To prepare an Events spreadsheet for import into your Circa Workspace, follow the instructions below. Then sign in and follow the import instructions found here.
Circa utilizes data validation to ensure various features work correctly. For example, calendars need actual date datatypes (not just text like "Dec 1st") and locations should be available in Google Maps. The steps outlined in this article will help you format your data correctly.
1. Remove formatting and line breaks
Remove all formatting from the spreadsheet including colors, bold, italics, etc. Also remove all line breaks in cells, except in the case of a Notes column. Notes can have line breaks.
2. Extract URLs
Extract URLs from text links. For example, turn Google into https://google.com.
3. Create column headers for Event fields
Create a row at the top of the spreadsheet with the event field names from Circa as column headers, as shown in the screenshot below.
Include an Event Name column and a Team Name column, as these are required. If your Workspace only has one Team, all events can have the same Team Name, but this column is still required for the import to be successful.
4. Create Venue and Location columns
Venue Name and Location should be separated into separate columns. If an event has a Venue Name column, but lacks a Location column in the spreadsheet, the Venue Name won't be added to the event.
When adding event Location, make sure to add City, State (if applicable) and Country. The Location you add must be able to be found in Google Maps for it to be imported.
5. Separate start and end date columns
When importing event dates, Start Date and End Date should be separated into two different columns in the spreadsheet.
Ensure that the date columns are in date format. Set this in Google Sheets by selecting the columns and going to Format > Number > Date. In Excel, choose the Date format from the drop-down list in the Number group on the Home tab.
6. Use Planned Amount and Actual Cost Budget columns
Currently, you can import total Budget to the event using Planned Amount and Actual Cost fields. Add an event's total Budget to these columns and an Expense named "Total" will be automatically created in the Event Budget after importing.
Read more about importing more detailed Budgets here.
7. Omit Contacts, Event Staff and Tasks
You can not import Contacts, Event Staff or Tasks using Event Import currently, so if your CSV file has these fields, they will not be imported into the events.
However, you can import a Leaders column or create a custom members field to import with first and last names or email addresses of members. If these emails are not yet added to your Workspace, you will receive a notification suggesting to add them during the import process.
8. Create Custom Fields
Create Custom Fields in Event Settings for any fields you'd like to import that aren't already built into Circa.
For example, if you have a column called "Number of Exhibitors", that is not a built-in Circa field, so you can create and enable a Number custom field named "Number of Exhibitors." You don't need to set available values for these Custom fields, as this will be done automatically during the import.
9. Separate multiple picklist values with commas
When an event has more than one value for one event info field, you can put multiple values in the same cell, separated by a comma and space.
For example, if you are attending, speaking and exhibiting at an event, in the Roles column of the event you would want three values, separated like this: "Attending, Speaker, Exhibitor."
Once your file has been prepared for import, follow the instructions for importing a CSV spreadsheet of Events.