The caterer needs to know how many chicken, how many fish and how many vegetarian plates. The T-shirt order closes on Friday. And somewhere in your messages, someone mentioned a nut allergy, but you can't remember who.

Every event that feeds people, dresses them or splits them into sessions needs a little more than a yes. It needs answers. And the answers usually end up everywhere except where you need them.

Why the usual way gets messy

You send the invite, then a follow-up asking for meal choices. Then another for shirt sizes.

Some people answer in the group chat, some in a private message, some not at all.
Answers arrive in different shapes. "Medium", "M", "the middle one", "same as last year".
You copy everything into a spreadsheet by hand, and hope you didn't miss the one message that mattered, like the allergy.
You chase the same people twice: once for the RSVP, once for the details.

The fix is to ask everything once, at the moment people sign up, and have every answer land next to their name.

How to do it with MsgOrb on WhatsApp

In MsgOrb, your event has an RSVP link that guests open from WhatsApp. You can add your own questions to that form, so guests answer them while they RSVP.

1. Set up the event

Open RSVP & Check-in, click New event, give it a name and click Create. Fill in the date, start time and venue, and click Start collecting headcount. (The questions card opens up once the event's details are saved.)

2. Open the Registration questions card

On the event's page, find the Registration questions card. This is where you add extra questions to your RSVP form. They're optional, and you can ask up to 8.

3. Add your questions

Click Add a question, type the question, and choose what kind of answer you want:

Short answer for anything people type in their own words: "Any allergies or dietary needs?", "Organization", "Name of your child".
Pick one from a list for anything with set options. Type the answers to pick from, one per line. For a T-shirt: Small, Medium, Large, XL. For a dinner: Chicken, Fish, Vegetarian.

Tick Required for the questions everyone must answer, like meal choice. Leave it unticked for ones that don't apply to everyone, like allergies.

Then click Save questions.

4. Share your RSVP link as usual

Use Share on WhatsApp, Download QR for your flier or Copy Link from the RSVP Link card. Guests open the link, enter their name, WhatsApp number and how many people are coming, and answer your questions on the same page. They're asked once per booking, so there's no follow-up form.

If you're selling tickets for the event, the same questions are asked once per booking, before payment.

5. Read the answers on your guest list

Every answer appears under the guest's name on the guest list in the Headcount section. When it's time to send numbers to the caterer or place the shirt order, click Download guest list. Each question becomes its own column in the spreadsheet, so you can sort, count and send.

A few good things to know:

Answers stay private. They show on your guest list and in the download. They're never sent out on WhatsApp.
Changing a question later doesn't change answers people already gave, so ask your must-know questions before you share the link.

What your guests receive

Your guests see your questions right on the RSVP page, in plain words. Once they've answered, they get their entry pass on WhatsApp, privately, with their own name:

Hi James, your RSVP for Spring Awards Dinner is confirmed for 2.
📅 Friday, April 17
🕒 6:30 PM
📍 Lakeview Banquet Hall
Tap Open entry pass below and show your pass at the door. You can change your answer on the same page.

James picked Fish for one guest and Vegetarian for his wife, and typed "shellfish allergy" in the allergies box. All of it is already on your list, under his name. Nobody had to write anything down.

Ideas for questions people actually use

Imagine a few different events:

A dinner or banquet: meal choice (pick one), dietary needs or allergies (short answer).
A 5K or charity walk: T-shirt size (pick one), emergency contact (short answer).
A conference or workshop: organization (short answer), which session you'll join (pick one).
A youth retreat: child's name and age (short answer), any medical notes (short answer).
A volunteer day: which shift (pick one), T-shirt size (pick one).

Keep it short. Every question you add is one more thing someone has to answer on their phone. Ask what you truly need for the day.

What changes for you

One message instead of three. People RSVP and answer your questions in the same minute, from the same link.
Every answer is in one place, under the right name, not spread across group chats and private messages.
Clean answers. "Pick one from a list" means you get "Medium", not "the middle one".
The caterer gets a real count, straight from your download, and the allergy doesn't get lost.
No chasing. If a question is required, nobody can RSVP without answering it.

Try it for your next event

Next time an event needs more than a yes, add your questions once and let every guest answer while they RSVP on WhatsApp. You can try MsgOrb free at www.msgorb.com.

How to Collect Meal Choices, T-Shirt Sizes or Allergies When Guests Register via WhatsApp