Event Production9 min read-July 2026

From Spreadsheet to Show: Import Your Rundown as CSV

Your run of show already lives in a spreadsheet. Instead of retyping every segment into a timer, upload the CSV and TimedFlow turns each row into a live countdown — titles, durations, speakers, and notes included.

Quick Summary

  • On the controller, open the More menu → Import rundown
  • Use columns for Title, Duration, Speaker, Description, and Notes
  • Durations accept mm:ss, h:mm:ss, bare minutes, or "1h 30m"
  • Export your live rundown back to CSV any time

Why Import Instead of Retype

Every producer builds their run of show in a spreadsheet first — it is where you draft, argue about timings, and share the plan with clients. The problem has always been the last mile: turning that static sheet into something that actually counts down on show day. Retyping twenty segments into a timer app is tedious and error-prone, and the two versions drift apart the moment the schedule changes. CSV import closes that gap. You keep planning where you already plan, then bring the whole rundown into TimedFlow in one upload.

How to Import Your Rundown

  1. 1

    Open a room controller

    Create a free room at timedflow.com/r/new — no sign-in needed — and you land on the controller at /r/<slug>/controller.

  2. 2

    Find Import rundown

    Click the More menu on the controller and choose Import rundown.

  3. 3

    Drop your CSV

    Drag in the file. You get a preview of every segment with its parsed duration before anything is created, so you can catch mistakes first.

  4. 4

    Confirm

    Each row becomes a timer in order. Your rundown is now live and ready to run on show day.

The Columns You Can Use

Add a header row and TimedFlow maps your columns automatically. Only a title is strictly required; everything else is optional.

Title

The segment name (e.g. "Opening Keynote"). Also reads Segment, Item, or Cue.

Required
Duration

How long the segment runs. Also reads Time, Length, or Minutes.

Recommended
Speaker

Who is on stage. Also reads Presenter or Host.

Optional
Description

A short summary shown with the segment. Also reads Details or Summary.

Optional
Notes

Internal cues for the crew. Also reads Comments or Remarks.

Optional

No header row? No problem — TimedFlow assumes the first column is the title and the second is the duration, and tells you it made that assumption.

Duration Formats That Just Work

Write It However You Think

45:00, 1:30:00, a bare 45 (read as minutes), 90m, or 1h 30m all parse correctly.

Safe Defaults

If a duration cell is blank or unreadable, the segment defaults to 5 minutes and the preview flags it, so nothing silently breaks.

Export Back to CSV

A Round Trip, Not a One-Way Door

Built your rundown live in TimedFlow, or edited it after import? Export it back to a clean CSV with Title, Duration, Speaker, Description, and Notes columns. That gives you a paper backup for the production binder, a file to hand a client, or a starting point for next year's event — import it again and tweak.

Import to go live, export to archive — your rundown moves both ways.

Build a Better Rundown First

New to run-of-show planning? Start with our event rundown template guide, which covers the columns and structure that make a great sheet — then import it here. It pairs naturally with a conference timer or a full stage timer setup. See everything on the features page.

Turn Your Spreadsheet Into Live Timers

Create a free room, open the More menu, and import your rundown CSV. Every row becomes a countdown you can run and share in seconds.

Keep your event on time

Free TimedFlow tools built for exactly this job.

© 2026 TimedFlow. From spreadsheet to show.

From Spreadsheet to Show: Import Your Event Rundown as CSV | TimedFlow