Comprehensive Guide: Sending Event Invitations with Power eCard

With Power eCard, you can not only design and send professional digital invitations, but also efficiently manage the entire invitation process. Create custom RSVP forms, manage your guest lists, and keep track of RSVPs at all times.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through step by step how to create events, design custom forms, send invitations, and manage guest lists—so your event is a complete success.

Or check out the new features directly in the video—explained by Power eCard founder Timm Dollinger.

New Menu Structure

To help you work more efficiently and keep things organized, we’ve optimized the menu structure: Invitations are now managed separately from “traditional” greeting and Christmas cards. Under “Greeting & Christmas Cards,” you’ll now find the Mailings, Sharing, and eCards sections. The Address Book and the Account & Billing section remain on the first menu level.

“Event Invitations” bundles all invitation projects—regardless of the occasion—as well as the associated guest feedback.

“Communication & Guests” provides you with a central overview of all created events (e.g., summer party, Christmas party). There, you can view and edit both the event details and the respective guest list, as well as the associated communication.

In the “Invitation Templates” section—similar to the “Manage eCards” section—you can manage all existing invitation cards and create and design new invitations.

New User Role: Event Manager

With the new “Event Manager” role, an additional user role is now available to you.

Event Managers have all standard user permissions and also have access to the “Communication & Guests” section. This allows them to manage guest lists, create and edit events, and implement communication initiatives.

Rolle	Mailing	Adressbook	Gues List	Design Creation	User Admin.	Protocolls
User	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌
Event Manager	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌
Editor	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	❌
Publisher	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	✔️	❌
Privacy Officer	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	✔️
Administrator	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌

In these guides, you’ll learn how to manually create individual users, import user lists, and see which permissions are assigned to each role:

Communication & Guests Section

Events

Every event you create in the system represents an occasion for which you can centrally manage all communication. Once you’ve created an event, you can create and send as many invitations and mailings as you like on behalf of that event.

Create a New Event

To create a new event, go to the menu and select Event Invitations > Communication & Guests, then click “Create New Event.”

A new window will open where you can enter important details such as the event name, description, and start and end times. This information is intended solely for your internal organization and will not be visible to your guests.

Edit Event Details

If you’d like to edit or add to data you’ve already entered, you can do so at any time under Event Invitations > Communication & Guests. In the event overview, click the blue button with the pencil icon next to the relevant event.

Then click Save Changes.

Participant Limit and Registration Deadline

By setting a registration deadline and a participant limit, you can automatically control who can still register and when—without having to intervene yourself. Both settings are configured directly in the event details and take effect immediately once the conditions are met.

In practice, this means: No need to manually close the form shortly before the event. No counting incoming registrations. No unpleasant last-minute cancellations due to overbooking.

Registration opens and closes

Set a one-time start and end date for when registrations are accepted. Once the registration deadline has passed, the form can no longer be submitted—you don’t have to do anything, and your guests will always know where they stand.

The registration start date is optional: If you set it, the form cannot be submitted before that date. This is particularly useful if invitations are to be sent out early, but registrations will not be accepted until a specific date.

1. Open the event details by clicking the pencil icon in the event overview.
2. Enter the registration start date (optional) and registration deadline with the date and time.
3. Save by clicking “Save changes.”

Maximum number of participants

Set your event’s capacity directly in the event details. Once the maximum number of RSVPs and registrations has been reached, the same mechanism applies as with the registration deadline—you don’t have to manually decline anyone, and no guest will book a spot that is no longer available.

All guests with the status “Confirmed” and “Submitted” are counted—including manually added guests. Cancellations are not counted.

1. Open the event details by clicking the pencil icon.
2. Enter the desired capacity in the “Maximum number of participants” field. Leave blank = unlimited.
3. Save by clicking “Save changes.”

Configure Registration Controls per Mailing

By default, the participant limit and registration deadline apply to all mailings within an event. For the initial invitation, this is exactly right – but with multi-stage event communication, this global setting can become a problem.

Typical scenario: You send a feedback survey to all attendees after your event. Since the participant limit is already reached, the system would block the form with the message “Maximum number of participants reached” – even though no new registration is taking place. The same applies to an expired registration deadline: submissions would no longer be possible, even though a deadline for a survey doesn’t make any practical sense.

The mailing-specific registration control solves this precisely: In the last step of the mailing process, you can individually define for each mailing whether its form submissions count toward the participant limit and whether the registration deadline applies.

