Use Tracks to Categorize Sessions

Categorize and restrict access to Agenda Sessions

Daniel Murphey avatar
Written by Daniel Murphey
Updated over a week ago

Tracks are an advanced function used to categorize and even limit access to Sessions. In the Event App, attendees can easily filter Agenda Sessions by track to find only those that match their role or interests. Restrict attendee access to certain Sessions in the Event App and Onsite Session Check-in by combining the power of groups with tracks to create truly customized experiences.

Add tracks

In your Event navigation bar, click Sessions, then click Tracks. On the Tracks page, click the New track button. In the modal that appears, fill in the following information:

Screenshot showing the steps just described.

Track Name

The Track Name is visible in the expanded Session view and in the Agenda filters in the Event App.

Track Short Name

The Short Name is visible in the Day View of the Agenda feature in the Event App.

Track Color

The Track Color appears with the Short Name in the Agenda feature's Day View, expanded Session view, and the Agenda filters in the Event App. It also appears in the Onsite App's Session Check-in mode on each Session's details page.

Visible To

This optional field is a great way to create tailored attendee experiences in the Event App and restrict Onsite Session Check-in to certain groups of attendees. If you select exclusive and non-exclusive groups from the 'Visible To' drop-down, only attendees associated with the same groups as the track can access the Sessions assigned to that track. We'll cover assigning Sessions to tracks in the next section of this article.

Here's an example: Anyone who purchases an in-person ticket is automatically assigned to the 'In-Person Ticket' exclusive group. In the Event App, certain features are only visible to attendees in this exclusive group, and you also have certain Sessions meant only for in-person attendees. So, you create an 'In-Person' track and assign the 'In-Person Ticket' exclusive group to the track.

Screenshot of the New track modal. The 'In-Person Ticket' group is selected in the 'Visible To' drop-down.

Now, any Sessions you associate with the in-person track are hidden from people who aren't in the 'In-Person Ticket' exclusive group.

Read our article about how to use groups for tailored attendee experiences for complete instructions on creating groups.

Assign Sessions to tracks

Once you add tracks, assign them to Sessions on the Sessions page.

Assign a new Session to tracks

When creating a new Session, simply select the tracks it should be assigned to from the 'Tracks' drop-down.

Screenshot of the New Session modal. The Tracks field is indicated.

💡 Keep in mind, if you assign multiple tracks to a Session and one or more tracks are visible to specific groups, then only attendees in those specified groups can access the Session. For example, if you assign the 'Sponsor' and 'VIP' tracks to a Session and the VIP track is only visible to the VIP group while the Sponsor track has no group assignment, only VIP group members can access the Session.

Assign an existing Session to tracks

To assign an existing Session to a track:

  1. On the Sessions page, click the Settings () icon next to a Session.

  2. Select Manage tracks.

  3. In the modal that appears, select the tracks you want to assign from the Assign to tracks drop-down.

  4. Click Save changes.

The process just described.

Assign multiple Sessions to tracks

If you need to assign multiple Sessions to the same tracks, save time by assigning them in bulk!

  1. On the Sessions page, check the boxes next to the Sessions you want to assign.

  2. Click the three-dot () icon next to the search field.

  3. Select Assign to tracks from the drop-down menu.

  4. In the modal that appears, click the Assign to drop-down and select the tracks you want to assign the Sessions to.

  5. If you want to remove currently assigned tracks from the selected Sessions and replace them with the newly assigned tracks, check the Remove existing tracks box.

  6. Click Save changes when you're done.

The Process just described.

Limit Onsite Session Check-in with tracks

If you're using Onsite Session Check-in, you can limit check-in to an in-person Session based on the tracks that Session is assigned to. To learn how, read our article about configuring Sessions for Session Check-in.

Manage tracks

Once you've created some tracks, manage them on the Tracks page. Use the Settings () icon next to each item to edit or delete a track. To re-order the tracks, click on the six-dot cluster next to the Settings icon and drag and drop the item in your prefered order.

Screenshot showing two tracks being reordered.

To export or delete multiple tracks at once, check the boxes next to several tracks and then click the three-dot () icon next to the search field.

Screenshot showing multiple selected tracks and the three-dot menu expanded.

Tracks in practice

Now let's explore how tracks work in the Event App and Onsite Session Check-in.

Event App

When attendees open the Agenda feature in the Event App, the names of the tracks applied to each Session appear below the Session name.

Here's a pair of screenshots showing the same Agenda feature for someone on the 'In-person' track (left) and someone on the 'Virtual' track (right). The in-person Sessions at the bottom of the left screenshot are only visible to the 'In-person' track, and the virtual track isn't assigned to a group, so it's visible to everyone.

Screenshots showing the comparison just mentioned.

Attendees can also click or tap the filter button in the top right corner of the screen to filter Sessions by one or more tracks.

Screenshot of the session filter modal.

Tracks in Onsite Session Check-in

Any tracks you assign to a Session appear in a section called 'Tracks' on the Onsite Check-in page for that Session. If you're limiting Session Check-in access based on tracks assigned to a Session, only attendees who belong to groups associated with those tracks can check in to the Session.

Screenshot of the Onsite App's Session Check-in page for a Session. The Tracks and Settings sections are indicated.

Now you know how to use tracks! 🎊 For related learning, read our guide on groups.

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

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