Enable Sync — Behavior and Rules

When an event is created from an external integration (for example, iMIS), the Enable Sync toggle in the event's settings controls whether automatic data sync runs for that event. This page explains what happens to different data types when sync is enabled or disabled.

The external system (iMIS) is the source of truth for synced events. Data originating from the external source is overwritten on each sync cycle. Data created internally in Clowder Admin is preserved.

Sync toggles

Sync is controlled by separate toggles for different data sections:

Toggle	Location	Controls
Enable Sync (Event Details)	Event settings page	Event detail fields (title, description, dates, location, image)
Enable Sync (Agenda)	Events settings page > Event Agenda	Sessions, sub-sessions, and tracks
Enable Sync (Speakers)	Events settings page > Displayed Speakers	Speaker data

Sync behavior by section

Section	External data (from iMIS)	Internal data (created in Admin)
Event Details	Overwritten on each sync cycle	N/A — all detail fields are synced
Sessions	Overwritten	Preserved
Sub-sessions	Overwritten	Preserved
Tracks	Overwritten (synced with sessions)	Preserved
Speakers	Overwritten	Preserved
Exhibitors / Partners	Overwritten (if mapped)	Preserved
Attendees	Refreshed (can be removed)	Preserved

Event details

All event detail fields (title, description, dates, location, cover image) are fully overwritten from the external source on each sync cycle.

If sync is disabled, event details are changed manually, and sync is re-enabled, all manual changes will be overwritten by the source on the next sync cycle.

Sessions and sub-sessions (Agenda)

Sessions and sub-sessions follow the same sync rules, controlled by the Enable Sync toggle in the Agenda section.

External sessions and sub-sessions (synced from iMIS): Any manual changes are overwritten on the next sync.
Internal sessions and sub-sessions (created in Clowder Admin): Preserved — sync does not remove or modify them.

CREW can safely add sessions and sub-sessions manually to an integrated event agenda. Internal items are never affected by the sync process.

Tracks

Tracks are synced as part of the agenda — they come with session data from the external source. Tracks follow the same Enable Sync (Agenda) toggle:

External tracks (from iMIS): Overwritten on sync.
Internal tracks (created in admin): Preserved.

Speakers

Speakers have their own Enable Sync toggle in the Speakers section of event details.

External speakers (synced from iMIS): Overwritten on sync.
Internal speakers (created in admin): Preserved.

Exhibitors and partners

External exhibitors (if mapped in the integration): Changes are overwritten on sync.
Internal exhibitors (created in admin): Preserved — sync does not touch them.
If exhibitors or partners are not mapped in the integration, they can be managed freely in admin without interference from sync.

Attendees

External attendees (synced from iMIS): The external attendee list is refreshed on each sync cycle. If an external attendee is removed from iMIS, they are removed from Clowder.
Internal attendees (added manually in admin): Preserved — they survive sync cycles.

Edge case: disable and re-enable sync

If sync is disabled, a user is added manually, and sync is re-enabled:

If the user is an internal addition (does not exist in iMIS), the user stays on the attendee list.
If the user is external (exists in the iMIS mapping but was removed from the event in iMIS), the user is removed from the attendee list on the next sync.

Important notes

Enable Sync toggles are only available for events originating from an external integration. Manual events do not have these toggles.
Sync frequency (Real-time, Hourly, Daily) is configured separately in Event Settings.
Disabling sync pauses all automatic updates but does not delete any existing data.