Contact event trigger

Learn how to configure the Contact event trigger entry trigger and control which contacts can enter your journey.

What we'll cover

1 Concepts

The Contact event trigger starts contacts when a configured contact event occurs in Tarvent.

Use this trigger when the entry point for your journey should be based on this event type instead of a manual add or a different trigger source.

Note: This trigger is an entry trigger. It is placed at the top of the journey, and it controls how contacts begin the journey flow.

Here are the steps:

Open the journey, and click Add.
Add a New entry trigger.
Select Contact event trigger.
Enter a clear trigger Name.
Configure the trigger Settings for the event or conditions you want to use.
Set Apply to which contacts to All contacts or Only contacts that meet criteria.
Click Save.

Pro-tip: Use a trigger name that describes the business purpose, such as Start after form submit or Start on renewal date.

Most trigger editors include a Settings section and an Apply to which contacts section.

In Settings, choose the event details, source, or timing rules that should start the journey for this trigger.

In Apply to which contacts, choose whether the trigger applies to All contacts or only a filtered group.

All contacts is best when every qualifying event should start the journey
Only contacts that meet criteria is best when you want to limit entry to a specific segment

Note: Trigger settings control when the trigger can fire, but journey Settings still control whether the contact is allowed to enter again.

Use cases and business examples

Profile Completion: Trigger a follow-up when a contact reaches a profile milestone.
Status Change Automation: Start a journey when a tracked contact event occurs.
Internal Workflow Kick-Off: Route contacts into a process after a qualifying event.

Common issues to check

Verify the trigger Settings are pointing to the correct event, source, or timing rule
Confirm the contact meets any Apply to which contacts criteria
Review journey Settings to see whether the journey allows re-entry
Make sure the journey is started

Warning: If you are troubleshooting a live journey, test changes with a small internal segment before applying them broadly.

If Double Opt-in isn't enabled for the audience associated with your journey, do not use the "Confirmed subscription" as that event will never fire. Instead, use the "Subscribed" event, or the "Contact added" trigger.
The subscribe event and the "Contact added" trigger listen to the same "subscribe" event.
If you add/remove multiple tags or groups at once, and set the journey to allow simultaneous runs per contact, the contact will be added to the journey for each tag or group added or removed.
When listening to the "Unsubscribe" event, please note that any "Send email" steps in the journey will be skipped by the contact since they are unsubscribed. Typically, journeys that listen to the "unsubscribe" event are used to modify tags, groups, or use integration steps.

What does the Contact event trigger listen for?

It starts contacts when a configured contact event occurs in Tarvent.

Can I limit which contacts are allowed to enter?

Yes. Use Apply to which contacts to choose All contacts or Only contacts that meet criteria.

Why did a contact not enter this trigger?

Check the trigger Settings, the contact data or event details, the Apply to which contacts criteria, and the journey Settings.

Can contacts enter this trigger more than once?

Yes, if the journey Settings allow multiple runs. If the journey is set to Run once per contact, repeat entry may be blocked.

If you need help configuring journey triggers, contact support. We’re happy to help!