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Load sessions, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees from a spreadsheet — knowing exactly what an import will add, update and leave alone.
WebMobi imports sessions, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees from .csv or .xlsx files, each on its own page of the event. An import adds and updates; it never deletes. Rows that already exist are skipped and reported — except speakers, which are updated from the file when their email matches. The file is a list of things to make sure exist, not a picture your event must match, so a shortened or mis-saved spreadsheet cannot remove anything from your event.
Every record an import adds or updates is recorded in the event's History, with what it was before and after. For how importing fits into building your event app, see Event App Builder.
This is deliberate. A mistyped heading is ignored without a message (see Column headings); if imports could delete, one typo could empty an agenda.
| Records | Where |
|---|---|
| Sessions | Event → Sessions page → Import. Template downloads a sample file. |
| Speakers | Event → Speakers page → Import. |
| Sponsors | Event → Sponsors page → Import. |
| Exhibitors | Event → Exhibitors page → Import. |
| Attendees | Event → Attendees page → Import, which opens Import attendees. |
| A whole new event | A multi-sheet workbook with an Event Info sheet — see section 8. |
Sessions, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors import straight away: choose the file and the page shows Importing… and then the result. Attendees go through a mapping and a check step first. You need Edit event for the first four and Manage registrations for attendees.
Before adding a row, WebMobi checks whether it already exists. The check is different for each kind of record, and it decides whether an edited file updates, skips or duplicates.
| Records | Matched on → if it exists |
|---|---|
| Sessions | Title and start time → skipped. Nothing in an existing session is changed. |
| Speakers | Email → updated from the file and added to this event if needed. A speaker row without an email is always added as a new speaker. |
| Sponsors | Company name, within this event → skipped. |
| Exhibitors | Booth number, within this event → the row fails with booth N already assigned; the existing exhibitor is unchanged. |
| Attendees | Email, ignoring capitals → skipped and counted as already registered. |
| Limit | |
|---|---|
| File types | .csv and .xlsx, on every import page. |
| Largest file | 10 MB. |
| Rows per file | 500 for sessions, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors; 5,000 for attendees. |
| Workbooks | Only the first sheet is read on these pages. Put the data on the first sheet. |
| Old .xls | Not readable. Save as .xlsx or .csv first. |
A file over 500 rows is refused with Too many rows (max 500 per import) — split the file. An attendee file over 5,000 rows shows Only the first 5000 rows will be imported. Split the file and upload the rest separately.
On the Sessions, Speakers, Sponsors and Exhibitors pages the headings in row 1 decide where each column goes. Headings are read loosely — capitals, spaces and brackets do not matter — so First Name and first_name both work. Start from the Template file and keep its headings.
| Records | Required columns |
|---|---|
| Sessions | title, start_time, end_time — times like 2026-03-15T09:00:00, read as the event's local time. |
| Speakers | first_name, last_name (email strongly recommended — it is how a speaker is recognised). |
| Sponsors | company_name, tier. Any tier wording is kept as you wrote it. |
| Exhibitors | company_name, category, booth_number. |
Beyond the required three, you can map Phone, Company / Organization, Job Title, Ticket Type (matched by name), Registration Status, Payment Status, Amount Paid, Checked In (true/false), External ID (your system) and more. A ticket type is attached when its name matches one of the event's tickets exactly (capitals aside).
A sessions file can say who speaks in each session with a speaker_emails or speaker_names column (several separated by semicolons). These link speakers who are already on the event: emails must match exactly, names as “First Last” ignoring capitals. They never create a speaker.
speaker_emails or speaker_names column.Imported speakers show on your event even before they are linked to a session. To link a speaker the import missed, use the session's Manage Speakers — re-importing the session row would be skipped as already present. Details: Import troubleshooting.
To create a whole event from one file, start from the starter workbook: on the dashboard, choose Download starter template (the AI create page offers the same file as Download our starter template). Fill it in and upload it on the AI create page. Its Event Info sheet has three columns — Field, Value, Required? — with one field per row: Event Title*, Slug*, Start Date*, End Date*, Start Time, End Time, Timezone, Venue Name, Venue Address, Description*, Contact Email* and more. Other sheets hold the agenda, speakers, sponsors and tickets.
On the Sessions, Speakers, Sponsors and Exhibitors pages the result stays on the page until you dismiss it:
| Headline | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Import complete | At least one record was created or updated. |
| Nothing new to import — every row already exists | Every row matched something already on the event. A correct outcome, not an error. |
| No … were created | Nothing was created and nothing matched: read the errors. |
Below the headline: Created, Updated (speakers only), Already present (skipped), Failed, the matching key, and the first five row errors, each starting “Row N:” with the spreadsheet row number.
avatar_url, logo_url).No. An import only adds new records and, for speakers, updates existing ones. Nothing is ever removed by an import, however the file was edited. Removing something is always done on screen, one record at a time.
No. The file is a list of things to make sure exist, not the complete picture of your event. A shortened file removes nothing — and if you deleted a record on screen, importing a file that still contains it brings it back.
Rows that already exist are reported as “Already present (skipped)” and are not added again. Speakers are the exception: a speaker matched by email is updated from the file.
Sessions are matched by title and start time together. A new start time looks like a new session, so it is added and the original stays. Move session times on the Sessions page instead.
.csv and .xlsx files up to 10 MB. Older .xls files cannot be read — save them as .xlsx or .csv first. From Numbers or Google Sheets, export as CSV.
Up to 500 rows per file for sessions, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors; split larger files. The attendee import takes up to 5,000 rows and tells you if the file had more.
No. The attendee import does not send confirmation emails.
Speakers first, then sessions. A session row can name its speakers, but only speakers already on the event are linked; a name on its own never creates a speaker.
Sessions, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors need the Edit event permission. Attendees need Manage registrations. The event creator and your organization’s owners and admins can do both.