Speaker CSV Import & Export

Tools3 Min.Updated: October 2, 2026

Large speaker lists don’t have to be typed in one by one. Speakers have their own section on the Events → Import / Export page – with their own sample template, separate from the program file.

Speakers first, then the program

Only then can the speakers column of the event file find the records to link. Otherwise the names end up as plain text and have to be linked by hand.

The process

1
Download the template
In the “Import / Export for speakers” section, click “Download sample template (.csv)”. It contains all columns and sample rows.
2
Fill it in
Only name is required. You may delete columns you don’t need.
3
Save as CSV UTF-8
In Excel, explicitly choose “CSV UTF-8 (comma delimited)” – otherwise special characters get lost.
4
Upload
Choose the file and import. The plugin reports how many records were created and how many updated.

The columns of the speaker file

Column	Required	Meaning
`speaker_id`	no	The WordPress post ID; the export fills it in. Leave empty for new records.
`name`	yes	The name. Becomes the record title and is the value the event file matches against.
`status`	no	`publish`, `draft`, `pending`, `private` or `future`. Filled in by the export. Empty keeps the current status; new records without a value are published.
`sort_name`	no	Only for sorting, e.g. “Doe, Jane”. Never shown in the front end.
`role`	no	Name of the role. Missing roles are created here – unlike in the `speakers` column of the event file, where a typo should not create a new role.
`position`	no	Job title, e.g. “Head of Development”.
`company`	no	Company, association or club.
`short_description`	no	Short text / excerpt.
`full_description`	no	Full text, simple HTML allowed.
`image_url`	no	Portrait as a direct image URL. Only imported if “CSV import: images” is allowed under Security & Maintenance. Square images work best.
`profile_url`	no	External profile or website.
`language`	no	Language, e.g. “German, English”.
`visibility`	no	`public` or `internal`. Internal records prefill fields but have no page of their own and are never linked.
`website`, `shop`, `instagram` …	no	The same link columns as in the event file (24 platforms plus `email`), and `internal_info_url`. Short forms like `@name` are completed.

How speakers are recognized

1
By speaker_id
The export fills it in – export and re-import therefore always update instead of duplicating.
2
By name
If speaker_id is empty, the exact name counts.
3
Otherwise new
Only if neither finds anything is a new record created.

Empty columns delete nothing

A table with only name and company leaves descriptions and links of existing records untouched – empty cells never change anything. To empty a field, use the speaker’s edit screen.

Additional people in the program file

In the event file, the first person is in role_type, role_name and role_url. All others go into the speakers column: people separated by semicolons, optionally Name|Role|Position|Company within an entry.

speakers column

Erika Mustermann; Jane Doe|Speaker|CEO|Example Ltd.

Names that match exactly one speaker record are linked automatically; missing details then come from the record.

Filled replaces, empty changes nothing

A filled speakers cell replaces the list of additional people. An empty cell or a file without this column leaves them untouched. Remove people in the session’s edit screen.

Everything about the program file is under CSV interface & backup.