Add Sessions to Your Event

Create Sessions in the Webex Events platform for your Event App and Onsite Session Check-in.

Emily van der Harten avatar
Written by Emily van der Harten
Updated over a week ago

In Webex Events, Sessions are versatile, information-rich items in your Event App's Agenda, and they're the backbone of Onsite Session Check-in. This article guides you through adding Sessions to your Event.

Sessions have many facets, and it's important to get familiar with each one to craft the best possible experience for your attendees. 💎 Follow the links throughout this article to learn more about all the connected features and options.

Before you begin...

To ensure the most streamlined Session setup, configure the following items before adding Sessions to your Event.

  • If you're using an Event App, add an Agenda feature. The Agenda feature acts as a hub for your Sessions, and it gives attendees using your Event App access to a Session schedule, Session information, content, and live streams (if any). Read our Agenda feature guide to learn how to add and configure the Agenda.

  • Use tracks to categorize Sessions and give attendees the ability to filter them to match their roles and interests. If you plan to use tracks with your Sessions, our article about tracks gives you complete details on setting up and using them.

    • Want to restrict attendee access to certain Sessions in the Event App and Onsite Session Check-in? Combine the power of groups with tracks to create truly customized experiences.

  • If your event has an in-person component, add the physical venue locations where Sessions will take place so that attendees know where to go. To learn more, read our article about adding locations to your Event.

Add Sessions

After you're done setting up the items listed in the previous section, it's time to add Sessions to your Event!

In your Event navigation bar, click Sessions to open the Sessions page. To add a single session, click the New Session button.

💡 Keep in mind, if you have lots of Sessions to add, it might be best to import Sessions in bulk, which drastically reduces the amount of time spent creating your Agenda.

The steps just described.

In the New Session modal, enter the following information:

Session basics

Enter basic information about the Session in the first several fields.

The steps just described.
  • Name (required) - The title that appears in the Sessions list and in your Event App.

  • Location - Select a location to help attendees find the Session at your physical venue.

  • Tracks - Select one or more tracks to apply to this Session. Attendees can use tracks to filter Sessions based on their roles or interests. To restrict access to certain Sessions, use tracks and groups together.

  • Agenda - If you're using an Event App, select an Agenda feature from the drop-down to associate with this Session. Attendees using your Event App can access the Session from the Agenda feature you select. To learn how to add an Agenda feature to your Event App, read our Agenda feature guide.

  • Hide Session from attendees - This checkbox is useful for tracking attendee check-ins for Sessions or activities that you don't want visible on the Event App.

  • Session Date & Time (required) - Enter the date, start time, and end time for the Session. Use the time zone you chose when you set up your Event.

    💡 Keep in mind, if you want to add a Session with a date and time in the past, simply add the Session with a future date and time, export the Session, edit the date and time in the spreadsheet, then re-import. Learn how to export and update data in our article about importing and exporting data in Webex Events.

  • Description - Say more about the Session, speaker, topic, and more! The description text editor has basic text formatting options and lets you insert hyperlinks, images, and animated GIFs. 🙌

Live stream

Webex Events seamlessly integrates with many leading live streaming platforms for your hybrid or virtual event. Attendees can join the live stream directly from an Agenda feature on your Event App. Learn more in our Live Streaming and Webex Events article.


If you plan to live stream the Session, activate the Enable Live Stream toggle to reveal more live stream fields.

  • Select a Stream provider. If you select anything other than the Webex Events Production Studio or the Webex Events RTMP Player, enter the live stream URL. If you don't have the URL, leave the toggle deactivated and edit the Session later to add it.

  • If your live stream provider supports embedding, leave the Open in external browser box unchecked. The live stream will appear inside your Event App's web version, so attendees won't have to leave your Event App! If you check the box, the live stream will open in a new browser tab when attendees click 'Join Live Stream'.