Include text for when registration closes and the quota is full

You also decide what your guests see when the limit or registration deadline is reached. You can enter these messages in the eCard Editor under eCard Settings -> Registration Control Messages.

• Registration has not yet opened: e.g., “Registration is not yet open. Please try again later.”
• Registration deadline has passed: e.g., “Unfortunately, the registration period for this event has expired.”
• Participant limit has been reached: e.g., “Unfortunately, all spots are filled. We look forward to welcoming you to one of our upcoming events.”

Overview: The New Event Overview

Once saved, the event details will display the following information for each event in one place:

• Current registrations relative to capacity—including a visual progress bar
• Registration start and end dates at a glance
• All details can be edited directly with a single click

This way, you can see how your event is doing at any time—without having to open the guest list or manually tally numbers.

Communication Overview

When you click on the name of an event you’ve created, you’ll be taken to that event’s details page. There, you’ll find a comprehensive overview of all invitations and emails sent for that event.

The overview includes the following information:

• Card Template: Displays the invitation card used for the mailing
• Channel: Indicates whether the invitation was sent via email or through a shared link
• Status: Current status of the respective communication
• Preview: Displays a thumbnail view of the sent card
• Analysis: Overview of open rates and responses
• Creation date: Date and time the communication was created

Depending on the channel, additional functions are available on the right-hand side of each communication:

• Blue button (feedback icon, applies only to links): Opens the collected responses from your guests for this communication

• Red button (trash can icon): Deletes the corresponding communication

Create New Communication

If you want to send a new invitation or create a new message, you can choose between two delivery options: email or link.

• Sending via email is recommended if you have your guests’ contact information and would like to invite them with a personalized message.
• Sending via link is ideal for general, open invitations without specific recipients—for example, via social media channels, on the intranet, or via a mass email.

Send Email

When you select “Send invitation via email,” you follow the same steps for card selection and sending as with regular eCards. A detailed guide can be found in the separate manual “Creating a New Mailing.”

If you select “Send invitation by email,” follow the same steps for selecting and sending cards as you would for regular eCards. You can find detailed instructions in the separate guide titled “Create a New Mailing.”

Guest List vs. Address Book

When creating event communications, you can choose whether to select recipients from your address book or from the guest list.

• Address Book: Contains all contacts in your user account—for both regular greeting cards and invitations.
• Guest List: Contains all recipients who have already received an invitation. Using simple filters, you can send targeted follow-up communications—for example, a reminder to everyone who hasn’t responded yet, or final details only to confirmed attendees.

Purpose and benefits of the guest list:
The guest list makes it easier for you to stay in touch with all invited guests—regardless of whether they’ve accepted, declined, or haven’t responded yet.

In summary:

• Address Book: All contacts saved in your user account
• Guest List: All responses related to the invitations for this event

Share Link

When you select “Share link to landing page,” you’ll receive a custom link to your chosen invitation template. Interested parties can use this link to access the invitation, fill out the form, and submit their feedback. For more information on sharing eCards on social media, see the separate guide.

Guest List Overview

When you click on the name of one of the events you’ve created, you’ll be taken to the event details page. There, you can switch from the communication overview to the guest list by clicking the “Guest List” tab.

In the guest list, you’ll see all responses received so far—including all the information from your form and the respective response status. You can download the entire list as an Excel file at any time by clicking the blue “Download” button.

Confirmation statuses – what do they mean?

Each guest on the guest list has a response status. This indicates how the response was received and what the outcome was—and helps you analyze the guest list effectively and plan the appropriate follow-up communication.

Status	Meaning	When will it be awarded?	Typical application
Pending	The guest has been invited but has not yet responded.	If a guest has been invited by email but has not yet submitted the form.	Pre-event follow-up – sending targeted reminders to all guests who have not yet responded
Confirmed	The guest has actively confirmed via the form.	When a guest clicks “Confirm” in the closed form with the confirmation and cancellation module and submits the form.	Events requiring registration: company parties, workshops, conferences
Cancelled	The guest actively canceled via the form.	When a guest clicks “Cancel” in the closed form.	Events with a closed registration form where cancellations are to be explicitly recorded
Submitted	The guest filled out the open form—without explicitly accepting or declining.	If a guest submits a form without the confirmation and cancellation module.	Upcoming events, general registration links, social media invitations

When should I use a closed form, and when should I use an open form?

