Setting Up Digital Sessions

Introduction

“Digital event” is a digital event.

It is:

An event where the entire event is provided as a webinar, as described in Setting Up a Digital Event.
An event with individual sessions provided as webinars, as described in this topic.

Certain provides out-of-the-box integration with webinar providers Zoom and ON24.

You set up the webinars using the provider of your choice, with integration via Certain Signal Connector.

You can do this directly from within Certain Platform, or in Zoom/ON24.

If you use a different webinar provider, talk to the Customer Success Manager at Certain about contracting Professional Services to set up a custom integration for you.

See Digital Events Overview for a brief overview of the entire process, including Certain Signal, Zoom, and ON24.

For details of the Certain Signal Connector and webinar provider configuration, see:

Items Covered

Jump down to a section in this topic:

Prerequisites

Before setting up any digital events, you will need the following, as explained in Digital Events Overview.

Required for digital events setup

These modules enabled in your Certain account: 1. Certain Signal 2. its Zoom or ON24 sub-module 3. Digital Events

An account with your chosen webinar provider: Zoom or ON24.

One-off preparation in that platform: 1. Digital Events Using Certain Signal with Zoom 2. Digital Events Using Certain Signal with ON24

Account-level Tags set up in Certain, which will be used to activate Flows in Signal.

A Connection, Source and Flows configured in Certain Signal. See: 1. Digital Events Using Certain Signal with Zoom 2. Digital Events Using Certain Signal with ON24

The following modules enabled in your Certain account: 1. Speaker and Session Management 2. and its Conference Sessions sub-module (to make the Session Catalog available)

If connecting to an existing webinar

If you choose to connect to an existing webinar (rather than triggering that setup from within Certain), then before setting up each digital event or session you will need to:

1. Set the webinar up in Zoom or ON24.

2. Select “Registration Required” for that webinar.

3. Copy its Webinar ID for use when setting up the event or session in Certain.

(See step 7.2.3 below.)

4. Note: The Webinar host cannot be an event registrant in Certain.

Steps to Follow

Jump targets

If the whole EVENT is digital: One Webinar

1. Best Practice: Don’t open the registration form(s) until this process is complete.

2. Enable the Digital Events module and (optionally) its Join Emails sub-module in Plan > Configure > Options.

3. In the Registrant Details section of the registration form, select “Enforce email uniqueness within this event”.

Zoom and ON24 require a unique email for a webinar registration.

4. If you’re going to trigger the webinar creation (in Zoom or ON24) directly from within Certain Platform, follow the instructions in step 6 below.

5. Note: If instead you’re going to connect to a webinar you’ve already set up in Zoom or ON24, then skip step 6 and go to the instructions in step 7 below.

6. To create the webinar (in Zoom or ON24) directly from within Certain:

1. In Event Setup > Overview, click Create webinar/meeting and complete the details:

1. Select a webinar/meeting Service configured for your account.

probably Zoom Webinar, Zoom Meeting, or ON24.

2. Select a Presentation Type

3. Select Hosts

4. Click Next

2. If you’ve skipped Step 6 above (creating the webinar), then instead of that, to connect the event to the webinar you’ve already set up in Zoom or ON24:

1. In Event Setup > Overview, click Connect webinar/meeting and complete the details:

1. Select a webinar/meeting Service configured for your account.

probably Zoom Webinar, Zoom Meeting, or ON24.

2. Enter the Webinar ID (copied from setting up the Webinar in Zoom or ON24).

Note: You can’t use the same Webinar ID in more than one event (or for a session as well as an event session).

It must be unique within your Certain account.

3. Note: The event name, date & time, and registration capacity should match those of the webinar.

4. Warning: You cannot change the webinar link after you’ve confirmed it.

5. Caution: If the webinar schedule changes after you’ve linked to it, remember to change it in the event.

6. Caution: If the webinar is later cancelled on the webinar platform, you will need to cancel the event and registrations in Certain.

7. Optionally, configure the email template created on Communicate > Digital Event Templates.

Each attendee receives an automatically generated email with a link to join the webinar.

(These are sent once an hour to include new attendees who haven’t yet been sent one,)

8. Apply the Tags to the object(s), such as Custom Registration Statuses, that will activate your Flows in Certain Signal.

If SESSIONS are digital: a Webinar per Session

1. Best Practice: Don’t open the registration form(s) until this process is complete.

2. Enable the Digital Events module in Plan > Configure > Options.

3. Enable the Conference Sessions sub-module (of Speaker and Session Management) in Plan > Configure > Options.

4. In the Registrant Details section of the registration form, select “Enforce email uniqueness within this event”.

Zoom and ON24 require a unique email for a webinar registration.

5. In Speaker and Session Management:

1. Select Conference Sessions as the Session Layout (so that you can set up a Session Catalog).

6. Set up at least one Location.

This can be a dummy location such as “Online”.
Why? A session instance has to have a location before it can be published – made available to attendees on the Registration Form or Session Catalog.

7. Set up each Session and its instances.

For each one:

1. Schedule the session instance for a date/time and location.

(The following step is not possible until the instance has been scheduled.)

8. If you’re going to trigger the webinar creation (in Zoom or ON24) directly from within Certain Platform, follow the instructions in step 11 below.

9. Note: If instead you’re going to connect to a webinar you’ve already set up (in Zoom or ON24), skip step 11 and follow the instructions in step 12 below.

10. To create the webinar (in Zoom or ON24) directly from within Certain:

11. In Event Setup > Overview, click Create webinar/meeting and complete the details:

1. Select a webinar/meeting Service configured for your account.

probably Zoom Webinar, Zoom Meeting, or ON24.

2. Select a Presentation Type

3. Select Hosts

4. Click Next

12. If you’ve skipped Step 11 above (creating the webinar), then instead of that, to connect the event to the webinar you’ve already set up in Zoom or ON24:

1. Click Connect Online Session and complete the details:

1. Select a Webinar Service: Zoom Webinar, Zoom Meeting, or ON24

2. Select a Connection (as set up in Certain Signal)

3. Enter the Webinar ID (copied from setting up the Webinar in Zoom or ON24),

Note: You can’t use the same Webinar ID more than once anywhere in your Certain account.

That means not for more than one session instance, even for a different session or even in a different event.

Neither can you use it for an event itself; see 7.4.4 above.

4. Note: The Session Name, Date, Time, and Capacity should be the same as those of the webinar.

5. Warning: You cannot change the webinar link after you’ve confirmed it.

6. Caution: If the webinar schedule changes after you’ve linked to it, remember to change it in the Session Instance.

13. Set up a Session Catalog.

Note: For the session thumbnails to appear, use the banner template design, best used with the tiles layout.
Attendees use the catalog to register for and join sessions.

(Having their personal “join” link here is instead of the automatic emails used for the one-webinar digital events described above.)

14. Set up an email template with an “Auto-Login-URL” for the Session Catalog, for attendees to land automatically in the catalog.

Make this a scheduled email.

15. Apply the Tags to the object(s), such as Registration Statuses, that will activate your Flows in Certain Signal.