We've set the standard as the only event platform you'll need to pivot to virtual events and back again. We make it simple to engage attendees in person, and on couches around the world. Now, we're bringing it to the next level with virtual event features that will knock your attendees' socks off. 🧦

Event Types

Right off the bat, pick the event type that's most applicable to your event: In Person, Hybrid, or Virtual. Your choice will enable or disable certain event features and functionality, ensuring that your attendee experience is ideal for your event type.

For more info on picking the ideal event type, check this out. 

Live Stream Feature and Session

The Live Stream feature and session option is included with Hybrid and Virtual event types.

Socio’s seamlessly integrates with leading live streaming platforms, and attendees can now join the live stream directly from their virtual agenda, or click a button that instantly launches the live stream on mobile devices or a desktop computer for more optimal viewing. The multi-device capabilities lets organizers engage with users wherever they are, and lets users toggle between their preferred devices for video consumption and networking.

For more info on the Live Stream feature, check this out. For info on the Live Stream session option, take a look at this.

Web App Live Streams & Recordings

We've upgraded our web app to allow users to view Live Streams and Recordings while engaging with app features and external links — all in a single window, without leaving the web app. 

This opens up a ton of possibilities! We've made it easy to poll your virtual audience in the middle of a session to gather audience feedback and further discussion. Or, have them complete an Event Game challenge. All without leaving your Live Stream or Recording!

“A virtual event that doesn’t promote networking is just a webinar,” said Corey McCarthy, Socio Chief Marketing Officer. (And hey, webinars are great, but if you’re going for more of a conference feel, networking is key.) 

For more info on the Web App, check this out. 

Mobile Live Streams & Recordings

We know that having attendees connecting on multiple platforms is especially important for virtual events, and the best virtual experience is a mix of mobile and desktop. Think of it like this: Your desktop is your TV, and your mobile event app is the remote control.

Now, we're providing a simple, easy-to-use and beautiful user experience for watching Live Streams and Recordings on your mobile device. Attendees can even send a link from their mobile device to their email, to quickly switch to a computer for the best viewing experience.
   

Video Walkthrough

For a full walkthrough of our updated virtual platform, check out the video below. 👇

   
Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

Attendee Calls to Action

Buckle up, this is a big one you've all been asking for! We've added an optional new section, Attendee Calls to Action, for items in the Sponsors, Speakers, Exhibitors, and Custom List features. In this section, you can add options for attendees to Request Follow Up or Schedule Meeting.

The Request Follow Up option lets users indicate their interest in this item. The Point of Contact Email receives an email whenever a user indicates their interest, and a full list at the end of the event.

The Schedule Meeting option lets users quickly navigate to any link that the event organizer has entered in the Schedule Meeting URL field. This could be a Calendly link, a Hubspot meeting link, or any other link. But wait — you can change the labels, so this could be a link to anything! A sponsor's website, a speaker's webinar, an exhibitor's demo video...the options are endless. 🙌

For more info on the new Attendee Calls to Action section, check this out. 

Disable Double Booking

By default, users can add multiple sessions occurring at the same time to their personal agenda. Some of you didn't love that, so we added an Agenda setting allowing you to prevent users from "double booking" sessions.  When a user tries to add a session to their agenda at a time that's already booked, they'll receive an alert similar to the one below.

For more info on this setting, check this out. 

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

Session Reminders

We've added a checkbox for you, as the event organizer, to let app users set reminders for sessions they add to their personal agendas. Users have been asking about this for a while, and we're glad to help them get to their sessions on time!

For more info on session reminders, check out our Feature Guide: Agenda article.

Announcement Improvements

Announcements can now include Internal Links to content within the app! Plus, Announcements can now be sent to all users with a specific session on their personal agenda. This is particularly useful when you have to reschedule or cancel a session.

For more info on including Internal Links in Announcements, and sending announcement to specific session participants, check out our Feature Guide: Announcements article.

