Data collection and custom fields

Build your own custom form for the ticket buyer to fill in at the time of booking. With these fields, data collection takes place alongside registration and payment, eliminating the need for separate spreadsheets and ticket buyer follow up.

On checkout the ticket buyer will be asked for their contact details; booking name, address, phone and email. As the event organiser, you will have access to this data. It is recommended that you avoid adding custom fields that repeat these fields.

This article covers:

1. Field options
2. Creating custom fields
3. Organising custom fields
4. Assigning custom fields to ticket types
5. Displaying data collected on tickets
6. Data collection templates
7. Reporting on data collected using custom fields

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Field options

You will be given the option to add fields Once per Booking or at the Attendee level.

Once per Booking fields will be displayed first, displaying the field once regardless of how many tickets are selected. The data that is collected at this level is applicable to tickets selected within the booking eg. Parent/Guardian data

Attendee fields will display for each ticket that has been selected within the booking. Ideal for collecting data specific to the ticket/s selected eg. Attendee Name

Field type options

Field Type	Description
Short text box	A one-line free text field that allows the ticket buyer to enter plain text, up to 200 characters
Long text box	A multi-line free text field that allows the ticket buyer to enter plain text, 500+ characters
Yes/No	A drop-down field where the ticket buyer can indicate the response of Yes or No
Dropdown	Allows you to create a drop-down field with your own unique values for the ticket buyer to select from
Date	A drop-down field for Day, Month and Year

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Creating custom fields

 To create custom fields:

1. From the left menu, click Dashboard
2. In the Manage events overview, select your event
3. From the left menu, go to Data collection, under Additional information
4. Choose whether to add the field at the Once per Booking or Attendee level, by selecting Yes to Collect Information
5. Click the button Add field 
6. Complete all the fields
   • Label: Indication as to what data should be entered/ the question you are asking the ticket buyer
   • Mandatory: indicate whether the field must be completed in order to proceed with the booking
   • Field type: choose from a range of field types for the ticket buyer to enter in the applicable data
   • Field name (optional): set a custom tag for the field that can be used in your own ticket styles. Must be in Upper Case with no spaces
7. Click Save and close

If you remove a data collection field from a form once bookings have commenced, you will also lose all data collected for that field.

Attendee name

If you want to obtain the first and last names of each attendee:

1. From the left menu, click Dashboard
2. In the Manage events overview, select your event
3. From the left menu, go to Data collection, under Additional information
4. Scroll down to Attendee, set Collect information to Yes
5. Tick the box Collect Attendee name per ticket
6. If you want this to be a mandatory field, tick Make Attendee name mandatory
7. Click Save

This creates two fields in data collection list: Attendee First Name and Attendee Last Name. These fields are linked to the mobile scanning app, allowing you to check off each attendee as they arrive.

With these fields in play, the ticket style linked to the event will update automatically, replacing the text 'Booked By' with 'Attendee' and name of the person who made the booking with the name of the attendee entered.

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Organising custom fields

Reordering

If you have multiple fields, you can reorder them by:

1. Click on the reorder tool 
2. Drag and drop the field to the correct position
3. Click Save display order 

Separate and group with headers

When you have a larger list of custom fields, grouping these fields together using headers can make it easier for the customer.

To add a header:

1. From the left menu, click Dashboard
2. In the Manage events overview, select your event
3. From the left menu, go to Data collection, under Additional information
4. Click on the first field in your group
5. Click on the Header tab
6. Use the editor to create a header
7. Click Save
8. Repeat for each group

Headers will always appear above the field you assign them to. Learn more about headers here.

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Assigning custom fields to ticket types

All custom data fields are assigned to all ticket types by default. If the field has been set at the Attendee level, there is the flexibility to choose which fields display based on the ticket type selected.

To set which fields display for a ticket type:

1. From the left menu, click Dashboard
2. Under Manage events overview, click your event name
3. From the left menu, click Pricing group (ticket prices), under Ticketing
4. Click on the pricing group listed
5. Click on the ticket type you wish to remove the custom field from
6. Click on the Data collection tab
7. Add or remove data fields
8. Click Save

Check your data is set up correctly by testing your event. From the left menu, click Make a booking to preview your event. Add a few tickets to your cart and make sure you're happy with how data is collected for each ticket type.

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Displaying data collected on tickets

When adding in a field, you are given the option to enter a Field Name. By entering a field name, you are creating a tag that can be used to pull the data entered by the customer on to the E-ticket issued.

This can be helpful for providing the ticket buyer with confirmation of key data selected during the booking process eg Sizing for merchandise, meal options etc.

The Field Name may only contain letters, numbers, and/or underscore (no spaces). It should also be in upper case.

To learn more about creating ticket styles with custom tags, click here.

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Data collection templates

If you're running similar events and want to collect data consistently, use data collection templates. See Data Collection templates for full instructions on creating a data collection template.

If you have a data collection template created on the account you will be given the option to import the template when selecting Yes to Collect Information for either Once per Booking or Attendee.

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Reporting on data collected using custom fields

The Export data report is the best report to use for accessing data collected via data collection. It allows you to build a custom report by choosing which fields you wish to access.

To use this report:

1. From the left menu, click Reports
2. Under Event reports, click Export data
3. Use the drop-down menus to select the event and session you want to report on
4. Select your report preferences using the large check-boxes
5. Select the fields you want to report on using the small check-boxes
   • Custom fields will appear at the bottom of the relevant list. Fields asked Once per booking will be in the Booking details list, and fields asked per Attendee will be in the Ticket details list
6. Click Export

Your file will now download as a CSV file. Most spreadsheet programs, including Excel and Sheets, can open CSV files.