Real setup, names changed
A 600-guest community gala invited and confirmed entirely on WhatsApp
Cultural association running an annual gala dinner · Google Sheets add-on
The Chennai Cultural Circle (name changed) hosts an annual gala. Invitations used to be paper cards hand-delivered by committee members; RSVPs arrived by phone call, or not at all.
The situation
The community communicates on WhatsApp — an emailed ticket would sit unread. Invitations needed to feel personal, come from the association, and carry the guest's own name.
The door team needed to distinguish regular guests from sponsor tables without printing separate ticket stock.
The setup
Personal QR invitations on WhatsApp
Each guest receives a WhatsApp message with a personalized QR invitation — their name, their table category, the gala artwork. Sending runs straight from the guest list sheet.
Guides: WhatsApp sending modes · Change how your ticket looks
Categories on the ticket
The ticket design shows Regular or Patron directly under the guest name, so the door team seats people correctly at a glance — one guest list, two experiences.
Guides: Change how your ticket looks · Attendee summary format
RSVP visible in the sheet
Delivery and check-in status write back to the sheet, so the organizing committee watches confirmations arrive instead of chasing phone calls.
Duplicate protection at the door
A forwarded invitation stops working after its first scan — important when the whole community is on the same WhatsApp groups.
Guide: Max check-ins per attendee
What happened
Over 630 WhatsApp messages sent for one gala by a single volunteer, with delivery visible message by message.
The same recipe now covers the association's other events — milestone birthdays, fundraisers — by copying the sheet.
Features used in this example
More examples
Next step
Set up the same thing for your event
Free for your first 10 attendees. After that, pricing is per attendee — and unused check-ins never expire.