What's New - April 2025 | Zoho Backstage
Hello there,
Phew! It’s been a busy month—and it’s all for you.
You know that feeling when your to-do list is long, your coffee’s gone cold, but your team is absolutely crushing it behind the scenes? That’s been us this month. Between brainstorming, building, tweaking, and testing—we've had our heads down, sleeves rolled up, and minds focused on one thing: helping you run smoother, smarter, and more engaging events.
Every little update we pushed live this month was sparked by a real need from organizers like you. And honestly? That’s our favorite way to build. You throw us the challenges, and we’ll keep showing up with better, faster, and (hopefully) cooler ways to handle them.
So as the calendar flips, we hope you’ll take a moment to explore what’s new, give it a spin, and tell us what you think.
Automated refunds with cancellation fee deductions
Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans
Event organizers often face the challenge of handling last-minute cancellations and issuing partial refunds. With our new custom cancellation policy, you can now automatically deduct a cancellation fee from the refund amount when an attendee cancels their booking.
How it works:
- Set a cancellation fee as a percentage of the ticket price.
- The system automatically handles fee deduction and tax adjustments.
Setting up:
- Navigate to Registrations > Cancellation Policy.
- Select Custom Cancellation Policy.
- Define up to 10 cancellation rules. (maximum window: 60 days before event)
Attendees will see the applicable policy:
- During registration
- On their Your Orders page
- While canceling their order
The deducted fee is automatically logged in the cancellation and refund history, viewable by both attendees and organizers.
Fee changes apply only to new orders. For partially refunded orders, any remaining amount can still be refunded later.
Order and attendee activity logs
Plan availability: Included in the Free, Essentials, Premium and Ultimate plans
Get complete visibility into every update made to attendee and order data with our new activity log. Whether changes were made by an organizer, purchaser, or attendee, you can now view a detailed activity trail.
This audit log captures a record of updates and changes related to attendee and order management. Whether an organizer updates an attendee’s name, a purchaser reassigns a ticket, or a ticket class is changed, the system now logs each of these actions automatically for full traceability.
The log currently captures the following types of activities:
- Updates to attendee details, such as name, email, or custom fields.
- Changes made to order details, including purchaser info and billing data.
- Ticket reassignment, when a ticket is transferred to another attendee.
- An order being marked as paid or unpaid, reflecting changes in payment status.
- Ticket class changes, such as upgrading or downgrading an attendee's ticket.
These logs are grouped into three categories for easy review:
- Portal Activities – actions performed via the organizer portal.
- Order Activities – all modifications related to individual orders.
- Attendee Activities – updates and changes linked directly to attendees.
This enhancement is especially helpful for teams managing large events, providing an added layer of accountability and operational clarity. With audit trails now available, you can confidently trace back who made what change and when, minimizing confusion and improving team collaboration.
Export attendee data with deleted fields
Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans
Managing attendee information often requires flexibility, especially when event organizers make changes to registration forms mid-way through the event setup or after registrations have already started. To support this, Zoho Backstage now offers a new enhancement that allows organizers to include deleted fields when exporting attendee data.
This enhancement ensures that you won’t lose access to that data, even if the field no longer appears on the live form. This gives full control over whether historical data from removed fields should be preserved and reviewed offline.
How to use:
- Navigate to Registrations > Attendees.
- Click Export.
- There, you'll find a new option: Include deleted fields. When selected, any data submitted for removed fields will be included in the export.
In the exported file, these deleted fields will be clearly marked using the following format: {fieldName}_Deleted. This helps distinguish them from currently active fields while still making the historical data available for review or reporting purposes.
Add attachments to scheduled emails
Plan availability: Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans
Attachments are a common and essential part of email communication, especially in event planning. Organizers often need to send event brochures, images, venue maps, or other materials to attendees ahead of time. With this update, they can now do so simply within their scheduled emails.
How to use:
- To add an attachment, simply go to Communicate > Emails > Scheduled Emails > Create an Email > Options > Add Attachment. You can upload relevant files from your event or space library during the email creation process.
- You can upload relevant files from your event or space library during the email creation process.
When you preview the email, the attachments will be visible so you can verify everything is in place before sending. If any attached file is later removed from the event or space library, it will be shown as “deleted” in the email preview—helping you avoid broken links or missing files.
Try it out the next time you send a scheduled email!
Session details in speaker emails
Plan availability: Available in the Free, Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans
We’ve enhanced speaker communication in Zoho Backstage by adding session details directly to speaker emails. This ensures speakers have all the information they need—without requiring additional follow-ups or manual updates.
