “markers” can be used, for example, to assign a “title” to all bookings in a group so that they can be filtered later in the booking overview.
These identifiers or markers are therefore more suitable in these “one-off” cases than the “labels” that would first have to be created in the administration and which would then also be visible for other bookings.

Save custom filters for list views

List views can be customized in SeminarDesk depending on the respective needs. The selected settings were previously also saved in the user profile. Now you can also save any selected filter combinations to quickly restore a view that you need more often.

By clicking on “My Filters” the current view can be saved and named. Previously saved views or filters can be selected or managed (edited or deleted).

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

Best regards from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

April 23, 2021May 1, 2021

New CRM features, dashboard, booking duplicates, favicon for booking pages, overwrite “price info” on booking page and much more…

In this article we would like to present you all the new features and improvements of the current SeminarDesk updates from March and April 2021.

Configurable dashboard

The April update unlocks a dashboard that is displayed immediately after logging in and can be accessed via the main menu link “Home”.

At a glance, you can see upcoming or overdue tasks, new registrations for events, the balance overview or current waiting lists and room occupancy.

The dashboard can also be customized via the settings, i.e. dashboards that are not needed can simply be hidden or moved.

New CRM features: selection templates, actions, address validation service, profile linking, consents.

With this update, new CRM functions have also been enabled. The main menu now contains the menu item “CRM”, which can be used to create selection templates and actions.

The selection templates can be used to generate profile lists via filters, which can then be exported as an Excel file, for example, using the so-called actions.

Another new feature is the address verification service, which can be booked as an additional service. If this function has been activated, the “Address check” button appears next to the address in all profiles.

Note: Since fees incur per query, this is a chargeable extra service. If you are interested in this function, please contact us via the chat or send us an email to [email protected]

Another new CRM feature involves creating consent types or checkboxes that appear in profiles.

Consent can be given, for example, to contact customrs and attendees by e-mail, phone or mail.

Notification of possible duplicates

Avoiding duplicates is a challenge in the planning and execution of recurring events or event series. SeminarDesk now notifies you directly during a booking if a duplicate has been detected for the booker’s profile.

Clicking on the warning icon will then display a list of possible duplicates.

Additional information for event dates

In the event dates there are now more fields to store additional information:

This additional information can be displayed on the booking page or automatically integrated into e.g. all confirmation emails using the placeholder “[AppointmentAdditionalInformation]”.

Send cancellation invoices by email in batch mode

Within the batch mode for invoices, it was previously possible to cancel or process invoices more efficiently.

From now on, cancellation invoices can also be sent directly by email, which was previously only possible through a further manual work step.

The function can be found under the menu item Invoices and by clicking on “Batch processing”.

Overwrite "Price info" for display on booking page

If the price info text automatically generated by SeminarDesk needs to be customized, this can now simply be overwritten in the Booking page settings section of an event date.

Here you will now find the text field “Price info”.

The booking page will then display the entered text instead of the stored participation fees for the relevant event.

Disable price range for accommodation/meals in the date selection

Under the web settings of an event, there is now the following additional setting for events that include accommodation and meals. If this option is active, the price range and an info popup with further details on the various accommodation options will be displayed during the date selection.

This is only relevant for dates where accommodation and/or meals are activated.

Favicon for the booking page

Finally, another graphical improvement of the booking page went online.

From now on, a favicon file can be uploaded via Administration – Setup – Booking page and Emails – Booking page. The favicon will then appear on all events and booking pages.

As always, we hope these improvements help you and your team and we look forward to your feedback!

Best regards from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

February 11, 2021February 11, 2021

Flexible attendance and accommodation dates, more features for the booking page, general tasks, HTML snippets and much more…

In this post we would like to introduce you to all the new features and improvements of the latest SeminarDesk update from February 2021.

Flexible attendance

From now on, it is possible to specify for each event date whether guests should be able to attend flexibly, e.g. on the event day(s) of their choice.

When activating this feature, the attendance period can be specified, i.e. a date for the latest start and the earliest end date. In addition, a minimum or maximum duration (in days) can also be defined:

Flexible Accommodation

Similarly, a flexible accommodation period can now be offered for event dates, allowing guests to arrive one day earlier or depart later.

By activating the checkbox “Flexible accommodation” in the event date settings, several options can be selected for arrival on the previous day as well as for departure on the following day of the event, such as “Without meals”, “With breakfast” or “With breakfast and dinner”.

Meal plans on the booking page

In the booking page settings of an event it is now possible to specify which catering types, or meal plans respectively, should be offered for selection on the booking page.

Price levels on the booking page

The price levels that were already available for manual bookings since the last update can now also be selected by attendees on the booking page for an event.

To do this, the respective price levels must first be activated or enabled via the administrative settings for the booking page, after which they can be selected via the booking page settings per event.

Mark event dates as an "online event"

To better display online or virtual events, it is now possible to mark event dates as “online event”.

In the status email templates there is also the possibility to query with the expression {IfEmpty(IstOnlineEvent)} whether it is an online event and, depending on this, show or hide certain text blocks.

New editing view for event dates

With this update we have revised the editing view of the event dates.

The menu item “Event details (function room rental, invoices, etc.)” has been completely removed. All additional information about an event can now be accessed via the menu item “Edit event date”.

Move bookings when appointment is postponed

If there are already bookings for an event date, the event date can now no longer simply be changed. For this purpose, the “Move event date period” function must now be used.

When moving an event, you can then choose whether bookings – in addition to other data such as room or equipment bookings and timetable entries – should also be moved automatically.

Improvement of the payment import: recognition of "booking numbers"

When importing payments, the automatic recognition of the booking number has been improved to speed up the process of assigning payments to bookings.

