Navigating the Dashboard
The dashboard is the first thing you see after signing in to EventWorks. It gives you an at-a-glance summary of your tasks, upcoming events, sales performance, and recent activity — everything you need to start your day.
Getting There
The dashboard is your default landing page. Every time you sign in, you'll arrive here automatically. To get back to it from anywhere in the app, click Dashboard at the top of the sidebar navigation.
Overview
The EventWorks interface is divided into three main areas:
- Sidebar (left) — Your main navigation menu for moving between sections of the app.
- Top bar (top) — Search, notifications, tasks, settings, and sign-out.
- Content area (centre) — The main working area, which changes depending on which page you're on.
When you're on the dashboard, the content area shows a set of panels with your tasks, events, a sales chart, and your recent activity. If your organisation has set up a custom dashboard with widgets, you'll see that instead (see Customising the Dashboard).
The Sidebar
The sidebar runs down the left side of every page. It contains your profile summary at the top, followed by links to each major section of EventWorks. The currently active section is highlighted.
Your Profile
At the very top of the sidebar you'll see your profile photo (or initials), your name, and your job title. Click your name to open a dropdown with quick links to:
- Profile — View and edit your user profile.
- Logout — Sign out of EventWorks.
Navigation Items
Below your profile, the sidebar lists the main sections of the app:
| Icon | Label | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard icon | Dashboard | Returns you to your home screen. |
| Users icon | Accounts | Manage client, supplier, and venue accounts. |
| Glass icon | Events | View and manage all your events. |
| Cubes icon | Packages | Create and manage reusable cost packages. |
| Cube icon | Resources | Manage equipment, venues, and other bookable resources. |
| Calendar icon | Diary | View events on a calendar timeline. |
| Currency icon | Financial | Expands to show Invoices, Credit Notes, and Purchase Orders. |
| Tick icon | Tasks | View and manage your tasks. |
| User icon | Staff | Expands to show Users and Teams. |
| Chart icon | Reports | Run and view reports across your data. |
| Document icon | Documents | Manage document templates and generated documents. |
Note: Some items only appear if you have the appropriate permissions. For example, Packages requires the "edit packages" permission, Resources requires the "edit resources" permission, and Reports requires the "view reports" permission. If you can't see a sidebar item, ask your account administrator to review your role.
Collapsing the Sidebar
Click the hamburger menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner of the top bar to collapse the sidebar down to icons only. Click it again to expand it back. This gives you more room in the content area when working on detailed pages.
Sub-Menus
Financial and Staff have expandable sub-menus. Click the parent item to expand or collapse the list of child pages underneath it.The Top Bar
The top bar sits across the top of every page and provides quick access to search, notifications, tasks, settings, and sign-out.
Search
The search bar is on the right side of the top bar. Type a name, event title, or keyword and results will appear in a dropdown as you type, grouped by type (e.g. Accounts, Events, Contacts). Click a result to jump straight to it, or press Enter to view the full search results page.
Tip: PressCtrl+J(orCmd+Jon Mac) from anywhere in the app to jump straight to the search bar without reaching for your mouse.
For more on search, see Using Global Search.
Notifications Bell
The bell icon shows a badge with the number of unread notifications. Click it to see your recent notifications in a dropdown. Notifications are automatically marked as read when you open the dropdown.
Tasks Badge
The tick icon shows a badge with the number of incomplete tasks assigned to you. Click it to see a summary of your upcoming tasks with their due dates. Click any task to open it, or click See all tasks at the bottom to go to your full task list.
Settings Cog
The cog icon opens a dropdown with two sections:
User settings:- Profile — View and edit your user profile.
- General settings — Open the system-wide settings page.
- Integrations — Manage third-party integrations such as Xero, QuickBooks, and HubSpot.
Sign Out
Click the sign-out icon on the far right of the top bar to log out of EventWorks.
The Default Dashboard
If your organisation hasn't configured a custom dashboard, you'll see the default dashboard with built-in panels arranged in two columns.
Your Tasks
A list of tasks assigned to you that are due today. You can click any task to view its details, or click View all to see your complete task list. There's also a button to quickly create a new task directly from the dashboard.
Your Events
A table showing your events with their account name, event name, and current status. This shows events where you are the assigned manager or salesperson, limited to the next upcoming events. Click any event name to open it, or click View all to go to the full events list. A Create button lets you start a new event right from the dashboard.
Total Sales Chart
A line chart showing your organisation's turnover, profit, and target profit over time across the current financial year. Below the chart, a progress bar shows how far you are towards your total profit target — and whether you're ahead or behind.
Note: The sales chart can be hidden by your administrator in the system settings. If you don't see it, that's likely why.
Your Activity
A feed of your recent actions in EventWorks — records you've created, updated, or interacted with. This helps you pick up where you left off.
The Custom Dashboard
If you or your administrator has set up a custom dashboard, you'll see a widget-based layout instead of the default panels. Custom dashboards can include charts, tables, targets, and other widgets arranged in a grid.
You can switch between dashboards and create your own using the Actions dropdown in the top-right corner of the dashboard page. See Customising the Dashboard for full details.
Breadcrumbs
As you navigate deeper into the app — for example, from Events to a specific event, then to its invoices — a breadcrumb trail appears below the page title. Click any breadcrumb to jump back to that level. The trail always starts with Home, which takes you back to your dashboard.
Tips & Best Practices
Tip: Use the search bar as your fastest way to find anything. Rather than clicking through menus, just type the name of the account, event, or contact you're looking for.
Tip: Collapse the sidebar when you're working on pages with lots of detail (like event cost breakdowns) to give yourself more screen space.
Tip: Check the Tasks badge in the top bar at the start of each day to see what's due. It's a quick way to prioritise your morning without navigating away from whatever you're working on.
Tip: If you find yourself visiting the same section every time you sign in, consider setting up a custom dashboard as your default — or ask your administrator to set one for all users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I can't see some sidebar items that my colleague has. Why?Sidebar items are controlled by your user role and permissions. If you need access to a section you can't see, ask your account administrator to review your role under Staff > Users.
Q: How do I get back to the dashboard quickly?Click Dashboard at the top of the sidebar, or navigate to your base URL in the browser. You'll be redirected to your dashboard automatically.
Q: My dashboard looks different to a colleague's. Is that normal?Yes. If custom dashboards are in use, each user can have their own default dashboard, or your administrator may have set a shared default. See Customising the Dashboard for more information.
Q: Where are the settings?Click the cog icon in the top bar. If you have administrator permissions, you'll see options for General settings and Integrations. All users can access their own Profile from the same menu.