Introduction
Marketing teams frequently run events through platforms like Eventbrite to attract prospects and customers. However, manually exporting attendee data from Eventbrite and importing it into a CRM such as HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive is time-consuming, error-prone, and delays critical follow-up activities. Automating the import of event attendees directly into your CRM not only saves time but ensures your sales and marketing teams have fresh, accurate data to nurture leads and measure event ROI.
This article provides a detailed, actionable guide on building an automated workflow that triggers on new Eventbrite registrations and transfers attendee details into your CRM system using n8n, an open-source workflow automation tool. While we focus on Eventbrite and HubSpot as an example, the principles can be adapted for other CRMs and platforms.
Who Benefits?
– Marketing teams that run frequent events and want real-time attendee data in their CRM
– Automation engineers and operations specialists looking for robust integration solutions
– Startups aiming to streamline event-to-lead workflows and accelerate sales follow-up
Tools and Services Integrated
– Eventbrite (Event management and registration)
– HubSpot CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
– n8n (Workflow automation platform)
Prerequisites
– Eventbrite account with your events set up
– HubSpot CRM account with API access enabled
– n8n instance running (cloud or self-hosted)
– Basic familiarity with APIs and n8n interface
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Step-by-Step Automation Tutorial
Step 1: Setup Eventbrite API Credentials
1. Log into your Eventbrite account.
2. Go to “Account Settings” > “Developers” > “API Keys”.
3. Create a new personal OAuth token.
4. Save your token securely.
Step 2: Prepare HubSpot API Access
1. Log into HubSpot.
2. Navigate to “Settings” > “Integrations” > “API Key”.
3. If you don’t have an API key, generate a new one.
4. Store this key securely.
Step 3: Configure n8n Workflow
A. Trigger Node: Poll for New Eventbrite Attendees
– Add the HTTP Request Trigger node or use the Eventbrite Trigger node (if available) to periodically check for new registrants.
– Since Eventbrite API doesn’t support native webhooks for attendee creation, configure the workflow to run on a schedule (e.g., every 10 minutes).
HTTP Request Node setup:
– Method: GET
– URL: https://www.eventbriteapi.com/v3/events/{event_id}/attendees/
– Authentication: OAuth2 or set header “Authorization: Bearer {your_eventbrite_token}”
– Query Parameters: Use pagination to fetch new attendees incrementally (e.g., by creation date or last fetched ID).
B. Filter Node: Identify New Attendees
– To avoid reprocessing the same attendees, store the last processed attendee ID or timestamp in n8n’s workflow static data or an external database.
– Filter out attendees already imported.
C. Transform and Map Attendee Data
– Extract relevant fields: full name, email, ticket type, registration date, etc.
– Format data to match HubSpot contact properties.
D. HubSpot Node: Upsert Attendees as Contacts
– Use the HubSpot node in n8n configured with your API key.
– For each new attendee, use the “Create or Update Contact” action.
– Map Eventbrite attendee email to HubSpot contact email as the unique identifier.
– Map other fields such as first name, last name, event details as contact properties.
E. Error Handling
– Add a “Catch Error” node to capture API errors or connectivity issues.
– Log errors to a Slack channel or send email notifications to the marketing team.
F. Confirmation and Logging
– Log successful imports with timestamps.
– Optionally, send a summary report after each run.
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Workflow Breakdown Example
1. Schedule Trigger (every 10 minutes)
2. HTTP Request to Eventbrite API: Retrieve attendees list of specific event
3. Function node: Compare retrieved attendees against stored IDs to isolate new entries
4. SplitInBatches node: Process attendees in batches for API rate limit handling
5. HubSpot node: Create or update contact for each attendee
6. Function node: Update stored last processed attendee ID
7. Slack Node (optional): Send success or failure notification
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Common Errors and Tips
– API Rate Limits: Both Eventbrite and HubSpot have API rate limits. Use batch splits and exponential backoff methods in your workflow.
– Data Mapping: Ensure your CRM contact properties exist and data types match to prevent errors.
– Authentication Failures: Periodically verify API tokens are valid and refresh if necessary.
– Duplicate Contacts: Use HubSpot’s upsert functionality keyed on email to prevent duplicates.
– Pagination: Eventbrite attendee lists can be paginated; implement pagination logic to fetch all new attendees.
– Timezone Handling: Confirm date fields use consistent timezones to avoid missed or duplicated entries.
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Scaling and Adaptation
– Multi-Event Support: Modify the workflow to loop over multiple event IDs, handling several simultaneous events.
– CRM Variety: Swap out the HubSpot node for Salesforce, Pipedrive, or Zoho CRM nodes; adjust field mapping accordingly.
– Real-Time Updates: If webhooks become available, switch from polling to webhook triggers for immediate processing.
– Enriched Data: Integrate additional APIs (like Clearbit) to enrich attendee data before importing.
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Summary
Automating the import of Eventbrite attendees into your CRM system ensures that marketing and sales teams receive current, accurate data without manual overhead. By leveraging n8n’s powerful automation capabilities combined with Eventbrite and HubSpot APIs, you can set up a robust, scalable workflow in a few hours. This significantly improves lead nurturing, event ROI tracking, and cross-team collaboration.
Bonus Tip
Implement a tagging or list segmentation strategy within your CRM based on event attended or ticket type automatically within the workflow. This enables targeted follow-ups and personalized marketing campaigns immediately after event registration.
With this end-to-end guide, your team can focus more on strategy and less on repetitive manual data imports, empowering better event-driven growth.