Two key email updates have been introduced:
- Welcome Speaker email now includes the speaker’s assigned session details, helping them understand exactly when and where they’re expected to present.
- Session Updated email is a new automated email that gets triggered whenever sessions are assigned to a speaker or when existing session details, such as timing or location, are changed. The email will show either a New Sessions section, an Updated Sessions section, or both, depending on the changes made.
You can find and manage these templates under:
- Communication > Emails > Automated Emails > Speakers
Enable/disable Workflows during event creation
Plan availability: Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans
This feature gives event organizers more control over workflow management during the event creation process in Zoho Backstage. Any workflows configured at the portal level are automatically listed when creating a new event. By default, these workflows are enabled, but organizers can choose to disable specific ones based on the needs of the event—directly during setup.
This flexibility helps prevent workflows from being overlooked or incorrectly applied, making the event setup more efficient and consistent. Organizers can also revisit and update these settings later, ensuring each event has the most relevant workflows in place.
SalesIQ chat in OnAir
Plan availability: Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans
We’re excited to share that SalesIQ Chat is now integrated with the OnAir platform, enabling real-time communication between participants and organizers during live events and rehearsals.
Attendees can now initiate chats directly within OnAir, ensuring timely responses to their questions. Speakers and exhibitors can also use the chat feature during rehearsals for smooth coordination.
Organizers can configure chat visibility from:
- Design > Edit Website > Integrations > Zoho Sales IQ
- Settings > Integrations > Live Chat
You can choose to display the chat on the event website, within OnAir, or both. All conversations are managed through your existing SalesIQ portal.
This integration enhances engagement and simplifies event communication for a better overall experience.
Gamification Leaderboard now supports public display links
Plan availability: Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans
Leaderboard display allows event organizers to showcase real-time competition results across the venue, encouraging attendees to engage more actively through visible, friendly competition.
This encourages friendly competition and boosts attendee engagement.
You can generate secure, public links directly from the Manage Leaderboard page. These links display only ranking information—no sensitive attendee data—and are ideal for projection screens throughout your event space. Multiple links can be created, each with a unique session ID, screen name, browser, and IP, giving you full visibility and control.
Key features include:
- Expiration controls: Links expire at the event’s end time, with the option to extend or set a custom expiry date.
- Security: A password-protected interface ensures only authorized users can access the leaderboard. Use the Copy Password button to easily share credentials with your AV team or display partners.
- Screen tracking: Each display session requires a screen name, which appears alongside session data in your dashboard, making it simple to identify and manage screens.
- Session control: End individual sessions instantly or reset the password to terminate all active sessions for added security.
Important: If you don’t copy the link at the time of creation, it can’t be retrieved again—make sure to save it immediately.
To set it up, go to Manage > Engagement > Gamification.
Bring your leaderboard to life—visibly, securely, and with complete control.
Time field in forms
Plan availability: The availability of this feature depends on the type of form:
- Registration form – Included in Premium and Ultimate plans
- Custom forms – Included exclusively in the Ultimate plan
- Exhibitor request form – Included in the Premium and Ultimate plans. Also available in the Essentials plan when used with the Exhibitor add-on.
- Sponsor request form – Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans
- Session feedback form – Included in the Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans
You can now collect time-specific responses using the newly introduced Time field in the form builder. Ideal for gathering details like arrival times, session preferences, or any time-based input, this feature gives you greater precision and control during data collection.
Organizers can configure the field to accept inputs in 12-hour or 24-hour format, and optionally define a time range to limit selections. The default format shown to respondents will align with the event’s time format set under Manage > Event Info.
For example, if you're coordinating airport pickups or hotel transfers, you can easily request attendees’ expected arrival times during registration or through custom forms.
Registered session participants export
Plan availability: Included in the Free, Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate plans
You can export the list of registered attendees for individual sessions, making it easier to manage participation and access attendee details at the session level.
To use this feature, navigate to Manage > Sessions, select the relevant session, and go to the Participants > Registered tab. From there, you’ll find the option to export the list of participants who have registered for that specific session.
The export file will include the following columns:
- Name
- Email
- Ticket ID
- Ticket Class
- Session Title
This update provides quick access to session-specific attendee data, helping organizers better plan logistics, monitor participation, and coordinate follow-ups.
You keep the ideas coming—we’ll keep delivering.
Let’s make May 2025 even better.
All the features and enhancements mentioned in this article are available across all Zoho Backstage-supported data centers.
If you have any questions, please contact support@zohobackstage.com.
