How to Automate Event Approvals (Without Losing Your Mind)

Let’s talk about why hotels, conference centers, and anyone managing events are quietly losing it over approval bottlenecks. You’ve got EventTemple handling bookings and client management like a champ. But when it comes to getting sign-offs? Suddenly you’re playing email tag with three departments while that corporate retreat booking hangs in limbo. That’s where ApproveThis comes in – not to replace your tools, but to fix the approval chaos between them.

Why This Combo Works Better Than Espresso Shots at a Wedding Expo

EventTemple keeps your bookings, contacts, and tasks organized. ApproveThis handles the "get five people to agree on something" nightmare. Connect them via Zapier, and you’ve basically created an autopilot for decision-making. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

For hotels: Sales books a last-minute conference. The system automatically checks if the requested ballroom is available, pings catering for menu approval, and escalates to the GM if the discount request exceeds 15% – all before sales even finishes their coffee.

For wedding venues: New client inquiry comes in. The coordinator’s proposal triggers approvals from operations (staffing), finance (payment terms), and the executive chef (menu viability) – with deadline reminders that actually work.

Three Ways This Integration Saves Your Sanity

1. Auto-Trigger Approvals When Bookings Drop

Every new EventTemple booking → instantly creates an approval chain in ApproveThis. No more:
- Manually forwarding details
- Chasing down approvers
- "Wait, was this client VIP status?"

Real example: A Miami beach club uses this to handle high-season booking requests. Their approval workflow:
1. Sales manager submits via EventTemple
2. ApproveThis automatically checks client credit rating
3. Routes to events director if deposit < 30%
4. Final sign-off from GM for any booking over $50k
All while the sales team keeps hustling new clients.

2. Turn Decisions Into Action (Without the Paperwork Hangover)

When an approval gets the green light in ApproveThis → EventTemple automatically creates tasks for:
- Contract generation
- Deposit invoices
- Room setup instructions
- Vendor notifications

Cool feature alert: Approval thresholds mean small decisions auto-approve. Your events manager doesn’t need to okay every $200 AV equipment request – only the ones that blow past budget.

3. Keep Client Databases Actually Clean

New contact in EventTemple? Force a quick approval if:
- It’s a high-value corporate account
- Requires special tax treatment
- Comes from a sales rep without authority

Pro tip: Use ApproveThis’ calculated fields to auto-flag contacts needing legal review based on contract value or country. Lawyers only get involved when actually needed.

Why Your Team Will Actually Use This

Sales Teams: Stop playing approval secretary. Get real-time status updates in EventTemple without leaving the CRM. Escalate stuck approvals with one click when clients get antsy.

Ops Managers: Set conditional rules like “Auto-approve F&B requests under $1k unless it’s a shellfish order” or “Always escalate linen rentals during peak wedding season”.

Finance: Approval chains that actually respect spending authority levels. Get digital paper trails without the PDF hell.

Bonus: External vendors or clients can approve directly via email without needing EventTemple logins. No more “I can’t find the portal” excuses.

Setting This Up Without Involving IT

1. Connect EventTemple and ApproveThis via Zapier (takes 4 minutes)
2. Map your critical approval triggers:
- New bookings → budget approval workflow
- Contact additions → compliance check
- Task completions → manager signoff
3. Set escalation rules for slow responders
4. Test with one event type (like conference rooms) before rolling out

Key settings:
- Use ApproveThis’ vacation delegation so approvals don’t die when Karen’s on PTO
- Enable email fallback for execs who refuse to learn new tools
- Attach EventTemple booking details automatically to every request

The Part Where We Get Real About Limitations

This isn’t magic. You still need to:
- Define clear approval rules upfront
- Train teams on when to manually override
- Audit workflows quarterly (venues change, so should your processes)

But for 80% of routine approvals? It’s stupid how much time you’ll save. One casino client cut their event approval time from 6 days to 14 hours. Mostly because people stopped “forgetting” to check the system.

Who Should Steal This Setup Immediately

- Hotels with complex cross-department approvals
- Wedding venues handling 50+ events monthly
- Convention centers with union labor requirements
- Anywhere that’s currently using email threads as an “approval system”

Fun story: A brewery event space used this to handle health department compliance checks. Every booking now auto-triggers:
1. Permit verification
2. Staff certification check
3. Fire marshal notification if attendance > 150
All approved via mobile by managers who are usually, you know, actually brewing beer.

How to Not Screw This Up

Do:
- Start with your most painful approval bottleneck
- Use ApproveThis’ trial to test 2-3 workflows
- Clone successful Zaps for different event types

Don’t:
- Try to automate every approval at once
- Skip setting escalation rules
- Forget to sync with accounting calendars

Bottom Line

EventTemple keeps your event data organized. ApproveThis keeps people from ruining that organization with chaotic approvals. Together? You get bookings that move forward faster, fewer compliance fires, and managers who might actually take a vacation.

Book a 15-minute demo to see how venues like yours are saving 11 hours/week on approvals. Or be brave and start a free trial – worst case, you’ll finally understand why your coordinators keep threatening to quit.