Calendar File Token Issue? Trigger a Solution

[TBlane_McMichen]

If you’ve ever tried to include an “Add to Calendar” link in a Marketo Engage email and ended up with a broken calendar file, you’re not alone. One of the most common culprits? The {{member.webinar url}} token inside the Calendar File token type. It’s a subtle issue, but it can derail your webinar experience if not handled correctly.

Let’s break it down. The Calendar File token is a handy way to let registrants add your webinar to their calendar. It can include other tokens, like the webinar join link, so recipients have everything they need in one click. But here’s the catch: that join link token only resolves when the email is sent via a triggered smart campaign. If you send it manually or through a batch campaign, the token doesn’t populate. The result? A calendar file with a blank join link. Not ideal.

So how do we fix it? The answer lies in a simple program design tweak: create a smart campaign with a “Campaign is Requested” trigger. This campaign becomes your dedicated email sender. Instead of sending the email directly from your registration flow, you add a “Request Campaign” flow step that calls this triggered campaign. That’s it. The email now sends in a context where the token resolves properly.

This approach works beautifully in live programs and it’s a game-changer for testing. If you’ve ever tried to send yourself a test email and wondered why the calendar file was broken, now you know. By using the “Request Campaign” method even in test scenarios, you simulate the triggered environment and get a properly formed calendar file every time.

Here’s how I typically set it up:

• Smart Campaign A: Handles registration logic (form fill, data value changes, etc.)
• Smart Campaign B: Triggered by “Campaign is Requested” and sends the email with the calendar file
• Flow Step in A: “Request Campaign” → Smart Campaign B

If your registration smart campaign is triggered, then you don't need Smart Campaign B and you can send the email in the flow, but you may still want to create Smart Campaign B for testing or resending the email with the calendar token from a batch campaign.

Please share your comments and questions!