How to upgrade Event Espresso

Migrate from Event Espresso 3 to Event Espresso 4+

A migration will transfer data such as events, venues, attendees/registrants and other information from Event Espresso 3 to Event Espresso 4+. With that mentioned, not all information is migrated so its important to create a plan for your migration.


Plan a Migration

Event Espresso 3 and Event Espresso are different platforms. Information is stored in different database tables and there are some notable changes and things to be aware of.


Custom Coding

Coding changes that have been made for Event Espresso 3 will not be compatible with Event Espresso. This applies to custom functions that may have been added via a child theme’s functions.php / site specific plugin and/or changes to custom templates.


Changes in Admin Menus

The menus between the platforms are different. Here is an overview of those changes:

  • Event Espresso 3 menu –> Event Espresso menu
  • General Settings –> General Settings (no change)
  • Event Overview –> Events
  • Venue Manager –> Venues
  • Questions –> Management / Registration Form / Questions
  • Question Groups –> Management / Registration Form / Question Groups
  • Categories –> Events / Categories
  • Calendar Settings –> Settings / Calendar
  • Promotional Codes –> Add-ons / Promotions
  • Email Manager –> Management / Messages
  • Template Settings –> Events / Templates
  • Payment Settings –> Settings / Payment Methods
  • Member Settings –> Management / Registration Form / User Integration Settings
  • Ticket Templates –> Management / Messages
  • MailChimp Integration –> Add-ons –> MailChimp
  • Social Media –> A social sharing plugin for WordPress can be used as events are now custom post types
  • Infusionsoft Settings –> Add-ons / Infusionsoft/Keap
  • System Status –> Extras / Maintenance / System Information
  • Help/Support –> Extras / Help & Support
  • API Settings –> Replaced with the REST API add-on
  • User Permissions –> Replaced with the Capabilities system
  • User Roles –> Replaced with the Capabilities system
  • Locales/Regions –> Replaced with the Capabilities system
  • Regional Managers –> Replaced with the Capabilities system

Changes in Registration Flow

Event Espresso 3: Information is collected via the registration form on the single event page –> Attendee/registrant pays for their registration (if applicable).

Event Espresso: An attendee/registrant begins registration by selecting an option from the ticket (pricing) selector. Then their information is collected and they can pay (if applicable).


Changes in Critical Pages

Some of the critical pages for Event Espresso are updated when a migration takes place. For clarity, we’ve included notes for all critical pages.

  • Event listings page (e.g. example.com/event-registration/)

    [ESPRESSO_EVENTS] –> [ESPRESSO_CHECKOUT]

    The events listing page becomes the registration checkout page by receiving an updated shortcode and a new virtual events listing page is available here: example.com/events/.

  • Thank you page (e.g. example.com/thank-you)

    [ESPRESSO_PAYMENTS] –> [ESPRESSO_THANK_YOU]

  • The shortcode changes for the thank you page.

    Registration cancelled (e.g. example.com/registration-cancelled/)

    [ESPRESSO_CANCELLED]

  • There are no changes to the Transactions shortcode for this page. 

    Transactions page (e.g. example.com/transactions/)

    [ESPRESSO_TXN_PAGE]



Changes in Shortcodes

Some shortcodes for Event Espresso 3 including those for the template add-ons have changed in Event Espresso. You can find updated and supported shortcodes on the following pages:

If you cannot find a shortcode for Event Espresso 3 mentioned in one of the above pages, then it is not currently supported.


New Messages System

Event Espresso introduces a messages system that handles messaging and notifications (e.g. registration approved, registration pending payment, registration declined, payment reminder, invoice and more). Custom messages from Event Espresso 3 are not migrated to Event Espresso. You should copy any existing custom emails into a plain text file so you can add it after the migration.


Discount/Promotion Codes

Existing discount codes for Event Espresso 3 are not migrated to Event Espresso. There is a promotions system available but existing discounts will not be transferred when a migration occurs.

Before we go through the steps for how to migrate from Event Espresso 3 to Event Espresso 4+, we recommend that you also check out our common migration questions.


Complete the Migration

Step 1 – Backup your website

Begin by backing up your WordPress site.


Step 2 – Make sure that you are using a current version of Event Espresso 3

  • The migration process will need a current version of Event Espresso 3 to work correctly. Login to your WordPress dashboard (WP-admin) and go to Plugins. Then look for Event Espresso 3 in the list of plugins.
  • If your current version of Event Espresso 3 is  less than 3.1.36.6 then you’ll want to update it first. If your version is newer, then go to step 3.
  • Download version 3.1.36.19 from HERE and follow how to update the Event Espresso plugin.

Step 3 – Download the latest software for Event Espresso from your Event Espresso account

  • Login to your WordPress dashboard and then go to the WP Plugins screen. Deactivate all Event Espresso 3 software (both core and any add-ons)
  • Then go to your Event Espresso account page and download the zip files for core and any add-ons needed. Check understanding your Event Espresso account for more details. Event Espresso does not require any add-ons to run and it can operate on its own. Make a note of the location for those file(s) on your computer as you’ll need them shortly.

