Custom fields collect extra information per attendee — dietary needs, a T-shirt size, a seat or table number. They show at check-in, print on the ticket, and appear as columns in the attendee list and export.
Requirements: A Guest Manager account. Custom fields are attached to a ticket type through a question set, so you also need at least one ticket type on your event.
Create a custom field
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Open your Ticket fields settings.
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Add a field and enter a Name — for example, “Dietary restrictions”. This is the question the attendee sees.
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Choose a Kind. The available types are Text field, Text area, Number field, Check box, Multiple choice, and File upload. Multiple choice lets you define a fixed list of options. File upload lets the attendee attach a file during registration; the saved file is then accessible from their attendee record.
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Optionally add a Description. It shows as help text under the field when the attendee answers it.
- Set the options that control where and how the field behaves:
- Required — the attendee cannot download their ticket until they answer.
- Show when printing — the field prints on the ticket PDF and name badge. (In the Shopify app this option is labeled Show on ticket?.)
- Show on checkin screen — the field appears when a ticket is scanned in the check-in app.
- Contact editable — the attendee can see and edit the field when they update their registration.
- Position — the sort order of the field, low numbers first, relative to other fields on the same ticket.
- Save the field.
The field now exists in your account. It does not collect anything yet — attach it to a ticket type next.
Attach the field to a ticket type
Custom fields are attached through a question set, which is the group of fields a ticket type collects. A question set also controls the built-in Name, Email, and Photo fields.
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Open the question set you want to add fields to, or create a new one.
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In the Data collection box, add your custom fields to the field list. Use the Name, Email, and Photo toggles for the built-in fields instead of recreating them as custom fields.
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On the ticket type, set its Data collection question set to the one you built, then save. (In the Shopify app, find these settings on the ticket type editor for your event.)
The ticket type now collects those fields. Buy or issue a ticket of that type to test the collected fields end to end.
Where custom fields appear
A custom field can surface in several places, depending on its options:
- At check-in — fields with Show on checkin screen enabled appear when the ticket is scanned in the check-in app.
- On the ticket and badge — fields with Show when printing enabled print on the ticket PDF, the name badge, and the Apple Wallet pass.
- In the attendee list and export — every custom field attached to a ticket type appears as a column on the Attendees page once you reload it. Use the Columns button to choose which columns are visible, then export.
Pre-fill fields on existing tickets
To set a field such as seat or table on tickets that already exist, export the Attendees list to CSV, keep the ticket type and barcode columns, add your value columns, and re-import. This updates the custom fields on the existing tickets without creating new registrations.
Related articles
- Order forms — build the multi-section registration form buyers fill in when ordering, with conditions and eligibility rules.
- Importing attendees from CSV — bulk-create or update tickets and their custom field values.
- Exporting — customize visible columns and download the attendee list.
- Update an attendee — edit a single attendee’s fields and view their responses.
FAQ
Can I filter or sort attendees by a custom field?
Custom fields are searchable but not filterable or sortable. To group attendees by a category — campus, group, session — use the built-in List field instead: name the import column List, populate it with the category values, and the check-in app can filter by List.
A custom field isn’t showing as a column in my attendee export. Why?
The field has to be attached to the ticket type before it appears. Confirm it is in the question set assigned to that ticket type, then reload the Attendees page so the new column appears. Contact fields, which are stored on the contact record rather than the ticket, never appear in the attendee export — export those from the Contacts section.
Why are unfamiliar columns showing in my export?
Those come from custom fields used on past events that are still attached to a ticket type. Use the Columns button to hide them before exporting, or delete the columns from the downloaded CSV.
Can I view photos that attendees submit?
Yes. View them from the attendee’s record in the Guest Manager backend, in the iOS check-in app by tapping the attendee, or in the Shopify POS plugin under Check In Tickets.
