Event RSVPs and QR tickets on WhatsApp
A ticket in an email is a thing people search for at the door, on hotel wifi, with 4% battery. A ticket in a WhatsApp thread is a thing they scroll to. That difference is most of the argument.
Short answer. The invite is marketing (~AED 0.183, needs opt-in). Everything after the RSVP — ticket, reminders, venue changes — is utility (~AED 0.058), because it follows an action the guest took. Send the QR as an image, under the 5MB image ceiling, at a size a door scanner can actually read.
The category switches at the RSVP
This is the useful structural fact. Before the RSVP you are promoting an event: marketing template, opt-in required, exposed to the per-user frequency cap. The moment someone taps Yes, they have taken an action, and every subsequent message about their attendance is utility.
So the expensive, droppable part of the flow is one message. Everything after it is cheap and guaranteed to be delivered on its own merits. Design accordingly: spend effort on the invite, and do not worry about the message count afterwards.
Media limits, because QR codes fail at the door
| Type | Cloud API maximum |
|---|---|
| Image | 5 MB |
| Video | 16 MB |
| Audio | 16 MB |
| Document | 100 MB |
| Sticker | 100–500 KB |
5MB is generous for a QR code, so the constraint is never file size — it is resolution and contrast. Practical rules that prevent door failures:
- Generate at 800px or larger on the short edge. Guests screenshot the message, and a screenshot of a small image is a smaller image.
- Keep the quiet zone — the white margin. Cropping to the code edge breaks scanning.
- Pure black on pure white. Brand-coloured QR codes fail under venue lighting far more than anyone expects.
- Put the booking reference in the message text as well, so the door can be opened manually when the scanner fails. It will.
Send the QR as an image, not as a PDF. A PDF adds a tap and an app switch at exactly the moment there is a queue behind the guest.
The ladder
- Invite — marketing template, image header, two reply buttons: Yes and Can't make it. Their tap opens a free 24-hour window.
- Ticket immediately — QR, date, venue, guest name. Sent within seconds of the RSVP, inside the free window.
- T−1 day — utility. Re-send the QR. Do not make them scroll back.
- T−2 hours — utility. Directions, parking, dress code, which entrance.
- After — thanks and one specific ask, whether that is a review or a next-event RSVP.
Re-sending the QR at T−1 is the step people cut to save a message. It is the one that most reduces queue time at the door.
Capacity is a real constraint
Event sends are spiky, and WhatsApp meters business-initiated conversations per phone number in a rolling 24 hours. Tiers run 250 → 1,000 → 10,000 → 100,000 → unlimited, with 250 the starting point for an unverified account. If you are inviting 4,000 people from a number sitting at the 1,000 tier, three quarters of your invites do not go out that day.
Tier increases are not automatic on request: your number must be Connected, quality rating Medium or High, and you must have initiated conversations with at least half your current limit in unique customers over the last 7 days. Which means you cannot ramp on the morning of a launch. Plan the tier before you plan the event.
UAE practicalities
- Bilingual by default. Send the ticket in the language the guest RSVP'd in. Venue and directions in both is safer.
- Directions beat addresses. Nobody finds a Dubai venue from a street address. Send a location pin and name the nearest landmark and which parking to use.
- Plus-ones need their own ticket. One QR shared between two people is a door argument.
- Name and Emirates ID. Some venues and free-zone buildings require registration in advance — ask at RSVP, not at the door.
Adjoltz builds these flows for UAE brands on Meta's official Cloud API — correct template categories, the buttons, and the inbox behind them. Messages at Meta's rate with zero markup, from $149/month.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send event tickets as QR codes on WhatsApp?
Yes. Send the QR as an image rather than a PDF, because a PDF adds a tap and an app switch when there is a queue behind the guest. Cloud API allows images up to 5MB, so the real constraint is resolution and contrast: generate at 800px or larger, keep the white quiet zone, and use pure black on white rather than brand colours.
Is an event invite marketing or utility on WhatsApp?
The invite itself is marketing, so it needs opt-in, costs around AED 0.183 and is exposed to the per-user frequency cap. Everything after the guest RSVPs is utility at around AED 0.058, because the ticket, reminders and venue changes all follow an action they took.
How many messages can I send for an event launch?
It depends on your messaging tier, which caps business-initiated conversations per phone number in a rolling 24 hours at 250, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 or unlimited. Tier increases require a Connected number, a Medium or High quality rating, and having initiated conversations with at least half your current limit in unique customers over the last seven days, so you cannot ramp on the morning of a launch.
Should I resend the ticket before the event?
Yes, the day before. It is the step people cut to save a message and the one that most reduces queue time at the door, because guests do not have to scroll back through a thread to find the QR.