Step 4 – Deactivate Event Espresso 3

  • Login to your WP dashboard (WP-admin) and go to Plugins, then deactivate the Event Espresso 3 plugin. You’ll also deactivate all Event Espresso 3 add-ons.

Step 5 – Upload Event Espresso to your WP dashboard

  • Login to your WP dashboard (WP-admin) and go to Plugins –> Add New –> Upload. Now browse to the zip file (e.g. event-espresso-core-reg.zip) for Event Espresso on your computer and select it. Then start the upload process and allow it to complete. (See installing Event Espresso|)

Step 6 – Activate Event Espresso and start the migration

  • Click on Activate and Event Espresso will run through a few tasks internally and then switch itself into maintenance mode. At this point, you’ll see a notice to migrate. Click to go to the maintenance screen for Event Espresso. Then click the button to begin migrating your information to Event Espresso.
  • The migration runs in several stages and you’ll see a confirmation after each stage. Click to continue after each stage has completed and finish all steps in the migration. Once it is done then Event Espresso will take itself out of maintenance mode and you’ll be viewing the about page for Event Espresso.
Note: It is important that all stages of the migration be completed.

At this point, you can explore the various admin menus for Event Espresso.

Common Migration Questions

Are all features and add-ons in Event Espresso 3 available for Event Espresso?

All features and add-ons are not currently available in Event Espresso.

Examples include a Recurring Events Manager add-on and a Seating Chart add-on. See the our Event Espresso 3 vs Event Espresso comparison page for more information and also check out our roadmap for Event Espresso.


Will you stop supporting Event Espresso 3?

There are no plans to stop supporting Event Espresso 3 in the near future. At this time, we plan to continue supporting Event Espresso 3 and encourage members that are interested in Event Espresso to migrate. There are some exciting new features that will be available for Event Espresso in the near future. Keep an eye on our Event Espresso roadmap!


If I migrate to Event Espresso, then is my Event Espresso 3 information lost?

Event Espresso creates its own database tables (ie. wp_esp_) when it is activated. A migration does not remove the database tables for Event Espresso 3 (ie. wp_events_). This means that your information will be there is you switch back to Event Espresso 3 in the future.


Can I run Event Espresso 3 and Event Espresso at the same time?

No, only one version of Event Espresso can run at one time.


Can I use Event Espresso 3 add-ons with Event Espresso and vice versa?

No, add-ons for Event Espresso 3 cannot be used with Event Espresso. Event Espresso has its own add-ons available.


A developer helped me customize Event Espresso 3. Will those customizations work for Event Espresso?

Event Espresso 3 and Event Espresso share a similar name but are different platforms. Information is stored in different database tables and the codebase is different. Custom coding (e.g. templates with customizations) for Event Espresso 3 will not work out of the box with Event Espresso and will need to be updated.


Are there additional resources that I can provide my web professional / developer for help with upgrading my site?

Yes, here are some resources that you can provide to your web professional / developer:

Developer portal for Event Espresso

Theming for Event Espresso;

Overview of starter templates for Event Espresso

Code snippet library for Event Espresso

How to create a payment gateway for Event Espresso

View more resources for developers in our developer center.


I’m unsure about migrating to Event Espresso. What should I do?

Follow up with us by creating a support post in our support forums and tell us about your project. We’ll share feedback to let you know if Event Espresso will be a good fit.

Troubleshoot a Migration


My migration has crashed or become frozen. How can I get back on track?

Raise the memory that is available to PHP through and reduce the migration step size by adding the following constants towards the middle of your wp-config.php file:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '128M' ); 
define( EE_MIGRATION_STEP_SIZE, 10 );

Learn more about the suggestions above here: https://gist.github.com/lorenzocaum/78fc11939eefcff8a272


I receive a fatal error when activating Event Espresso 5

This can be caused by different type errors. The database option values may be strings vs integers, etc. You may have to fix the option values manually.


It’s typically stored in the WordPress options table as the option named: ee_config   


So the full location is usually:

  • table: wp_options   
  • option_name: ee_config   

If the site uses a custom table prefix, then it would be:

  • {your_prefix}_options
  • option_name = ee_config

It is possible to edit the EE_Core_Config   class and change the variable type.


I activated Event Espresso 5 but I do not see the Event Espresso menu

This means you're missing some capabilities.

  • Use this link to download and install this capability utility plugin to reset the capabilities.
  • Then, after activating this plugin you should have access to the Event Espresso > Maintenance page.
  • Reset the Event Espresso capabilities using the Reset/Delete (tab) option.

That should reset the capability mismatch and give you full access to all the menus.


Migration Notification Not Available

After you install the latest version of Event Espresso but the migration scripts do not become available do the following to delete the Event Espresso data and re-start the migrations. This will wipe out all the current data in the new format but it will leave the Event Espresso 3 data in tact).

  • Go to Event Espresso > Maintenance - Reset/Delete Data tab (tab across the top)
  • Click the "Permanently Delete ALL Event Espresso Data' button.
  • Event Espresso will wipe the current data in the new format and tables but will leave your EE3 data in tact).
  • Event Espresso will deactivate itself
  • Reactivate Event Espresso and should show you the option to migrate
  • Follow the migration promtps.
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.

Related Articles