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How To: Set up your own email sender address for sending event communications
There are various options available for sending emails such as event invitations or automatic booking confirmations. You can either set up your own email sender address or integrate your own mail server. Here’s how to do it.
E-mails sent via the Oniva default server
If your organisation does not have its own e-mail server, or if it is not connected to Oniva, e-mails are automatically sent via Microsoft's Azure Communication Service, ensuring secure and reliable delivery.
Benefits of the Azure Communication Service
- Data storage in Switzerland – compliant with the GDPR and the Swiss Data Protection Act (revDSG): All emails and associated metadata are processed and stored exclusively in Swiss data centres. This provides a strong compliance argument in relation to the revDSG and the GDPR, particularly when invitations are sent to employees, customers or external guests.
- High delivery rate thanks to Microsoft infrastructure: Azure Communication Services uses the same email infrastructure as Microsoft 365, one of the world’s largest and most trusted. Event invitations and booking confirmations reliably land in the inbox, not the spam folder, even for time-sensitive mailings such as last-minute invitations or reminders shortly before the event.
- Scalability for large sending volumes: Whether 50 or 5,000 invitations, Azure Communication Services scales automatically with the sending volume. For large events or organisations running multiple events simultaneously, this is a decisive advantage over self-hosted SMTP, which quickly reaches its limits during peak loads.
- Integrated security with SPF, DKIM and TLS: The service supports SPF and DKIM authentication as well as TLS encryption by default. This protects event invitations from forgery and tampering, builds trust among recipients and improves the domain’s reputation, which has a positive long-term impact on the deliverability of all the organisation’s emails.
Activating your own sender e-mail address
With Oniva, you can send event invitations and booking confirmations from your own e-mail address. Follow these steps to set it up:
- Provide your sender e-mail address: Send the desired address to support@oniva.events.
- Add DNS records: Add the SPF record
v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -allas well as the individual DKIM records provided by our support team to your DNS settings. Your IT administrator responsible for DNS records can assist you with this. - Notify us: Once the records have been added, let us know so we can complete the setup.
Once the configuration is complete, you will be able to send e-mails from your own sender address directly within Oniva.
What is an SPF record?
An SPF record is a DNS entry that prevents e-mail spoofing by defining the authorised mail servers for your domain.
What is a DKIM record?
A DKIM record adds a digital signature to outgoing e-mails, allowing receiving servers to verify that the message has not been altered in transit.
Security
Sending via your own address is secured by SPF and DKIM records, ensuring authenticity and deliverability.
Alternatives if an SPF record cannot be added
In some organisations, adding an SPF record is not feasible for security or resourcing reasons. The following alternatives are available:
- Oniva no-reply address: You can send e-mails at any time using the Oniva no-reply address. Simply set a custom sender name and a reply-to address in your event or workspace settings.
- Use a subdomain: A dedicated event subdomain generally makes it easier to add an SPF record. For example:
invite@eventname-organisation.com
If you have any questions, we are happy to help: support@oniva.events
Integrating your own SMTP server
For organisations with their own e-mail server, Oniva offers a direct SMTP integration.
What is an SMTP server?
An SMTP server enables the sending, routing, and receiving of e-mails using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).
Requirements
- The SMTP server must be publicly accessible.
- The integration applies exclusively to outbound e-mail sending.
- Port 25 is not permitted for security reasons
Required configuration details
- SMTP host: Address of your SMTP server
- Port: Port number for the connection (e.g. 587 for STARTTLS)
- Username and password: Authentication credentials for the server
Benefits
- Full control over e-mail sending according to your own requirements
- Unlimited flexibility with sender e-mail addresses
This integration is ideal for clients who wish to manage their own e-mail sending infrastructure entirely.
