Import Visitors

You can upload Visitor data to Visit using an Excel workbook (.xls, Excel 97-2004 or .xlsx, Excel 2007 and higher). This is particularly useful if you have your own database from which you want to extract the data.

Before starting your import, you need to think about the data and how you want to use it:

• Are you going to use multiple Translations in your Event? If yes, then you will need to include a Languages column.
• Break the data down into as small as possible chunks. That is, instead of putting the visitor's full name in a single column, use separate columns for First Name, Last Name Prefix and Last Name.
• Ensure that the data is ‘clean’. For instance, if you are using initials, are they all in capitals and separated by full stops? Are all telephone numbers complete and in the same format?
• Consider using a Tag field. Map this field to the Tag field in the database. This allows you to filter on the Tag field in the Service Centre to easily identify the imported registrants. Tags are a flexible way of grouping and categorising registrants.

Whatever data you choose to import, there is one field that must be imported and that is a unique reference id. This field must be mapped to the field Reference in Visit and is used as follows:

• If no registrant is found in the system with the reference id quoted, a new registrant record will be created with the details. Note: the system will check for a registrant with the same number across all Events, not just the one you are importing data for.
• If a registrant is found with the reference number, Visit will update the details of that registrant with the details in the import sheet.

The reference id must be unique for new Visitors or you will overwrite existing entries – even if the Visitors are in a different Event to the one you are uploading to. Consider an easy method to make the references unique if you want to add, rather than update, registrants. A way to do this could be using an abbreviation of the Event name along with the date of upload and then followed by a sequential number e.g. an event called Catering Trade Fair, where 1000 records are being uploaded on 15 January 2016 could have references CTF1601150001, CTF1601150002 etc.

The field names and columns can be in any order you wish in your workbook.

The following rules are applied to your data during the upload. If they do not pass these rules, the upload will not succeed.

Field	Validation
Reference	Mandatory
Email address	Not mandatory but, if used, the format must be <name>@<domain>.<domain extension> e.g. [e-mail]

 Import visitors

• Click Service Centre
• Select an Event from the drop-down list
• Select Visitors tab
• Click Add
• Click Import Registrants
• Click Select file
• Navigate to the file you want to upload and select it
• Click Open