Import the program and speakers

Instead of entering your agenda item by item, you can load it from a CSV or Excel file. Two separate imports are available, one for speakers and one for program items — both follow the same six-step wizard.

Import speakers first

The program file references speakers by their identifier. So import your speakers first: otherwise, the speakers listed in the program file cannot be linked to the talks.

Where to start an import

Both imports are started from the “Program” section of the session sidebar:

What you import	Page to open	Button
Speakers	“Speakers”	“Import”
Program items	“Program”	“Import”

Each button opens the matching history page — “Import Speakers” or “Import Program” — where you click “New import”.

The history keeps every import with its date, file, number of rows, records created and updated, errors, and status (Pending, Validated, Running, Completed, Completed (errors), Failed…). The “⋯” menu on a row lets you view the import, “Duplicate configuration” to replay the same mapping on a new file, or delete it.

Note

The “Import” buttons only appear if your role has the matching import permission. Without it, only completed imports can be viewed.

Prepare your file

Accepted formats are CSV, TXT, XLS, and XLSX, with a maximum size of 50 MB.

A few tips before you start:

• put the column headers on the first row: automatic mapping suggestions rely on them;
• include an identifier column in both files — your own “External ID”, or the Eveos identifier if you start from an export (see below);
• check the session’s time zone before importing schedules (see How your dates and times are interpreted);
• for a CSV file, note which delimiter it uses (semicolon is offered by default).

What the speakers file contains

The fields of a speaker record: First name, Last name, Company, Job title, Short description, Biography, Email, Phone, Website, LinkedIn, Twitter / X, Photo URL, Status, Tags, and External ID.

What the program file contains

The fields of a program item: Title, Type, Short description, Description, Category, Place, Checkpoint, Capacity, Start, End, Status, Tags, External ID, plus the column holding the speakers’ identifiers.

See the exact list of fields

The full list of available fields, with descriptions and examples, is shown in the “Mapping” step of the wizard. To look at it before your final file is ready, upload a small test file — a header row is enough — and go to that step: nothing is saved until you click “Start Import”. You can then leave the wizard and build your file with full knowledge of the fields.

Link speakers to talks

This is the key to a successful program import: the link between a program item and its speakers is made through identifiers.

Which identifier should you use?

Two identifiers can play that role.

The “External ID” — an identifier that belongs to you: the one used by your own tool (website, spreadsheet, CRM, conference management software). Eveos stores it on the record without altering it, which makes it possible to find the same record from one import to the next. It must be unique and stable over time: for example SPK-001, SPK-2026-014, or the identifier coming from your database.

The Eveos identifier — the one the platform assigns to each record itself. You will find it in exports and in a record’s URL. It is especially handy for an export → fix → re-import round trip: you have no identifier to invent, exported records already carry theirs.

Tip

If your speakers already exist in Eveos and you start from an export, simply keep the Eveos identifier column as it is. If you prepare your data in an external tool, use the “External ID” instead. The examples below use the “External ID”, but the principle is the same either way.

Step 1 — import speakers with an identifier

Your speakers file contains an identifier column, mapped to the matching field (here “External ID”):

External ID	First name	Last name	Company
SPK-001	Camille	Durand	Eveos
SPK-002	Marc	Lefèvre	Studio Nord
SPK-003	Sofia	Rossi	University of Lyon

Step 2 — reference those IDs in the program file

The program file contains a column listing the speakers’ identifiers, mapped to the speakers’ identifiers field:

External ID	Title	Start	End	Speakers
CONF-01	Opening	04/11/2026 09:00	04/11/2026 09:30	SPK-001
CONF-02	AI round table	04/11/2026 10:00	04/11/2026 11:00	SPK-001;SPK-003
CONF-03	Design workshop	04/11/2026 14:00	04/11/2026 15:30	SPK-002

If an item has several speakers, list their identifiers in the same cell, separated by a semicolon (;).

Caution

If your CSV file also uses the semicolon as its column delimiter, remember to wrap the cell in quotes (for example "SPK-001;SPK-003") so that it is not split into two columns. With an Excel file, this is not an issue.

What to keep in mind

• An identifier that matches an existing speaker creates the link automatically.
• An unknown identifier is simply ignored: the program item is created, but without that speaker. Speakers are never created automatically from the program file.
• If you map that column while no completed speaker import exists for the session, the wizard shows the “No speaker import found” warning. It is not blocking, but it usually means you should import the speakers first.
• Roles (Speaker, Co-speaker, Moderator, Host) are not set in the file: you adjust them afterwards on the program item.

The six steps of the wizard

1. “Upload” — choose the file and name the import.
2. “Mapping” — match columns to Eveos fields.
3. “Deduplication” — detect records that already exist.
4. “Options” — settings applied to the whole batch.
5. “Review” — dry run validation, then launch.
6. “Progress” — live tracking and final summary.