Access your files securely from anywhere
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Jithan Raghuraj
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
ViewID and Zoho Desk API
I'm looking at the documentation for Listing contacts and it looks like you can filter by ViewID. I assume this is views created in a department or all departments. Is this correct? And if so, how do I find the ViewID for that view? EDIT: I see the viewAbility to Link Reported Issues from Zoho Desk to Specific Tasks or Subtasks in Zoho Projects
Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you're doing well. When reporting a bug from Zoho Desk to Zoho Projects, we’ve noticed that it’s currently not possible to select an existing task or subtask to associate the issue with. However, when working directly inside ZohoAutomatically Update Ticket Status in Zoho Desk Based on Actions in Zoho Projects
Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you’re doing well. We’re using the Zoho Desk–Zoho Projects integration to manage tasks related to customer tickets, and it works well for linking and tracking progress. However, there are a few important automation capabilitiesPrint Tickets
We have field engineers who visit customers. We would like the option to print a job sheet with full details of the job and account/contact details.Zoho Desk integration with Power BI
Hi, I want to be able to create a Power BI report which has live updates of ticket data from zoho desk, is this possile at all? Thanks JackAbility to Attach Images When Reporting Issues to Zoho Projects from Zoho Desk
Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you’re doing well. We’re using the Zoho Desk–Zoho Projects integration to report bugs directly from support tickets into the Zoho Projects issue tracker. This integration is extremely useful and helps us maintain smooth coordinationAbility to Choose Task List and Add Subtasks When Creating Tasks from Zoho Desk
Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you’re doing well. We’re using the Zoho Desk–Zoho Projects integration to seamlessly connect customer tickets with project tasks. While the integration works great overall, we noticed two important limitations that affect our workflowSync Task Status from Zoho Projects to Zoho Desk
Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you’re doing well. We’re actively using the Zoho Desk–Zoho Projects integration, which helps our support and project teams stay aligned. However, we noticed that when we change a task’s status in Zoho Projects, the change is notDefault/Private Departments in Zoho Desk
1) How does one configure a department to be private? 2) Also, how does one change the default department? 1) On the list of my company's Zoho Departments, I see that we have a default department, but I am unable to choose which department should be default. 2) From the Zoho documentation I see that in order to create a private department, one should uncheck "Display in customer portal" on the Add Department screen. However, is there a way to change this setting after the department has been created?Retainer invoice in Zoho Finance modlue
Hello, Is there a way of creating retainer invoices in the Zoho Finance module? If not can I request this is considered for future updates please.Limited layout rules in a module
There is a limit of 10 layout rules per module. Is there a way to get that functionality through different customization or workflow + custom function (easily accessible), etc. Having just 10 is limiting especially if module contains a lot of data. AreCan we do Image swatches for color variants?
We want to do something like the attached screenshot on our new zoho store. We need image swatches instead of normal text selection. We want to user to select an image as color option. Is this doable? I don't see any option on zoho backend. Please hHow Zoho Desk contributes to the art of savings
Remember the first time your grandmother gave you cash for a birthday or New Year's gift, Christmas gift, or any special day? You probably tucked that money safely into a piggy bank, waiting for the day you could buy something precious or something youZoho CRM IP Addresses to Whitelist
We were told to whitelist IP addresses from Zoho CRM. (CRM, not Zoho Mail.) What is the current list of IP Addresses to whitelist for outbound mail? Is there a website where these IP addresses are published and updated? Everything I could find is overColor of Text Box Changes
Sometimes I find the color of text boxes changed to a different color. This seems to happen when I reopen the same slide deck later. In the image that I am attaching, you see that the colors of the whole "virus," the "irology" part of "virology," andThe difference between Zoho Marketing Automation and Zoho Campaigns
Greetings Marketers! This post aims to differentiate between Zoho Marketing Automation and Zoho Campaigns. By the time you get to the end of the post, you will be able to choose a product that objectively suits you. What is Zoho Marketing Automation?When moments in customer support get "spooky"
It’s Halloween again! Halloween is celebrated with spooky symbols and meanings based on history and traditions, with each region adding its own special touch. While we were kids, we would dress up in costumes along with friends, attend parties, and enjoyHow to use Rollup Summary in a Formula Field?
I created a Rollup Summary (Decimal) field in my module, and it shows values correctly. When I try to reference it in a Formula Field (e.g. ${Deals.Partners_Requested} - ${Deals.Partners_Paid}), I get the error that the field can’t be found. Is it possibleZoho Mail Android app update - View emails shared via Permalink on the app.
