Event Start Date – Campaign Configurations

Running a webinar, challenge, or cohort launch is stressful enough without manually sending every reminder.

GoHighLevel’s Event Start Date feature lets you anchor an entire campaign or workflow to a specific date and time, then automatically drip emails and SMS messages before and after the event so people actually show up and take action.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how Event Start Date works in GoHighLevel, when to use it, how to configure it in both legacy Campaigns and modern Workflows, and the best practices Revset Labs uses when building these automations for clients.

If you’re not on GoHighLevel yet, you can start a free trial here: Start your free GoHighLevel trial.

What is the Event Start Date in GoHighLevel?

The Event Start Date is a special field you can use in GoHighLevel automations to schedule all campaign actions relative to a single date and time.

Instead of saying “send this email 1 day after the contact is added,” you can say “send this email 1 day before the event” – where the event is a webinar, appointment, cohort start date, launch day, or any other key moment.

At a high level, you:

• Define the event’s exact date and time (the Event Start Date)
• Attach your emails, SMS, and other steps to that reference point using offsets like:
  • "3 days before"
  • "1 hour before"
  • "2 hours after"
• Let GoHighLevel handle the timing automatically for everyone in the campaign or workflow

For the original platform docs, see the official GoHighLevel help article: Event Start Date – Campaign Configurations.

When should you use Event Start Date vs. regular timing?

Use Event Start Date when:

• You’re promoting a live event: webinars, in‑person workshops, live challenges, live Q&A calls.
• You’re running fixed‑start offers: cohort programs, group onboarding, launches that open/close on specific dates.
• You need consistent timing for everyone: every registrant should get reminders at the same offset (3 days before, 1 day before, 1 hour before, etc.).

Stick with standard time delays (e.g. “wait 2 days, then send…”) when:

• You’re onboarding leads asynchronously (evergreen funnels, nurture sequences).
• Your offer is always open and there’s no single shared “event moment.”

Most high‑performing Revset Labs clients use both:

• Evergreen nurturing with standard delays.
• Event‑based campaigns anchored to an Event Start Date for launches, webinars, and live trainings.

If you don’t yet have a platform that can handle both cleanly, GoHighLevel is built for this: Get started with GoHighLevel.

How to configure Event Start Date in a GoHighLevel Campaign

If you’re still using legacy Campaigns, you can attach a whole reminder sequence to a single event date.

1. Create your campaign

1. In GoHighLevel, go to Marketing → Campaigns.
2. Click Create Campaign and give it a clear name like “Webinar – March 15 – Event Start Date.”
3. Choose the appropriate settings for pipeline, time zone, and other basics.

2. Set the Event Start Date

1. Inside the campaign, locate the Event Start Date setting.
2. Enter the exact date and time of your event (e.g. March 15 at 2:00 PM in your account’s time zone).
3. Save your changes.

This becomes the reference point all of your steps will be scheduled around.

3. Add reminder and follow‑up steps

Now, build out your sequence using timings relative to the Event Start Date. Common pattern:

• Email: “You’re in!” – Sent immediately when they register (standard delay, not tied to the event).
• Email reminder – 3 days before – Timing: Before – 3 days.
• Email reminder – 1 day before – Timing: Before – 1 day.
• SMS reminder – 1 hour before – Timing: Before – 1 hour.
• Email or SMS follow‑up – 2 hours after – Timing: After – 2 hours.

Each reminder step is configured with a "Before" or "After" offset relative to the Event Start Date instead of a simple delay after the last step.

4. Control delivery windows and batching

To keep your sending reputation healthy and your audience happy:

• Use delivery windows so messages only go out during sensible hours (for example 8am–8pm).
• If you are pushing a very large list into the event sequence, use batching so GoHighLevel releases contacts in controlled groups.

Using Event Start Date inside GoHighLevel Workflows

GoHighLevel’s Workflows now combine the power of Triggers + Campaigns into a single, modern automation builder. Everything you can do with Event Start Date in legacy campaigns can be replicated – and improved – in Workflows.

