Your timeline is a master blueprint, not a one-time schedule. Every automation you build on it runs automatically for each future occurrence of your event. This article explains how that works and why you might only see "Exact Time" when creating an action.
How the Timeline Works as a Master Template
AEvent stores your timeline actions once, in a single master template. Each time a new occurrence of your event is scheduled, the system re-schedules every action from that master template for that occurrence, offset from its start time.
This means:
You build your automations once on the timeline.
They run automatically for every future occurrence — recurring, evergreen, or scheduled.
You do not need to recreate or copy actions for each run.
The single event you see on the timeline is the blueprint. It is not a calendar entry for one date — it represents the pattern that all occurrences follow.
You should see: your campaign timeline with actions placed on days before, during, and after the event day (Day 0). This is your master template.
Do My Automations Repeat for Every Occurrence?
Yes. When a new occurrence is created (whether manually scheduled, recurring on a set rule, or triggered by a new registration in an evergreen campaign), AEvent's scheduler reads your master timeline and re-schedules each action relative to that occurrence's start time.
For example, if you have a "1 day before" reminder SMS and a "1 hour after" replay email, both fire on the correct day and time for every occurrence, calculated from each occurrence's own event start.
You only need to maintain one timeline. If you update an action (say, change the message text or timing), that change applies to all future occurrences automatically.
Why Do I Sometimes Only See "Exact Time"?
When you open the Create Action panel and look at the When section, whether you can choose Relative timing (Before or After the event) or only Exact Time depends on your campaign type.
Evergreen / on-demand campaigns (the event time is set for each registrant, with no single fixed date on the calendar): the builder shows an Exact / Relative toggle. Switch it to Relative to set a Before or After offset measured from the event start.
Scheduled and live campaigns (a fixed event date and time, including recurring events set to specific dates): the builder uses Exact Time — a specific clock time — so your actions run at that set time. The Relative toggle is not shown in this view.
Either way, a brand-new action starts on Exact Time by default.
There is also a separate Before / After control for the main event that has its own visibility rules — for example, it is hidden for live-webinar campaigns when your account experience level is set to Beginner. That is a finer setting, not the main reason you would see only Exact Time.
Tip: Where Relative timing is available, AEvent recommends using it for actions on the day of your event and Exact Time for actions on days before or after. This way a "4 hours before" reminder always fires 4 hours before your event, whether it runs at 11 AM or 5 PM on different weeks. See Timeline Action Builder Basics for a full walkthrough of the When, Who, and What fields.
Key Takeaways
Your timeline is a master template. Build it once; it runs on every occurrence.
You do not need to rebuild or duplicate actions for recurring or evergreen events.
"Exact Time" is the default when creating a new action.
Whether you can switch to Relative timing depends on campaign type: evergreen / on-demand campaigns show the Exact/Relative toggle, while scheduled / live campaigns (with a set event date) show Exact Time only.
For a full guide to the action builder, see Timeline Action Builder Basics.
For a broader overview of how the timeline is structured, see Timeline Overview.