The type of form you choose directly affects which response statuses appear on your guest list:

• Closed form (with RSVP module): Recommended if you need to plan attendance with certainty—you’ll receive clear confirmations and cancellations, allowing you to plan capacity and catering precisely. Status: Confirmed or Canceled.
• Open form (without cancellation option): Ideal for general invitations via a public link—e.g., on social media or the intranet. Every submission counts as a registration. Status: Submitted.

Define confirmation texts

After submitting the form, your guests will automatically see a confirmation message. These messages can be customized individually—separately for each response status. This ensures that your guests always receive an appropriate, professional response, whether they have confirmed their attendance, canceled, or submitted a form.

Field	Displayed when …
Confirmation message – Form submitted	A form was submitted without an acceptance or rejection (open form)
Confirmation text – Acceptance	A form with a confirmation has been submitted
Confirmation message – Cancellation	A form containing a rejection has been submitted

Where do I save my own confirmation texts?

• In the eCard Live Editor, open the “eCard Settings” tab in the top-left corner.
• Go to the “Confirmation Text” section.
• Enter your text in the corresponding fields—one for “Form Submitted,” one for “Acceptance,” and one for “Decline.” You can also add links, adjust font sizes, and bold text.
• Save by clicking the button in the bottom-left corner.

Add a guest manually

Not every registration is submitted digitally via the invitation form. Confirmations by phone, in-person registrations at the reception desk, or last-minute additions just before the event can be entered directly into the guest list—without the guest having to receive the invitation or fill out the form.

This ensures your guest list remains complete and reliable as a central database—regardless of how the RSVP was received.

1. Navigate to the guest list for the desired event.
2. Click the blue “Add Guest” button.
3. A form will open; fill it out with the guest’s necessary information and then submit it.

Edit Guest

A guest’s information may change during the planning process—for example, if their dietary preferences change at the last minute, an accompanying person is added, or their status is updated following a phone call. With the edit function, you can update all fields directly in the guest list without the guest having to fill out the form again.

1. Search for the guest in question in the guest list.
2. Click the pencil icon on the right side of the guest’s row.
3. The edit form opens with the previously entered data pre-filled. Update the desired fields.
4. Click “Submit” at the bottom. The changes are applied immediately.

The following changes are typically relevant:

• Update registration status: e.g., from “Pending” to “Confirmed” after a phone call
• Update dietary requests or preferences: if a guest’s information changes at the last minute
• Add or remove an accompanying person: if the accompanying person changes
• Correct contact information: e.g., if an email address was entered incorrectly

Sorting, Filtering, and Column Editing

The guest list offers several options for customizing the view—so you can keep track of everything even with a large number of guests and see exactly the information that’s relevant at any given moment.

Filter by confirmation status

Use the status filter to narrow down the guest list to a specific group—and then work or communicate specifically with that group.

Typical use cases:

• Before the event: Filter for “Pending” and send a targeted reminder
• For catering: Display and export only “Confirmed” and “Submitted”
• After the event: Filter out “Canceled” and re-invite for future events

How to filter by status:

1. Select the desired status—or a combination of statuses—at the top of the guest list.
2. The guest list updates immediately.

Sorting

Sorting allows you to adjust the order of entries to suit your current needs—without altering the data.

Typical use cases:

• Alphabetically by name: Ideal for check-in—all guests can be found immediately
• By company: Handy for sales teams to view guests from the same company grouped together
• By submission date: Useful for seeing the most recently added guests at the top immediately

Click on the column header of the column you want to sort by. Clicking again reverses the sort order (ascending / descending).

Column editing

The guest list can contain many columns, depending on the form layout. Using the column editor, you can show or hide columns and reorder them using drag-and-drop. This way, everyone sees exactly what they need.

1. Click the “Edit Columns” button in the top-right corner of the guest list.
2. A panel will open showing all available columns. Mandatory fields such as Name or Email are permanently selected and cannot be hidden.
3. Enable or disable individual columns using the toggle to the right of the column name.
4. To change the order, grab a column row by the drag handle (the handle area on the left side of the row) and drag it to the desired position.

Invitation Templates Section

The “Invitation Templates” section is intentionally modeled after the familiar “Manage eCards” section. To make the layout clearer and avoid confusion, invitations and greeting cards have been separated into distinct sections.

