Attendees' data to collect

Overview

When attendees purchase tickets for your event, alf.io collects basic information by default: First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and Language preference. However, you may need to collect additional information such as company name, phone number, dietary preferences, or any other custom data relevant to your event.

The Attendees’ data to collect feature allows you to define custom fields that will be displayed in the registration form. These fields can be configured to:

• Use pre-defined templates for common data types
• Create fully custom fields with various input types
• Control visibility based on ticket categories
• Display information during check-in

Accessing the Configuration

1. Navigate to your event’s detail page in the admin panel
2. In the left sidebar under Details, click on Attendees’ data to collect

You will see: - Standard Fields: The default fields (First Name, Last Name, Email Address) that are always collected - Custom Fields: Any additional fields you have configured

Adding New Fields

Click the Create new button to add a new field. You have two options:

Using Templates

Select From Template to choose from pre-configured field types:

Available templates include:

• Job title - Single-line text for professional title
• Phone number - Validated phone number input
• Company - Single-line text for organization name
• Address - Multi-line text for postal address
• Country - Drop-down selection of countries
• Notes - Multi-line text for additional comments
• I am (gender) - Radio button selection
• T-Shirt size - Drop-down selection for merchandise sizing

Templates come pre-configured with appropriate field types and labels, saving you time on common data collection needs.

Creating Custom Fields

Select Custom to create a field from scratch with full control over all settings.

Field Configuration

When adding or editing a field, you’ll see the configuration dialog:

Field Definition

Field Type determines how the data is collected. Available types are:

Field Type	Description	Best Used For
Single-line text input	Standard text field	Names, titles, short answers
Phone number input	Validated phone format	Contact numbers
European VAT number input	VAT validation	Business invoicing
Multi-line text input	Text area for longer content	Addresses, notes, comments
Country selection drop-down	Pre-populated country list	Geographic information
Single-choice drop-down	Select one option from list	Categories, sizes, preferences
Single-choice radio buttons	Visible options, select one	Gender, yes/no questions
Multiple-choice checkboxes	Select multiple options	Interests, dietary restrictions
Date of birth input	Date picker	Age verification, birthday

Field Options vary by field type:

• For text inputs: Set minimum and maximum character lengths
• For choice fields: Define the available options

Display Labels

Configure what attendees see in the form:

• Title: The question or label displayed above the field (required)
• Placeholder: Optional hint text shown inside empty fields

If your event supports multiple languages, you can provide translations for each language by switching tabs.

Field Reference

The Internal Field Name is used to identify the field in:

• Data exports (CSV, Excel)
• Data imports
• API integrations
• Check-in application

Use only letters, numbers, and underscores (e.g., company_name, dietary_preference).

Field Behavior

Configure how the field behaves:

Option	Description
Required field	Attendees must fill this field to complete registration
Editable by attendee	Attendees can modify this field after initial submission (via their ticket management page)
Show at check-in	Field value is displayed in the check-in app when scanning the attendee’s ticket

Visibility Rules

Control when this field appears:

• Apply to all ticket categories: The field appears for all ticket types
• Select specific categories: The field only appears for selected ticket categories

This is useful when certain information is only needed for specific ticket types (e.g., workshop preferences only for workshop tickets).

Managing Existing Fields

After adding fields, they appear in the configuration page:

For each custom field, you can:

• Move up: Change the display order (fields are shown top-to-bottom)
• Edit: Modify the field configuration
• Delete: Remove the field (data from existing registrations is preserved)

Best Practices

1. Keep it minimal: Only collect data you actually need. Shorter forms lead to better conversion rates.
2. Mark appropriately as required: Only mark fields as required if the information is truly essential.
3. Use templates when possible: Templates are pre-configured with appropriate validation and formatting.
4. Consider privacy: Be mindful of collecting sensitive information. Include appropriate privacy notices in your event terms.
5. Test your form: After configuration, go through the ticket purchase flow to verify fields appear correctly.
6. Enable check-in display wisely: Only show fields at check-in that help staff (e.g., VIP status, dietary needs for catering).

Data Access

Collected attendee data can be accessed through:

• Reservations list: View individual attendee details
• Export functionality: Download all data in CSV or Excel format
• Check-in app: View configured fields during attendee check-in
• API: Programmatic access for integrations