When you are first setting up your venue, you will want to import your existing enquiries and bookings into Sonas. This will populate your calendar and allow you to start managing the events in Sonas.
Importing the events quickly populates basic information for the calendar. The finer details, such as transactions, menu choices and guest lists will be done separately.
You can import enquiries and events from multiple venues.
This article will show you how to download the import template, how to fill it out, and how to import. As well as troubleshooting some import issues.
Alternatively, you can add events manually via Events > Create Confirmed Event.
If you cannot see this section or get permission denied messages with any of the actions, please contact your Company Admin in order to get the required permissions.
How to download the Import Template
- Navigate to the Import Section of Company, Company > Imports
- Click Actions > Import Events from File
- Click on Import-Events-Template.csv
- This will trigger the download of the template in CSV format.
- Open the file from your computer's downloads using the spreadsheet tool of your choices, such as Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.
- Feel free to rename the spreadsheet to your liking and save in a convenient folder.
How to fill out the Import Template
- Open the import template from where you saved it in the previous step.
- Leave the column headers named as they are for an easier import.
- Follow these tips to fill in sheet:
- Type must be an event type as recognized by Sonas, and be sure that they are event types allowed by your venue (Venue > Event Types). Spelling and capitalisation must match Sonas. For example, Wedding, Renewal of Vows, Christmas Party, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, etc.
Status must be a recognised Sonas status, spelled and capitalised correctly- Enquiry, Date on Hold, Confirmed-Pending, Confirmed, Completed, or Cancelled.
Venue, use the initials of the venue as defined on the venue list (Venue > Venue List)
Event Name is optional text.
Event date MUST be formatted as YYYY-MM-DD
Event end date is optional, but use as the end date of multi day events. MUST be formatted as YYY-MM-DD
Enquiry date is REQUIRED. MUST be formatted as YYYY-MM-DD
Ceremony time is optional. MUST be formatted in 24 hour time, such as 14:00, only hour and minute, NO seconds.
Reference is optional if you have an assigned account number. Must be unique, multiple events CANNOT have the same reference.
Enquiry source is optional to track marketing data. Must be on the available enquiry sources configured for your company, Company > Categories > Enquiry Source. Must be same spelling and capitalisation.
Heard about us is optional to track marketing data. Must be on the available heard about us options configured for your company, Company > Categories > Heard About Us. Must be same spelling and capitalisation.
Event Labels is optional. Can only be one label and must match available labels created in Company > Categories > Event Labels. We recommend using "Pre Sonas" to identify the imported events with ease.
Adults/Children/Additional Adults/Additional Children, optional, are are the numbers for ESTIMATED guest number events. If numbers are put in for an event type using the guest list option, then the numbers are not populated, these numbers are also not populated in the package section.
Customer 1 Role, required, either Bride, Groom, or Client.
Customer 1 Name/Surname/email, required
Customer 2 Role/Name/Surname/email, optional. Please note that if you put a first name you MUST have a surname.
Notes, optional text
Custom Fields 1-20, optional, match the field definitions for each venue, see Venue > Custom Field. This is a great place to add the package name if you use those.
When done, save the template. (download to your computer if you did not in step 1)
How to Import the Import Template
- Navigate to Company > Imports
- Go to Actions > Import Events from file
- Follow the prompts- Either drag and drop your downloaded spreadsheet into the grey box OR click to upload your saved Document. Alternatively, you can click the blue font to copy and paste your spreadsheet in.
- Confirm that the predefined template fields match the column headers from your file, make any necessary adjustments. Click Next.
- The import information will now show, highlighting any rows with an error in light pink, with the actual error in dark pink.
- Click the dark pink cells and make the necessary changes, in most cases a list of acceptable items will appear or a message as to the issue. Once it is correct, the cell and therefore the row will go back to white.
- When there are no more issues, click Submit, to import.
- When complete, there will be a pop up stating how many events where successfully imported, as well as the line number of any failures and why they failed. This way you can amend and try again, or manually enter.
Troubleshoot failed Event Imports
There are various reasons a line might fail on import. This will look at the most common reasons.
- Email already exists, the customer email is a unique identifyer and will not import if already in they system. Make sure the event is not already, it might in a different status. If it is a customer's additional event, then manually enter it.
- User email, the customer email cannot be a staff user's email.
- No areas available, the import assumes exclusive use. So if you have dates overlapping for different areas, you must first change the one that did import from exclusive use to the correct areas and manually enter the others with their areas.
- No customer 2 surname, if you have a customer 2 first name, the surname is required. If you don't know it, either put TBC or leave both first and last names blank.
ProTips
Only have 100 lines per import, that is the max!
The import assumes exclusive use, if you have distinct areas, import all of one area, then manually change each to the correct area. After you can import the other area's import, the ones with a unique date will import. Any shared dates (an event in each area on the same day) will have to manually be entered.