Import Session Information to Accelevents
Aside from uploading sessions through a CSV file, you can import sessions from another platform, such as Airtable or Google Sheets to Accelevents through Zapier integration. You can create a zap that imports sessions to Accelevents when the session is created or updated on the other platform.
Accelevents has an official app published in Zapier for integrating with other platforms. The steps below will show you how to connect your Accelevents account to Zapier and then build your integration between your event and the other apps available in Zapier.
A Zap is like your personal assistant following all your instructions to complete the task. It has two essential components: a trigger and an action. The trigger is an event or condition as to when the action will happen. The action is the command that will complete your goal.
Your zap would look like this:
Session Fields
Before setting up your zap, ensure that the other platform's field formats are compatible with Accelevents. Here are the fields that can be imported and their proper format.
Accelevents Session Field | Airtable Field Format | Google Sheet Value Format |
Title | Text field | Text |
Session ID | Number field
Select a Preset: 3456 Decimal Places: 0 (1)
Default Value: 0
Note: The session ID will be imported from Accelevents after the session is created in Accelevents. The value in the field before turning on the Zap should be "0". | Number field
Default Value: 0 |
Session Visibility (Is session visible?) | Single select field Below are the accepted values:
OR
| Text or Dropdown Below are the accepted values:
OR
|
Session Format Type | Single select field Below are the accepted values:
MAIN_STAGE_SESSION REGULAR_SESSION MEET_UP WORKSHOP EXPO BREAK OTHER | Text or Dropdown Below are the accepted values:
MAIN_STAGE_SESSION REGULAR_SESSION MEET_UP WORKSHOP EXPO BREAK OTHER |
Session Date and Time | This should be 2 separate fields Date fields:
Field Settings:
 | This should be 2 separate fields:
Format:
The date, time, and timezone should be in ISO format.
Example:
February 13 at 2 pm ET
ISO format: 2025-02-12T19:00:00Z
|
Short Description | Text field | Text |
Full Details | Text field
Note: HTML format works with this field, however, markdown and rich text won't work. | Text |
Location | Text field | Text |
Capacity | Number field | Number |
Tags | This should be a multiple-select field
 | Text The items should be comma-separated
|
Tracks | This should be a multiple-select field
 | Text The items should be comma-separated
|
Accept the Invite to Create a Zap
Accepting the invite will allow you to use the most up-to-date version of our Accelevents app. Click Accept & Build a Zap.
In the next steps, you'll learn how to set up the trigger and action. We have examples for Airtable and Google Sheets for the trigger.
Click the arrows to see the next steps.
Part 1: Trigger - New or Updated Record
Airtable
Airtable
1. Format the Airtable Fields
Please ensure that the Airtable field formats are compatible with Accelevents.
2. Accept the Accelevents' Invite
To ensure that you're using the correct app version, accept the Accelevents invite to build a Zap
3. Choose Airtable as the Trigger
Create a new zap, click the trigger, then search and select Airtable.
4. Choose the Trigger Event
Choose New or Update Record as the trigger event to create a session in Accelevents when a new session is created in Airtable, and if there are changes in the Airtable session, it will also update in Accelevents.
5. Connect your Airtable account
If you've previously used Airtable for your Zaps, you can select the account from the dropdown or click + Connect a new account. Once selected, click Continue.
6. Choose the Airtable Base, Table, and Timestamp fields
If no fields show for timestamp, you must create a field and select "Last modified time" as the field type in your Airtable's grid view.
When done with the required fields in the zap, click Continue.
7. Test the trigger
Click Test Trigger so Zapier can check for a successful connection between the two platforms. Select which Airtable record to test.
Important: Before testing, check the fields in the record you selected. It should include all the fields that you want to import. Specifically, the Session ID field must be included to make the whole zap work. If the fields are incomplete, add values in the Airtable record and click "Find new records" in the zap to fetch the latest updated record.
Google Sheets
Google Sheets
1. Format the Google Sheet Values
Please ensure that the Google Sheet values and format are compatible with Accelevents. The date and time should be in ISO format. For tags and tracks, the items should be comma-separated.
Click the arrow to learn how to generate ISO 8601 start and end date-time format in Google Sheets
Click the arrow to learn how to generate ISO 8601 start and end date-time format in Google Sheets
Prepare your Google Sheet column A to F headers
Start Date
Start Time
End Time
Time Zone Offset (UTC)
ISO Start Time (Calculated)
ISO End Time (Calculated)
Add sample values with the correct format in the second row
Date:
2025-02-26Start Time:
2:00 PMEnd Time:
3:00 PMTime Zone Offset (UTC):
-05:00(for Eastern Time - New York)
Enter these formulas in the second row
Column E: ISO Start Time (Calculated)
=TEXT(A2 + B2 - (TIMEVALUE(MID(D2, 2, 5)) * IF(LEFT(D2, 1)="+", 1, -1)), "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS") & "Z"
Column F: ISO End Time (Calculated)
=TEXT(A2 + C2 - (TIMEVALUE(MID(D2, 2, 5)) * IF(LEFT(D2, 1)="+", 1, -1)), "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS") & "Z"
2. Accept the Accelevents' Invite
To ensure that you're using the correct app version, accept the Accelevents invite to build a Zap
3. Choose Google Sheets as the Trigger
After creating the zap, click the trigger and select Google Sheets from the available apps.