Hello everyone! In the latest version(v2.8.2) of the Zoho Mail Android app update, we have brought in support to access the emails shared via permalink within the app. Earlier, when you click the permalink of an email, you'll be redirected to a mobileLet us view and export the full price books data from CRM
I quote out of CRM, some of my clients have specialised pricing for specific products - therefore we use Price Books to manage these special prices. I can only see the breakdown of the products listed in the price book and the specialised pricing forWeekly Tips: Manage External Images in Zoho Mail
When you receive emails every day, whether from clients, newsletters, or services, many of them contain external images that automatically load when you open the message. While this can make emails look more engaging, it can also impact your privacy andEmpowered Custom Views: Cross-Module Criteria Now Supported in Zoho CRM
Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce cross-module criteria support in custom views! Custom views provide personalized perspectives on your data and that you can save for future use. You can share these views with all users or specific individualsHow to display Motivator components in Zoho CRM home page ?
Hello, I created KPI's, games and so but I want to be able to see my KPI's and my tasks at the same time. Is this possible to display Motivator components in Zoho CRM home page ? Has someone any idea ? Thanks for your help.Introducing Record Summary: smarter insights at your fingertips
Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce the Record Summary feature. This powerful addition makes use of Zia to simplify how you interact with your CRM data, providing a seamless, consolidated view of critical record information. Scrolling through theAccount in Quick View Filter
I have a report that I often run against a specific Account. Every time, I have to go into the edit menu and change the Advanced Filter. I would prefer to use the Quick View Filter, but it does not allow me to use the one and only field that makes anyInsert Cookie Policy in Zoho Sites
Hello, i need to insert a banner on my site because i'm in Italy so i have to respect EU laws for Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy. I see that i need to insert a code in <head> section of my site to show a banner/popup with cookie info. How i can do this? Thank you LucaCliq iOS can't see shared screen
Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? RegardsUnable to confirm Super Admin assignment — confirmation button not working
I’m trying to change the roles within my organization. I am currently a super admin and would like to add another user as a super admin. When I attempt to confirm the action, a screen appears asking for my password to verify my identity. However, whenDelegates should be able to delete expenses
I understand the data integrity of this request. It would be nice if there was a toggle switch in the Policy setting that would allow a delegate to delete expenses from their managers account. Some managers here never touch their expense reports, andLet's Talk Recruit: Meet Zia, your all-in-one AI assistant (Part-2)
Welcome back to Let’s Talk Recruit series. In Part 1, we introduced Zia and how AI is reshaping the way recruiters work. This time, we’re taking a closer look at how far Zia has come and how each update continues to simplify your everyday tasks. WhenFunction #9: Copy attachments of Sales Order to Purchase Order on conversion
This week, we have written a custom function that automatically copies the attachments uploaded for a sales order to the corresponding purchase order after you convert it. Here's how to configure it in your Zoho Books organization. Custom Function: Hitstock
bom/bse : stock details or price =STOCK(C14;"price") not showing issue is #N/A! kindly resolve this problemKaizen #8 - Handling Recurrence and Participants in the Events Module via API
Hello everyone! We are back this week with an exciting post—Handling recurrence and participants in the Events module through API. First things first—What is the Events module? "Events" is a part of the Activities module in Zoho CRM. An event is an activity that happens at a given place and time. You can find Events on the user's Zoho CRM's home page, Activities home page, Calendar, and in other related records. What are the types of Events? Events are of two types—Recurring and non-recurring events.Marketer’s Space - Get Holiday-Ready with Zoho Campaigns
Hello marketers, Welcome back to another post in Marketer’s Space! Q4 is packed with opportunities to connect with your audience - from Halloween, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. In this post, we’ll look at howPersonalized demo
can I know more about the personalized demo we are construction company andUser Filter not selecting All Items
We are encountering 2 issues when using the user filter. When users are trying to search using the filter option, the OK button is grayed out. Users have to unselect or make a change before it filters properly. 2. When filtering and the OK button works,Can I collect email addresses in a form??
Can I add new subscribers to my email list (hosted in FloDesk) when they check a box and add their email address on a Zoho form?Zoho CRM Android app updates: Kiosk and multiple file upload support for subforms
Hello everyone, We've rolled out new enhancements to the Zoho CRM Android app to bring better mobile CRM experience and efficiency. Let's take a quick look at what's new: Kiosk Multiple file uploads for subforms Kiosk Kiosk is a no-code tool in Zoho CRMAlerts for mentions in comments
We are testing the use of Writer internally and found that when a user is mentioned in a comment, there is no email alert for the mention. Is this something that's configurable, and if so, where can we enable this option?Subform Disabled Fields Should Remain Disabled on Edit/View
Currently, when we disable a subform field using on user input or on add new row, it works perfectly during the initial data entry. However, when the record is saved and reopened for viewing or editing, these disabled fields become editable again. ThisNext Page