Automating Conference Certificates

Certificates of attendance, workshop completion, and continuing education credits are a standard requirement at many professional, medical, and academic conferences. For organizers, issuing certificates can involve considerable administrative work. Each certificate must contain the correct participant details, reflect actual attendance, and reach the right person. Events with multiple workshops or accredited sessions add further complexity.

A typical conference certificate includes the event name, date and location, official signatures, the participant's details, and conference branding. Some also include a photo, continuing education credits, or a QR code that links to a verification page.

Eventact automates this process. Organizers design certificate templates, define eligibility rules based on registration and attendance data, and distribute personalized PDF certificates through email, SMS, WhatsApp, or direct download links.

Once configured, certificates generate on demand using the participant's current information without manually preparing or sending individual files.

Setup has three parts:

1. A certificate template. Your own background artwork, with participant fields placed on top.
2. Eligibility rules. Conditions based on registration and attendance data, such as check-in or a session scan.
3. On-demand generation. Eventact builds the PDF when it is requested, using the participant's current data.

Eligibility is checked against the latest available data whenever a certificate is requested, whether through a participant's personal link or a back-office download.

Go to Registration > Certificates and create a new certificate. The editor has three sections: Page settings, Eligibility criteria, and Lines, with a live preview on the right that updates as you work.

Background and Page

Create the background in any graphic tool, such as Canva, Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign. Include all the fixed elements: borders, static text, logos, signatures, and stamps. Export it as a PNG or JPG and upload it under Page > Background.

• Page size and margins: The default is A4 landscape with 5 mm margins.
• Background scaling: The background fills the whole page edge to edge regardless of margins. Its aspect ratio is always kept. If your image's proportions differ from the page, it scales to fill the page and excess is trimmed evenly from the edges. Round seals and logos never stretch.
• Printing to the edge: The background reaches the edge of the PDF. Most desktop printers can't print to the very edge, so a thin outer strip may be cut off.
• Image resolution: Export A4 artwork at 1754 × 1240 pixels (150 dpi) for sharp print and fast downloads. The maximum is 3508 × 2480 pixels (300 dpi). Larger files add size without improving the result.

Lines and Dynamic Content

Lines are placed inside the printable area set by the page margins. Click Add line and choose what to display:

• Text and attendee fields: Combine fields such as {Contact.FullName} or {Certificate.IssueDate} with static text. Set the font, size, style, and alignment. Text lines support right-to-left languages, including mixed RTL and LTR text in one line.
• Automatic font scaling: If a name or title is unusually long, the font size is reduced so the text stays within the margins.
• QR codes: Add a QR code that links to a verification page, or encode participant data for scanning.
• Images and photos: Place partner logos or participant photos (uploaded during registration or in the event app). If a participant has no photo, the image area remains blank.

Positioning

By default, you don't set positions. Each line is centered horizontally, and lines stack one under the other with spacing based on font size. The whole block is centered vertically between the top and bottom margins. Adding a line adjusts the layout.

To move the whole block up or down to fit your artwork, change the top and bottom margins under Page. For example, if your design has a large header, increase the top margin so the content moves below it.

If your artwork needs a field in an exact spot, such as a name on a pre-printed line or a photo inside a frame, you have two options for that line:

• Change its alignment to left or right.
• Set an exact position with X and Y in millimeters measured from the top-left corner.

Drag lines by their handles to change the order in which they stack.

Preview

The preview shows your background with the lines in place. Fields appear as placeholders, such as {Contact.FullName}, and participant images are not shown.

In the Eligibility criteria section, set the rules for who receives the certificate. You can base them on:

• Arrival status: Only participants marked as Arrived through the Arrival app or a check-in station. No-shows are not eligible.
• Ticket type: Specific tickets or add-ons, such as a full conference pass or an accredited CME add-on.
• Session attendance: A scan at the entrance to a specific session or room. Useful for workshops that grant credits.
• Registration form and role: A specific registration form, or a role such as Speaker or Committee Member.

If no eligibility criteria are configured, all registrants qualify.

Why Live Eligibility Matters

Attendance records are not always complete when an event ends. A participant may check in late, a workshop scan may be entered later, or an organizer may correct a registration record.

With Eventact, you don't need to regenerate certificates or resend download links after these changes. Eligibility is evaluated against the latest available data whenever a participant requests their certificate.

Certificates don't need a separate mailing. You can send a dedicated message or add the certificate link to any message you already send: a thank-you email, a post-event survey, an SMS, or a WhatsApp message.

1. Open the message in the Messaging module, or create a new one.
2. Insert the {Certificate.Download} field in the message body, or link it to a button.
3. Send the message to all registrants or to a filtered group.

Each recipient gets a personal link.

What Happens When a Participant Opens the Link

Eligibility is checked when the participant opens the link, not when the message is sent. Eventact checks the participant's current data against the rules of each active certificate.

• If eligible: the participant downloads a PDF with all the certificates they qualify for.
• If not eligible: a page explains that no certificate is available.

Sending Before the Event

You can include the link in messages sent before the event, such as the final logistics email. The link works immediately. Until the participant qualifies, the page indicates that no certificate is available. Once the participant meets the eligibility criteria, the same link provides the certificate.

An event can have several certificates, each with its own design and rules. For example, one for general attendance and one for each accredited workshop.

If a participant qualifies for more than one, Eventact combines them into a single PDF, one page per certificate. The participant downloads one file from one link, and you still send one message.

Staff can download certificates directly, without waiting for participants to open their links.

One Participant

Open the registrant's profile, go to Overview > About, and click Certificate. The button appears only when the event has at least one active certificate.

A Group of Participants

Use this to print certificates for handout at the venue, or to keep a PDF archive.

1. Go to the registration management page.
2. Filter the list and select the registrants you need.
3. Click Bulk action and choose Print Certificate.

The system checks eligibility for each selected registrant. Before the file is built, a review window shows each one in green (eligible, with the certificate names) or red (not eligible). Only green rows are included.

The result is one PDF with a page per certificate, ready to print.

• Test before sending. Download a certificate for a test registrant to check real data, long names, and photos.
• PDF quality. Participant data is embedded as selectable vector text, so names stay sharp in print and can be copied or searched. Background quality depends on the resolution of the image you upload.
• Bulk limit. Each bulk download can include up to 1,000 registrants. For larger events, split the list using filters.
• Link expiration. Personal certificate links remain valid for one year after the event ends.
• Help. For help with templates or eligibility rules, contact Eventact Support.