In this article, we explain how to create your event program in the platform using the Converve Program Builder. The events that make up the event program are called sessions in Converve. The programme is automatically displayed to the user in a list view and a calendar view.
Note: The default setting for the user is the list view. Your Project Manager can switch the default to calendar view.
Add Event Days
To be able to create individual sessions, there must be days in the platform on which they can take place.
A day has a date, a start time and an end time. An event can consist of several days. Sessions can only be created within the time span of the individual days.
Your Converve Project Manager has already created the days according to your specifications.
Contact your project manager if the days need to be adjusted.
Create Program
In the backend go to Event Program Builder -> Program
At the top you will see a selection of all existing event days and below that an overview (initially empty) of all sessions for the first day in a calendar view.
In-between you will see three buttons:
„Add Session“
This is used to add a new session. We will explain exactly how to do this in the next section.
“Edit categories“
This allows you to manage the session categories and add new ones. Why you need this feature and exactly how it works is explained below in this article.
„List view / Calendar view“
Here you can switch between the calendar view and the list view in the backend.
The calendar view is better for getting a general overview and checking whether the times and categories are correct, for example.
The list view is the better view, especially for extensive programs, if you are looking for a specific session that you want to edit.
Tip: Use the full text search function of your browser (Ctrl + F on Windows, CMD + F on MacOs) to find a specific session in the list.
Note that the views are not the same as the ones your attendees see when they view the program on the platform.
Add Session
To add a session, select the day at the top on which you would like to create a session and then click the ‘Add session’ button.
This opens a form in a pop-up window which you must fill in to create a new session.
These are the fields:
Session category
If you want to enter more than one session at the same time, you must assign different categories to the sessions. You can select these here.
If a session does not have a category, no other session can overlap with it.
We explain how to create session categories in the next section.
Name
Here you define the name of the session. This is the first information that is displayed to the attendee in the program.
Description
Here you can insert a text that describes the content of the session, for example.
The first 160 characters of the description are displayed in the list view. The rest is displayed by clicking on a ‘more’ button. In the calendar view, you only see the description when you click on the name of the session.
With help of the HTML editor, you can also integrate links, images, file downloads and even videos into the description.
Location
Here you can enter a location for the session using free text. This information is displayed in the list view below the time. In the calendar view, you only see the location when you click on the name of the session.
The platform automatically creates a filter for the list view with which users can search for sessions with the same location.
Make sure to always write the same location exactly the same.
Beginning / End
The time at which the session starts / ends.
The time is displayed in the list view next to and in the calendar view below the session name.
If the desired time is not available, the event day is not long enough. Your Converve Project Manager can help you with this.
Max. attendees
The maximum number of participants that can register for a session.
‘0’ means there is no limit.
This information is only important for sessions for which users can / must register.
User Categories
This defines which user categories can see the session in your program. If you do not select a category, ALL users will see the session.
Session Typs
The session type determines whether and how users can interact with the session and, if necessary, activates further functions and settings. We explain the four session types in detail in the next section.
Video Typ
This field is only queried for the session type Content Session.
The explanation is provided in the Session types section.
Meeting duration
Meeting break duration
Tables
Online Meeting Session
These four fields are queried in the Session Type Meeting Session.
The explanation is provided in the Session types section.
Meeting duratoin
Meeting ends soon warning
Meetings mit gleicher Kategorie
These three fields are queried in the Session Type Speed Networking Session.
The explanation is provided in the Session types section.
Show In: Program
This switch determines whether a session is displayed in your event program. You can also use this to hide hide sessions that you are still working on.
Show In:
My Agenda
This switch determines whether a session is displayed in an attendee’s personal agenda after they registered for the session.
Sessions for which disable registration (next point) is set to ‘true’ are displayed in the agenda of all authorized participants if the switch here is also set to ‘true’.
Disable registration
You can deactivate registration for a session here.
If registration is deactivated, the session is automatically displayed in the personal agenda of all authorized users. If you do not want this, you must deactivate ‘Show here:My agenda’. The session will then only be displayed in the program.
This setting is not available for break sessions as you cannot register for them by default.
Block Timeslots for meetings
If a meeting session is running in parallel to this session, you can use this function to interrupt the meeting session for the duration of this session. All timeslots that overlap with the duration of this session are then no longer available.
If meetings are already scheduled during this period, they will remain available.
Waiting Lis
If the session allows registration and has a limited number of participants, you can give participants the opportunity to put themselves on a waiting list.
Attendees who are on the waiting list for a session cannot plan any further sessions or meetings during this period.
Waiting list automatically move up
Here you determine whether attendees on the waiting list are automatically registered for the session when a place becomes free.
