Just like attendees entering your physical event venue are greeted with signage, information, and welcome messaging, the Lobby feature gives your virtual attendees an orientation space to learn more about your event. Because it links to your Event App's most important content, such as Agenda Sessions, speakers, and sponsors, the Lobby is a great way to drive attendees to other features.
This article guides you through adding the Lobby to your Event App and setting up each of the Lobby's modules. Welcome! 🧭
💡 Keep in mind, the Lobby feature has replaced the Overview feature for all Event Apps and Communities created after January 26, 2023. All Event Apps and Communities created before that date can still use the Overview feature unless you delete it.
Before you begin...
The Lobby is a powerful tool, even weeks or months before your event starts. Use the Event Countdown, Lobby Description, and Image modules to educate and inform, even if you're not finished building out Sessions and Event App content.
Because the Lobby's Agenda, Speakers, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Custom List, and Live Stream modules use content from those features in the Event App, you must configure those features before you can add them to the Lobby. Refer to our Feature Setup article collection to learn about adding these features.
Default Lobby feature modules
When you first set up your Event App, the Lobby feature is already added, so you can simply click Lobby under 'Features' in the navigation bar to start configuring it.
The Lobby has 11 modules, four of which are included by default. Let's examine each of the default modules.
Event Countdown
This simple countdown shows the number of days, hours, and minutes until your Event's start time. Within 24 hours of your event, the cards change to hours, minutes, and seconds. When the countdown reaches zero, "Event is Starting" appears for twenty seconds, then the countdown modal disappears. Your Event's theme color determines the color of the countdown and celebration message.
This module doesn't have any settings. To adjust your Event's start date or time:
Click your Event name in the left menu
Click the three-dot (⋯) icon under 'Event Information'
Click Edit. The Date & Time settings are on the 'Details' tab.
Cover Image
This module shows the cover image from your Event App's 'Appearance' tab. This module doesn't have any settings.
Lobby Description
This module is part of the Lobby by default, and it includes the description from your Event App's 'Basics' tab. You can choose to keep that description, or craft a message exclusively for the Lobby. 👍
Click the Lobby Description module to edit it.
In the modal that appears, edit text as needed using the text formatting, link, and image tools.
Under Event Status, choose when to show the description.
Activate the 'Show Event Location' toggle if you want to include the event location above the description.
Happening Now Banner
This module shows all currently active Agenda Sessions and Agenda Sessions happening within 15 minutes. If there aren't any active or upcoming Sessions, the module is hidden. This module doesn't have any settings.
Add feature modules
To add more modules to the Lobby:
Open the Lobby feature page on the platform.
Click the New Item button.
In the modal that appears, click the Feature Type drop-down to select the module you want to add.
💡 Keep in mind, you can add each type as many times as you want.
Regardless of which module you select, enter a short, informative Display Name that tells attendees what to expect. The Display Name appears in the top left corner of the Lobby module in the Event App.
💡 Keep in mind, the Image module doesn't show the Display Name, so use this to help you and other event staff easily identify which module contains which image.
Now let's examine each module's setup. 🔍
Image
After entering a Display Name, click the orange upload icon and follow the prompts in the uploader to select and add an image. We recommend images with a minimum width of 1920px for the best attendee experience. Images can be any height you like. After the image uploads, click Save Changes.
Agenda
After entering a Display Name, there's no further configuration needed for this feature. This module shows all the scheduled Sessions in a single day across all Agenda features. At the end of a day with scheduled Sessions, the Agenda module automatically shows the next block of scheduled Sessions.
Speakers, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Custom List, and Live Stream
Each of these modules has nearly identical configurations, so let's discuss the Speakers module in this section.
After entering a Display Name, click Add Speakers.
The modal that appears shows all speakers from every Speakers feature in your Event App. Check the box next to each speaker you want to show in the module, or check the box next to the Feature Name heading to select all speakers.
When you're done making selections, click Add Speakers.
💡 Keep in mind, you can select up to 100 items in the Speakers, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Custom List, or Live Stream modules.
Back in the New Module modal, click and drag the six-dot grid to reorder speakers in the list or click the Settings (⋯) icon to remove a speaker from the module.
Finally, select whether the items should display in 'Grid View' or 'Carousel View'.
💡 Keep in mind, the Live Stream module doesn't include view selection.
Grid view shows the first several items in the module with a 'Show more' option to expand the module vertically.
Carousel view shows the first several items in the module in a horizontal layout with an arrow that lets users scroll through the rest of the items.
Click Save Changes to finish adding the module to the Lobby.
Manage modules
Click the Settings (⋯) icon next to a module to edit or remove it. Click and drag the six-dot grid to reorder them.
When the toggle is activated, the module is visible in the Lobby unless there's no content to display, such as when there aren't any active Agenda Sessions to show in the Happening Now module. If you deactivate a module, it disappears from the Lobby instantly.
The Lobby in practice
The Happening Now and Agenda modules show Sessions very similarly to the Agenda feature. Users can do the following:
Click the 'Join Live Stream' button to start viewing.
Click the plus (+) button to add a Session to their personal agenda.
Click on a Session to open its details page.
Click the 'See Full Agenda' button to open the Agenda feature.
Speakers, Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Custom List modules set to 'Grid View' show the first three to six items, depending on whether the attendee is on a computer or a mobile device. Attendees can click the 'Show More' button to expand the module and review the remaining items.
Modules set to 'Carousel View' show the first several items with an arrow users can click to reveal more items. Mobile App users can swipe sideways to review more items. Regardless of the view, attendees can click an item to open it in the associated Event App feature.
The Live Stream module shows the first several items in a vertical list, and attendees can click a stream to join it instantly.
Pro Tips 😎
Shape the Lobby in different ways for different stages of your event. For example, use the Sponsors and Speakers features and the Images module to heavily showcase sponsor images and speaker information leading up to event day. When it's showtime, deactivate all but the most important sponsor images so the content is the key focus.
Use the Image module to maximum effect. When dinner time is approaching, show an image of the menu. During a group excursion or tour, show a map of the venue or a schedule sheet. Let your imagination run free! ✨
Items restricted by Groups only appear to attendees who are in those groups.
Now you know all about using the Lobby! Have some pie. 🥧 Next, why not learn about some of our other awesome Event App features?
Questions? Chat with us or email support@socio.events