Cvent’s Participation Status is one of the simplest fields in the platform, but it plays a crucial role in reporting accuracy, onsite operations, and downstream CRM workflows. Understanding what it is, how it works, and the different ways it can be updated helps keep your event data clean and reliable.
What Is Participation Status?
Participation Status indicates whether an attendee actually attended your event or session. While registration status tells you who signed up, Participation Status tells you who physically showed up.
In Cvent, this is a straightforward Yes/No field:
- Yes = the attendee participated
- No = the attendee did not participate
This field is essential for:
- Accurate attendance reporting
- Post‑event engagement scoring
- CRM and marketing automation workflows
- Session‑level analytics
- Compliance and audit requirements
Although Cvent allows Participation Status to be updated for any invitee, best practice is to mark only accepted registrants as participants.
How Participation Status Can Be Updated
Cvent offers several ways to update Participation Status, from manual adjustments to automated onsite tools. The best method depends on your event size, staffing, and technology setup.
1. Manual Updates in the Cvent Web App
For smaller events or quick corrections, you can update Participation Status directly in the admin interface.
How to update manually:
- Navigate to Attendees → Attendee List
- Select Actions → Mark Participation
- Set each attendee’s status to Yes or No
This method is ideal for post‑event reconciliation or when only a few records need updating. This is the option I use the most.
2. Bulk Import via Spreadsheet
If attendance is tracked outside of Cvent — for example, via a venue list or badge scan export — you can upload a file to update Participation Status in bulk.
Cvent supports importing a column for Participation Status, typically using Yes as the accepted value.
This approach works well for:
- Large events without OnArrival
- Third‑party attendance tracking systems
- Post‑event data cleanup
3. Cvent OnArrival App (Recommended for Onsite)
OnArrival is Cvent’s onsite check‑in and badging app. When an attendee checks in through OnArrival, their Participation Status is automatically set to Yes.
Key benefits include:
- Real‑time attendance updates
- Reduced manual work
- Integrated badge printing
- Session‑level tracking with OnArrival Premium
For medium and large events, OnArrival is the most reliable way to ensure accurate participation data.
4. Session Attendance Tracking
If your event includes multiple sessions, you can track participation at the session level. This can be done:
- Manually in the session attendee list
- Via OnArrival session scanning
- Through bulk imports
Session‑level data is especially valuable for CPD/CEU tracking, engagement scoring, and content performance analysis.
Why Participation Status Matters
Participation Status may seem like a small detail, but it underpins some of the most important post‑event workflows. Clean participation data ensures:
- Accurate event ROI reporting
- Reliable lead scoring and follow‑up journeys
- Correct CRM and Salesforce integration
- Targeted post‑event surveys and content recommendations
Final Thoughts
Whether you update Participation Status manually, import it in bulk, or automate it through OnArrival, consistency is key. For most events, OnArrival provides the cleanest and most reliable data, but having multiple update methods gives you flexibility when you need it.
I’m a big fan of the OnArrival app and guide our Cvent users towards it for their events, to speed up Participation management and help reduce errors.
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