The users are registered in the order in which they are on the waiting list.
Alternatively, admins can manually turn participants from the waiting list into registered participants.
Icon
Here you can select an icon to be displayed next to the session in the personal agenda.
Image
Here you can upload an image that will be displayed next to the session in the list view of the program.
Color
Here you can determine the color in which the session is displayed in the calendar view.
Role assignment
You can assign speakers or session admins to this session. Users who booked this session already to their agenda, are not available. Speakers have extended rights and are displayed in the participants list, while session admins also have extended rights but are not visible in the participants list.
Simply drag the desired user into the according area. The order of speakers in the list also affects the order in which speakers are displayed in other areas of the platform (e.g. in the program).
Session Types
Content Session
This is the most commonly used session type. You select this for on-site and online sessions that do not include networking or a break.
There are no other special fields for on-site sessions.
For Hybrid / Online events there is the following special field:
Video type:
Here you specify the technology / source used for the online session.
The following options are available:
None: There is no online content for this session (yet).
Link: There is a direct link to a video / video call. Copy this link into the input field that is now available. If a participant has the session in ‘My Agenda’, a button is displayed next to it which opens the link. This link opens in a new window.
Embed: There is an ‘embedded code’. This opens the video content it contains in an overlay within the Converve platform. Copy this code into the now available input field ‘Embedded Code Video’. If a user has the session in ‘My Agenda’, a button is displayed next to it which opens the overlay.
In the second available input field ‘Embedded Code Chat’, you can enter the code of a corresponding chat software (e.g. Slido).
Video content and chat are then displayed next to each other in the overlay in a 2:1 ratio.
Jitsi: A video room is created using Converve’s own video technology. A video call with up to 12 people can be held in this room. This room opens within the platform in an overlay.
If a user has the session in ‘My Agenda’, a button is displayed next to it which opens the call in the overlay.
Networking Session
You create a networking session to set up a framework for organising 1:1 meetings within the Converve platform.
This applies to both online and onsite meetings.
The following special fields are available:
Meeting duration:
Here you specify how long each individual meeting slot is.
Meeting break duration:
This defines the break time between two meetings.
IMPORTANT to note: This time is deducted from the meeting duration.
So if you want to set up 15-minute meetings with 5-minute breaks afterwards, this is your setting:
Meeting duration: 20
Meeting break duration: 5
The first meeting slot starts at the same time as the session. The platform then sets up as many slots as will fit into the session until the end.
If there is not enough time at the end for an entire meeting slot, the time remains unused.
Note: The duration of each meeting is calculated including the break. There must therefore still be time for a break in the session even after the last meeting.
Tables
If the meetings take place at tables OR if it is an online event, this determines the number of available tables and therefore (online) the maximum number of meetings that can take place in parallel.
If individual stands are assigned to the categories, the value 1 can be entered here.
Online Meeting Session
Select ‘yes’ here if an online meeting room should be created automatically for the meetings. A button to enter the meeting is then displayed next to the meeting in the participants’ personal agenda.
Break Session
These sessions are used to set up breaks. A participant cannot register for a break session. It is like a kind of placeholder in the program / agenda.
Speed Networking Session(online)
These sessions can only be set up for online events. As soon as a participant enters a Speed Networking session, a meeting is started with another randomly selected participant in the session. When the meeting duration has expired, a meeting is started with another participant. This is repeated until no new meeting partner is found, the session ends or the participant leaves the meeting room. After the session, participants can see who they have met in a list.
The following special fields are available for speed networking sessions:
Meeting duration:
Determines the duration of the individual meetings within the speed networking session.
Meeting ends soon warning:
Determines how many seconds before the end of the meeting the participants will be informed that the session is about to end.
Meetings between participants from same category:
Determines whether you can also get into a meeting with participants who are in the same user category as yourself during speed networking.
Session Categories
If you want to have more than one session at the same time, you must assign different categories to these sessions.
If a session does not have a category, no other session can overlap with it.
THE session category is the first thing you select when creating a session. If no sessions overlap, no categories are necessary.
You create a session category as follows.
In the backend go to Event Program Builder -> Program
On the right-hand side, click on ‘Edit categories’.
A window with two input fields opens:
Category Title:
This is the internal name of the category. This is only used in the backend when creating and displaying sessions and does not appear publicly. There must be a category title.
Category Lable: The label is the public name of the category. You do not have to assign a label. If there is a label, it is displayed publicly in the event program and can also be used as a filter.
Title and label can be the same.
Fill in these fields and click on ‘save’, you can now assign categories when creating or editing sessions.