Import Events

Import Events lets you create multiple events at once by uploading a CSV file. This is ideal for migrating from another system, planning an entire semester of activities, or setting up many events quickly.

When to Use Bulk Import

Bulk import is most useful when you have:

• Many events to create - Setting up 10+ events is faster with import than creating each manually
• Events from another system - Migrating from spreadsheets or another platform
• Seasonal planning - Setting up an entire semester or year of activities
• Recurring schedules - Creating multiple similar events with different dates

Event Series vs Bulk Import

For recurring events with the same time and location (like weekly classes), use Event Series instead. Event Series automatically generates sessions and supports series passes. Use bulk import when your events vary in details or aren't on a regular schedule.

Accessing Event Import

1. Go to your group page
2. Click the Events tab
3. Click Import Events in the top right

Required Permissions

Only Group Owners, Co-Leaders, and Event Managers can import events. See Managing Members for role details.

Downloading the CSV Template

To ensure your CSV file has the correct format:

1. On the Import Events page, click Download Template
2. The template downloads as event-import-template.csv
3. Open it in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet program

The template includes:

• Example data for both single events and series
• All required and optional columns
• Comments explaining each field

CSV Format Requirements

Required Columns

Every row must include these columns:

Column	Format	Description
type	event or series	Whether this is a single event or recurring series
name	Text	Event title
start_date	YYYY-MM-DD	Date of the event (e.g., 2025-03-15)
start_time	HH:MM	Start time in 24-hour format (e.g., 14:00 for 2 PM)
end_time	HH:MM	End time in 24-hour format (e.g., 16:30 for 4:30 PM)

Optional Columns

Add these columns to configure additional event details:

Event Details:

• description - Event description (plain text)
• category - Category names, comma-separated (e.g., "Arts & Crafts, Academic")
• image_url - URL to an image (will be downloaded and attached to event)

Location Settings:

• location_name - Venue name (e.g., "Community Center")
• location_address - Full street address for geocoding (e.g., "123 Main St, Austin, TX 78701")
• location_type - physical, virtual, or hybrid (default: physical)
• virtual_meeting_url - Zoom/Teams link for virtual or hybrid events

Visibility & Registration:

• visibility - public, group_members, or unlisted (default: public)
• show_attendees - true or false (default: true)
• collect_attendee_info - true or false (default: false)
• registration_deadline - Deadline as YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM
• scholarship_enabled - true or false (default: false)
• no_refunds - true or false (default: false)

Capacity & Pricing:

• capacity - Maximum attendees (number)
• series_pass_price - Price for a series pass or single event ticket (e.g., 25.00)
• drop_in_price - Per-session price for series (e.g., 5.00)
• intro_price - Special price for first session of series (e.g., 3.00)
• tickets_json - Advanced: JSON array for custom ticket types

Series Options (required if type = series):

• recurrence - daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly
• sessions - Number of sessions (number)

Format Examples

Single Free Event:

type,name,start_date,start_time,end_time,location_name,location_address,location_type,visibility
event,Park Day Meetup,2025-03-20,11:00,14:00,Zilker Park,2100 Barton Springs Rd Austin TX,physical,public

Single Paid Event:

type,name,start_date,start_time,end_time,location_name,location_address,capacity,series_pass_price,category
event,Science Fair,2025-04-15,10:00,15:00,Community Center,100 Center Blvd Austin TX,100,5,STEM

Weekly Series:

type,name,start_date,start_time,end_time,recurrence,sessions,series_pass_price,drop_in_price,location_name,location_address
series,8-Week Art Class,2025-01-15,10:00,12:00,weekly,8,200,30,Art Studio,123 Main St Austin TX

Virtual Event:

type,name,start_date,start_time,end_time,location_type,virtual_meeting_url,visibility
event,Online Book Club,2025-03-25,19:00,20:30,virtual,https://zoom.us/j/123456789,group_members

CSV Formatting Tips

• Headers - First row must contain column names (case-insensitive)
• Quotes - Use double quotes around values containing commas (e.g., "Arts, Academic")
• Empty values - Leave cells blank for optional fields you don't need
• Dates - Always use YYYY-MM-DD format
• Times - Use 24-hour format (14:00, not 2:00 PM)
• Encoding - Save as UTF-8 encoding for special characters

Uploading and Importing

Upload Your CSV

1. On the Import Events page, either:
   • Drag and drop your CSV file onto the upload area
   • Click Select File to browse for your CSV
2. The file is validated immediately
3. You'll see a preview of what will be imported

Review the Preview

The preview shows:

• Valid - Number of rows ready to import (green)
• Errors - Number of rows with validation errors (red)
• Warnings - Number of rows with warnings (yellow)

Each row displays:

• Row number from your CSV
• Status icon (checkmark or X)
• Event/series name and date
• Any errors or warnings for that row

Handle Validation Results

If all rows are valid:

• Review the preview
• Click Import Events to proceed

If there are errors:

• Review error messages for each row
• Choose one of these options:
  1. Click Change file to fix your CSV and re-upload
  2. Check Skip invalid rows to import only the valid rows

If there are warnings:

• Warnings don't prevent import
• Review them to ensure your data is correct
• Common warnings: dates in the past, very high capacity

Paid Events Require Stripe

If any row includes pricing (series_pass_price, drop_in_price, etc.), your group must have completed Stripe Connect verification. Free events can be imported without payment setup.

