Automate Conference Travel Approvals with Deepseek AI, Gmail and Google Sheets

Introduction

Automates overseas conference approval requests to CEO. Generates emails with conference details, flight quotes, accommodation, expense breakdown, and admin procedures. Ensures consistency and saves time.

How It Works

Manual trigger initiates: fetches exchange rates/conference details, parses flight quotes, uses AI to calculate expenses and generate draft, checks budget, formats messages, merges versions, creates PDF, sends to CEO, logs to tracker.

Workflow Template

Manual Trigger → Configuration → [Exchange Rates + Conference Details + Flight Quotes] → AI Agent → [GPT-4 + Calculate + Extract + Generate Tools] → Total Expenses → Budget Check → [Format Approved + Warning] → Merge → PDF → Send CEO → Log Tracker

Workflow Steps

1. Initialization: Manual trigger with conference parameters, sets variables (name, dates, location, funding)
2. Data Collection: Fetches/parses exchange rates, conference details via HTTP, aggregates 3 flight quotations
3. AI Processing: AI Agent orchestrates GPT-4 with Calculate, Extract, Generate tools for expense analysis and email drafting
4. Validation: Calculates total expenses, validates against budget threshold
5. Formatting: Customizes approval/warning messages by status, merges content versions
6. Delivery: Generates PDF breakdown, dispatches via Gmail to CEO, logs to Google Sheets tracker

Setup Instructions

1. APIs: Configure currency/conference endpoints with credentials
2. OpenAI: Add GPT-4 API key in AI Agent
3. AI Tools: Set Calculate, Extract, Generate parameters
4. Gmail: Connect account, set CEO recipient
5. Sheets: Link tracker with write permissions
6. Budget: Set threshold (default: $5000)

Prerequisites

n8n instance, Currency API, Conference API, OpenAI GPT-4 key, Gmail with OAuth, Google Sheets, PDF generator, Travel agent API

Use Cases

Academic: Staff requests conference with grant, registration, 3 quotes, hotel, visa. AI generates email with PO/card procedures. Sales: Manager seeks client meeting approval with comparisons, per diem. Training: Employee requests certification with fees, accommodation, transport.

Customization

Modify thresholds by department. Add categories (insurance, baggage). Customize AI prompts for tone/branding. Integrate flight sources. Extend approval chain. Add travel restrictions.

Benefits

Time Efficient: Reduces prep from 60+ to 5 minutes. AI-Powered: Intelligent analysis and generation. Consistent: Ensures completeness. Accurate: Eliminates errors.