Import people in bulk

If you need to add many people to your event at once, you can import a list from a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file, or paste their details in directly.

Preparing your data

Before you upload your data, you need to make sure it's formatted so IO can recognize it. The importer requires a header row with specific column names, followed by one row per person with their details separated by commas. You can download our sample file to use as a starting point.

Once your data is ready, either save and upload it as a CSV, or simply paste the details into the importer. See Adding people in bulk below for step-by-step instructions.

Supported columns

Whether uploading or pasting data, you must include a header row. The following columns are supported:

first_name — The first name of each person
last_name — The last name of each person
email — A valid email address for where to send the invitation
number_of_guests_allowed — A number; how many additional people this person can add to their booking
starred — TRUE or FALSE; whether to mark this person as starred (e.g. for you to be notified when they check in)

If you have set up any custom fields, you will also be able to include these as headings. Click on the Supported fields button at the top of the importer to see what options are available.

Example CSV format

first_name	last_name	email	number_of_guests_allowed
John	Smith	john@example.com	2
Sarah	Johnson	sarah@example.com	3

Adding people in bulk

Navigate to the invitations section

Log in to your IO account and select the event you want to add people to. Click on Invitations in the menu. This will be on the left of the screen on desktop or at the bottom of the screen on mobile.
Select an invitation list

When creating your first invitation(s), a default invitation will list be generated automatically. You can create additional lists if you need to by clicking on the Default list dropdown at the top of the Invitations list view and then on Create new list. Creating different invitation lists gives you fine grain control over how different groups of people are allowed to register.

If you have multiple invitation lists, select the one you need before opening the importer.
Open the importer

If you have no existing invitations, you'll see the empty state screen. Click the Import button in the middle to get started. When importing subsequent invitations in bulk, click on the three-dots menu (⁝) at the top of the Invitations list view, and then select Import from the dropdown.
Enter your data
- To upload a CSV file: click the Upload data tab at the top of the screen, then Choose file to select your CSV file.
- To paste content in directly: click the Paste data tab at the top of the screen. Paste in the data (including the header row).
Preview your import

After uploading a file or pasting in the data, click Upload. You will see a summary screen explaining what will be uploaded.
Complete the import

Click Import at the top of the preview screen to complete the upload process, or Cancel if you don't want to perform the import.

Handling import errors

If your import encounters issues, IO will show you what went wrong. Common problems include:

Invalid email addresses - Make sure all emails are properly formatted
Missing required fields - Check that all required fields are included and correctly mapped
Duplicate entries - IO will typically warn you about duplicates

Tip: For large imports, it's a good idea to test with a small sample first to make sure everything works as expected.

Next steps

After importing people to your invitation list, you can:

Send invitations to notify them about your event
Manage your invitation lists to organize your guests