Importing and Exporting Contacts

Why it matters

Your contacts live in spreadsheets, CRMs, and badge scanners. How do you merge without multiplying?

Import the same contact twice and versions conflict. Manual matching eats hours you don’t have.

How it works

Email-Based Matching

Email is your unique ID. Matching emails update records instead of creating copies.

Export Live Data

Download filtered views. Share lists with partners without platform access.

The CSV Import Tool

Most CSV importers are a one-time onboarding step. Gatsby’s works differently because email is your unique identifier. If an email already exists, Gatsby updates that contact instead of creating a duplicate.

That means you can keep importing. Add a column of dietary restrictions from one spreadsheet, company titles from another, attendance history from a third. Each import enriches what you already have without overwriting it.

Importing Contacts

Open any event, list, or your contact database. Click the Add Guests or Add Contacts dropdown. Select Upload CSV.

Drag your file or click to browse. You can download an example file for formatting guidance.

How to Import a CSV

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1. Navigate to an event, list, or your Contacts page.

2. Click the Add Guests or Add Contacts dropdown.

3. Select Upload CSV.

4. Drag your file or click to browse.

5. Map your columns to Gatsby fields.

6. Resolve any duplicates or errors.

7. Confirm and complete the import.

New contacts appear on your guest list. Imported columns are automatically enabled in the view.

Field Mapping

Gatsby auto-guesses mappings based on your column headers. You can override any mapping via dropdown. Skip columns you do not want to import.

Standard Contact Fields

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Map to core contact fields that follow guests across events.

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Name

First name and last name as separate columns, or a single full name column. Gatsby splits or combines automatically.

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Email

Primary email address plus alternates. CC email for assistants who should receive copies.

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Phone

Mobile or office numbers.

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Birthday

Date format detected automatically.

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Addresses

Mailing addresses for invitations or gifts.

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LinkedIn URL

Profile link for reference.

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Company Website

Useful for account-based outreach.

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Context Notes

Free-form notes about the contact.

Event-Specific Fields

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When importing historical event data, map RSVP status and attendance columns.

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RSVP Status

The tool prompts you to define what values like “Yes” or “Confirmed” mean. Map them to Gatsby’s status options: Accepted, Declined, Maybe, Waitlist.

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Attendance

Same approach. Define what “Attended” or “No Show” means in your spreadsheet.

Plus-Ones Allowed

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Import individual plus-one limits per guest. Useful when different guests have different allowances.

Custom Fields

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Map to existing custom fields or create new ones on the fly.

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Text fields

Free-form text values.

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Number fields

Numeric values only.

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Multi-select fields

Gatsby auto-creates options from your spreadsheet values. If your column contains “VIP, Speaker, Board Member,” those become selectable options.

Name Handling

When three names appear (like “Mary Anne Smith”), the importer asks whether the middle portion belongs to the first or last name. A verification step lets you confirm name splits before the import completes.

Error Detection

The importer catches formatting problems before they reach your database: invalid emails, missing addresses, phone numbers that don’t parse.

Fix issues directly in the tool. No need to go back to your spreadsheet and start over.

Handling Duplicates

Your spreadsheet says “Michael Rod, VP of Sales.” Gatsby has “Michael Rodriguez, Director of Sales.” Same person. Different data. Which wins?

The importer shows conflicting fields side by side: your spreadsheet value on the left, Gatsby’s on the right. You choose per field.

Duplicate Resolution

When emails match, Gatsby detects the overlap. You decide what happens to conflicting data.

Keep the Gatsby value. Overwrite with the spreadsheet. Or merge for multi-select fields.

If you trust your spreadsheet data, you can apply it globally across all conflicts.

Merge Option for Multi-Select Fields

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Some fields accumulate over time, like tags and interest areas.

The merge option adds new values to existing ones rather than replacing. Your contact tagged “VIP” in Gatsby gains the “Speaker” tag from your spreadsheet. They end up with both.

Import Preview and Confirmation

The preview screen shows every contact that will be created or updated, along with any skipped columns. A confirmation summary tells you exactly how many new contacts and how many updates you’re about to make.

After import, new contacts appear on your guest list and imported columns are automatically enabled in the view.

Exporting Contacts

Export lets you share data without giving away platform access. Download visible columns from any view. Send filtered lists to caterers, venues, or partners.

How to Export

Select contacts from your guest list or contacts page. The green action bar appears. Click More Options, then Export to CSV.

Choose your format. Open in Excel or your preferred spreadsheet tool.

Export Format Options

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Three formats available.

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Standard CSV

Comma-separated values. Works with most spreadsheet applications.

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Semicolon CSV

For European locales that use comma as the decimal separator.

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Excel-Optimized

Handles encoding for special characters and international names.

What Gets Exported

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You get what you see.

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Visible columns only

Enable additional columns in the Columns drawer before exporting to include them.

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Section assignments

Included automatically so you can see how contacts were organized.

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Filters apply

If your view is filtered to Accepted guests only, the export contains Accepted guests only.

Working Non-Destructively

Changes in Gatsby are live. Update a contact note here, and it changes everywhere that contact appears.

Sometimes you need a sandbox.

You can export your guest list and work on scenarios in your spreadsheet: plan seating, curate your invite list, run “what if” exercises. When you’re ready, import only the changes you want to keep.

Your live data stays untouched until you decide.

Common Questions

Can I import data from my CRM?

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Yes. Export from your CRM as CSV, then import into Gatsby. Email matching prevents duplicates if contacts already exist.

Will importing contacts expose them to other team members?

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Contacts are shared across your organization. Team members with contact access can see imported contacts. Use external collaborator permissions if you need event-specific restrictions.

What happens if I import the same spreadsheet twice?

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Contacts with matching emails are updated, not duplicated. New columns are added to existing records. This is how you enrich contacts over time.

Can I undo an import?

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Go to Contacts and open the Imports tab to see recent imports. Select affected contacts, add them to a “Contacts to Delete” list, then archive from that list.

How do I add tags during import?

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Tags cannot be mapped during CSV upload. Import contacts first, then select them and use Adjust Tags from the action bar.

Where can I upload CSVs?

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Events, Lists, or directly to your contact database via the Contacts page. All three locations use the same importer.

What data is included in an event export?

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Guest list export: Select contacts » More Options » Export to CSV. Exports visible columns with active filters applied.

Available formats:

• Standard CSV (comma-separated)
• Semicolon CSV (for European locales)
• Excel-optimized (handles special characters)

What exports:

• Guest information (names, companies, emails)
• RSVP status, attendance
• Custom fields and survey responses
• Campaign engagement data
• Event history

Use exports for offline work, vendor sharing, or importing to other systems.