diff --git a/angular_app/js/controllers.js b/angular_app/js/controllers.js
index d93fca7..cb2355f 100644
--- a/angular_app/js/controllers.js
+++ b/angular_app/js/controllers.js
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ eventManControllers.controller('EventDetailsCtrl', ['$scope', 'Event', 'Person',
             Event.personAttended({
                     _id: $stateParams.id,
                     person_id: person.person_id,
-                    'persons.$.attended': attended
+                    'attended': attended
                 },
                 function(data) {
                     $log.debug('EventDetailsCtrl.personAttended.data');
@@ -212,10 +212,10 @@ eventManControllers.controller('PersonDetailsCtrl', ['$scope', '$stateParams', '
             Event.personAttended({
                     _id: event._id,
                     person_id: $stateParams.id,
-                    'persons.$.attended': attended
+                    'attended': attended
                 },
                 function(data) {
-                    $scope.events = data = Person.getEvents({_id: $stateParams.id, all: true});
+                    $scope.events = Person.getEvents({_id: $stateParams.id, all: true});
                 }
             );
         };
diff --git a/backend.py b/backend.py
index 57b9520..df24814 100644
--- a/backend.py
+++ b/backend.py
@@ -171,7 +171,8 @@ class EventManDB(object):
                 continue
         return _or
 
-    def update(self, collection, _id_or_query, data, operation='update', create=True):
+    def update(self, collection, _id_or_query, data, operation='update',
+            updateList=None, create=True):
         """Update an existing document or create it, if requested.
         _id_or_query can be an ID, a dict representing a query or a list of tuples.
         In the latter case, the tuples are put in OR; a tuple match if all of its
@@ -185,6 +186,8 @@ class EventManDB(object):
         :type data: dict
         :param operation: operation used to update the document or a portion of it, like a list (update, append, appendUnique, delete)
         :type operation: str
+        :param updateList: if set, it's considered the name of a list (the first matching element will be updated)
+        :type updateList: str
         :param create: if True, the document is created if no document matches
         :type create: bool
 
@@ -201,6 +204,11 @@ class EventManDB(object):
         if '_id' in data:
             del data['_id']
         operator = self._operations.get(operation)
+        if updateList:
+            newData = {}
+            for key, value in data.iteritems():
+                newData['%s.$.%s' % (updateList, key)] = value
+            data = newData
         res = db[collection].find_and_modify(query=_id_or_query,
                 update={operator: data}, full_response=True, new=True, upsert=create)
         lastErrorObject = res.get('lastErrorObject') or {}
diff --git a/eventman_server.py b/eventman_server.py
index 5f86453..0ac438a 100755
--- a/eventman_server.py
+++ b/eventman_server.py
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ class EventsHandler(CollectionHandler):
         # Update an existing entry for a person registered at this event.
         merged, doc = self.db.update('events',
                 {'_id': id_, 'persons.person_id': person_id},
-                data, create=False)
+                data, updateList='persons', create=False)
         return {'event': doc}
 
     def handle_delete_persons(self, id_, person_id):