When switching to Event Temple, you can bring over a wide range of data from your previous system. Imports allow you to migrate important records such as accounts, contacts, bookings, and events into Event Temple so your team can hit the ground running. All data must be provided in .csv format, and the quality of your import will depend on the quality of the data you provide. While our team does everything possible to reduce manual entry, some cleanup and adjustments may still be required during the process.
Important Considerations when Importing
Before performing an import, please refer to our article "A Detailed List of Fields Available to Import" to confirm that your data is formatted correctly.
If importing Contacts linked to an Account, the Accounts must be imported or added into first. If no corresponding Account is found in Event Temple, the Contact will be skipped. It is recommended to generate External IDs for all data if an ID is not already present. This will ensure that you can link information together with ease.
The order of Importing should be Accounts, Contacts, Bookings, Events, Room Blocks, Menus, and finally, Event Line Items. This will ensure you're able to appropriately link an Account to a Contact / Contact & Account to Booking etc.
Groups/Room Blocks
Setting is_group as 'yes' on a Booking import creates a Room Block under the Booking with the following values:
Group Name = Booking Name
Arrival Date = Booking Start Date
Departure Date = Booking End Date
Group Status = Booking Status
If your Booking includes a room block, you will need to ensure that you have entered yes into the is_group column during your Booking import before proceeding with importing Room Blocks
Menu Items
Only the tax-exclusive price can be imported in the price column. If your price includes taxes you will need to calculate the price without taxes and import that with the appropriate taxes entered into the tax column.
Choice Group Menu Items cannot be imported.
Custom Field Mapping
If your old system uses fields that don’t exist in Event Temple by default, you can still bring that data over by creating custom fields. Once your custom fields are created in Event Temple, you’ll be able to match them to columns in your spreadsheet during import. This flexibility allows you to capture all the unique details your business needs, even if they don’t come standard in Event Temple.
Preparing Your Data
To prepare your data for import:
Export your records from your existing system.
Clean up the data by removing duplicates, correcting email and phone formats, and making sure required fields (like Account Name or Contact Email) are included.
Match your columns to Event Temple’s required field types. If your data has fields that don’t exist in Event Temple, you can create custom fields in advance and map them during the import process.
Double-check date formats, currency formats, and associations so they match Event Temple’s requirements.
Taking the time to prepare your data will save you from errors and rework later on.
For a copy of our import template, please click the link below!
Accounts
Start with your companies or client organizations if you have them. These are the records that everything else links to. Please note that while using Accounts is helpful, they are not mandatory for completing a data import, as Bookings can also be linked directly to Contacts
Make sure your data includes at least the Account Name for each item, as this is required to create an Account.
Add any extra info like address, phone number, or website if you have it within their relevant columns.
If you use an internal ID or code for accounts, add it as an External ID. This will make linking easier later. If you do not have an internal ID, you can generate External IDs within your spreadsheet to link Contacts and Bookings to their appropriate accounts.
Contacts
Next, bring in the people connected to those accounts.
Each contact will need to have a First Name, Last Name, and an Email Address, as these fields are required to create a Contact in the system.
If possible, include an Account ID or Account Name in the relevant columns so they link directly to the right company.
Enter any other information relevant to the Contacts, including address information, phone numbers, birthdays, or relevant notes. There are columns for these items in the spreadsheet template. If additional fields are needed, these can be added to the spreadsheet, and added into your Event Temple settings as Custom Fields
External IDs for Contacts are helpful to ensure that Bookings are linked to the correct contacts in the system.
Bookings
Bookings are the actual deals or reservations.
Include the Booking Name (like “Smith Wedding” or “Q4 Conference”) and Booking Status. Please note that the Booking Status will need to match one of the built in statuses that Event Temple offers. These statuses are static and cannot be changed. Your status will need to be one of the following: lead, tentative, definite, or lost.
If available, add the Account External ID or Account Name so the booking connects to the right customer.
If available, add the Contact External ID or Contact First Name and Last Name so the booking is linked to the correct contact.
Include any available key details like start and end dates, start and end times, booking type, and deal value.