Hide Agenda Participants

We know privacy and security is important to you, and for some events, attendee privacy is even more critical. Previously, anyone with a session on their personal agenda showed up in the Participants list for that session. Now, the Participants list can be hidden from event app users, allowing for increased privacy and security for events that require it. 👏 

For more info on hiding agenda participants, check out our Feature Guide: Agenda article.

Hide Inactive Attendees

Inactive attendees are attendees that you have added to the Users & Groups page, but have not yet joined the app. Before now, inactive attendees have been viewable to app users in the Attendees list, with the option to Contact the user and prompt them to join the app. Now, you have the show only active users from the Attendees feature, ensuring that users are only reaching out to users who are in the app. 👍

For more info on hiding inactive attendees from the Attendees feature, check out our Feature Guide: Attendees article.

Plus, more exciting updates...

• Now, when there's an update for any feature, an Update Indicator (red dot) appears on the feature until the app user reviews the update or refreshes. Before, we only did this for the Agenda, Wall, and Announcements feature. It's easier than ever for app users to make sure they're always in the know on the latest updates!
• The Socio team is thrilled to present two new Event App features - Single Item and Single Document! For more info, check this out.

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

The Socio team is thrilled to present two new Event App features - Single Item and Single Document!

Single Item

The Single Item feature provides you with a simple and clean way to present information to event app users. Use this feature to highlight your event WiFi instructions, event contact info, a welcome letter, or any other content that deserves a standalone feature.

This is similar to the Custom List feature, but instead has only one item that opens in a simple, one-click view.

The Single Item feature lets you easily share critical information with attendees, putting it front and center in your event app! This helps save you time you'd have spent answering attendee questions, and helps your event go as smoothly as possible. We've got your back. 👍 

Single Document

The Single Document feature is a quick way to present a document or image to event app users, directly from the home page of your event app. Use this feature to showcase the seating chart, dinner menu, or any other information best presented in hard-copy form.

This is similar to the Documents feature, but with only one document that launches immediately on-click.

The Single Item feature and Single Document feature let you easily share critical information with attendees, putting it front and center in your event app! This helps save you time you'd have spent answering attendee questions, and helps your event go as smoothly as possible. We've got your back. 👍 

It's simple! Add the Single Item and Single Document feature to your event in the Socio Platform now. 

For a personalized discussion on how the Single Item and Single Document feature can be used in your event, feel free to chat with us, or schedule a call with one of our event tech experts today.

But wait — there were several other exciting product updates included in this release, including session reminders, announcements improvements, the ability to hide agenda participants, the ability to hide inactive attendees, and more! For more info, check this out.

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

SSO (Single Sign-On) + Other Sign Up and Log In Options

We've added the ability for Branded Event App customers to tailor the accounts that users can use to sign up and log in to their app! You can now choose between the following Sign Up and Log In Options for your app users:

• Email and Social (Default)
• Email Only
• Social Only
• Single Sign-On (SSO)

⭐️ Keep in mind, SSO is an additional cost add-on feature. The Sign Up and Log In Options are available only for Branded Event App customers.

Check out our Sign Up and Log In Options article for more info.

Separation of Title and Company

We've separated the Title/Company into two fields - Title and Company! This change has been made across the Socio Platform and the Event Apps. Event App users will love the ability to sort the Attendee feature by job titles and companies, to find attendees they want to connect with. You'll love the simple reporting, and the ability to more easily import these fields into your CRM. 

Plus, some more exciting updates...

• We reordered the Lead screen in Lead Retrieval, moving the Notes and Ratings sections to the top. Now, you can see the most relevant info faster!
• We removed deprecated social platforms from the list (like Vine), and added new and exciting ones! For more info on social accounts, check this out. 
• You used to be stuck with the way the app ordered your Tracks and Categories. Now, you can reorder Tracks and Categories to your heart's content. ❤️ 
• The My Apps page got a makeover! It's easier than ever to create a beautiful app, see exactly what your app will look like, and submit your app to us to create.
• We added the External ID and Internal ID fields to our forward data. Now, when you're passing data to a URL, you'll be able to reference users by these fields easily.

