How are speaker profiles managed?
**How are speaker profiles managed?**
Speakers are managed in four ways: create profiles manually, import/update via spreadsheet, let speakers self-create via the Speaker Portal (abstract submission), or link existing attendee registrations to speaker profiles. Profiles require a unique email and username; custom speaker fields and linked attendee registrations are supported. See sources below for step-by-step details.
Details
- Manual creation: Go to Speaker & Sessions > Speakers > Add New, fill the Speaker Profile (custom fields appear under Custom Speaker Data), then Save.
- Source: [Adding Speakers - One by One, Via Import, or with Existing Profiles](https://platform-support.certain.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047281533-Adding-Speakers-One-by-One-Via-Import-or-with-Existing-Profiles)
- Import/updates: Download the speaker template (or existing speakers), populate required fields (First Name, Last Name, Email, Username), save as .xls/.xlsx/.csv, then Import and map columns. Important: do not change an existing Username when updating (changing it creates a duplicate). Custom speaker fields can be included as columns.
- Source: [Adding Speakers - One by One, Via Import, or with Existing Profiles](https://platform-support.certain.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047281533-Adding-Speakers-One-by-One-Via-Import-or-with-Existing-Profiles)
- Speaker Portal: Abstract submitters create their own Speaker Profile; you control which fields are required (Name, Email, Username, Password plus any custom fields). Existing attendee registrations can log into the Speaker Portal with their registration username/password to link profiles and flow their existing personal info into the Speaker Profile.
- Source: [Adding Speakers - One by One, Via Import, or with Existing Profiles](https://platform-support.certain.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047281533-Adding-Speakers-One-by-One-Via-Import-or-with-Existing-Profiles)
- Creating a registration for a speaker: You can create a linked registration profile for a speaker one-by-one (Create Registration), by mass action, or by providing a form for speakers to register using matching credentials so the registration ties to the existing speaker profile.
- Source: [Creating a Registration Profile in an Event for Existing Speakers](https://platform-support.certain.com/hc/en-us/articles/360043233214-Creating-a-Registration-Profile-in-an-Event-for-Existing-Speakers)
- Account-level profile management: Profiles live in the account database (separate from event registrations). Use Account Settings to define custom profile questions (up to 30), and use the Profiles tab to search and edit profile records independent of an event.
- Source: [General FAQ - Managing Profiles](https://platform-support.certain.com/hc/en-us/articles/30888841322391)
- If you use the Power Template / Catalogs, you can sync speaker builds into a speaker catalog and reference the Speaker Catalog UUID for templated displays (useful for APIs/catalog-driven speaker lists).
- Source: [Power Template - How to Use the Power Template (APIs and Catalogs)](https://platform-support.certain.com/hc/en-us/articles/20529659520663)
One quick question: do you plan to import speakers, have them create profiles via the Speaker Portal, or link them from existing registrations?