To migrate from Whova or Cvent to a configurable platform, export your registrants and content from the current tool, map each field to the new member list, rebuild agenda, groups and pages, run a parallel test with real handsets and brief members on the new login before the first day.
Disclosure. Sociana publishes this guide and sells an event platform, so we have an interest in your switch. Whova and Cvent are named only to describe their export routes, and we checked what we say about them on 24 Oct 2026. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
Before you begin: why teams switch, and what to check
Teams move for different reasons: a price rise, a need for India-specific rails such as OTP, WhatsApp and INR billing, a wish for branded apps rather than a shared container, or a mismatch between what the tool does and what the occasion needs. Whatever your reason, write it down, because it defines what “success” means. If the reason is cost and you end up with the same limits in a new tool, you have not migrated, you have moved.
Check two things before you start. First, what does your current contract allow you to export, and when does it end? Second, which parts of your current setup depend on that tool’s own features, such as built-in payment, abstract management or a membership database? Sociana is a managed event and engagement layer, not a membership platform: dues, renewals and a membership CRM stay where they are, and abstract and paper management is out of scope. If those matter, plan to keep them in their current homes and connect them by list.
Step 1: take an inventory of what exists
List everything the current app does for your members: registration, agenda, speakers, sponsors, polls, networking, push notifications, photo galleries, payments and exports. Mark each one as used heavily, used lightly or unused. A surprising share of what is switched on turns out to be unused, and that shortens the migration.
Pick the features that must exist on day one and those that can wait.
Step 2: export what you are allowed to export
Use the current tool’s own export functions to take the registrant list, session list, speaker details and any content you own, such as documents and images. Save them as CSV or spreadsheets with the date. Do not scrape the app, and do not copy anything you do not have the right to. If a data set is not exportable, ask the vendor in writing.
Sociana has no direct import connector for Whova or Cvent, so the route is a spreadsheet: export, clean, import. That is a few hours of work, not a risk.
Step 3: clean and map the member list
The member list is the heart of the migration. Clean it first: remove duplicates, correct names, verify mobile numbers and email addresses, and decide the group for each person. Then map the columns:
| Old tool field | New field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Name | Standardise case |
| Needed for overseas members | ||
| Mobile | Phone | Use the number the person answers on |
| Ticket type | Group | Delegate, speaker, sponsor, staff |
| Company, title | Profile fields | Keep for directory and reports |
| Registration status | Whitelist | Only confirmed registrants get in |
Import the list as the member list. Because login is by OTP against it, the whitelist is the registration list.
Step 4: rebuild the agenda, speakers and pages
Create the agenda with day tabs and, if you like, a themed label. Add speakers, dignitaries and sponsors with their categories. Move FAQs, venue pages and documents across as information pages. Check them on a phone, not just in the admin panel: the way a long title wraps on a small screen often surprises people.
Take the chance to prune. A migration is the cheapest moment to drop a page nobody reads.
Step 5: set up groups, login and the first-day experience
Define groups for the audiences that need different content. Decide the login method, the privacy policy and what an unregistered number sees. Add a confirmation step if you want members to check their registered details before entering. Decide what appears on Home on the first day: a welcome banner, a countdown, a short instruction.
Android holds 93.89% of India’s mobile OS market (StatCounter, 2026), so test on Android handsets first.
Step 6: run a parallel test
Run both tools in parallel for a short period, with a small group of staff and a few friendly members. Check four things: can a registered member log in, can an unregistered number be refused, does the agenda match the printed one and does a notification reach only its group. Fix issues, then freeze.
If you have a live event on the current tool, do not migrate in the middle of it. Finish the event, then move.
Step 7: tell members what is changing
Members worry about losing their connections and messages. Say what moves and what does not: their profile will be created from the registration list; old chats will not carry across; they will log in with their phone number or email rather than a password. Send one clear message with one instruction, repeated by the desk on the day.
Offer a short help route. A member who cannot log in at 8:45 am is the one who writes the review.
Step 8: close out the old tool
When the new app is live and stable, export a final archive from the old tool, download what you need and close or downgrade the subscription at the end of the term. Keep the archive for as long as your policy requires, and delete what you do not need.
What to expect honestly
A migration will not carry across chat history, personal bookmarks or lead notes from a past event. Plan for a clean start for members and a clean archive for you. It will also change roles and workflows for your team: Sociana is a managed service where the team configures the app with you, not a self-serve builder.
How Sociana handles this
Member imports and profile fields create or update members from a spreadsheet and carry profile fields with them; the registration file can stay the source of truth. OTP login checks numbers against the list, groups hold the audiences, agenda and show flow rebuilds the schedule, and webhooks, Sheets and Airtable connect to the systems you keep.
The APMI 3rd Annual Conference in Mumbai on 30 September 2026 added self-service booking and Razorpay payment of meeting-room slots to its agenda, dignitaries, sponsors, polls and networking, with the registration list as the whitelist. Read the APMI case study. For a side-by-side view, browse the comparison pages.
Frequently asked questions
Can Sociana import directly from Whova or Cvent?
There is no direct connector. Export a spreadsheet from the current tool, clean it and import it as the member list.
Will members lose their chats?
Chat history will not carry across. Say so in your message and offer a way to exchange contact details.
How long does a migration take?
Typical launch is 10 to 14 days for a conference, if the list and content are ready. Allow longer when several systems are involved.
Can we keep our membership system?
Yes. Sociana is the event and engagement layer; keep dues and renewals where they are and sync lists as needed.
Related reading
Glossary: member import, whitelist, registration review, branded app. Occasion hubs: conferences, association events and conferences with room booking. See templates and checklists for a field-mapping sheet.