Add or Edit a Conference Session in Speaker and Session Management

Add or Edit a Conference Session (in Speaker and Session Management)

This page shows how you add and edit sessions if the Session Layout selected on Setup > Session Layout is Conference Sessions. Tip: Customize the Layout on Setup > Session Layout. This determines the layout of this page, including what standard fields and custom fields you enter, their size and position, and so on. Note: Once any sessions have been added, it is not possible to disable the Speaker and Session Management Module for the event unless you first cancel those sessions (by changing their Status to Cancelled) or delete them.

Top - Right Controls

Session Visibility

Session Visibility shows current visibility. Click to select the other option.

Regular is the default view: the session's visibility is unrestricted in session catalogs.

Note: The usual limitation still applies: sessions are only available if published to the attendee's Attendee Type.

Private is visible in session catalogs only to attendees who are pre-registered for the session.

Session Tasks

Click to view existing tasks, add new tasks, mark open tasks Complete, or open completed tasks.

Note: Speakers can also mark their own tasks as complete, online on the Tasks page of the Speaker Portal.

Reviewer Stats

Click to see the following statistics for the current session:

Average Score – Total scores divided by the number of reviewers who have scored the session. Scores are integers between 1 and 10.
Reviewers' Progress – A colored horizontal bar indicating the percentages of reviewers who have not reviewed it (red), reviewed it (green), or requested modifications (yellow). If no reviewers have been allocated, the bar is gray, labelled "N/A".
Requested Modifications – Names of reviewers who have sent the submission back for modifications. Each name is a link.
Remaining Reviewers – Names of reviewers who have not yet scored the session. Each name is a link.

Session Status

Shows the current status, Click to change it:

Qualified
Cancelled
Publish – Make the session available for selection and assignment. (The number on the icon shows how many attendee types the session has been published to. That's 0 in the example above.)

To publish a session:

1. Click the button to display a list of attendee types.

2. Select the attendee type(s) for whom the session must be displayed as an option in session catalogs or on a form (or in Certain Mobile), and to whom they may be assigned on Registration Sessions or Assign Sessions.

3. Click Publish Attendee Type(s).

Session Details

Video: Creating a Session (2 min.)

The fields for each session are determined by the Session layout set up for the event in Setup > Session Layout. This usually includes custom fields set up on Setup > Custom Fields. The standard fields in the default layout are described below. If the layout in your event has been customized, some of these fields may not be present, and other Standard Fields may have been added.

Standard fields (default layout)

Session Name – (Required) Should be unique in the event. May include only letters, numbers, dashes, and spaces. Maximum length: 255 characters.

Note: For a digital session (see Session Webinar below), the Session Name should be the same as the Webinar name.

Session Type – (Required) Select a session type. Standard values (unless you've deleted any, as you can on the Sessions page) are Keynotes, Hands-on Labs, Breakout Sessions, Interactive Sessions. You can add custom types on the Sessions page, or right here while adding or editing a session, thus: Type its name in the text box.
Session Code – (Required) Unique code identifying the session. Note: You may edit the Session Code of an existing session.
Track – Select a track from Manage > Speakers and Sessions > Tracks.
Tags – Select any of the tags set up for the current account (by an Administrator in Account Settings > Management > Tags). Start typing to display matching tags incrementally. You can select multiple tags per session item. Click the small x next to a tag to delete it. Tags are especially for use in conjunction with the Points value of the session (see the next field) as a metric for integration connectors, and for reporting. See this example.
Points – The number of points allocated per Tag (see Tags, above), used when attendees' interest metrics are calculated. The aggregate number of points per tag can be exported via a connector to a third-party application (such as Eloqua or Marketo), or seen in the Interest Metrics Report.
Duration – The length of the session, in Hours and Minutes. Used when you schedule the session on the SCHEDULER grid view on the Sessions page. Minimum duration: 5 minutes. Caution: If any of the session's instances have already been scheduled then you cannot increase the session duration if that would make a scheduled instance overlap with another one.
Industries – Select "target" industries for this session, if applicable. The list available is of those assigned to this event (in Setup > Industries). Note: Not included in the default layout. You would need to add this field when customizing the layout in Setup > Session Layout.
Job Functions – Select "target" job functions for this session, if applicable. The list available is of those assigned to this event (in Setup > Job Functions). Note: Not included in the default layout. You would need to add this field when customizing the layout in Setup > Session Layout.
Session Level – Select the level of difficulty, if applicable. The standard levels included (unless you've deleted any, as you can on the Sessions page) are Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. You can add custom levels on the Sessions page, or right here while adding or editing a session, thus: Type its name in the Add New text box.
Session Color – Select a Color to be used on the Scheduler grid view on the Sessions page.
Add New
Session Label – An optional short label, which you can use on reports instead of the Session Name, which may be a lot longer. Note: Not included in the default layout. You would need to add this field when customizing the layout in Setup > Session Layout.
CEU Credits – Enter the number of Continuing Education credits applicable.
Number of Instances – (Required) How many times this session takes place. Default = 1. Must be an integer greater than zero. You may schedule this many instances of the session under Schedules on this page, or on the Scheduler grid view on the Sessions page. (Those places are where you set the date, time and location of each instance.)
Speaker(s) – Any existing master speakers on this session are listed. Click Add Speaker to add a master speaker. Select from the list of speakers set up for this event. To remove a speaker from the session, click the red X after their name. Note re double-booking: If the session has been scheduled, you cannot assign a speaker who already has a session scheduled at that time. The first speaker you add has a green star automatically, indicating they're the Primary Speaker. Additional speakers you add have a gray star, indicating they're a Co-Speaker. Click a star to toggle it, changing a Co-Speaker to a Primary Speaker or vice versa.

