HappenBoard Pro can import attendees from a CSV file, for sign-ups you collected elsewhere: a spreadsheet, a form on another site, a paper list. Each row is registered as a sign-up would be, after a preview that shows what will be imported.
The attendee import needs HappenBoard Pro. See what Pro adds.
Before you start
- You need the permission to manage attendees. Administrators and Editors have it by default.
- The event must be published and still taking sign-ups: not cancelled, postponed or over.
- Note the event’s ID. On the Events screen, turn on the ID column in the view options, then click an ID to copy it.
Prepare your file
Your file needs a header row. Column names can be in upper or lower case. Without an email or an event_id column, the whole file is refused.
| Column | What it holds | Required |
|---|---|---|
email | The attendee’s email address. | Yes |
display_name (or name) | The attendee’s name, 100 characters at most. | Yes |
event_id | The numeric ID of the event. | Yes |
quantity | The number of seats. | No, 1 by default |
status | going, waitlist, cancelled or declined. Only going takes seats. | No, going by default |
Any other column is read as the answer to a registration field with the same key (see creating custom fields). Answers are checked as on the sign-up form, so a required field left empty stops the row. Columns that match no field are ignored.
Files saved from Excel work as they are. The separator can be a comma, a semicolon or a tab, and accented names are read correctly.
One file can weigh up to 2 MB. One import reads up to 5,000 rows: later rows are skipped, and the report says so. Split a bigger list into several files.
Click Download template in the import window. You get a small sample file with the right header row and three example lines. Replace the example event IDs with yours.
Import the file
- Go to HappenBoard → Attendees and click Import, next to Export.
- In the Import attendees from CSV window, choose your file.
- Tick the options you need (see below).
- Click Analyze file. Every row is checked, but nothing is saved yet.
- Read the three counters: Will import, Duplicates (skipped) and Errors.
- If there are errors, open the list under the counters. Each line gives the line number in your file and the reason. Fix the file, choose it again and analyze it again.
- Click the import button, which says how many attendees it will create, for example Import 42 attendees.
A summary then says how many attendees were imported, how many duplicates were skipped and how many rows failed. Click Close and the list refreshes.
The two options
Both are off by default. Changing one clears the preview, so click Analyze file again.
- Comp these attendees: registers them even on an event that sells paid tickets, and even past a full event’s capacity. Leave it off to import only the people a normal sign-up would let in.
- Email each attendee their confirmation: sends each new Going attendee the confirmation email, with their QR code and PDF e-ticket. Without it, the import sends no confirmation.
Rules applied to each row
Each row goes through the same checks as the public sign-up form. A Going row must fit in the event’s capacity, unless you comp it. An event that sells paid tickets refuses free sign-ups, unless you comp them.
The preview checks each row on its own. Rows that only fill an event together are refused on the real import, not in the preview.
On a recurring event, each row is registered for the date the event page shows now: the date in progress, or else the next one. The file cannot choose a date. Use Change date in the attendee’s panel afterwards if needed.
How duplicates are handled
A row is skipped as a duplicate when the event already has an attendee with the same email whose status is Going or Waitlist. Upper and lower case do not matter, and on a recurring event the check is per date. The same email twice for one event in your file counts as a duplicate too.
So you can run the same file twice without booking anybody twice. A cancelled or declined attendee does not block a new sign-up for the same person.
What an imported attendee sets off
Imported people are ordinary attendees. They appear in the attendee list, and those marked Going take seats and get a working QR code. You can print their badges, and their activity timeline starts with a Registered entry.
- No confirmation email goes out unless you ticked Email each attendee their confirmation.
- Reminder emails are not held back. If reminders are on, imported Going attendees get them like anyone else.
- Your integrations hear about each new attendee as for any sign-up: outbound webhooks, Slack, MailerPress and WhatsApp.
Next steps
- Managing attendees: work with the list once your rows are in.
- Printing name badges: print badges for the people you imported.
- CSV import/export and settings backup: import and export the rest of your data.