How do you move to a new event registration platform?
By Donghui Qian (Milo)Updated 17 September 20264 min read
Short answer
Agree what done means, then export attendees, orders, refunds, discounts, check-ins and form answers while the old account is still active. Rebuild pages and ticket types, rehearse payment and check-in on the new platform, and switch on a hard date or event by event — never sell the same event on two platforms.
Leaving an event registration tool is not like changing email. Orders are still moving. The new page is the easy bit. Money history, half-finished invoices, and the next morning at the door are what hurt.
This is a field guide you can run on any old-and-new pair. If you run events and never buy anything from us, it should still be useful.
Agree what "done" means before you click anything
"The new event page is live" is not done. Write these down first:
- New sales only happen on the new platform.
- Pending bank transfers, unpaid invoices, and waitlists each have an owner and a deadline on one system.
- Attendees and orders you still need for tax or support open in a file without logging into the old tool.
- The next event's check-in runs wholly on the new stack — phones, badges, staff logins.
- Old access is read-only or cancelled on a dated list — not "we will remember."
Export while you can still click Export
Do this before you give notice. Ask for CSV or JSON, not screenshots.
| Pull this | Why | Quick check |
|---|---|---|
| Attendees / registrations | Re-invite, badges, support | Row count matches the UI |
| Orders / payments | Finance, refunds, disputes | Totals match payout reports |
| Refunds and chargebacks | Audit | Each refund points at an order |
| Discount / promo use | Partner deals | Codes and counts come out |
| Check-in / session scans | Attendance proof, CPD | Timestamps survive the export |
| Form answers | Diet, access, visa letters | Fields are not smashed into one column |
If something will not export, that is a migration cost: rebuild by hand or lose it. Better to know before the old contract ends.
You will rebuild more than you migrate
- Pages and branding — layouts almost never map one-to-one.
- Ticket types and tiers — rebuild from your pricing sheet. Do not wait for a magic import.
- Integrations — webhooks, CRM, SSO, accounting: reconnect on the new side.
- Staff access — re-invite people. Do not copy shared passwords.
- Email templates — keep the legal and logistics text; redesign in the new editor.
A quote that only "migrates names" is not a full move. Budget time for the rebuild.
Ways to switch
| Way | How | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Hard stop on a date | Old sales stop at midnight; new sales open after | You have a quiet week between events |
| Event by event | Past events stay old; the next one is new-only | You run a series and can freeze old pages |
| Old tool read-only for a while | Keep login for refunds and history after export | Finance still needs the old screens |
Do not sell the same event on both platforms. You will oversell or argue about who is registered.
A rehearsal week before the real switch
- Days 1–2: Full export. Open the files offline. Note holes.
- Day 3: Rebuild one past event on the new tool — tickets, form, emails.
- Day 4: Buy a real test ticket, refund it, export the order.
- Day 5: Check-in drill on the phones you will use. Turn the network off if you depend on offline.
- Day 6: Company invoice / group registration, if that is how you sell.
- Day 7: Write the go-live list. Rollback is almost always: do not reopen old sales.
Money and paperwork leftovers
- Refunds after the switch still leave the merchant account that took the charge — usually the old tool until those orders age out.
- Processor agreement and DPA on the new vendor: sign before personal data moves.
- Marketing consent does not auto-travel. Check what you may import into campaigns.
- Old invoices — ask finance whether they stay on the old system forever.
This is not tax advice. If cross-border VAT or sales tax mattered before, have your advisor check the new checkout shows prices the way your obligations need.
What actually goes wrong
- Exported people but not orders — finance cannot explain last year in the new tool.
- Switched mid-event — half the room on old QR codes, half on new.
- Both platforms still selling the same ticket — oversell.
- Cancelled the old account before export — history locked behind a dead login.
- Forgot staff phones — new app installed when doors open.
- Assumed wallet passes would update across vendors. They will not.
Ask the new vendor — and the old one
- Exactly what can we export, in what formats, without a services ticket?
- How long after we cancel can we still download data?
- Can unfinished invoices finish on the old system while new sales run on yours?
- Is there a real attendee import, or should we plan a rebuild?
- What does check-in need on day one — apps, printers, offline pack?
Get answers in writing from both sides — ours included. That tells you if this is a weekend or a quarter.
Frequently asked questions
Agree what done means, export attendees, orders, refunds, discounts, check-ins and form answers while you still can, rebuild pages and ticket types, rehearse payment and check-in, then switch sales on a hard date or event by event — never sell the same event on two platforms.
Attendees, orders, refunds, discount use, check-in or session scans, and form answers, in files you can open offline. Match order totals to payout reports before you cancel.
Keep the old one read-only for history and late refunds if you need to. Do not sell the same event on both — that causes oversell and conflicting lists.
Almost never. Plan a clean break: new tickets and new check-in for the first event on the new system, and tell people still holding old passes.
After exports check out, unfinished payments and refunds have owners, and you no longer need the old screens. Many teams keep read-only access through the next event and a finance close.