External contacts

An external contact is a person’s record with no account, sign-in or permissions. It avoids re-entering the details of a supplier involved in several events. Creating the record does not send an invitation.

You need permission to manage external contacts to create or edit these records.

Enable external contacts

If the list displays Turn on external contacts, select Open setting. With the required permissions, enable Allow external contacts, then Save, under Settings → External contact fields.

This authorizes their use in the organization. Each template and event then chooses whether to use external contacts.

Create and find a record

1. Open External contacts, then New contact.
2. Enter the First name, Last name and any marked required fields.
3. Add useful contact details, then Create the record.
4. Select the person in the list to view their details and participations.

If the phone number or email matches an existing record, review the suggestion before creating a duplicate. An identical name alone does not establish a match.

The record can then be used in events that allow external contacts. It does not automatically make the person a participant in every event.

Invite one or several people

From a record’s preview, open Invite to the organization. For several people, select their records in the list, then choose Invite in the selection bar.

1. Check each person’s email address; you can complete it in the dialog. Records without a valid address, archived records and anonymised records are skipped. An email shared by several records receives only one invitation in the batch.
2. Choose the Membership type, if both choices are available. Member provides a permanent account with a Role in the organization. Temporary user provides access to one event, with an event role, a team when required and an access period.
3. For temporary access, check the suggested event: events the contacts already participate in appear first. The same event and settings apply to everyone in the batch.
4. Check the planned invitation count, then send. Wait for the results: they show confirmed invitations and records skipped or in error. Successful recipients are removed from the selection to avoid sending again. If a connection loss leaves an invitation unconfirmed, check its status before retrying.

After an unconfirmed attempt, open Users → Pending for a member, or Temporary users → Pending for a temporary user, and look up the address. Its presence confirms that the invitation was recorded, not that the recipient received the message. If you cannot view that list, ask someone with access to check before sending again.

Inviting requires permission to manage external contacts, plus permission to manage users for a member, or temporary users and the event’s participants for temporary access. Only permitted membership types are offered.

Until acceptance, the person remains an external contact. On acceptance, their participations are linked to the account. A temporary invitation covers one event; add further access after acceptance from temporary members.

Archive the record

Archive removes the record from active choices while preserving its history. Unarchive makes it available again.

Permanent deletion is only available for records without history. Anonymise permanently erases identity and contact details while keeping participation facts. Read the confirmation before using it: it cannot be undone.