There are options you can use when creating breakout sessions for your conferences that will make it super easy for your learners to filter and search for sessions!
Now that you have all of your main conference information added, let’s take a look at creating sessions for your conference.
Please note this information is also a course in the Events Learning Path.
After we clicked Save as Draft when in conference editing mode, it took us to the sessions page. Click on the Add Session button in the upper right. You will be entering information just like you would for a single session event.
For the session details, you will need to enter the information just as you have done for a single session or the conference.
Required Fields for the Details Section: Event title, start date and time, end date and time, description for the session. and a category.
Optional Fields for the Details Section: Choose if you want this session to be In Person, Virtual, or Blended (Type). Choose difficulty level for this session, a category, a banner, and any additional notes.
The location will automatically default to the building location you chose when entering the conference information.
Required Fields for the Location Section: This is the section where you can now choose a specific room for each session. If the session is blended or virtual, you will see the space for the video meeting link.
Optional Fields for the Location Section: You can choose to add a room to your location. When you add the room, you can enter any entry instructions and the max capacity for that space. On the registration page, it will default to that number.
Required Fields for the Participants Section: The participants will default to what you chose for the conference as a whole when you were setting it up.
Invite specific groups or individuals: You can choose to edit the participants here to other groups or individuals. We recommend only using groups and individuals only if you are not inviting the entire district. Do not use job titles.
Optional Fields for the Participants Section: You will only see the option to award credit if you selected the option for awarding credit for each session rather than the entire conference.
Session Badge: Even if a badge was created for the entire conference, you can still create a new badge for each session. Please note, if you want them to be awarded with this badge, they will have to check into the session.
Optional Fields for the Resources Section: Session feedback form, related courses (prerequisite and replacement), and helpful links and attachments. For the Related courses section, you can choose to enter prerequisite courses, or related courses.
Optional Fields for the Personnel Section: Click the Add Personnel button and search for the people you would like to give permission to help with this event. you can choose between Event Manager, Event Secretary, and Event Presenter. For more detailed information on Events Personnel, please click HERE.
At the top of the Registration Page, you will have the option to allow invitees to register until the event starts or until a specific date. If you choose to enter a specific date then you will enter the dates they can start registering and when registration will end. Keep in mind, if you want people to be able to register and check in as they are entering the event, you will need to leave the registration window open past the start time.
You can set a max number of registrants. If you leave the number at 0 then everyone invited will be able to register. If you have a max capacity for the room you chose, this number will default to that room capacity, but you can always override it if needed.
On the bottom of the Registration Page, you can select how you would like to take attendance. You can choose to generate a join code or you can take attendance manually on the day of the session. If you choose to use a join code, you may want to consider opening it up 15 minutes prior to the start time so participants can check in as they enter the room. You can also generate a new code if you want to change it after everyone in the room has been marked present to avoid the sharing of the code with those that are not there.
If you didn’t have all of your details ready, you are choosing to let the session presenter or session manager enter the information, or you aren’t ready for your learners to see the event, you can choose Save Draft. If you are ready to publish this event to the calendar, choose Publish in the top right. If you DID NOT publish your conference yet, we highly recommend going ahead and publishing your sessions. The participants will not see any sessions until the conference is published and it will save you a lot of time down the road!
If you are going to be running a session at multiple times throughout the day, you can click on the session to edit it and then choose to copy it. You can then open it up to edit and simply change the times on the details and the registration page.
To see how learners will register for an event, click HERE. To see how learners will check in to an event, click HERE.