Automate Event Certificates in 10 Easy Steps [+Bonus]

Successful events. The lifeblood of a marketer's work. And while they're fun and educational in their own right, there's usually absorb countless hours of hard work.

Here’s the thing. Manually creating (and distributing!) online certificates can take up the precious time of event planners, which could be invested into marketing activities that are more impactful than paperwork.

So this article is just for you – we’re going to share how automating your event certificates takes practically no effort and saves you some serious time along the way.

Do you need certificates at your event?

Are you so sick of creating event certificates that you wonder if you even need them anymore? The truth is – yes, you need them.

The event certificate can be the spark that motivates many potential clients to participate. It's a powerful way to recognize individuals for their achievements, and it always helps create a memorable moment. So if you're looking to make the most of your event (or even increase your return on investment), certificates are a must. 

As soon as you have everything set up and are able to relax, you won't want to leave. Automation has never been easier – and you're exactly in the right spot to make it happen.

Automate your event certificates easily - Here's how!

The process of automating your event certificate program isn't as hard as you might think. With the right software, you can streamline this process and save yourself a ton of time. The best part is that if you know how it's extremely easy to do. Let’s see how you can issue your event certificates seamlessly, easily, and with fun.

Step 1: Use certificate maker (Pst! Look no further than Certifier)

Among the best tools for event strategists should appear one non-obvious guy – an online certificate maker. With the ability to streamline certificate creation and distribution, it makes event management a lot easier.

No matter whether you're planning hybrid events, virtual events, or traditional ones, such tools as Certifier can totally change your event planning process. It works like a specialized task management solution for event planning and certificates. It's actually the solution that lets you do all further automation. So it's inevitable if you want to create impactful events.

Why Certifier? Planning events involves many time-consuming tasks, and sending certificates one by one can take a lot of effort. Luckily, such a tool as Certifier makes the whole event management process slightly easier. By providing a drag & drop editor and bulk issuing, it delivers the best experience for event professionals. And its effective methods of tracking certificates guarantee success.

🎨 Start creating professional event certificates for free today. Sign up.

Step 2: Prepare a sheet with the recipients' data

Getting all recipients' data ready is the first step towards an effective approach to automating the certificate program of your event. Imagine that you are preparing a huge marketing event and have to handle hundreds of names and surnames. There's no way any event manager will have the time to deal with this.

That's why you should automate the registration process from the ground up. When someone fills out the form for participating in the event or buys a ticket, their basic data will appear in the sheet. You won't have to organize the data, as they will all be ready and prepared. Afterward, you will be able to automate the certificate generation straight away (more about that in Step 6).

Want to save your attendees’ data via Google Forms? Check out this: How to Generate Certificates with Google Forms

Step 3: Create a design for the certificate

It’s time to unleash your creativity. With Certifier, you have two options: 

• Choose one of the templates from the library of certificate templates

• Create your own event certificate from scratch

No matter which one you choose, you can make changes back and forth and choose your fonts, layout, and elements, all of this with an intuitive drag & drop builder. All these basic tools will let you have full control over the final design. 

Step 4: Turn on dynamic attributes

If events professionals want to make the most of the online format of their certificate, they should take care of attributes. Why are they so important? 

Setting up dynamic attributes mitigates the risk of errors occurring. In this way, you can create a template that can be used to create multiple certificates, each with the recipient's data automatically added from your sheet.

For example, the template above has the following attributes on: 1) [recipient.name] 2) [certificate.uuid] 3) [certificate.issued_on].

Don't worry – Certifier lets you manage attributes by default and makes it super easy to handle.

Step 5: Add QR code

Thanks to QR codes, document authenticity is guaranteed. Certifier automatically adds a unique QR code for each certificate you create by using the recipient's data and the generated UUID – which makes it easier for everyone to identify its originality. QR codes are also essential for quickly verifying hybrid format certificates without manual labor involved.

🌍 QR code is especially useful among printed certificates. However, sustainability in the event industry prompts event management professionals to move away from the traditional accessible format. Environmental performance is a must for any event, and Certifier's QR code can help you achieve it.

Step 6: Create a group of recipients

As soon as your design is ready, Certifier will move you to the recipients' management dashboard. It’s also the place where you will be able to select the email template to distribute your event certificates.

To get credentials for the educational event and increase your credibility (as most business events industry leaders do), simply paste the URL. Then, visitors to the certificate will be automatically directed to the linked website.

Step 7: Issue event certificates

You’re almost done! It is now just a matter of linking the recipients' data you prepared earlier to the relevant recipients' groups from the previously prepared sheet. The Certifier dashboard lets you issue all certificates from one single dashboard – which makes the certification process for event planning a breeze. 

Go to Credentials, select the group of recipients, and choose “I would like to upload a spreadsheet with a list of recipients.” The dashboard will automatically display all the data.

Step 8: Preview before submitting

Among the event management skillset of every event manager is the ability to focus on details. You must check that the certificates look appropriate before sending them out. To do this, go to Certifier’s dashboard and click on the 'Preview before publishing' button. You can evaluate a preview of all your certificates.

Step 9: Save and publish

Everything looks as it should? Click “Save and publish.” Certifier will send all your credentials at once. Here's how event planning abilities look in 2023.

Step 10: Track the status (resend if needed)

The best part is that Certifier lets you track event certificates' status (published, the email bounced, open, engagement). It's super helpful for overall event management – you will not leave any participant without the credential.

The performance of meetings and events can also be tracked using LinkedIn publications. In addition, it's a gap for marketing for events – if someone sees your certificate on social media, they're more likely to participate in the next event. Is your participant still not opening the email? With just one click, resend the credential.

What are the essential components of an event certificate?

How to know that you don't miss out on any critical certificate event elements? Check out this handy checklist to guarantee you get it perfect.

✅ The title or purpose of the event certificate

This is typically a short phrase such as “Certificate of Attendance” that serves to indicate what type of certification is being issued.

✅ The name and logo of the issuing entity

It should include the full name or logo of the organization, usually clearly stated at the top or bottom of the document.

✅ The name of the recipient

Clearly, state who the certificate is for. It will also usually include the recipient’s address, date of birth, etc., depending on what type of certification it is.

✅ Details about the event

Describe when and where the specific event took place. Include additional details such as keynote speakers, topics discussed, etc., if applicable.

✅ A signature from an authorized representative

This serves to validate that this certificate has been officially issued by an entity with the proper authority to do so. It may include a physical signature or stamp with a logo of some kind.

Bonus: Event certificate templates (free to download!)

For those of you who have trouble designing your events industry certificates, here's a tip. Let’s make use of some free event certificate templates that you can download and modify. Literally, within minutes, you can create your own event certificates. No more struggling with vectors and graphics.

#1: Simple Certificate Template

This template is a great starting point for creating your own event certificates. It's simple, easy to use, and can be tweaked to fit any occasion.

[Download the template]

#2: Professional Certificate Template

A certificate template like this is ideal for a special event. It comes with a modern design and plenty of customization options to make it your own.

[Download the template]

#3: Achievement Certificate Template

If you’re looking for something more unique, this achievement certificate template might be just what you need. Perfect for corporate events to thank the employees.

[Download the template]

Do you need more? Certifier provides a library of event certificate templates that you can download to Certifier Certificate Maker, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Figma, and Adobe Illustrator. Easy to edit and free to download. 🎨

To sum up

Using automation is like jumping on a trampoline. You can quickly and easily get the results you want. Then, it is pointless to resign from it. Especially since today's software is so flexible and requires almost no effort on your part. 

Eliminate tedious tasks and save time. Let Certifier be your way to issue event certificates in a snap!