Confirm and Import

1. Review the preview one final time
2. If you have invalid rows, decide whether to skip them
3. Click Import [N] Events where N is the number of events to create
4. Wait while events are created (this may take a few moments)

Understanding Import Results

After import completes, you'll see a summary:

Success

If all events were created successfully:

• Green success message
• List of created events with links to view them
• Import More button to import another file
• View Group button to return to your group

Partial Success

If some events couldn't be created:

• Yellow warning message
• Count of successfully created events
• List of created events
• Error details for failed rows
• Errors are shown with row numbers

Common Import Errors

During validation:

• Missing required fields (type, name, dates, times)
• Invalid date format (use YYYY-MM-DD)
• Invalid time format (use HH:MM)
• End time before start time
• Series missing recurrence or session count
• Invalid category names (category doesn't exist in your group)

During import:

• Group needs Stripe verification for paid events
• Location geocoding failed (address not found)
• Image download failed (invalid URL or timeout)

Fixing Import Errors

If your import has errors:

1. Note the row numbers with errors
2. Click Change file
3. Open your original CSV
4. Fix the errors based on the error messages
5. Save the CSV
6. Upload the corrected file

Common fixes:

• Add missing required fields
• Correct date/time formats
• Fix category names to match your group's categories
• Remove pricing for groups without Stripe setup
• Verify location addresses are complete

Advanced Features

Multiple Categories

Assign multiple categories to an event:

category
"Arts & Crafts, Academic, Social"

Categories are matched to your group's event categories (case-insensitive).

Image URLs

Provide a URL to an event image:

image_url
https://example.com/event-photo.jpg

The import process will:

1. Download the image
2. Upload it to Homeschool Hive storage
3. Attach it to the event

Requirements:

• Must be a valid HTTP/HTTPS URL
• Image format: JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP
• Maximum file size: 5MB
• Download must complete within 10 seconds

Custom Tickets (Advanced)

For complex ticket configurations, use tickets_json:

tickets_json
"[{""name"":""Adult"",""price"":15,""capacity"":50},{""name"":""Child"",""price"":10,""capacity"":50}]"

Each ticket object can include:

• name - Ticket name (required)
• price - Ticket price (required)
• capacity - Maximum quantity
• description - Ticket description
• is_addon - true for add-on items

JSON Formatting

JSON in CSV requires careful escaping. For complex tickets, it's often easier to create the event manually or import basic events and add tickets afterward.

Location Geocoding

When you provide a location_address, the import process:

1. Geocodes the address using Mapbox
2. Creates or reuses a location record
3. Associates it with the event
4. Stores coordinates for map display

For best results:

• Include full addresses: "123 Main St, Austin, TX 78701"
• US addresses only
• Verify addresses exist (geocoding failures are logged but don't stop import)

After Importing

Review Imported Events

1. Go to your group's Events page
2. Find your newly imported events
3. Click on each to review details
4. Make any final adjustments

What to Check

• Event images loaded correctly
• Categories assigned properly
• Locations geocoded accurately
• Ticket prices are correct
• Registration settings match your intent

Make Adjustments

To edit an imported event:

1. Open the event page
2. Click Edit Event
3. Make changes
4. Click Save Changes

See Create Events for editing details.

Tips for Successful Imports

Planning Your Import

• Start small - Test with 2-3 events first
• Review the template - Understand all available fields
• Match your categories - Verify category names match your group's categories
• Check dates - Ensure dates are in the future and formatted correctly

Preparing Your CSV

• Use the template - Start from the downloaded template
• Keep it simple - Only include columns you need
• Test addresses - Verify locations geocode correctly
• Remove duplicates - Check for duplicate event names/dates

After Import

• Review immediately - Check all events after import
• Test registration - Try registering for a test event
• Communicate - Let members know about new events
• Monitor - Watch for questions about imported events

Troubleshooting

Import Button Disabled

Problem: Can't click the Import button

Solutions:

• Ensure at least one row is valid
• If there are errors, check Skip invalid rows
• Verify CSV uploaded successfully

All Rows Show Errors

Problem: Every row has validation errors

Solutions:

• Check CSV has header row with column names
• Verify date format is YYYY-MM-DD
• Verify time format is HH:MM (24-hour)
• Ensure required columns are present

Events Created But Missing Details

Problem: Events imported but some information is missing

Causes:

• Optional columns left blank
• Geocoding failed for addresses
• Image download failed or timed out
• Categories didn't match group's categories

Solutions:

• Edit events to add missing details
• Manually add images
• Verify category names
• Re-enter locations

Stripe Verification Error

Problem: Can't import paid events

Solution:

• Complete Stripe Connect setup in group settings
• Or remove all pricing from CSV to create free events
• See Payments & Stripe

What's Next?

1. Create Events - Learn about all event configuration options
2. Event Series - Set up recurring events with series passes
3. Manage Events - Handle RSVPs and attendance