Smarter Event Booking 1.1.0: The Major Update for Modern Event Management

We’re thrilled to announce the release of Smarter Event Booking Version 1.1.0 – the most comprehensive update yet to our popular event management solution for SharePoint Online!

This major release takes your event management to a completely new level.

🎯 Highlights at a Glance

Four Views for Every Need

The biggest new feature: Four different view modes that you can switch between at will!

• 📋 List View: Compact tabular display of all events with all important information at a glance
• 🎴 Card View: Modern tile view with visual event presentation – perfect for quick browsing
• 📊 Classic View: The tried-and-true classic display (formerly standard)
• 📅 Calendar View: Clear calendar display

Each view is optimized for specific use cases and offers you maximum flexibility in event management.

Event Types: Clear Structure at Last

Smarter Event Booking now clearly distinguishes between three event types:

🎯 Single Events

Perfect for one-time events with a fixed date – e.g., company party, workshop, or team building event.

📅 Multi-Date Events

Ideal for events with multiple independent dates – e.g., training series with three different dates where participants can register for individual sessions.

🔄 Series Events (with TimeSlots)

True series functionality! Perfect for recurring events like weekly meetings or monthly workshops. With TimeSlots you can define flexible time windows – e.g., “Every Monday 09:00-10:00” or “Every first Friday of the month.”

Note: Existing events are automatically classified as Single or Multi-Date Events. For Series Events with TimeSlots, new events must be created (see Migration).

New Event Editor: Simple and Clear

Event creation has been completely redesigned:

• Unified form for all event types – no more confusion with different dialogs
• Intuitive operation with clear labels and help texts
• Smart defaults: New events automatically start the next day, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Attachment management: Upload and manage documents directly in the event

Registration Form Builder: Create Forms Visually

A true highlight of this update: The integrated Form Builder!

• Visual form design: Create registration forms with drag-and-drop
• No manual configuration: No need to manually create SharePoint lists
• Flexible fields: Text, dropdown, checkboxes, and more
• Event-specific forms: Each event can have individual registration fields

Enhanced Export Functions

Professional reporting has never been easier:

• Excel export of all events: Including archive for historical analysis
• Automatic email enrichment: Participant data enriched with user information
• Pivot-optimized: Flat structure perfect for pivot tables and analysis
• Complete data: All event and booking information in one export

Email Delivery via Microsoft Graph API

Important update regarding email functionality:

Since Microsoft is retiring the SharePoint SendEmail API on October 31, 2025, we’ve migrated email delivery to the Microsoft Graph API.

What does this mean for you?

• One-time administrator approval required: The delegated Graph API permission Mail.Send must be granted by an administrator during installation
• Verify configuration: In Settings → Email you can check and test the permission
• Shared Mailbox supported: Optionally, a shared mailbox can be configured for sending (see details in the Email tab description)
• Test function: Test email delivery directly from the settings

This migration ensures reliable email delivery even after the old API is retired.

Enhanced Toolbar

The new toolbar offers:

• 🔍 Smart Search: Search across all event fields
• 📅 Date Filter: Show only events within a specific time period
• 👤 “My Bookings”: Filters the current view by your bookings (all functions remain available)
• 📊 Excel Export: Flat structure optimized for pivot tables
• 🔄 Refresh Button: Manual update of the event list

🎨 Modernized Design

In addition to functional improvements, we’ve also refreshed the design:

• More modern and clearer user interface: Unified button colors (green for registration, red for cancellation)
• Improved navigation: Intuitive menu guidance and clear dialogs
• Optimized mobile display: Perfectly usable on all devices
• Improved empty states: Friendly messages and hints instead of empty pages
• Attachment Management: Upload attachments at event and appointment level with space-saving display

🚀 Performance Improvements

Smarter Event Booking 1.1.0 is not only more feature-rich but also significantly faster:

• 94% fewer API calls on load (from 52 to 3!)
• Upgrade to SPFx 1.21.1: Latest SharePoint Framework version for optimal compatibility
• Optimized data processing: Faster loading times and smoother operation

🔒 Privacy & Security

• 100% GDPR compliant: Complete removal of Application Insights
• No data collection: Your event data stays in your SharePoint environment
• Granular permissions: Full control over access rights

📦 Installation & Update

Update via SharePoint App Store (Marketplace)

Updating is simple:

1. Open SharePoint Admin Center
2. Navigate to “More Features” → “Apps”
3. Open App Catalog
4. Click “Update” for “Smarter Event Booking”
5. Done! 🎉

The app automatically updates on all sites where it’s installed.

Migration from Previous Versions

The update to version 1.1.0 is backwards compatible:

• New lists and columns are automatically created on first load
• Existing settings from WebPart Properties are migrated to the new configuration list
• Important: The first load after the update should be performed by an Administrator

After the update:

1. Open the WebPart and wait for the migration to complete
2. Review the settings in the new Settings Panel
3. Important: Grant the Graph API permission Mail.Send for email delivery (see Settings → Email)
4. Test email delivery in Settings → Email
5. If you encounter errors: Run Settings → Tests → Run Full Test Suite
6. For persistent issues, contact our support

Note about Series Events: Existing events are classified as Single or Multi-Date Events. For the new Series functionality with TimeSlots, new events must be created.

New Installation

If you’re not yet using Smarter Event Booking:

1. Search for “Smarter Event Booking” in the Microsoft SharePoint Store
2. Click “Add”
3. Install on desired site
4. Place WebPart on a page

💡 What Does This Mean for You?

For Administrators

• Less configuration effort thanks to central settings
• Better overview through new views
• Professional export functions for reporting
• Easy migration with automatic transfer of existing settings

For End Users

• More intuitive operation through redesigned interface
• Faster loading times through performance optimizations
• More flexible views based on preference
• Individual registration forms for better data collection

🔮 Roadmap: What’s Coming Next?

We’re already working on further improvements:

• Modern Calendar: Integration of a new, contemporary calendar interface
• Exchange Calendar Overlay: Overlay your personal Exchange calendar entries in the calendar view to see available time slots at a glance (requires delegated Graph API permission)
• Automatic Calendar Entry: Events are automatically added to your personal calendar when you register

🙏 Thank You!

A big thank you to all customers who helped us make Smarter Event Booking even better with their feedback. Your input was crucial for prioritizing the features in this release.

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About Smarter Business Solutions

We develop intelligent SharePoint and Microsoft 365 solutions that simplify your workflows and make your team more productive. Smarter Event Booking is one of our flagship applications and is continuously being developed further.

You can find all our products in the Microsoft SharePoint Store.

Update now and experience the new features! 🚀

#SharePoint #Microsoft365 #EventManagement #SmarterBusiness #SPFx