How AI Turned a 15-Hour-a-Week Manual Nightmare into a Self-Running Event Machine

Managing high-profile executive events required strict guest approval, but the entire process ran through Google Sheets, demanding direct intervention at every step.

From tracking sales nominations and approvals to creating and sending personalised invitations one by one, the manual workload was immense. The real nightmare, however, was the multi-cycle follow-up process. Chasing approvals, triggering reminders, and escalating to next-priority invitees meant every state change required human action.

This administrative burden consumed 10 to 15 hours a week, time that should have been spent on strategic event execution. As demand for these events grew, it became clear: this wasn't a lack of headcount, it was a broken, highly repetitive process draining valuable resources.

We didn't need to build a new tool. The tool was already there.

Working with Algomarketing's Innovation team, we identified that Google Apps Script, which was already available inside our Workspace, could handle everything. Because of what generative AI can now do with code, we were able to take my requirements, work with Gemini, and turn all of those rule-based decisions into automation.

We built version one in two weeks. It's been iterated many times since, but it's now in a position where we're really confident in being able to scale it.

What We Built

• Automated Validation & ApprovalWhen a nomination comes in from sales, the system validates the data in the spreadsheet and auto-approves attendees based on configurable job title criteria. Event owners get instant email notifications with a direct link when manual approval is needed.
• Bulk Invite ProcessingThis was the transformation. Instead of creating and sending each personalised invitation one by one, checking sender fields, recipient names, and sales contacts, the system processes all new entries simultaneously. Five attendees or fifty, they all go out in one batch, with personalisation pulled safely from the spreadsheet data.
• Adaptive Follow-Up SequencingThe entire follow-up nightmare is gone. If a customer hasn't registered within the set timeframe, the system automatically alerts their salesperson. If the top-priority invitee declines or goes silent, the next person in line gets moved up and the whole cycle triggers again, including invites, follow-ups, and everything else.
• Self-Configuring InterfaceA form-based setup means future events can be reprogrammed for new organisers, new email templates, or new approval criteria without touching code. No developer involvement required.

The first time I watched the full process run, from a nomination coming in from sales, through validation, approval, a personalised invite going out, and the follow-up triggering automatically without me having to get involved at all, I felt relief. And then excitement. It validated that we could actually spend a lot less time on the mechanics and a lot more energy on what I love: the strategy, the creative, the execution of the actual event itself.

• 10–15 Hours Per Week Reclaimed: The process that used to consume two to three hours of every day now runs autonomously. That's the equivalent of getting almost two full working days back, every week.
• 95% of Manual Processes Automated: From validating incoming data, to moving people through approval stages, to sending emails and managing the replacement queue, 95% of what I used to do by hand is now handled by the system.
• Near-Zero Error Rate: Incorrect sender details, name mismatches, missed follow-ups, and wrong sales contacts in cc are virtually eliminated. The system is consistent every single time.
• Higher Quality, Not Just Higher Speed: With the operational burden lifted, we now have time to actually improve the experience. Better invite copy. Better follow-up sequences. Better post-registration touchpoints. The automation didn't replace the human touch; it gave us the space to do it properly.
• Scalable Across Events and Teams: The system processes any event size, replicates easily for new organisers, and can be extended to other teams without adding headcount. We can finally say yes to more events without burning out.

The Bigger Picture

If you're thinking about automating your own processes, my advice is simple: just do it. Don't wait. You don't need a huge project or a massive business case. Just identify something that's repetitive, painful, and takes up more time than it should. Start small. Define the problem clearly. Use the tools already available to you. Apps Script was already there for us, so we didn't have to build anything new.

What this proved is something I think a lot of operations people already suspect: the person closest to the problem is the best person to define the solution. I knew exactly what was broken. I knew the rules. I knew the edge cases. Working with the Innovation team and Gemini, we turned that knowledge into a system that runs itself.

"I've gone from being the bottleneck to looking for the next thing to automate."