If the booking should be part of a group, set Is Group = yes. This will automatically create a group record for the room block to be imported to.
If any additional information needs to be imported, these can be added as Custom Fields in your Event Temple settings, and as new columns in the import spreadsheet.
Events
Events live inside bookings. Think of them as the individual functions within the same Booking (like “Ceremony,” “Reception Dinner,” or “Meeting Session”).
Each event must have a Booking ID so it knows where to live.
Add event details like name, start and end dates, and status, as these are required for import
You can also include notes, start and end times for each Event, Guaranteed and Expected Attendees, Spaces, Event Type and Setup Style.
If additional information is needed, these can be added as Custom Fields and included as new columns in the import sheet.
Room Blocks
If your bookings include accommodations, add room blocks next.
Each room block must be tied to the correct Booking ID.
Each day within a room block needs to have it's own row in the import sheet, and each day needs to include the Booking External ID. Our importer cannot import Room Blocks using a date range.
Each day needs to include at least the following:
Booking External ID
an External ID for each row in the sheet (this can be generated if your exported data does not include this)
the Single Blocked amount (this will be the number of rooms for the specific date in the row)
The Rate for that day (this is generally the ADR for the room block, but can be different for each day in the case of varied pricing)
Room Type - this needs to match a room type available in your Event Temple settings.
You can optionally add pickup amounts in this section of the import.
Menu Items / Line Items
Menu/Line Items are generally your food & beverage options, but these are also used for other billable services like labour costs, room rental fees, and other miscellaneous costs.
Include the Menu Item Name (like “3-Course Dinner” or “Bartender - One Hour”) and Price, as these are mandatory. If your Line Item does not have a price, or has variable pricing, you can enter the price as 0 to accommodate various values. Ensure that all items have a price, as this is mandatory
Add details like Item Description, Revenue Categories, the Sub Menu you'd like to organize the items into, and what taxes should be applied.
Please note that the price entered needs to be tax exclusive.
If you are entering taxes into the Tax column, they need to match the tax names entered into your Event Temple settings. If multiple taxes or fees need to be added for a menu item, they will need to be separated with a semicolon (;) and located in the same row as the item.
Event Line Items
Finally, bring in the event line items. These are the actual charges linked to your events.
Each line item needs to include the Event External ID so it attaches to the right event, and a unique External ID to identify that each item is an individual addition, even if there are multiple items with the same name within an event.
Add the Menu Item Name, quantity, and price. You can optionally add serving times, taxes, and revenue categories in this sheet. It is important to note that Revenue Categories need to exactly match an existing Revenue Category in your Event Temple settings.
Double-check that your menu items are already imported before this step, otherwise the line items won’t link.
Tasks
Tasks are your reminders or to-do items in Event Temple. They can be linked to accounts, contacts, bookings, or just to a user so your team doesn’t miss important follow-ups.
Each task needs to have a Task Name (like “Call client” or “Send contract”).
Add a Due Date so you know when it needs to be done.
If the task is already finished, you can also include a Completed Date.
Use the Assignee’s Email Address to assign the task to a team member in Event Temple.
If the task is related to a specific contact, account, or booking, make sure you include their External ID so the task attaches to the right place.
Tips:
Make sure the assignee’s email matches exactly with a user in Event Temple, or the task won’t be assigned.
Import tasks last so they can link properly to all the records you’ve already brought in.
Importing data into Event Temple works best when you take it step by step and follow the order: Accounts → Contacts → Bookings → Events → Room Blocks → Menus → Event Line Items → Tasks. This makes sure everything links together properly and nothing gets left behind.
Before you start, double-check that your spreadsheet is complete, your data is in the right format (dates, times, emails, numbers, etc.), and that you’ve included External IDs wherever possible. External IDs act like glue, helping Event Temple connect your accounts, contacts, bookings, and other records correctly.
Remember, not every single field needs to be filled out, but the required ones are essential. If something doesn’t line up, you may need to do a bit of manual cleanup after the import.
Once your data is imported, you’ll have everything in Event Temple, ready for your team to use. From there, you can start managing bookings, events, and tasks without skipping a beat.