How to Import an Excel or CSV Guest List into Eventor (and Fix the 5 Things That Break It)

Importing the guest list is the step where most of the work happens, and the step where a messy spreadsheet turns into a messy door. This guide shows the import flow in Eventor and, more usefully, the handful of spreadsheet problems behind almost every “my import did not work” message we get.

Before you start

• Create your event at events.eventor.app. Imports happen in the web dashboard, not in the iOS or Android app.
• Have your list as .xlsx, .xls, .xlsb or .csv. No list yet? Use the free Excel template.
• Know your limit: 30 guests on a free event, 300 / 800 / unlimited on Bronze / Silver / Gold. Upgrade first if the list is bigger; the import stops at the limit.

Importing into an empty event

1. Open the event and drag your file onto the page (or press Import Excel/CSV).
2. Eventor shows a preview of the first rows with a dropdown above every column. Headers such as first, last/surname, e-mail, phone, company/organization, VIP, note, total extras and barcode are matched automatically.
3. Fix any column that was not recognised by picking the target field, or choose Skip column.
4. Make sure First name and Last name are both matched. Until they are, the Import button stays disabled. These two are the only mandatory fields.
5. Optionally open Advanced options to set the status of all imported guests (default: Attending).
6. Press Import. Guests appear on every device that opens the event.

Adding guests to an event that already has guests

Imports are incremental. Press the arrow next to Add guest and choose Import Excel/CSV; the flow is identical. Late RSVPs, a second promoter’s list, press accreditations: import them as separate files whenever they arrive.

Replacing the whole list

Got a final version from the client? During an import open Advanced options and tick Delete the existing guests. Eventor tells you how many guests will be removed, then imports the new file. This is also the fastest way to clear an event.

Do not replace the list after you have sent QR codes: guests get new IDs and therefore new codes. Import only the new rows instead.

The five things that break imports

1. Full name in one column

The two mandatory fields are first name and last name. Split a “Name” column in Excel with Data → Text to Columns, delimiter space, or with formulas:

=LEFT(A2, FIND(" ", A2) - 1)          → first name
=MID(A2, FIND(" ", A2) + 1, 99)       → last name

Double-barrelled names need a quick manual check afterwards.

2. The header is not in row 1

Titles, logos or empty rows above the header confuse the preview. Delete everything above the header row so row 1 contains the column names.

3. Merged cells and multiple sheets

Unmerge all cells (Home → Merge & Center → Unmerge) and make sure the guests are on the first sheet of the workbook, or copy them to a fresh file.

4. Numbers that are not numbers

Total extras must be a plain number (0 to 10). “+1” or “two” is ignored. Phone numbers are normalised automatically; values with fewer than 4 digits are treated as labels and dropped.

5. Wrong file encoding in CSV

If accents come out as é, save the CSV as UTF-8 (in Excel: Save As → CSV UTF-8). Or just save as .xlsx, which has no encoding problem.

Column reference

Target field	Typical headers that auto-match	Notes
First name	first, first name, given name	mandatory
Last name	last, last name, surname	mandatory
E-mail	email, e-mail, @	needed for QR e-mails
Phone	phone, mobile, tel	normalised to international format
Company	company, organization, organisation, firm	shown under the name
Job title	title, position, job	searchable
Notes	note, notes, description, comment	table numbers, dietary needs
VIP	vip	TRUE / FALSE, yes / no, 1 / 0
Total extras	total extras, extras, plus one	0 to 10
Status	status	Attending, Invited, Declined
Barcode value	barcode, qr code, ticket id	for scanning tickets from another system

After the import

• Open the event on a phone and search for a few names to see the data as the hostess will.
• Mark or check VIPs and plus-ones.
• Invite the door team and, if you want scanning, send the QR codes.

Importing is free to try: create an event with up to 30 guests and drop your file in.