diff --git a/broker/common/common.go b/broker/common/common.go
index 2421e8c4..9106e210 100644
--- a/broker/common/common.go
+++ b/broker/common/common.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package common
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
+	"strings"
 )
 
 func StructToMap(obj interface{}) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
@@ -22,6 +23,15 @@ func StructToMap(obj interface{}) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
 	for i := 0; i < val.NumField(); i++ {
 		field := val.Field(i)
 		fieldName := typ.Field(i).Name
+		jsonTag, ok := typ.Field(i).Tag.Lookup("json")
+		if ok {
+			before, _, found := strings.Cut(jsonTag, ",")
+			if found {
+				fieldName = before
+			} else {
+				fieldName = jsonTag
+			}
+		}
 		result[fieldName] = field.Interface()
 	}
 
diff --git a/broker/common/common_test.go b/broker/common/common_test.go
index 35f58ebb..5c14bca9 100644
--- a/broker/common/common_test.go
+++ b/broker/common/common_test.go
@@ -6,11 +6,14 @@ import (
 )
 
 type User struct {
-	ID     int
-	Name   string
+	ID     int     `json:"id"`
+	Name   *string `json:"name,omitempty"`
 	Active bool
 }
 
+var bob = "Bob"
+var alice = "Alice"
+
 func TestStructToMap(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name    string
@@ -20,20 +23,20 @@ func TestStructToMap(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{
 			name:  "Basic struct conversion",
-			input: User{ID: 1, Name: "Alice", Active: true},
+			input: User{ID: 1, Name: &alice, Active: true},
 			want: map[string]interface{}{
-				"ID":     1,
-				"Name":   "Alice",
+				"id":     1,
+				"name":   &alice,
 				"Active": true,
 			},
 			wantErr: false,
 		},
 		{
 			name:  "Pointer to struct",
-			input: &User{ID: 2, Name: "Bob", Active: false},
+			input: &User{ID: 2, Name: &bob, Active: false},
 			want: map[string]interface{}{
-				"ID":     2,
-				"Name":   "Bob",
+				"id":     2,
+				"name":   &bob,
 				"Active": false,
 			},
 			wantErr: false,
diff --git a/broker/events/eventmodels.go b/broker/events/eventmodels.go
index ef4b7080..fcbf369c 100644
--- a/broker/events/eventmodels.go
+++ b/broker/events/eventmodels.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ const (
 
 type EventData struct {
 	CommonEventData
-	CustomData map[string]any
+	CustomData map[string]any `json:"customData,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type CommonEventData struct {