Using Custom Domains with Eventact Websites, Apps and Emails

Sep 8, 2024 | 6 min read

Build Trust and Enhance Your Event Experience with Custom Domains

Using your own domain name for emails, websites, and event apps reinforces brand identity, builds trust with attendees, and creates a cohesive experience. This guide will walk you through setting up custom domains with Eventact.

Custom Domain for Outgoing Emails from Eventact

To ensure emails sent from Eventact using your domain are not marked as spam, you need to authorize Eventact as a legitimate sender in your domain's SPF record. An SPF (Sender Policy Framework) record specifies which servers are authorized to send emails on your behalf. The SPF record is published by a server called DNS that is provided by the domain register, hosting provider, or 3rd party.

Updating Your SPF Record

SPF is a special DNS record that lists the legitimate email servers authorized to send emails from your domain. To allow Eventact to send emails on your behalf, you need to include _spf.eventact.com in your SPF record.

Here's how to update your SPF record:

Get the updated SPF record:
- Go to the "Project Settings", in your Eventact project settings.
- Select "Email and Phone" and enter the email address you want to use as the sender.
- Click "Test." Eventact will check your domain and provide you with an updated SPF record if needed.
Update the SPF Record:
Important: Updating the SPF record or any DNS records can affect email deliverability or even make your website unavailable if done incorrectly. Only proceed if you fully understand the process and its implications.
- Log in to your domain registrar's control panel or your web hosting control panel and Locate the DNS management section.
- If you're unsure where to find it, log into your domain registrar (where you purchased the domain) or your web hosting control panel (the interface provided by your hosting service).
- Look for a section labeled "DNS Management," "Domain Records," or something similar. This section will list all your domain's existing DNS records, each with a type (e.g., A, CNAME, TXT, MX).
- Locate or create a TXT record for your SPF settings. If an existing TXT record starts with "v=spf1," this is your SPF record. If you have more than one, consult Eventact or your IT department before proceeding.
- Edit or enter the value provided by Eventact in the test results, which should include "include:_spf.eventact.com."
- Save the changes
Verify the Update:
1. Return to Eventact.
2. Go to "Project Details" and the "Email and Phone" page, then click "Test" again to verify the update.
Note: DNS record updates can take 24-48 hours to propagate across the internet.

Using DKIM

DKIM is another method to improve email deliverability. Eventact supports DKIM, which can be set up in your company's email settings. Refer to the DKIM documentation within Eventact for detailed instructions.

Custom Domains for Event Websites

For sites you build in Evenact, you have three options for domains or URLs.

Use Eventact's Generic Domain: Eventact provides a default domain (e.g., ws.eventact.com) followed by a unique keyword for your event (e.g., https://ws.eventact.com/experienceinnovation).
Use a Custom Domain or Subdomain for Each Event: You can link a unique domain or subdomain to each website you create in Eventact.
Use One Custom Domain or Subdomain for All Event Websites: For example, if your company site is event-bros.com, you can use events.event-bros.com as the base for all your event websites. This allows you to have URLs like https://events.event-bros.com/tech-summit24 and https://events.event-bros.com/med-summit.

Advantages of Using One Custom Domain for Multiple Event Websites

Using a single subdomain for multiple event websites can save on domain renewal fees and reduce the overhead of purchasing and setting up a new domain for each event each year. It also helps to build and maintain your brand's online reputation.

Connecting Your Domain to a Website

To connect your domain or subdomain to an Eventact website, you need to create a CNAME record in your DNS settings. A CNAME record is an alias that points one domain to another.

Set Up a Domain for Multiple Websites: Point the CNAME record to cws.eventact.com (e.g., set up events.event-bros.com to point to cws.eventact.com).
Set Up a Domain for a Single Event Website: Create a CNAME record pointing the-conference-domain.com to ws.eventact.com.

Basic Instructions for Creating a CNAME Record:

Access Your DNS Management Panel: Log in to your domain registrar's control panel and locate the DNS management section.
Locate the List of DNS Records: Under DNS Management, look for a section that lists your domain's existing DNS records, each with a type (e.g., A, CNAME, TXT, MX).
Create the CNAME Record:
1. Add a new record and provide the necessary details:
  - Host/Name: Enter the subdomain you want to use (e.g., "app" for app.event-bros.com).
  - Type: Select "CNAME" from the dropdown menu.
  - Value/Target: Enter the target domain name (e.g., cws.eventact.com for multiple events or ws.eventact.com for a single event).
2. Save the record.

Update Eventact Settings:

After the CNAME record has propagated (usually within a few hours), update your settings in Eventact.
- Single event custom domain: Enter the domain name in the website settings page.
- Multiple event domains: Go to the company-level page, select "Settings," then "Advanced Options," and enter your custom domain.
Edit or add a setting:
- Key: runWebsites.
- Value: events.event-bros.com (your custom domain)

Accelerate Domain Changes

When you update DNS records, it usually takes 5 minutes to a few hours for the changes to propagate across the internet. The exact time varies based on factors such as DNS record settings and caching. The exact time varies based on factors such as DNS record settings and caching.

Steps to Speed Up DNS Changes

Request Cache Flushes from DNS Providers

To make changes visible faster, you can manually request DNS providers to flush their cache:

Clear Your Local DNS Cache

On Windows:

Open the Command Prompt (CMD)
Enter the following command:
```
ipconfig/flushdns
```

Custom Domains for Event App

Eventact's Event App is a Progressive Web App (PWA), which can be accessed via a URL without installation. You can use your domain as the Event App URL by creating a CNAME record pointing to f2f.eventact.com.

Set Up the App's Custom Domain:

Create a CNAME record for your chosen subdomain (e.g., app.event-bros.com pointing to f2f.eventact.com). For guidance - see the website custom domain CNAME instructions above.
To activate the app's custom domain
1. Enter Eventact, and go to the company-level page.
2. Select "Settings" on the left-side menu.
3. Click on "Options". Then click on "Advanced options"
4. Edit or add a setting:
  1. Key: runWebsites
  2. Value: app.event-bros.com (your custom domain)

Your Feedback is Welcome – We're Here to Help!

We hope this guide has been helpful and clear. If you have any further questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Using Your Domain for Emails and Website