Platform 6.0
Event App 33.0.0
Lead Retrieval 1.8.0
Onsite App 2.0

Today's update is jam-packed with lots of great changes that will make your experience with Webex Events simpler, more intuitive, and more versatile. Watch the video below and read this post to learn all about these changes.

Introducing: Onsite Session Check-in!

That's right! The excellent Onsite app you're used to using for Event Check-in and badge printing now does Session Check-in too. 

Here's how it works:

When you add or upload your Event's Sessions, you'll configure the brand new Session Check-in options for each Session. This includes check-in and check-out policy, check-in flow and information customization, and access limitations based on tracks, personal agendas, and our brand new location capacity setting.

Next, configure the Onsite App as normal, then publish, and it's time to check attendees in!

After you download the latest version of the Onsite by Webex Events (Socio) app on a check-in device, log in, and choose your Event, a mode selection screen appears where you'll choose either Event Check-in or Session Check-in. Select Session Check-in, then tap on a Session. Launch check-in right away, or lock the device to only one or more Sessions if you don't want users to access the full Session list.

Checking attendees in couldn't be easier! If the welcome and confirmation screens aren't active, check-in staff simply scan attendees' badge QR codes to check them in to and out of the Session. Otherwise, you can set up a check-in iPad or iPhone at the entrance to each session, and attendees can check themselves in with either the QR Code or Search options, kiosk-style.

If an attendee doesn't have their QR code handy, search for them by name, email, company, or title, then review their information before checking them in.

During and after check-in, explore check-in metrics and trends to track session performance, award Continuing Education Credits, and inform future decisions. On the Sessions page, click the 'i' icon next to a Session's 'Attendance' count to access the counts for all time checked in, checked out, currently checked-in, capacity, and remaining capacity.

There's much more to explore about Webex Events Onsite Session Check-in, and we have several brand new and updated articles to guide you through everything:

• Configure the Onsite App
• Configure Sessions for Session Check-in
• Session Check-in Device Setup
• Using Onsite Session Check-in
• Onsite App Settings Overview
• Onsite Metrics

Bonus! 

These changes to the Onsite app also include some improvements to the Event Check-in experience and the app in general, including:

• Smarter attendee search
• Better in-app setup instructions
• iPhone compatibility with Event Check-in and Badge Printing
• Dark mode
• Revamped app settings

Unified Attendee list

Previously, there were four separate attendee lists in the Webex Events platform — two in the Registration product, one in the Event App product, and one in the Onsite product. Managing different parts of a single attendee's information in multiple different places could be confusing, so we've now unified all attendee lists into one in the Webex Events platform. The new Attendees page dynamically shows columns and statuses relevant to each product you've activated for your Event with corresponding filters, individual actions, and bulk actions.

Revamped attendee profiles

As you probably guessed, each attendee now has a single profile page, so you can review and edit all attendee information in one place. The tabs in an attendee's profile let you quickly and simply access and edit their basic information, Event App and social activity, and Registration data. No more bouncing back and forth between different profiles in different products!

Read our article about adding and uploading attendees for up-to-date instructions on adding attendees to your Event.

Read our article about accessing and editing attendee information for a complete overview of the Attendees page, attendee profiles, and all the ways you can edit attendee data.

New 'Attendance' tag

We've now added a new 'Attendance' tag to attendee profiles that indicates whether the person is attending in person or virtually. When you create a new attendee profile or upload attendees, you must now specify how they'll attend. In Webex Events Registration, you must also set an attendance type for each ticket you create, and attendees who buy a ticket are automatically assigned that ticket's attendance type.

For now, this new tag is a great way to identify if an attendee will be on-site or not when viewing their profile in the Webex Events platform. This tag also opens up new opportunities for us to improve the attendee and organizer experience in the future. Stay tuned!

Event-level groups and exclusive groups

Groups let you categorize attendees, tailor content to different personas or interests, and personalize the attendee experience. Since attendees and groups go together, you'll now create and manage groups from the Attendees menu instead of the (now removed) Users & Groups menu in the Event App.

This means that assigning attendees to groups with tickets and questions in Webex Events Registration doesn't require you to first publish the Event App!

Exclusive groups

There's a new kind of group in town — exclusive groups. These have all the same benefits as the regular groups you're used to, except attendees can only belong to one exclusive group at a time. That's because exclusive groups are meant to uniquely identify different types of attendees. For example, you might make exclusive groups for attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff.

With the introduction of exclusive groups, keep these concepts in mind:

• Create new exclusive groups from the 'Groups' page and in the 'New ticket' modal in Webex Events Registration.
• Attendees must belong to an exclusive group, and they can only belong to one exclusive group at a time.
• Tickets must be associated with an exclusive group, and attendees who buy a ticket are automatically assigned to the ticket's exclusive group.
• Exclusive groups now replace 'Attendee Types' in Webex Events Onsite.

Our article about groups has everything you need to know about creating and using groups and exclusive groups.

Event-level questions

We want everyone who uses Webex Events to have the best experience possible, even if they choose not to use all of our services. As part of the attendee profile consolidation, we've added the 'Questions' page to the new Attendees menu. For those of you using Webex Events Registration, you can still create questions from the Checkout Forms page in Webex Events Registration.

