User Guide for Event Organizers
Welcome!
Thank you for choosing our catering service for your event. This guide will walk you through our dietary requirements management system – a simple tool that makes collecting your attendees’ dietary needs effortless.
What this system does: Automatically collects and organizes dietary requirements from all your event attendees, ensuring nothing gets missed and everyone’s needs are met.
Time required: 5-10 minutes to set up your event. After that, we handle everything automatically.
Quick Start: Your Event in 4 Steps
- Create your event – Enter basic event details
- Add your attendees – Upload your guest list with email addresses
- Review and send – Check everything, then we email everyone automatically
- Track and relax – Watch responses come in, add latecomers if needed
That’s it! Let’s walk through each step in detail.
Step 1: Create Your Event
You can access the system here. Click the link and you’ll see your Events Dashboard where all your events will be stored. Click on the ‘Create new event’ button to start.
What to Enter:
Event Name – Give your event a clear name your attendees will recognize.
- Example: “Q4 Sales Team Meeting”
- Example: “Annual Board Lunch”
Event Description – (optional) Add any details that help attendees understand the event.
- Example: “Join us for our quarterly review and team lunch”
Event Date – The date of your actual event—this helps attendees understand when they need to respond by.
Event Location – (optional) Where your event is taking place.
- Example: “Conference Room A, Head Office”
Response Deadline – The date by which attendees must submit their dietary requirements. We recommend setting this at least 3-5 business days before your event to give our catering team adequate preparation time.
Your Name – Your name, so attendees know who’s organizing the event.
Your Email – Where you’d like to receive notifications when attendees respond.
Tips:
- Choose a response deadline that gives you breathing room
- Be specific with the event name so attendees don’t confuse it with other meetings
- You can edit these details later if needed
Step 2: Add Your Attendees
This is the most important step – getting your attendee list entered accurately. You have two options:
Option A: Manual Entry
Click “Add Attendee” for each person:
- Enter their full name
- Enter their email address
- Click “Add” to add them to the list
You’ll see each person appear in the list below as you add them.
Tips for Manual Entry:
- Double-check email addresses—typos mean they won’t receive the form
- Use the email address they check regularly (usually work email for business events)
- Full names help attendees recognize the event is legitimate
Option B: Bulk Upload (Excel/CSV)
If you have a large guest list, upload it all at once using our template:
- Click “Download Template” to get our pre-formatted Excel file
- Open the template and fill in your attendees’ information:
- Enter one person per row
- Fill in the Name column with full names
- Fill in the Email column with email addresses
- Save the completed file
- Click “Upload Excel/CSV” and select your filled template
- Review the preview to ensure names and emails imported correctly
- Click “Import” to add everyone at once
Template Tips:
- Don’t change the column headers (Name, Email)
- Don’t add extra columns or sheets
- Remove any blank rows before uploading
- Keep all data in the first sheet
- Double-check email addresses for typos
Example of filled template:
Name | Email
John Smith | john.smith@company.com
Sarah Johnson | sarah.j@company.com
Michael Chen | m.chen@company.comReviewing Your List
Once you’ve added everyone either manually or in bulk, review the complete list:
- Check for duplicate entries
- Verify email addresses look correct
- Make sure you haven’t missed anyone
Remove someone? Click the ❌ next to their name to delete them from the list.
Step 3: Review and Send Invitations
Before sending, you’ll see a summary of your event:
- Event details
- Number of attendees
- Response deadline
- Your contact information
What Happens When You Click “Send Invitations”?
Each attendee on your list receives an email that includes:
- Your event details (name, date, location)
- A personalized link unique to them
- Instructions to complete their dietary requirements
- The deadline for responding
The email is sent from our catering service and includes your name as the event organizer.
Important Notes:
- Once sent, you cannot unsend the invitations
- You can still add people later (see Step 4)
- Emails are sent immediately when you click “Send”
Ready? Click “Send Invitations” and you’re done with setup!
Tips:
- Time it with your calendar invite – Send dietary requirement invitations shortly after (or at the same time as) your calendar/meeting invitation so attendees immediately understand which event they relate to.
Step 4: Track Responses
After sending invitations, you can log back in anytime to check on responses.
Your Event Dashboard
You’ll see:
- Total Attendees: How many people you invited
- Responses Received: How many have completed the form
- Pending Responses: Who still needs to respond
- Time Remaining: Days until your deadline
Viewing Individual Responses
Click “View Details” to see:
- Who has responded with a ✓ checkmark
- Who hasn’t responded yet (shown in gray)
- Each person’s selected dietary requirements
Example of what you’ll see:
✓ John Smith - Vegetarian, No nuts
✓ Sarah Johnson - Gluten-free
⏱ Michael Chen - (No response yet)Automatic Reminders
Don’t worry about chasing people down. Our system automatically:
- Sends a reminder 48 hours before your deadline to anyone who hasn’t responded
- Sends a final reminder 24 hours before the deadline
- Includes your event details in each reminder
You’ll receive an email notification whenever someone completes their requirements.
