Project Spotlight: How We Transformed Event Management with Zoho Integration

By Bunga, Project Manager of Smartmates

Event management is exciting, but the administrative burden behind it? Not so much. One of our clients, who regularly hosts workshops, seminars, and conferences, struggled with inefficiencies caused by the lack of connection between their event platform and accounting system. This disconnect resulted in manual data entry, delayed invoicing, and limited visibility across their operations.

The Challenge

Our client was already using Zoho Backstage for event management and Zoho Books for accounting, but these systems existed in silos. Every time they sold a ticket, the team had to:

• Manually create invoices in Zoho Books
• Send invoices to attendees individually
• Track payments across multiple channels (Stripe, bank transfers, deposits)
• Update RSVP and attendance records back in Zoho Backstage

This repetitive back-and-forth was time-consuming, prone to errors, and pulled the team away from what really mattered: delivering exceptional events.

The Solution

We designed an end-to-end automation using Zoho Flow to bridge Zoho Backstage and Zoho Books. Here’s how it works:

• Smart Customer Recognition: When someone purchases a ticket, the system checks if they’re already in Zoho Books. If yes, it generates an invoice under their existing account. If not, it creates a new customer record first.
• Automatic Invoice Generation: Based on event type and ticket price, invoices are automatically created and emailed to attendees, whether tickets are paid or free.
• Payment Flexibility: The system handles multiple payment methods: Stripe, deposits, bank transfers, and even offline payments, automatically updating invoice status accordingly.
• Seamless Synchronization: All transaction data flows back into Zoho Books for complete financial visibility, while attendee information updates in Zoho Backstage for RSVP tracking.

The Impact

The transformation has been remarkable. Our client now runs events with confidence, knowing that every registration automatically triggers the right financial workflow. No more manual data entry. No more missed invoices. No more payment tracking headaches.

With multiple events happening regularly, this webhook-based automation applies seamlessly across all event types. The team can now focus on creating memorable experiences for attendees rather than drowning in administrative tasks.

Why This Matters

While most businesses think of Zoho as a CRM or sales platform, this project showcases its versatility for event and financial automation. The integration between Zoho Backstage and Zoho Books isn’t commonly requested, but it demonstrates how thinking beyond conventional use cases can unlock powerful solutions.

This setup also opens doors for future enhancements, connecting with Zoho CRM for lead tracking, using Zoho Campaigns for event promotion, or integrating Zoho Inventory for merchandise sales. It’s a perfect example of how the Zoho ecosystem can support multiple business functions within one unified workflow.

The Smartmates Difference

What made this implementation successful wasn’t just technical execution, it was more about understanding how different Zoho applications could work together intelligently. By leveraging Zoho Flow as the automation engine and feeding key data into Zoho CRM for complete visibility, we created a holistic solution that’s both practical and scalable.

The bottom line? A powerful automation that seamlessly connects event management with finance, helping businesses save time, reduce manual work, and operate more efficiently.

Is your business juggling disconnected systems? Let’s talk about how smart integration can transform your operations.