HTML building blocks and snippets

Under Administration – Templates – General snippets, entire HTML blocks can now be stored as blocks – similar to what is already possible for email templates.
These can then be used in the HTML editors of the booking page settings for events, so that recurring blocks do not have to be entered again and again.

Notes and tasks without reference to a booking, etc.

Until now, tasks and notes could only be created if they were assigned to bookings, event dates or other objects.

With this update, general notes and tasks can now be created without object reference.

By clicking on “Notes” in the upper right corner, you will now find the menu item “Create general task”. Here you can differentiate between notes and tasks as usual and also select the area, such as “General”, “Meals”, “Accommodation” and “Event”.

Notification by email when task is assigned

SeminarDesk can now send an email whenever a new task is assigned to a user. By default, this function is activated for all users.
This can be changed individually by each user at any time via the personal settings by clicking on the own user name in the top right corner and on “My settings”:

Preventing the registration of more adult guests

Via the booking page settings it is now possible to define whether additional adult persons can be added during the online booking or not.

The new setting can be found in the “Booking” section of the web settings:

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

All the best from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

January 11, 2021January 18, 2021

Guest types on booking page, credit notes, improved payment import, easy label management for profiles and much more…

In this article we would like to introduce you to all the new features and improvements of the latest SeminarDesk update from January 2021.

Selection of guest types on the booking page

From now on, the guest types stored in SeminarDesk, such as companion, participant, speaker, or assistant, can be selected by guests on the booking page.

To do this, the relevant guest type must be marked as “public” and the guest types must be activated for the event. The “External description” field can be used to enter an explanatory text that is displayed when the guest type is selected.

Restore default layout of lists

To restore the default view or layout of lists, you can now simply click the “Reset Layout Settings” button above the list view.

This function removes all filters, returns columns to their original position, and shows data fields or columns that were previously hidden.

Create and post invoice in one step

For a confirmed booking, the invoice can now be created and posted at the same time in one step. For this purpose, there is now the checkbox “Post invoice” when creating an invoice.

Different email accounts for different events

From now on, multiple e-mail accounts can be stored in SeminarDesk and assigned when sending e-mails.

Within the e-mail settings – both in the standard settings and those of an event – you will find the new “Send via” selection. If several e-mail accounts have been created via the administration settings, the preferred account for sending this e-mail can be selected here.

Credit note as "Add item"

If we want to add more items or services to a booking, this can be done as usual under “Edit Booking” and “Actions – Add item”.

We will now see this new selection:

By clicking on “Default item such as accommodation or individual service” there is now the option to also post credits.

"Reply-To" address when sending e-mails

It is now possible to define a different reply address for each e-mail account. The corresponding input field can be found under Administration – Setup – Booking page and e-mails – E-mail accounts and “Edit”.

Improved payment import

With this update, the payment import has also improved.

It is now possible after the upload to ignore or skip rows above the records and to assign the columns manually:

Batch edit labels simultaneously for multiple profiles

From now on, it is very easy to add one or more labels to persons or profiles. Labels can also be removed in the same way.
For this purpose, there is now a new button called “batch edit labels” above the “people lists”.

After selecting one or more people, we can now select a label and replace, add or remove it.

Note: the labels must be created first via Administration – Labels.

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

All the best from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.

December 15, 2020January 18, 2021

Online accounts, flexible guest types, extra fields in list views, external booking page and much more…

In this article we would like to introduce you to all the new features and improvements of the latest SeminarDesk update from December 2020.

Online account for the booking site

Users of the booking page can now optionally create an online account, e.g. when registering for an event. And the next time they register, the registration form will be filled out automatically with their personal data after they have logged in.

Flexible guest types

The guest types such as “speaker”, “participant” or “accompanying person” can now be freely defined and individually set.

For example, it is possible to specify that speakers are required to attend the event – in order to appear on the catering and kitchen list, for example – but that no participation fee is to be booked.

For the guest type “Participant”, on the other hand, the participation fee is booked and, like “Accompanying person”, it is marked as “Public”, which means that this guest type will also be offered for selection on the booking page in the future.

Web settings and email templates that differ from the standard

It is now clearly visible if settings or e-mail templates deviate from the stored default.

The green symbol indicates that the setting matches the standard. The yellow symbol, on the other hand, indicates a deviation from the standard. If you move the mouse over this symbol, the default value is displayed – which you can then apply to the settings of the current event by clicking on “Change to default” if desired.

Show extra fields in list views

Extra fields for persons, events and appointments can now also be displayed in the corresponding lists. For this purpose, the option “Show in lists” must be activated for the respective extra field.

Reports by period: relative dates

In addition to a fixed start and end date, reports by time period can now also select relative time periods such as “Current week” or “Current month”.

For example, you can save a link to the kitchen list of the current week or to the financial report of the previous month and do not have to select the period manually each time.

Link to external booking page with online booking disabled

If you utilize the booking page including the event overview but the actual online registration for the event is not made via SeminarDesk, you can now link to an external booking page.

To do this, the option Show detail page but no booking available must be selected in the web settings under “Detail page”. An external URL can now be entered, which will then be linked to right on the booking page.

New extra field type "Formatted text

In the extra fields for profiles or events and appointments, there is now a new type “Formatted text”, which can be used to enter HTML-formatted text.

Integration ESP (e-mail service provider) or newsletter tool

Until now, it was only possible to store the information whether the person wanted to receive a newsletter or not.

With the latest update, SeminarDesk can now be connected to an external newsletter tool, so that, for example, when registering for an event, the double opt-in process controlled by the newsletter tool can be started automatically or certain attributes of the person profile can be synchronized.

Currently, there is an integration option with the German provider CleverReach.

Please contact us if you are interested in connecting your newsletter tool with SeminarDesk.

As always, we hope these improvements help you and look forward to your feedback!

All the best from
Christoph, Simon and Jan.