Adding Late Attendees
Realised someone was left off the original list? No problem.
How to Add Someone After Sending:
- Log into your event dashboard
- Click “Add Attendee”
- Enter their name and email
- Click “Send Invitation”
What happens:
- They receive the same invitation email as everyone else
- Their personal link takes them directly to the dietary requirements form
- They’re added to your attendee list
- Only they receive an email, we don’t re-send to people who already got one
You can add attendees anytime up until your response deadline.
What Your Attendees See
When your attendees receive the email and click their personal link, they see a simple form:
The Dietary Requirements Form
Event details are shown at the top:
- Event name, date, location
- Response deadline
- Your name as organizer
Then they select from:
- Standard dietary categories (checkboxes for common requirements and restrictions)
- Additional requirements (text box for anything not listed or for specific details)
Attendee Experience:
- Takes 2 minutes to complete
- Works perfectly on mobile phones
- Can select multiple categories
- Can add specific details or allergies
- Submits with one click
- Receives a confirmation email
Once submitted:
- Form is locked (can’t accidentally submit twice)
- Both you and our catering team are notified
- The attendee receives a confirmation email with their selection
Viewing Final Results
As your event date approaches, you can review the complete list of dietary requirements.
Access Your Summary:
- Log into your event dashboard
- Click “View Summary”
You’ll see:
- Complete list of all attendees
- Each person’s dietary requirements
- Any special notes or allergies
- Summary counts (e.g., “5 vegetarian, 2 vegan, 3 gluten-free”)
This information is also automatically sent to our catering team so they can prepare accordingly.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
“Someone says they didn’t receive the email”
Check these things:
- Verify their email address is correct in your attendee list
- Ask them to check spam/junk folders
- Contact us, we can help by re-sending the invitation
- or enter their selection through your dashboard by following the ‘Selection Form’ link next to their name
Solution: Contact us, we can help by re-sending the invitation or enter their selection directly through your dashboard by following the ‘Selection Form’ link next to their name.
“An attendee wants to change their selection”
Good news: They can! They just need to:
- Use the same link from their original email
- Update their selections
- Resubmit the form
The new response overwrites the old one. Both you and our catering team receive the update.
“Someone doesn’t have email / won’t use it”
If you have an attendee who can’t use email:
- Contact our catering team directly
- We can manually enter their requirements
- Or you can enter them through your dashboard by following the ‘Selection Form’ link next to their name
“I need to cancel the event”
Contact our catering team as soon as possible. We’ll:
- Cancel the catering order per our cancellation policy
- Close the dietary requirements collection
- Send cancellation notices to attendees if requested
“The response deadline passed but someone hasn’t responded”
Options:
- Extend the deadline – Contact us and we can adjust it
- Contact them directly – Use your attendee list to follow up personally
- Proceed without their input – We’ll prepare a standard meal option for them
We always recommend building buffer time into your deadline for this reason.
“I entered the wrong date/details”
No problem! Log into your event dashboard and click “Edit Event Details” to make corrections.
Note: If you change major details (like the event date), you may want to notify attendees directly or ask us to resend the invitations with updated information.
“Can I see an example of what attendees receive?”
Yes! When you’re setting up your event, there’s a “Preview Email” button that shows you exactly what your attendees will see.
Need Help?
We’re here to make your event perfect.
Contact our catering team:
- Email: info@whitehenry.com.au
- Phone: (02) 9640 0366
- Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-2:30pm
Tips for Success
Best Practices:
✓ Set your deadline 3-5 days before the event – Gives our team time to prepare properly
✓ Double-check email addresses – One typo means someone doesn’t get the form
✓ Use bulk upload for events over 10 people – Saves time and reduces data entry errors
✓ Send early in the week – Monday/Tuesday sends get better response rates than Friday sends
✓ Add yourself to the attendee list – See exactly what your attendees experience
✓ Use your organization’s directory for email addresses – Ensures accuracy
Privacy & Security
Your attendees’ information is protected:
- Unique, secure links that can’t be guessed
- Information shared only with you and our catering team
- No data sold or shared with third parties
- Secure, encrypted transmission of all data
Each attendee can only:
- View their own response
- Update their own requirements
- Access the form through their unique link
What Happens After Collection Closes?
Once your response deadline passes:
- The system locks—no new responses accepted
- Complete dietary requirements list is finalized
- Our catering team prepares your order based on responses
- You receive a final summary for your records
On event day, our catering team arrives prepared to meet everyone’s needs. No surprises, no missed requirements, no stress.
That’s it! You’re ready to use the system.
Remember: This tool is designed to save you time and ensure everyone’s dietary needs are met perfectly. If you have any questions or need assistance at any point, we’re just an email or phone call away.
Happy planning!
