Name the direction of travel
An integration can mean a one-way import, a scheduled synchronisation, a live webhook or a custom project. Write down which system creates the record and which fields each system may change. Start with one concrete journey: registration creates an attendee, an edit changes their company, a cancellation removes access. Ask the vendor to show every step rather than accepting the names of connected tools.
Distinguish a connector from an API
An API provides a way to build a connection; it does not mean the connection has been configured and maintained for you. Swoogo’s developer portal, for example, documents event and registrant resources, webhooks and rate limits. Those are useful building blocks. They do not remove the need to map fields, handle permissions and decide what happens when an external service is unavailable.
Ask what happens twice
Networks retry requests. A robust integration should not turn one registration into two contacts because a delivery was repeated. Include a duplicate event in the demonstration and ask how the receiving system recognises it. Also test an update that arrives before an earlier update. The desired outcome is a correct final record with a traceable history, not merely a green connection indicator.
Inspect deletion and consent handling
Check how an attendee’s correction, marketing preference or deletion request reaches each relevant system. A nightly CSV import may be adequate for some data, but not if the event promises immediate access revocation. Identify who owns each failure queue and how they know an update has stopped arriving. Avoid giving a connection broader privileges than its job needs.
Budget for the event-day peak
Ask about documented rate limits, batch sizes and expected delays under your attendance pattern. A limit expressed per minute is not proof the queue will clear before the doors open. Work through the largest plausible import, including retries and API calls needed per attendee. Ask whether the plan includes production API access and whether custom fields or endpoints carry separate charges.
Agree the exit route
You should be able to retrieve your own event data in a usable format when a contract ends. Request a sample export, field definitions and the retention timetable. Record who maintains the connection when either supplier changes its API. Make those responsibilities part of the procurement conversation so that a working demonstration does not become an unsupported business dependency.
Sources and research basis
Sources checked 2026-10-17. Supplier capabilities and venue specifications are attributed to their published documentation. No first-hand test or visit is implied.