Schedules

Instances

A list of the instances of this session. Click one to view and edit its details. (If there's only one, its details are shown automatically.)

Q: How do I remove a session from the schedule? A: Click the Unschedule button on the SCHEDULER view on the Sessions page.

Details shown for each instance:

Start Date – The date of this session instance.
Start Time – The time this instance begins on that date.
End Time – The time this instance ends.

Note: For a session which is digital (see Session Webinar, below), the Date and Times should be the same as those of the webinar.

Location – Select a Location from Locations. Note: For a session which is only digital (see Session Webinar, below), this should be a dummy location such as "Webinar" or the name of the webinar platform (probably Zoom or ON24). For a hybrid session, taking place both on-site and online, this would be the physical location.
Capacity – The maximum number of attendees at this instance of this session. Attendees can select sessions on forms or a Session Catalog, and can be assigned to them on Bulk Assignment. Warning: For digital sessions (see Session Webinar, below), the capacity should be equal to the capacity of the webinar itself, as set on the webinar platform (such as Zoom or ON24). Warning: For unlimited capacity, leave the field blank; do not set it to zero, which would mean no capacity at all (that is, nobody would be able to for the session).
Waitlist Limit – The maximum number of attendees that can be waitlisted for this instance of this session. Applicable once a session occurrence is fully subscribed; that is, once the number of attendees registered for it has reached Capacity. Up to this number of attendees can then be added to a waiting list, pending cancellations. Note: Blank = unlimited waitlisting. Zero = no waitlisting.
Override Capacity – If selected, a planner may override the Capacity for this instance of the session when assigning registrants (for example, using Bulk Assignment, Process Waitlist, or 2.0 API). Warning: Do not select this for digital sessions. As noted above, the capacity should equal the capacity of the webinar itself; overriding that could result in attendees not being registered for the webinar. Note: An attendee's Registration History shows if sessions were assigned using this override.

Session Webinar

For digital sessions, where you are using a third-party platform such as Zoom or ON24 to host the webinar, here you can either:

Create the webinar on that platform (only if Zoom or ON24) by clicking Create webinar/meeting, or
Connect to the webinar on that platform by clicking webinar/meeting.

The heading and buttons are displayed only if Digital Events is enabled for the event in Plan > Configure > Options. The session instance has a Location (see Location above). The session instance is Scheduled (has a Start Date/Time). Note: You can only connect one webinar to a session, and vice versa. Best Practice: Do not connect sessions to webinars if you are connecting the event to a webinar on Event Setup > Details (or Event Setup > Overview).

Webinar Option 1: Create Webinar

This option is only available for Zoom and ON24. Note: Before you can create a webinar from here, as explained in Digital Events Overview: An administrator must have set up a Connection to that platform in Certain Signal. That's how the data will flow between the two systems as your attendees register. Click Create webinar/meeting and complete the details:

Select a webinar/meeting Service configured for your account – probably one of Zoom Webinar, Zoom Meeting, ON24 Webinar, or Custom
Select a Connection (as set up in Signal)
Select a Presentation Type – live audio & video or on-demand
Select Host(s)
Click Next
The webinar will be created on your chosen platform

Webinar Option 2: Connect to Webinar

Note: two more things must be done before you can enter webinar details here, as explained in Digital Events Overview:

You first create the webinar on the webinar platform you are using (probably Zoom or ON24)
You will need the ID from that webinar
An administrator must have set up a Connection to that platform in Certain Signal
That's how the data will flow between the two systems as your attendees register
Click Connect Online Session to open a panel in which you enter the webinar details
Webinar Service for this Session – (Required) Select the integration being used for this event
The options available will depend on what's enabled for your account – probably only one (Zoom Webinar, Zoom Meeting, ON24 Webinar, Custom)
Integration Connection – (Required) Select the Connection set up in Signal for the selected Integration Type
Meeting/Webinar Id – (Required) Enter the Id from your webinar platform
Note: You can only use a given Meeting/Webinar Id once in an account; you can't use the same one for more than one session (or event)
Note: The Session Name should be the same as the name of the webinar
Click Connect Online Session in that panel
The details of that meeting are displayed from the webinar platform
Warning: You cannot change the webinar link after you've confirmed it
If details are correct, click Confirm Meeting
Note: If the webinar schedule is changed on the webinar platform, be sure to correct the details in the session instance as well
Note: If the webinar is cancelled on the webinar platform, be sure to cancel the session and registrations in Certain
Delete Webinar – Click to remove the association with the webinar. Possible only if there are no registrations for the session.

Abstracts and Additional Details

Abstract File – Shows the file name of the abstract document (such as a PDF file) if one has been uploaded. Click the file name to open the document. To add an abstract, click Upload File, and drop a file into the box, or click Choose File to browse for one on your computer. File formats: .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .xlsx, .xls. Caution: Only one abstract document can be uploaded at a time. If you upload a new one it will replace the original.
Abstract Description – Use the HTML editor to enter a description or summary of the abstract. This is for internal use, not for attendees to read. Maximum length: 4000 characters.
Session Presentations – Shows the Document Name and Size of the presentation (such as a PowerPoint file) if any have been uploaded. (One session may have more than one presentation.) To open a presentation, click the Document Name, which is a hyperlink. The relevant program must be installed on your computer. To add a presentation, click Upload File, and drop a file into the box, or click Choose File to browse for one on your computer. File formats: .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .xlsx, .xls. To delete a presentation, click under Action.
Session Description – Describes the session. Include this on a registration form's session section. Edit using the HTML editor. Maximum length: 4000 characters.
Session Notes – Any internal notes about this session, for the planner. Maximum length: 500 characters.
Session Fee – Not included in the default layout. You would need to add Fee when customizing the layout on Setup > Session Layout. Click to add fees. See Session Fees for details.