Event managers may find it necessary to record day and session attendance manually either at the event or post-event. In these situations, event managers can import a file to update attendance recording data in Eventsforce.
When importing attendance data for Days, event managers can import data for multiple days in a single spreadsheet.
When importing attendance data for Sessions, event managers can only import data for a single session at a time.
Downloading the import template
The import template for days and sessions are different. Depending on which page you are on (‘Days’ or ‘Sessions’), the proper import template will be available. The import template can be downloaded by taking the steps below:
Go to People > Attendance > Days OR People > Attendance > Sessions
For sessions, select a session on the left side panel
Click the ‘Tools’ drop-down and select “Download import template…”
Note: The ‘Tools’ drop-down on the Sessions page is unavailable until a session is selected.
Configuring the import template
The import templates for days and sessions are slightly different. The import file will contain the following columns:
PersonID
Date (only appears in the ‘Days’ template)
Time
The PersonID is a unique value used to locate the person in Eventsforce.
The Date is the date of your event that the person attended (only applies to attendance recording against ‘Days’). The date format is the user’s preferred date format (System Settings > My Details). Format will either be MM/DD/YYYY or DD/MM/YYYY.
The Time is the time of the day the attendee checked in (used for the attendance timestamp). The time format is the user’s preferred time format (System Settings > My Details). Format will either be HH:MM (24 hour) or HH:MM AM/PM and uses the event’s time zone. Time is not a mandatory field. If no value exists, the timestamp will be left blank.
Save your file as a .xlsx (Excel Workbook) extension. This is the only file type supported for importing attendance recording data.
Import file examples
Below are two examples of the import file with real data. The first example shows the import file for ‘days’ and uses the DD/MM/YYYY format with a 24 hour time format. The second example shows the import file for a ‘session’ and uses a 12 hour time format.
Note: The same person can be listed multiple times in the “Day import template” if the “Date” value is different (multi-day events):
Importing the file
Once your .xlsx file is configured and ready to import, follow the steps below to import your file:
Go to People > Attendance > Days OR People > Attendance > Sessions
If importing session attendance, select a session from the left side panel
Click the ‘Tools’ drop-down and select “Import from file…”
Select “Choose file…”
Browse your computer for the file and select it
If import is successful, a message will indicate how many records were updated
Note: Marking attendance does not affect waiting lists. If a walk-in accepts a waiting list place for a session after being marked as attended, they stop being a walk-in and are then “Booked” and “Attended”.