WordPress Event Ticketing

The CSV Export add-on for Tickera is often overlooked yet a very powerful tool that can help event organizers to export attendee lists into a .csv file format. This feature can be incredibly useful for managing events, analyzing data, and generating insights. While exporting basic attendee information is straightforward, there are many creative ways you can leverage this data, particularly when combined with third-party software. In this post, we will explore various examples of how to use the CSV Export add-on effectively, providing formulas and step-by-step instructions to help you get the most out of your exported data. Also, in the examples below, we're using Google Sheets as it is free and easily accessible. However, you should get a similar thing with Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, OpenOffice Calc, etc. What is more important is that all the provided formulas are the same regardless of which of the mentioned software you're using.

Getting a number of checked-in attendees

For this to work, you will have to include Checked-in value when exporting your .csv file using CSV Export.

This will create a column titled Checked-in which will contain either Yes or No values for each attendee which, by itself, is already useful information. But this can be expanded even more and with a simple COUNTIF formula, you can easily get the count of the attendees that have checked-in as well as the ones that haven't checked-in.

For starters, let's first import the .csv file you have generated from CSV Export add-on on your website.

In this example, we have two columns: the column A displays attendee full names while the column B displays whether they have checked-in their ticket or not. If we now click on any empty field, we can use the following formula:

=COUNTIF(B2:B100, "Yes")

This formula means that it will count all the cells in the range from B2 to B100 that contain the word Yes and will display a number of those instances. Effectively, you will get a number of checked-in attendees.

By the same token, you can count the number of attendees who haven't checked-in their tickets, simply by using the word No as criteria in this formula.

Getting the number of checked-in tickets on each gate

Let's say that your event has multiple entrances or gates and that you're using a different API key to check-in tickets on each. Expanding on the previous solution, we can use similar approach to check how many tickets have been checked-in on each entrance. For this, we will need to include Check-ins field when exporting attendee list from CSV Export.

This value will be represented in the column labeled Check-ins and will contain information about the date and time of the check-in as well as the API key used for check-in. So, let's assume that you want to find how many tickets have been checked-in with the API key that you named East Gate. The formula we will be using here is also based on COUNTIF but the expression is a bit different.

=COUNTIF(B2:B100, "*East Gate*")

In this formula, we're searching through the B column from rows 1 to 100 and criteria we're looking for is East Gate. However, given that these cells contain some additional information and not just East Gate, we're using asterisks before and after the term we're searching for.

Same formula - another useful scenario

The COUNTIF function is really simple yet, as you can figure out by now, is quite powerful. The essence of it is that it simply counts stuff and as such we can use it for anything that requires, well, counting.

Let's assume that you're utilizing our Custom Forms add-on to collect information such as, for example, T-shirt size for your attendees. It could be really useful to know how many of each of the sizes of the T-shirt you should make in advance, right?

That's not the problem at all. When creating a custom form, you will notice that each field has a checkbox labeled as Allow field export which, if checked, will allow you to export values collected by that field with CSV Export.

So, if you include this information as well to your exported list, not only you will be able to see at a glance which attendee needs which size but you will also be able to count the exact number of each of the sizes that you need. For example, let's say that you want to get a number of T-shirts of the size of XL and that this information is in the column C in your exported file. Simply click an empty cell and use the formula like this:

=COUNTIF(B2:B100, "XL")

Of course, using the same logic and just changing the search criteria, you can easily get the number of all the other sizes.

Analyze ticket sales and revenue

There are two ways of approaching this. The easier one would be to export attendee list for the single ticket type and include a field Order total (shown once). After that you can simply import this .csv file to your preferred software and sum the whole column that shows order total.

However, a bit trickier yet more informative and arguably more elegant way of doing this is to export a list for the whole event and all the ticket types sold for that event. This will give us a chance to have the information about revenue for each ticket type on a single sheet. To do this, we will need to use SUMIF function. Let's assume that we have exported attendee list that has attendee name in the column A, ticket types that they have purchased in the column B and order total in column C.

First, we will get the revenue for the ticket type called VIP. Click on any empty cell and enter the following formula:

=SUMIF(B2:B100, "VIP", C2:C100)

This formula will run through the column B and rows 1 to 100 and will search for the term VIP which, if contained, it will add the sum found in the column C. Pretty nice and logical, right? With the same approach, we can, of course, sum the other ticket types just by replacing the the VIP search term for the title of some other ticket type.

And, if you want to go an extra mile, you can also create graphic chart based on these values to get a visual representation of the balance between revenue of all of the ticket types.

Email campaigns based on attendee data

Although Tickera has integration with several email campaign service providers (Mailchimp, Sendloop and Customer.io) all of which are collecting names and emails of the customers during checkout, it happens quite often that event organizers find out about this only after their event. It is not, of course, a pleasant situation to be in to find out that you missed the opportunity to collect this valuable information. But, not all is lost. CSV Export to the rescue!

Most of the email campaign service providers support importing of audience assets from .csv file. So, all you need to do is to check what kind of information your email campaign service provider expects and allows to be imported and then use CSV Export add-on to generate attendee list that contains that same information. And just like that, with a few simple clicks and within minutes, you can have a list of audience for your next email campaign with your favourite email campaign service provider.

Also, it is worth mentioning that this bridges the gap and allows you to use email campaign service providers that Tickera does not have direct integration with.

One thing that is important to keep in mind is that when creating audience this way, you're essentially doing this without direct consent of your customers which may be against the law depending on which country you reside and sell tickets in. So, you should cover this with the Terms of Use on your website and have your customers agree with this before they finish checkout. Conveniently, we have an add-on that can help you with that called Terms and Conditions.

In conclusion

As you can see CSV Export add-on for Tickera is not just a simple data export tool but rather a gateway to a wealth of analytical possibilities. Whether you're tracking attendance, analyzing revenue, generating visual reports, or using it for follow-ups, the right formulas and third-party software can transform your raw data into actionable insights. By following the examples outlined in this post, you can utilize the CSV Export add-on like a pro, making the most of every event you organize.

Remember, the key to effective data analysis is not just collecting data but knowing how to interpret and act on it. With the right tools and a bit of creativity, your CSV exports can become a powerful resource for optimizing your events and enhancing your overall strategy.