Create an event with a choice of sessions

Overview

The following article describes how to create a new event with a choice of sessions.

Events with a choice of sessions:

• Can have multiple sessions at separately scheduled dates and times.
• Each session can have a different venue and presenter(s).
• Each session can have a price that is added to the order total.
• Sessions can be made mandatory, and be hidden from the website form.
• Registrants will be registered for the sessions they choose (plus any mandatory sessions) and will receive a calendar appointment for each.
• Can have optional extras.

Registrants will have a choice of the sessions they attend, and receive event instructions with the details of each individual session they have been registered on. Sessions can also be made mandatory if required. 

If you need a multi-session event and would like registrants to have no choice of the sessions they are registering on, learn how to set up a multi-session event with no choice of sessions. Transfers are not available between multiple session events with a choice of options.

Important: If you have set up a multi-session event before, you will not have to set up a new one each time you need to run it. Learn how to copy sessions to a new event from a previous multi-session event.

Example: Optional sessions on an event registration form:

In this article

There are a number of steps to complete the event wizard in Arlo. Click on the links below to go straight to the instructions for a particular step.

• Type - Choose the type of event.
• General - Enter the general details of the event, e.g. the name, code, and price, etc.
• Website - Enter information about the event to be displayed on your website.
• Schedule - Enter the dates, presenter(s), and other logistics of your event.
• Registrations - Choose the registration method, period of registration, and set registration limits.
• Communication -  Choose and edit automated emails sent to registrants.
• Approve and confirm events - Approve and (if required) confirm any events in a tentative state.

Create an event

• Open the Events menu.
  
• Press New Event. 
  

Type 

Choose the type of event, e.g public or private event that is new or adding a new date to an existing event template. 

• From the Create a new... section, select either New public event.
  
• If you have presets loaded that you wish to use for this event, from the Wizard options, click Select preset. 
  

Existing event template?

• If you have not run this event in Arlo and have no template for it, select I have not run this event before. 
  Note: This will also create a new event template to be used in the future.
  
  
• If you have run this event in Arlo or there is a template for it, choose I have run this event previously and would like to schedule another, and then select the template from the list. 
  Note: You cannot use a basic schedule template to schedule a multi-session event.
  
• Press Next.

If you are using an existing template, you can skip to the Schedule step if you do not need to change any of the events website information or pricing since you last run it. 

General 

Enter the general details of the event, e.g. the name, code, and price, etc.

• From the General details section, enter the event name, and codes of your event.
  Note: Arlo recommends using the default codes which it will populate. 
  
• If you have a specific administrator responsible for the event, assign them as the event or template manager. Event and template managers can run reports for their event/s, filter them on the events list and dashboards in Arlo, and will receive email notifications about them. 
   
• From the What is the schedule? section, select Multiple sessions.
  
• From the Will attendees be able to choose their sessions? section, select Choice of sessions.
  
• From the Price section, enter the price per registrant. If there is no price click Free event.
  Important: You can also add a price to individual sessions later in the process if needed. Arlo will always charge the registration price plus any session prices associated with the registration.
  
• If required, add your accounting codes and Xero tracking codes.
• If required, add professional development points or hours.
• Press Next. 

Website 

Enter information about the event to be displayed on your website.

• From the Website page section, ensure your visibility settings are correct.
  Hint: The website visibility will be set to published by default meaning anybody can find the event on your website.
  
• If you are hosting the web content externally, edit the Page hosting settings and add the URL of the page with your event content. Learn more about hosting your own event pages. 
  
• From the Website page content section, select the category/s the event should be displayed in on your website.
• Enter the information about your event that will be displayed on the event's website page. 
  Hint: Learn how to add new content sections, or to Correct badly formatted text copied from Word (Bad HTML).
  
• From the Website event content section, select if the event date should be published on your website, and whether or not the event should be published on your event list pages.
• Choose when the event should be published on your website.
  
• From the Lead generation section, select whether or not you would like to accept leads on the events website page.
  

• From the Sessions section, press Add session.
  Note: Arlo will use these details to generate the calendar appointment sent to registrants.
  
  
• From the General section, enter session name.
  Important: Sessions will be displayed on your checkout in the order that you enter them (grouped by date). You should always enter your earliest session first, and work your way to the last session.
• If you would like a description to be displayed with the session on the registration form click Add description.
  
• From the Schedule details section, enter the date and time of the session.
  
• Type in the event venue, and room if necessary.
  Note: If the venue does not exist click + New to create a new venue.
  
  
• Add your presenter(s). 
  Hint: Search for available presenters. If your presenters are to be confirmed, you can add provisional presenters. If the presenter does not exist click + New to create a new presenter.
  
• From the Financials section, enter in a price of the session.
  Important: If you have a price on the event already, the session price will be added to this for those who choose to register for it. 
  
  
• From the Registrations section, choose if the session should be available on the website registration form. If it is not, registrants can only be added to the session internally.
• Choose the maximum registration limit for the session. Once this has been reached, the session will be shown as 'Full' on the registration form.
  
• From the Registration conditions section, select if registrants must attend. If this is selected, registrants will not have the ability to remove the session from their selection for the event.
  Important: You must also tick that the session is available for website registration, or the checkout will not calculate the price and registrants will get an error on proceeding to the checkout. When both of these options are selected, the registrant will see the session at the checkout, but will not be able to deselect it.
  
  Example: Mandatory sessions shown at the checkout.
  
  
• Press Save session.
• Repeat the above steps for each of the additional sessions you would like on the event. 
• If you would like to remove some of the session presenters from being advertised, from the Main event details section deselect Automatically manage advertised presenters and remove the presenter from the advertised list.
  
• If required, assign support staff to the event.
• From the Options section, click +Add option to add any optional extras you would registrants to be able to purchase with their registrations.
  Note: Learn more about optional extras.
  
  
• If required, add your room setup and catering details for logistics management reporting.
• Press Next.

• From the General section, select Accept website registrations. 
  
• Select the registration method appropriate for your event.
  Hint: If you need to take payment from registrants, select Order Process. If the event is free, select Quick Registration.
• Select the period that registrations will be open and closed for the event.
  
• Select the registration policy for your event. 
  Hint: Learn more about registration policies.
  
• From the Website registration form section, select the registration form for this event. 
  Hint: Unless you need a specific field just for this event, you should use the default registration forms.
  
  
• From the Registration limits section, enter the registration limits and alerts for the event if required.
  
• Press Next.

Approve and confirm events

Approve events

• If you wish for the event to be published immediately, and have finalised the event details press Create and approve.
• If you want to save the event, but do not want to publish it or have any communication sent out press Create as draft. You will be able to approve the event when you are ready. Learn how to approve draft events. 

Confirm events

If you have the event confirmation workflow turned on you will also need to confirm the event is running. Learn more about the event confirmations workflow.

• Open the event you would like to confirm.
• Click Confirm this event. 
  
• Select the appropriate confirmation actions and Press Confirm event.
  Note: Communication associated with a confirmed event may take up to 15 minutes to be sent.