In short

An event-based automation runs relative to each game in your schedule rather than on a fixed calendar cadence. Set it up once, choose a play or build custom targeting, and it triggers automatically before or after every game for the length of the automation period.

Set up an event-based automation

Open the automation builder. From the Segmentation menu, select Automations, then New Automation.
Select Event Based.
Choose an Automation Play, or select Create Custom Automation to build targeting from scratch in the Segment Builder.
Select an automation goal. Choose whether this automation is meant to increase sales (tickets or merchandise) or increase fan engagement (email or web). Goal Categories let you track performance against whichever you pick.
Add goal filters. Narrow the goal further, for example a specific season, product, event, or price code, so tracking lines up with what you actually want to measure.
Configure the automation settings. Name and description are pre-filled but editable. Set the start and end date for the automation period, confirm the time zone, and choose the trigger: how often a segment is created, and whether it fires before or after the event. Set the segment tracking period, and optionally enable a control group, a set of fans who are tracked for comparison but do not receive the campaign.
Configure the destination. Choose where the segment is pushed: an email service provider, an SMS platform, a CRM, a paid social channel, or another marketing tool. If you don't have a push destination enabled, you can export the segment as a CSV (comma-separated values) file instead.
Review and create. Confirm the details, then click Create Automation.

Tip: Before you save, review the platform refresh information shown on the settings step. It shows how often your data loads and lists the upcoming trigger dates, so you can confirm the automation will fire when you expect it to.

Before you rely on one for a full season

You can edit an active automation's audience criteria, goal, settings, and destinations mid-season. Changes apply from the next run. See Edit an automation for details.
A segment that has already been pushed cannot be recalled from StellarAlgo. Manage or delete it inside the destination platform instead.
To skip a single game, pause the automation before that game's trigger time and unpause it afterwards. The skipped run does not catch up later. See Pause or unpause an automation.

FAQ

How is this different from a time-based automation?
An event-based automation triggers relative to a game in your schedule. A time-based automation runs on a cadence you set, such as weekly, regardless of the schedule. See Segment automations for the full comparison.

How much lead time does my data need before a trigger?
Most teams' data refreshes daily. If your account has hourly refreshes enabled, triggers can run closer to the event. If you are not sure which applies to you, ask support.

Which plays are available for event-based automations?
See Automation plays available today for the full, current list and recommended timing for each.

What happens if a game I'm targeting gets postponed?
The automation still triggers on the original date until your schedule data updates. Confirm the new date has loaded before the original trigger time if you want to avoid an early or missed run.

My automation failed. What do I do?
See How automations run for what each failure category means and whether you can re-run it.

Still need help?

Contact StellarAlgo support and include:

The automation name
The play it started from, if you used one
The destination name
The game or date you expected it to trigger for