A typical pattern Revset Labs uses looks like this:

1. Trigger: Contact submits a form, books a call, or is added to a specific list.
2. Set Event Start Date field: Store the event date on the contact or in the workflow.
3. Event‑based wait steps: Use event‑relative waits (e.g. “wait until 1 day before event at 10:00 AM”).
4. Send emails/SMS: Fire reminders and follow‑ups right on schedule.
5. Branch by behavior: If they attend vs. don’t attend, click vs. don’t click, show vs. no‑show, etc.

Because Workflows can reference custom fields, tags, and conditions, you can:

• Run multiple cohorts of the same event without duplicating your whole automation.
• Trigger different follow‑ups based on attendance or engagement.
• Re‑use the same workflow across multiple offers by changing only the Event Start Date.

If you’re currently stuck in a tangle of one‑off campaigns, moving to a Workflow built around Event Start Date is one of the fastest ways to simplify your automations.

Real‑world examples of Event Start Date campaigns

Here are a few practical ways to use Event Start Date inside GoHighLevel:

Webinars and live trainings

• Event Start Date = webinar date and time.
• 7 days before: value email + “add to calendar” link.
• 3 days before: social proof + key outcomes.
• 1 day before: logistics and replay promise.
• 1 hour before: short SMS reminder with link.
• After event: replay link, offer sequence, and deadline reminders.

Sales and onboarding calls

• Event Start Date = booked appointment time.
• Immediately: confirmation email and SMS.
• 24 hours before: reminder with prep checklist.
• 2 hours before: last‑minute SMS reminder.
• After call: different follow‑up tracks for "no‑show", "rescheduled", and "completed".

Cohort programs and launches

• Event Start Date = cohort start date or cart open date.
• Before: education + urgency ramp‑up.
• During: onboarding steps and check‑ins.
• After: upsell or ongoing nurture.

All of these become easier to maintain when there’s a single field everyone is marching toward.

Best practices for high‑converting Event Start Date automations

To get the most from Event Start Date campaigns and workflows, Revset Labs typically recommends:

• Anchor copy to outcomes, not logistics. Every reminder should quickly restate why showing up matters (results, transformation, problem solved), not just when and where.
• Balance channels. Use email for detail and SMS for short, time‑sensitive nudges. Don’t blast both every few hours.
• Respect time zones. Remember that Event Start Date uses your account’s time zone by default. Where possible, adjust messaging or offer multiple time slots for global audiences.
• Protect deliverability. Use batching and delivery windows to avoid giant send spikes, especially for large webinars.
• Test your flow. Run internal test contacts through the entire sequence so you can confirm that “3 days before” really means what you think it does.

How Revset Labs can help

Revset Labs is an AI Automation and Marketing Agency focused on building revenue‑driving systems on top of GoHighLevel.

For Event Start Date–driven campaigns and workflows, that typically looks like:

• Designing the overall funnel strategy (traffic → registration → show‑up → conversion).
• Writing conversion‑focused copy for your emails, SMS, and post‑event follow‑ups.
• Implementing the full automation inside GoHighLevel, including segmentation, branching, and reporting.
• Auditing your existing Campaigns/Workflows and migrating legacy builds into a cleaner, Event Start Date–based structure.

If you’d rather have a partner set this up for you instead of wrestling with every configuration screen yourself, Revset Labs can own the implementation while your team focuses on content and closing deals.

Next steps

1. Decide which of your upcoming events, launches, or cohorts should be anchored to a single Event Start Date.
2. Map the key reminders and follow‑ups you want around that date.
3. Implement the campaign or workflow inside GoHighLevel using the patterns above.
4. Review performance after the event and iterate.

And if you want a strategic partner to design and implement these automations for you, Revset Labs is here to help turn your events into repeatable, automated revenue systems.