Workaround for More Accurate RSVP Tracking on Small Events

Hi everyone,
I wanted to see if anyone has found a better way to track RSVPs for smaller events.

We regularly host dinners for 25–50 people and typically avoid using the "Events" campaign because the decline response can’t be customized and the mandatory feedback question is a bit much for our clients.

Instead, I’ve been using the RSVP block in a regular "Email" campaign. But lately, the reporting has been very unreliable. Here’s the workaround I’ve been using:

I create the email with the RSVP block and send it only to myself. Once it’s live, I copy the email, remove the RSVP block, and recreate the options as custom buttons. I then grab the RSVP links from the original email and attach them to the new buttons and send it out to our client list.

When clients click a button, they’re asked to enter their email, first name, and last name—this info is still captured in the original email’s RSVP tracking.

This setup works for us on smaller events, especially since we track final RSVPs in a shared Excel sheet (some people reply directly or RSVP through an exec).

Curious if anyone else has a smoother process for small-scale events—would love to hear what’s working for you!