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

Expanded Support Hours

Our award-winning support team has expanded their hours! Now, you can reach us on live chat 9pm Sunday through 11pm Friday, GMT.

With our mission of helping event organizers take their events to the next level, we put a large emphasis on providing unrivaled support. When you reach out for help or advice on best practices during our new support hours, you'll receive support from a 5-star team with an industry-leading first response time of 15 minutes or less. 🎉

We're proud to create event technology that's so clean and intuitive, attendees and organizers of any background can use it. But we know questions come up. When they do, we're here to help. 👍 

Socio provides event organizers with multiple modes of communication so they are always taken care of.

Socio Platform Guidance

We've improved our Socio Platform experience by creating timely, on-demand contextual help with i-buttons throughout the Socio Platform. Click the associated i-button to review info about a particular field or section of the Socio Platform. Many of the i-buttons also include Learn More links, directing you to our extensive Knowledge Base for even more great tips and tricks. 

For more info on our available resources and support offerings, check this out.

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

We're always looking for ways to make your life easier, enabling you to focus on what you do best - put on amazing events. For that reason, this release is all about giving you more of the access, control, and visibility you've been asking for. We hope you're as excited as we are. 🥳

Manage the Wall (Full Article)

Over 35,000 posts have been posted to our Wall feature. Attendees have loved being able to post pictures, comments, and "like" posts, all in the event's personal social feed. 

Up until now, the Wall was only viewable in the app, and reported posts were sent to us to review and follow up on with the event organizer. We've fixed that. 👍

Now, reviewing, deleting, and exporting posts in the Socio Platform is simple. At a glance, all Wall posts are listed along with the User who posted it, the Time it was posted, and the number of Likes, Comments, and Reports. We've made it easy to get the information you need quickly, and dive deeper when necessary. 

Upload Your Own Feature Icons (Full Article)

While we have over 118,000 awesome icons to choose from, with color and style options to match nearly every theme, sometimes your own icons can't be beat! 

We used to upload icons for you upon request, and that wasn't super convenient. Now, you can upload your own Feature Icons directly to the Socio Platform and immediately see the change in your Event App. 

Show QR Codes (Full Article)

The Socio Lead Retrieval app is the most seamless way for your sponsors and exhibitors to capture leads with enriched data — all by scanning attendees' QR codes.

You've always been able to download attendees' QR codes in bulk to print on badges, or add the My QR Code feature to your event to allow each attendee to view their personal QR Code and let an exhibitor scan it. Now, you can view and download a high-quality image of an individual user's QR code right from the Socio Platform.

Date and Time Picker Redesign

We heard you loud and clear - our old date and time picker was clunky. It may seem like a small update, but we're excited to bring our date and time picker up to the standard you expect from Socio.

Now, the ending date and time jumps to the start date and time (like it always should have), you're able to type in dates and times (like you always should've been), and it's overall a lot more user-friendly and intuitive. 

Simplify Your Event Stack with External IDs (Full Article)

With our new External ID user field, you can use third party IDs from your registration system, membership or community software, badge printing software, CRM, or any other system! 

External IDs can be used to import QR Codes for use with Lead Retrieval, or to empower your team and simplify your workflow when importing into and exporting from Socio.

Think External IDs might be useful for our event? Check out the articles above or reach out to our team for more info - we're here to help.

Learn More About These Updates

Want to know more? Live chat us now by clicking the Intercom icon toward the bottom right, or email us at support@socio.events.

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

Introducing bulk connection exports! 🎉 Staying in touch with connections is even easier than ever for attendees.

Attendees can export their connections in bulk following the (very brief!) instructions below. 👇

The attendee will then receive an email with a CRM-friendly Excel spreadsheet attached!

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

The Socio team is excited to introduce our newest feature - the App Guide! 