A banner constantly reminds you of the target session: “You are importing into the session: …”. You can go back to a completed step as long as the import has not been launched.

“Upload” step

1. Drag your file into the drop zone, or click to select it.
2. Enter an “Import name” to find it later in the history. If left empty, it uses the file name followed by the date and time.
3. For a CSV file, choose the delimiter: Comma (,), Semicolon (;) (offered by default), Tab, Pipe (|), or Custom.
4. Click “Next”.

A preview of the first rows lets you immediately check that columns are split correctly.

“Mapping” step

Each column of the file is matched to an Eveos field:

• automatic suggestions are applied based on the headers; you can refresh them or fix each column manually;
• the “First row contains headers” option can be turned off if your file has none;
• a transformation can be applied to a column (Trim, UPPERCASE, lowercase, Capitalize, Title Case);
• “Add manual field” fills a field with no source column, either as a Value (the same value for every row) or as a Column; the “Override” option applies the value even when the cell is filled;
• for a date column, an explicit format can be specified (for example dd/MM/yyyy). Left empty, the format is detected automatically.

A “Required fields not mapped” warning flags mandatory fields that are still empty.

“Deduplication” step

Deduplication compares each row of the file to the records already present in the session. By default, the criterion is the “External ID”, which makes your imports replayable without creating duplicates. Other criteria are available depending on the columns you mapped — in particular the Eveos identifier, ideal when your file comes from a platform export.

1. Check the duplicate detection criteria. They are tested in the order shown: the first criterion that finds a match wins. Some criteria combine two fields (for example “First name + Last name”).
2. Leave “Ignore case” enabled so that SPK-001 and spk-001 are treated as identical.
3. Choose the “On duplicate detected” action: “Update existing” (default), “Skip row”, “Create anyway”, or “Mark as error”.
4. Set the update strategy: “Overwrite with non-empty values” (default), “Replace all values”, or “Keep existing values”.
5. Choose the “If no match found” action: “Create a new record” (default), “Skip row”, or “Mark as error”.

If you disable deduplication or define no criterion, a checkbox asks you to explicitly confirm that you accept the risk of duplicates.

Tip

Only criteria based on actually mapped fields are offered: if “External ID” does not appear in the list, go back to the “Mapping” step and match it to a column.

“Options” step

For a program items import:

• “Default type” — type applied to rows without an explicit type (Conference, Workshop, Keynote, Panel, Networking, Break, Ceremony, Entertainment, Other);
• “Default status” — Draft, Published, Cancelled, or Completed;
• “Automatic creation” — three switches to create on the fly the program categories, places, and checkpoints referenced in the file but missing from the session;
• “Stop on first error”;
• email notification when the import finishes.

For a speakers import, only the “Default status” (Draft or Published) and the last two settings are offered.

Caution

Without automatic creation, an unknown category or place is not created: the item is imported without that information. Turn these switches on if your file references rooms or categories that do not exist yet.

“Review” step

This step requires a dry run before any real processing:

1. Click “Validate without importing”. Eveos analyses every row without saving anything.
2. Check the result: number of valid rows, rows in error (click a row to see the details), and rows with a warning, grouped by message.
3. Fix your file if needed and start again, or adjust the mapping.
4. Tick “I confirm I want to import into the session …”.
5. Click “Start Import”.

The button stays disabled as long as validation has not been run, the session has not been confirmed, or if the “Stop on first error” option is on while errors were detected.

“Progress” step

Progress is displayed live, row by row. Each row gets a result: Created, Updated, Already up to date, Skipped, Skipped — not found, Duplicate, or Error. Clicking a row shows the match found, the criteria used, the mapped data, and the raw data from the file.

The final summary lists the Created / Updated / Already up to date / Skipped / Errors counters, with a shortcut to “View program” or “View speakers”.

Dates and times

The schedules in your file are interpreted in the session’s time zone. Check it before importing, then simply enter the local time of the event.

Accepted formats, edge cases, and what to do if schedules look shifted are detailed in How your dates and times are interpreted.

Replaying an import

Two common situations:

• fixing or completing records already imported: export them, fix the file, then import it again with deduplication on the identifier (“External ID” or the Eveos identifier from the export) and the “Update existing” action. Records are updated, none is duplicated;
• processing a new file with the same settings: in the history, use “Duplicate configuration”. The mapping, deduplication, and options are reused; columns are re-matched by name.

Good to know

• Always import speakers before the program.
• Give a stable identifier to every speaker and every program item: an “External ID” if your data comes from another tool, the Eveos identifier if you start from an export. This is what makes your imports replayable without duplicates.
• A speaker referenced by an unknown identifier is not created: the item is imported without them.
• The dry run is mandatory: use it to check a few rows before launching the real processing.
• Items imported as “Draft” are not visible on public widgets until they are published.

Continue with

• Manage the program
• Embed the program widget