ApproveThis manages your NextEvent Integration approvals.

Let's cut through the noise: If you're managing events at scale, you're drowning in spreadsheets, Slack pings, and "urgent" emails that somehow always land at 4:45 PM on Friday. NextEvent handles the operational heavy lifting, but approvals? Those still suck. That's where ApproveThis comes in – not with another complicated tool, but with actual breathing room.

Why This Combo Works (When Other Tools Just Add Noise)

NextEvent keeps your events moving. ApproveThis keeps your decisions moving. Together, they handle the two things that actually matter in operations: velocity and accountability.

What You're Fixing Today

Manual approval processes create three killer problems:

• The Black Hole: Requests get "lost" between tools (we both know that Google Sheet hasn't been opened since Q3)
• Bottlenecks: Your best people waste hours chasing down signatures instead of doing actual work
• Compliance Theater: Auditors love finding those "creative" workarounds your team built to hit deadlines

How This Integration Actually Works (No Fluff)

Zapier acts as the bridge between NextEvent and ApproveThis. When something needs a human decision in NextEvent (new order, inventory alert, etc.), ApproveThis automatically routes it to the right people – with context, deadlines, and escalation paths baked in.

The Nerd Stuff You Care About

ApproveThis Triggers:

- New requests kicking off workflows in other apps
- Instant updates when something's approved/denied

NextEvent Triggers:
- New orders, inventory alerts, event changes – all the moments that need oversight

Real Use Cases (Not Just Theory)

1. Killing Last-Minute Vendor Chaos

Scenario: Marketing agency needs client sign-off on event changes within 24 hours.
How it works: NextEvent detects a venue change → ApproveThis routes to client + legal via email (no app access needed) → Auto-reminders at 12hr/1hr marks → If no response, escalates to CMO.

2. Stopping Inventory Disasters Before They Happen

Scenario: Convention center's F&B team gets alerts when stock dips below 30%.
The Fix: NextEvent triggers approval when nacho cheese reserves are critical → ApproveThis purchasing manager + finance → If approved, PO auto-generated in procurement system.

3. No More "Who Approved This?!" Moments

Scenario: University needs provost approval for high-risk campus events.
Setup: All event submissions in NextEvent requiring security plans → Auto-route to ApproveThis with sequential approvals (department chair → campus police → provost office) → Full audit trail exported to compliance team weekly.

Why Your Team Will Actually Use This

For Operations Managers:

Ditch the spreadsheets. See every pending approval color-coded by priority level. Vacation delegation means projects don't stall because someone's at Burning Man.

For Finance Teams:

Approval thresholds auto-reject requests over $25k without wasting your time. Calculated fields verify budget math automatically – no more "oops" moments with decimal points.

For External Partners:

Clients and vendors approve via email (no logins, no training). Customizable branding means they see your logo, not some random app interface.

Setting This Up Without Losing a Week

Step 1: Create a Zapier account (free tier works for testing)
Step 2: Connect NextEvent (takes 2 minutes – use their official guide)
Step 3: Add ApproveThis (we've got one-click templates)
Step 4: Map critical fields: Event ID, Budget Amount, Deadline Date
Step 5: Test with a real upcoming event (pro tip: Use your team offsite as the guinea pig)

The Hidden Perks You'll Only Appreciate Later

- Approval Groups: Need 3 VPs to sign off? Require all three (consensus) or first available (speed).
- Conditional Logic: Events under $5k auto-approve; over that amount adds CFO review.
- Real-Time Dashboards: Show stakeholders that 78% of approvals happen within 4 hours – perfect for board reports.

When This Isn't Magic (Let's Be Real)

This isn't a fix for broken processes. If your approval chains have 17 steps because no one trusts anyone, automate that mess and you'll just get faster chaos. Clean up the workflow first, then automate.

How to Not Screw This Up

Do:
- Start with one critical workflow (vendor contracts, headcount requests, etc.)
- Use calculated fields to auto-flag requests missing security plans
- Set escalation rules early (humans will forget)

Don't:
- Try to boil the ocean on day one
- Let IT build custom integrations (Zapier exists for a reason)
- Forget to tell approvers about email delegation features

Time to Stop "Managing" Approvals

If you're reading this, you've lost at least 37 hours this quarter to approval delays. That's a full work week spent chasing people down instead of doing your actual job.

Here's your play:
1. Register for ApproveThis (free 14-day trial)
2. Bookmark the NextEvent docs
3. Clone our pre-built Zap templates (we'll email them after signup)
4. Automate your most hated approval process by EOD

Or keep doing what you're doing. That PDF approval form from 2012 isn't going to update itself.