4. Choose the Trigger Event
Select New or Updated Spreadsheet Row as the trigger event. When a new session is made on Google Sheets, a session is created on Accelevents. Any changes made on Google Sheets will also update on Accelevents.
5. Connect your Google Account
If you have used Google Sheets for your zaps before, select an account from the dropdown. You can also add a new one by clicking + Connect a new account. Once selected, click Continue.
6. Choose the Spreadsheet and Worksheet fields
Choose the spreadsheet and worksheet fields from the dropdowns, then click Continue.
7. Test the Trigger
Click Test Trigger so Zapier can check for a successful connection between the two platforms. Select which Google Sheets spreadsheet row to test.
Part 2: Action - Create or Update Session in Accelevents
Accelevents
Accelevents
1. Select Accelevents for Action
Search and choose the latest version of Accelevents. You will only see this version if you accept the invite in the previous step.
2. Select Create or Update Sessions
Select Create or Update Sessions in the action event dropdown.
3. Connect Your Accelevents Event to Zapier
Click Sign In, and a pop-up will appear where you can enter the API Key.
To get your Zapier API Key, open your event admin console in Accelevents
Go to Settings > Integrations
Enable the toggle for Zapier Integration
Click on Configure, then copy the generated API key.
Paste the API Key to the Zapier pop-up, then click Yes, Continue to Accelevents. Then click Continue in the Zapier settings.
4. Configure the fields
Map all the fields that you want to import to Accelevents.
Session id, session title, format type, date and time are required fields.
For the session visibility, you can select True or False to have the same settings for all sessions or click the 3 dots and select Custom to map your session visibility field.
5. Test
Click Continue, then test the step to see if it will fetch the data from the other platform and create a session in Accelevents.
Part 3: Action - Filter Conditions
Filter by Zapier
Filter by Zapier
This next action creates a filter that will determine if the zap will proceed to the next step. It's important to create a filter so that it does not create a continuous loop as the last action in this Zap updates the Airtable record, and the first step in this Zap triggers when an update is done to the Airtable record.
1. Select Filter as Action
Select Filter from the available apps.
2. Setup Filter Conditions
This step means it will continue to update the Airtable Session ID field only if the existing value in that field is "0" or blank. And it will no longer update the field if the value is more than that.
Choose the Session ID field under Only continue if.
Select (Number) Less than as the condition and input 1 as data.
3. Add Another Rule Group as Filter Condition
Click + Add "Or" rule group
Select the Session ID field, then Does not exist as the condition. Click Continue.
4. Test the Step
A prompt will appear explaining that your Zap would have continued for this test data. Click Continue.
Part 4: Action - Update Record
Airtable
Airtable
1. Select Airtable as Action
Select Airtable from the available apps.
Choose Update Record as the action event. Click Continue.
2. Configure Which Record to Update
Select your Base and Table from Airtable. For Record data, select the 3-dot menu, choose Custom, then click Record Id.
Select Session ID from Accelevents. Click Continue.
3. Test
When the step is tested, the Session ID from Accelevents is imported into the Airtable's Session ID field. Click Publish.
Having the Accelevents Session ID in Airtable allows the Zap to update the correct session in Accelevents.
4. Publish the Zap
If the test is successful, publish the zap. If you're on Zapier's free plan, the sync interval is every 15 minutes, you may need to click "Run" in the zap to push the data ahead of time.
Import and Update Behavior
Below are the expected behavior when you create new sessions or make changes to existing ones after the Zap is turned on
Create New Sessions
Newly created sessions from the integrated platform will be imported to Accelevents, as long as the required fields have a valid value (e.g., session date and time are within the event duration, main stage sessions are not overlapping with other main stage sessions)
Existing sessions from the integrated platform will only be imported to Accelevents when the record is updated in the other platform.
Update Session Information
Sessions will sync if the Session ID matches in the other platform and Accelevents, regardless of where and how the sessions are created. The Session ID allows the integration to update the correct session even if there are sessions with the same name.
If the Session ID is removed from the other platform, a new session will be created in Accelevents, instead of updating the existing one.
When updates are made in the integrated platform, the new data will sync with Accelevents, replacing the existing data.
When updates are made in Accelevents and that field is not mapped in the Zap or is blank in the other platform (e.g. description, session visibility), that field will update to the default session settings (blank description field, the session is visible) if updates are done in the other platform.
Deleted Accelevents sessions will reappear in Accelevents if changes are made to the existing session in the integrated platform.
Deleted sessions from the integrated platform will not be deleted in Accelevents.