    💡 Keep in mind, remember to test with your chosen streaming provider before event day to ensure a smooth live streaming experience. 👍

  • If you selected Production Studio, Webex Events RTMP Player, or Webex Events Simulive, consider activating the Enable Closed Captions toggle to deliver a more accessible and inclusive experience for your attendees. Once activated, choose a Closed Captions provider.

    The Closed Captions Provider field in the New Session modal.


    Our free Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations solution uses machine learning to provide captions in over 30 languages and works with Webex Events Production Studio, Webex Events Simulive, Webex Events RTMP, and Video on Demand. If you need the accuracy of human captioning, we also support third-party vendors.

Add Internal Links

Using Internal Links to connect your Event App features, such as speaker profiles and documents, is a convenient and efficient way to move attendees through your Event App's content. Refer to our Internal Links article for a full list of items in Webex Events that can be internally linked.

The Add Internal Links section of the modal.

Add External Links

External Links bring more depth to the attendee experience by providing multiple Website URLs, phone numbers, or email addresses related to the Session.

Simply select a Link Type, enter a Link Name, and supply the number, email, or URL. To insert more External Links, click Add New Item.

The Add External Links section of the modal.
  • If you enter a URL and uncheck 'Open link in external browser', test to make sure the site is embeddable!

  • 'Pass Data to URL' is an advanced feature that lets attendee data from Webex Events pass to the destination URL to partially pre-fill forms, for example. Learn more in our Pass Data to URL article.

  • To rearrange the order in which external links appear on the Session page in the Event App, click and hold the six-dot cluster and drag the item to reorder it.

Attendee Engagement

Activate the Enable Chat toggle to let attendees send messages to each other on the Session page in the Event App. Chat messages also appear in the Webex Events Production Studio so speakers can review and respond to them live.

Want even more attendee engagement? Use Q&A and Polling during your Session.

The Attendee Engagement section in the Edit modal.

Activate the Enable Custom Tab toggle to embed an external webpage like Slido in your Session's side bar on the Event App. Learn more in our Custom Tabs article.

A Slido poll embedded in an Agenda session with a Custom Tab.

💡 Keep in mind, you should test any website you choose for the Custom Tab in the Web App and Mobile App to make sure the website embeds correctly and works consistently.

Session Check-In

Activate the Activate Session Check-In for this Session toggle if you're using Onsite Session Check-In to check in-person attendees in to the Session. Activating this toggle reveals more options to control many aspects of the check-in process for this Session, including check-in and check-out requirements, attendance limits, and access to certain pages and fields in the app.

For complete details about each of these settings, read our article about configuring Sessions for Session Check-in.

The settings and options in the Session Check-in section of the Session modal.

Attendance Management

Limit who can have the Session in their personal agenda by choosing 'Closed' or 'Limited Capacity'. If you choose 'Closed', add people to the Session participants list after saving the Session. Learn more in our article about Attendance Management and preset agendas.

The Attendance Management section of the session creation modal.

Attachments

In the Attachments field, upload presentations, abstracts, or any other documents you want to offer attendees. If you simply want to link to a document you uploaded elsewhere in your Event App, use an Internal Link instead.

💡 Keep in mind, you can't add attachments when importing Sessions.

Click Upload Attachment(s) and follow the prompts in the uploader to upload PDF, JPEG, PNG, or TIFF files. After you've uploaded files, click the Settings () icon next to an item to rename or delete it. Click and drag the six-dot cluster next to an item to reorder it.

The Attachments section of the Edit Session modal.

When you're all done making changes to the Session, click Save Changes.

You've just added a Session! 🎊 Repeat this process until you've added all your Sessions. If you have a lot of them, remember that you can import multiple Sessions at once.

Next Steps

Now that you've added Sessions to your Event, here's a list of next steps to set you up for success!

That was a lot of information, so congratulations on making it this far! You get some ice cream. 🍨

Questions? Chat with us, email support@socio.events, or attend a Face to Face session.

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