The App Guide feature provides event app users with easy access to our extensive Event App Help Center, including feature walk-through articles and networking best practices. Like you, we want your attendees to get the most out of your event app!

Whether your event app goals include increasing interaction, engagement, and sponsorship ROI, or simplifying the distribution of information, the App Guide will aid in these efforts by ensuring all attendees can use your event app to the utmost advantage. For more info, check out the below! 👇

You invest in your event app for a lot of reasons - all of which require your attendees to engage with it! While it may be clear to you why you implemented your event app, some attendees may be unsure of how to get the most out of the app. Enter: the App Guide.

While we work to ensure our app is easy to navigate and intuitive for attendees to use, there will always be folks who want a walkthrough! We've got them covered.

Others will be engaging with the app already, but are interested in making sure they're using all of the features to their best advantage. We've got them covered too. 👍 

The App Guide feature furthers your event app goals by:

• Articulating the value-add of the app features and increasing interaction with them
• Prompting your attendees to engage and providing best practices for doing so
• Reducing the strain on your event staff by ensuring attendees know how to get the information they need out of the app

It's simple! Add the App Guide to your event in the Socio Platform today. 

Feel free to chat us below, schedule a call with one of our event tech experts, or if you already have an event set up, learn more about incorporating the App Guide feature in your event!

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

Your event app should look, feel, and function the way you want it to. That’s why at Socio, we’re always looking for ways to make sure you have the most customizable event app on the market. 

Today, we’re thrilled to introduce three app layouts for you to choose from. Each offers a unique way to engage your attendees, promote your sponsors and exhibitors, and drive traffic to your content.

🏁 Banners Ads
🧠 Smart Feed
🧐 Features Only

And that’s not all. We upgraded your builder experience on the Socio Platform, too, so you can see what your app will look like in real time. 

Important Note: For Branded App Customers, you'll need to update your app to access the new Event Layouts.

Banners

Have a sponsor who wants to run an ad in your event app? With the new Banners layout, you can monetize your app while giving sponsors the visibility they deserve.

You can even link these promotions to any content inside or outside of your app. Sponsors, for instance, can run ads that link to their website, a landing page, or their profile inside of your app. 

Sponsors aren’t the only ones who benefit, either. Say you want to drive foot traffic to your keynote. Run a banner ad highlighting your speaker, then to link to their session on the agenda.

Run as many promotions as you’d like. Banners automatically rotate (or attendees can swipe to find what interests them). The recommended size for banners is 950px wide by 380px tall.

Smart Feed

Imagine your app delivering a personalized experience to every attendee. Smart Feed makes that happen. It shows users relevant content when they need it, where they need it.

Attendees can swipe the cards in the Smart Feed to discover more content, too. The feed also continuously updates so users see fresh content when they return to your app’s home screen.

Speaking of your event content, Smart Feed can show any of the following options:

• Recommended Connections
• Sponsors
• Recent Announcements
• Upcoming Sessions

Features Only

Smartphones are amazing, but their real estate is limited. Enter the Features Only layout, which maximizes the space you have to showcase your event features.

By activating a full-screen layout, Features Only makes room for 12 icons. That simplified presentation helps attendees navigate to what they need quickly.

Use the Features Only layout when your event content deserves center stage, or when you have so many features to show that you need as clean and minimal of a layout as possible.

BONUS: Enhanced App Preview

Your app-building experience just got way better. Now when designing your event app on the Socio Platform, you can preview exactly what it will look like in real time.

Once you’re happy with your choices, you can watch the updates happen live on your app within moments of saving. 

Using the upgraded builder and previewing these new layouts and is easy. Head to the home screen on the Socio Platform, then follow these steps: 

My Events → Your Event → Edit Event → Appearance → Select Your Layout  

Learn More About These Updates

Want to know more? Live chat us now by clicking the Intercom icon toward the bottom right, or check out the Event Layouts overview on then Socio knowledge base.

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events