In Webex Events, Sessions are versatile, information-rich items contained 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 setup 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 need to add multiple Sessions, consider importing them to save time and effort.
In the New Session modal, enter the following information:
Session basics
Enter basic information about the Session in the first several fields.
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.
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 Web App, 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. After it's activated, choose a Closed Captions provider.
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 content. Our Internal Links article has a full list of items in Webex Events that can be internally linked.
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.
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.
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.
💡 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.
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.
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.
When you're done editing 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, remember that you can import multiple Sessions to save time.
Next Steps
Now that you've added Sessions to your Event, here's a list of next steps to set you up for success!
Read our article about managing Sessions to learn all the ways to manage them on the Webex Events platform.
Read our article about embedding Event App content with widgets to learn how to embed Session information in your website and gain more traction for your event!
If you haven't already, add a Speakers feature and create profiles for each of your speakers. Use internal links to connect speaker profiles to Sessions so attendees can easily find out more about who's presenting at each Session.
Learn more about how live streaming works with Agenda Sessions by reading our Live Streaming and Webex Events article.
During and after your event, review Agenda feature metrics to find out how attendees interacted with Sessions in your Event App. Read our Agenda feature guide for more details.
If you're using Onsite Session Check-in, the Session Check-in metrics export in Webex Events Onsite has three reports to help you analyze in-person Session attendance. For more information on what's included in these reports, read our Onsite Metrics article.
That was a lot of information, so congratulations on making it this far! You get some ice cream. 🍨
Questions? Chat with us or email support@socio.events.