Option 1: Create and fill out a blank invitation/e-card

To create a new invitation card—including a customizable form—select “Create New eCard” and start with a blank template.

Select the “Power eCard – Form Builder Template.” This template already includes the form template, so you can add a customizable reply form to your invitation right away.

For more information on creating a blank, new eCard, see the separate guide.

To customize your eCard invitation—for example, by adding a custom header and personalized invitation text—follow the guide “Create an eCard in the Live Editor.” Once you’ve customized the invitation, you can start creating the corresponding feedback form.

Once you’ve finished designing the invitation, you can proceed to the next step: creating the associated feedback form.

Option 2: Customize an Invitation Template/eCard from the Library

You can select an existing invitation template from our library and use or customize it, including the form. To do so, select “Invitation Templates > Create New Invitation > From Power eCard Library.”

In the top-right corner, search for “Invitation” and select an invitation template. For detailed step-by-step instructions, see the separate guide titled “Create a Card from the Library.”

How the Form Editor Works

To add a custom form to your invitation, you can use the built-in form editor. You can find the form editor directly in the Live Editor by clicking the blue “Edit Form” button in the left sidebar.

Option 1: Use a Ready-Made Form Template

Click “Form Templates” in the upper-right corner of the form editor. There you’ll find attractively designed templates for three different occasions—each available as an open invitation or with an RSVP option.

Click on the template that best suits your event. The selected form will load directly into the editor and can be customized as needed.

Option 2: Design a Blank Form Yourself

In the Form Editor, you can create your own custom form using drag-and-drop. Drag the desired elements from the left sidebar into the form area, and finish by adding a “Submit” button to the form.

Save your changes by clicking “Save” in the top-right corner. Click “Back” to return to the Live Editor.

Form fields can only be inserted in the designated locations—you can identify these by the green “Drag here” label that appears when you hover over them with the mouse.

Individual Elements

The available elements are clearly organized into different tabs and can be quickly found using the built-in search field:

• Power eCard Fields: Proven standard fields—title, first name, last name, email address, and the send button. Fields labeled “Attendee” are closely linked to the guest list. Use these fields if you want to request relevant information.
• General Fields: Custom elements for additional queries—e.g., meal preferences via the “Select” element.
• Layout: Headings, paragraphs, images, or custom HTML content to enhance the form’s visual appeal.

Best Best Practices: Which Form Fields to Use for What?

While traditional fields such as headings, paragraphs, and text boxes are usually self-explanatory, other input types often cause confusion: checkboxes, radio buttons, radio button groups, and multi-select fields may look similar, but they serve different purposes.

Comparison of Form Elements

Field Type	Description	Single Selection Possible	Multiple Selection Possible	Typical Display
Checkbox	Flexible options – users can select one, multiple, or none	✅ (one checkbox)	✅ (multiple checkboxes)	[ ] Option 1 [ ] Option 2
Radio	Single selectable option, only meaningful as part of a radio group	❌ (not meaningful alone)	❌	○ Option A (part of a group)
Radio Group	One choice from multiple options – exclusive selection	✅	❌	○ Option A ○ Option B (only 1 selectable)
Multiselect	Compact dropdown allowing multiple selections	❌	✅	⬇ Dropdown menu with multiple selectable entries

Examples of How to Use Fields in Invitations

Field Type	Sample Question	Typical Options
✅ Checkbox	“I will bring a guest” “I require barrier-free access”	[ ] Yes
🔘 Radio Group	“Which menu option would you prefer?”	○ Vegetarian ○ Vegan ○ Meat Dish
🔽 Multiselect	“Which program items would you like to attend?”	▾ Welcome ▾ Workshop A ▾ Networking ▾ Dinner

Example Form Structure

A form with open registration (no sign-up or cancellation module) could be structured as follows, for example:

1. Heading (H1) – Introduction or title of the form
2. Paragraph – Additional information or notes for guests
3. Salutation for participants – Personal address to guests
4. Participant’s first name / last name – Request for personal information
5. Participant’s email address – For further communication and confirmation
6. Dropdown menu (select) – For example, to ask about dietary preferences (e.g., omnivore, vegetarian, vegan)
7. Radio button – Asking whether a companion will be brought along (Yes/No)
8. Companion – repeatable – Collection of the companion’s data
9. Submit button – Completion and submission of the form

This creates a personalized, customized digital invitation that asks for the specific details relevant to your event in just a few steps.