A financial education client needed to streamline virtual event registrations across their website and Zoom platform. Manual data entry between their WordPress forms and Zoom was creating administrative overhead and risking registration errors for hundreds of attendees per event.

Solution

84EM built a custom WordPress plugin that connects Gravity Forms directly to the Zoom API using server-to-server OAuth authentication. When users submit event registration forms on the website, the plugin automatically registers them in the corresponding Zoom webinar or meeting without manual intervention.

The integration uses Action Scheduler to handle registrations asynchronously in the background, ensuring form submissions remain fast even during high-traffic registration periods. Registration confirmations and error notifications are logged directly in the form entry notes for easy tracking.

Technical Implementation

• OAuth 2.0 authentication connects WordPress to the Zoom API using server-to-server credentials stored securely in WordPress settings.
• Gravity Forms integration captures first name, last name, email, and event preferences from form submissions.
• Intelligent event detection automatically determines whether to register users for Zoom webinars or meetings based on account capabilities.
• Asynchronous processing through Action Scheduler ensures reliable registration handling even during traffic spikes.
• WP-CLI commands provide administrators with testing tools for authentication, event listings, and manual registration management.
• API logging system tracks all Zoom API requests and responses in custom database tables for troubleshooting and audit trails.
• Automatic fallback handling gracefully switches from webinars to meetings if the Zoom account lacks webinar plan features.

Results

The plugin eliminated manual data entry between WordPress and Zoom, reducing administrative time per event by hours. Registration confirmations now happen instantly, and the audit logging system provides complete visibility into every API transaction for compliance and troubleshooting.

Event organizers can test integrations directly from the command line using WP-CLI, and the flexible architecture supports both webinar-based events and standard Zoom meetings. The asynchronous processing ensures the website remains responsive even when hundreds of attendees register simultaneously.