January 22, 2026 | 3 min read
Contacts in Eventact
In Eventact, a Contact refers to an individual in your database. The system is designed so that a person's identity is linked with their information or registration for any specific event. This structure enables organizations to foster ongoing relationships with their participants across various conferences, meetings, or webinars over time.
The Global Contact Profile
The Contact record serves as a Master Profile. This data is shared across the entire account, ensuring that a person's core information remains consistent and fresh regardless of which event they are interacting with.
- Customizable Data Attributes: The fields stored at the contact level are fully configurable. Organizers can choose or add specific fields - such as job title, company, country, or membership IDs based on the unique information they want to track and share across events.
- Streamlined User Experience: Global information can serve as the "default" for new registrations. When a returning user signs up, the system can automatically pre-populate these fields, which the participant can then verify or update.
- Administrative Control: Not all contact data needs to be public-facing. Some information can be designated for back-office use only, allowing staff to track internal notes, statuses, or historical data that remains hidden from the participant's registration view.
- Flexible Identification: While the system is designed to consolidate records, it offers flexibility. Organizers might choose to disable strict authentication to lower the barrier for entry, even if it increases the likelihood of creating separate records for the same individual.
Managing Event-Specific Activity
Eventact maintains a distinction between the Global Contact and their Event Activity. Information gathered during a registration or abstract submission - such as session choices, dietary requirements, or research titles - is stored at the event level. This ensures that event-specific details remain isolated to the relevant project, while the core contact profile continues to serve as the unified foundation for your long-term data management.
Importing Contact Data
The Import Wizard allows for creating new records and updating existing ones using Excel files. To ensure data integrity, the system follows specific processing rules during the upload.
File Requirements and Limits
- Format: Files must be in .xlsx format.
- Header Row: The first row of the spreadsheet must contain column titles.
- Mandatory Data: All new contact records must include a Name.
- Import Volume: The system supports imports of up to 10,000 contacts at a time. Larger lists should be divided into multiple files.
Updating Existing Records
To modify existing contact profiles, a unique key field (such as Email or a specific ID) must be selected. The system uses this key to identify and update the correct record rather than creating a duplicate.
Data Processing Rules
The system includes automated cleanup for email and phone number fields, removing invalid characters and extra spaces. For other data types, the following mapping rules apply:
- Dropdown Menus: The system accepts either the exact text value or the numerical ID of the option.
- Radio Buttons & Checkboxes: These accept comma-separated values or a numerical value representing the combined value of the choice.
- Country Fields: These accept the full country name, the ISO code, or the numerical ID.
- Ticket Names: Names in the Excel file must match the names defined in the Price List exactly.
Importing Accompanying Persons
Importing guests linked to a primary attendee - often for recreation, accommodation, or travel purposes - is handled through the general contact import process.
To link these records correctly, ensure the Import Accompanying Persons option is selected during the mapping phase of the Import Wizard.
The Excel file structure should follow these guidelines:
- Identification: The first column of the Excel file should contain the main person’s personal ID. This column needs to be mapped to the internal data name PassportNumber.
- Relation: The second column defines the relationship to the primary attendee (e.g., Spouse, Child).
Once imported, these records are automatically assigned a Secondary status. This identifies them as dependents within the system and prevents them from registering as independent primary contacts.