Understanding Runs and Events
Helm organizes your tours using two connected concepts: events and runs. Understanding how these work together is key to using the platform effectively.Events
An event is a single customer booking. When someone reserves a spot on your tour, that creates an event in Helm. Each event contains all the booking-specific information: who’s coming (passengers), their contact details, where to pick them up, what tour they booked, what they paid, and the status of their booking.Runs
A run is a container for one or more events, representing the actual tour departure. Think of a run as the physical event where guides show up and the tour happens. If you have a morning walking tour at 9:00 AM, that’s one run. Multiple customers might book that same tour time, creating multiple events, but they all belong to the same run because they’re happening together. This separation exists because tours have both booking-level information (specific to each customer) and operational-level information (shared across everyone on that departure). By keeping these separate, you can manage individual customer details while also coordinating the shared logistics of running the tour.Every event belongs to a run—they can’t exist independently. When you create a
new booking, Helm automatically creates a run for it or adds it to an existing
run if you’re booking into an already-scheduled departure.
Understanding Information Organization
Understanding what lives at the run level versus the event level helps you know where to look for information and where changes will apply.- Run-Level Information
- Event-Level Information
Run-level information is shared across all bookings in that departure. When
you assign guides to a run, those guides are assigned to everyone on that
departure. When you add operational notes or comments, they apply to the
entire run. Other run-level resources include:
- Tickets — inventory allocation for equipment or resources
- Calendar events — sync with Google Calendar for your team
- Invitations — sent to guides or staff for the entire departure
- Assignments — guide assignments that apply to all passengers
- Comments — operational notes visible to your team and assigned guides These resources reflect the operational reality: one guide leads the tour for everyone, one departure time applies to all passengers, and logistics are coordinated once for the entire group.
Users in Helm: Agencies and Guides
Helm serves two distinct types of users: agency members and independent guides. Understanding the difference is important because they have different roles and permissions in the system.Agency Members
Agency members work for your company and have access to your organization’s bookings, schedules, and settings in Helm based on their role (owner, coordinator, operations, or admin).Independent Guides
Guides are independent contractors, not organization members. Add guides to your roster so they can view and manage assignments from your agency, while still working with other agencies independently. This distinction matters because it affects how guides interact with your system. You don’t invite guides to join your organization as team members. Instead, you add them to your roster, they maintain their own profile and availability, and you assign them to your runs. They accept or decline assignments based on their schedule and preferences.Roles and Permissions
Within your agency, team members have roles that determine what they can do in Helm. You assign roles when you invite someone to join your organization, and you can change roles at any time from the team management page.Owner
Owner has complete control over the organization. Owners can access everything, including billing information, payment settings, and the ability to delete the organization. This role is typically reserved for the business owner or primary administrator. An organization can have multiple owners, which is useful for partnerships or businesses with multiple principals who need full access.Admin
Admin can manage most aspects of the organization, including inviting team members, managing bookings and assignments, and configuring settings. Admins cannot access billing information or delete the organization. This role works well for operations managers or senior coordinators who need broad access without financial controls.Member
Member can view and manage bookings, handle assignments, and maintain their own schedule. Members cannot change organization settings or manage other team members. This role is appropriate for coordinators or staff who work with bookings day-to-day but don’t need access to organizational settings.How Users Work in Helm
- How Agencies Use Helm
- How Guides Use Helm
Getting bookings into Helm
You start by getting your bookings into the system. If you use a reservation system like Bokun, you can connect it to automatically sync bookings as they come in. When customers book tours through your system, those bookings appear in Helm automatically with all the customer information, tour details, and scheduling. If you don’t have an integration, you can create bookings manually by entering customer details, selecting the tour, and setting the date and time.Organizing and scheduling operations
Once bookings are in Helm, you organize and schedule your operations. The calendar view shows all your upcoming runs, letting you see at a glance what tours are happening when, how many passengers are coming, and which runs still need guides assigned. You can view your schedule by day, week, or month to plan ahead.Assigning guides
When it’s time to assign guides, you select from your roster based on availability and skills. Helm shows you which guides are available for each run based on their connected calendars. When you assign a guide to a run, they receive a notification and can accept or decline the assignment. Since guide assignments happen at the run level, one assignment covers all the events in that departure.Managing operational details
As tours approach and happen, you manage the operational details. You can allocate tickets (if your tours use equipment or have inventory), add operational notes in comments, communicate with guides about special requests, and track which runs are confirmed versus still in progress.Monitoring booking status
Throughout this process, you monitor the status of your bookings. You can see which bookings are confirmed, which are in progress, and which have been completed. After tours happen, guides mark them complete, and you can review how everything went.Glossary
Helm uses specific terms for different parts of the system. Knowing these terms helps you navigate the platform and communicate with support or your team.| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Runs | Tour departures—the operational events where guides and passengers meet and the tour happens. Runs contain one or more events. |
| Events | Individual customer reservations (also called bookings). Each event represents one booking with its own passengers and details. |
| Guides | Independent tour leaders who conduct your experiences. Guides maintain their own profiles and work with agencies through the roster system. |
| Agencies | Tour operators or travel companies (also called organizations) that use Helm to manage their operations. |
| Rosters | The connections between agencies and guides. When you add a guide to your roster, they can see and accept assignments from your agency. |
| Experiences | The types of activities you offer (also called tours)—walking tours, food tours, bike tours, etc. These are the products customers book. |
| Rates | Pricing options for your experiences. Different rates might represent different group sizes, seasons, or customer types. |
| Main contact | The primary contact for a booking. This is the person who booked the tour and is responsible for the booking. They might not be part of the passengers list. |
| Passengers | The people attending a tour. Each event has one or more passengers. |
| Tickets | Run-level inventory allocations. If a tour requires equipment or resources, you allocate tickets at the run level. |
| Assignments | The connections between guides and runs. When you assign a guide to a run, you create an assignment that the guide can accept or decline. |
| Comments | Operational notes and communication threads attached to runs. Use comments to share information with your team or guides about specific departures. |
What’s Next?
Now that you understand how Helm works, you’re ready to start using it.Getting Started
Set up your agency account, configure your organization, and invite your
team
Your First Success
Get your first bookings into the system and complete your first assignments
For guides: If you’ve been added to an agency roster, start with Your
First Success to complete your onboarding
profile and view your first assignment.