For folks who don't want to use Webex Events Registration, this is great news because you can now import attendees with their question answers without activating Webex Events Registration. Simply create the questions in Webex Events, then import attendees with the answers to each question. 

💡 Keep in mind, with this release, you can no longer create questions when importing attendees. You must first create the questions in Webex Events, then import the data.

Read our article about creating questions for complete information.

Event-level Sessions and tracks

Just like we moved the Attendees and Groups pages to the event level, we've now also moved Sessions and Tracks out of the Event App's Agenda feature to the event level. Why? Because Session Check-in! I said it once, and I'll say it again: we want everyone who uses Webex Events to have the best experience possible, even if they choose not to use all of our services. With Session creation outside the Event App, anyone can now use Onsite Event Check-in and badge printing and Session Check-in without touching the Event App product. It also opens up some great opportunities for future product improvements.

For everyone who uses the Event App, this change really isn't much of a change. Besides moving the menus, the only difference now is that when creating or uploading Sessions, you'll specify which Agenda feature a Session should belong to.

Like attendees and groups, Sessions and tracks are made for each other, so they came along for the ride when we moved Sessions. Tracks now live in the brand new Sessions menu, and they still work like they always have.

Read these new and updated articles for complete information about Sessions and tracks:

• Add Sessions to Your Event
• Manage Sessions in Your Event
• Configure Sessions for Session Check-in
• Use Tracks to Categorize Sessions

Event-level locations and location capacity

If you thought we were done movin' and improvin', we have one more surprise. Even though you can associate locations with Map shapes and pins, Sponsor, Speaker, and Exhibitor profiles, Custom List items, and the Single Item feature in the Event App, locations are critical to Sessions, too. With the introduction of Onsite Session Check-in, we've now added the 'Locations' menu to the 'Sessions' menu and added the 'Location capacity' field to locations.

Read our article about adding and using locations for more information.

Lite Check-in removed

Now that Webex Events Registration no longer has a separate attendee list, we've removed the Lite Check-in feature.

That's all for today, folks! Head over to the Webex Events Platform and explore these new changes for yourself. As always, all Webex Events knowledge base articles are 100% up to date for these changes, so you can get accurate instructions and more information when you need it. 

Lights. Webcams. Action!

As a digital event platform powering virtual and hybrid events, we know how critical live streaming is to your event's success. Providing a simple, reliable, integrated streaming solution has been one of our highest priorities over the years. Until now, we've only provided Webex Events Streaming which integrates Restream's studio with the Webex Events platform.

Now, to provide you with an additional streaming experience that integrates more deeply with your Event App and Community, we're proud to announce the arrival of the Webex Events Production Studio beta! Keep reading or click the video below to learn more.

Designed and built by Webex Events

We've spent months researching, designing, building, and testing this brand new studio experience, and we'll spend years continuing to add more features and make the Studio your best streaming solution. Now, we want to give everyone the opportunity to use the Studio and share feedback. 💬

The features you're used to...

If you're used to the Restream studio's features, you'll feel right at home in the Webex Events Production Studio. Features like brand folders, custom banners, videos, images, and private Studio chat are all available in the right menu's tabs.

You can also show stream content in different layouts, queue layouts to automatically switch when screen share is added, and control who's in the stream and where they appear onscreen.

...and more

In addition to chat integration, the Studio features integration with the Q&A feature and Custom Tab content, so it's easier than ever for speakers and presenters to read and respond to questions and Slido polls!

Guest speakers can join the Studio from their mobile device using the speaker link. Speaking of guests, you can have up to 13 people in a Studio at once. Up to three of these people can be hosts who can control graphics, banners, and other stream content.

⭐️ Keep in mind, hosts must always join the Studio from a computer.

• Introduction to Webex Events Production Studio
• Getting Started with Webex Events Production Studio

That's all for today, folks! Head over to the Webex Events Platform and explore the new Webex Events Production Studio for yourself.

Socio's induction into the Webex brand was a big moment for us in 2021, and big changes are on the horizon. Our vision and mission, however, remain the same as ever: to build an end-to-end event management solution that delights organizers and attendees with powerful yet simple tools, unparalleled customer support, and incredible customization. 

Socio Onsite is the newest addition to the Socio product lineup, giving you a fully-customizable attendee check-in and on-demand badge printing solution that's truly all-inclusive. From the Onsite App experience to custom badge design to hardware rental and badge stock supply, Socio has everything you need to start your attendees off with a 'wow' experience.

Now let's take a closer look.

Planning and putting on an event has countless considerations and pressures, each one as important as the next. Every little detail matters, and time is precious. We want to empower you to invest as little time as possible while building a world-class check-in and badge printing experience. We did our homework, and we think we nailed it.

Create your Socio Onsite event in mere minutes, and link it to Socio Registration so attendee data flows seamlessly. Customize the Socio Onsite iPad app your way with graphics, button labels, icons, and more. Your event's branding won't skip a beat.

Badge design is also simple and intuitive, yet incredibly robust. Use Onsite's drag-and-drop badge design interface to make a basic one-size-fits-all badge for every attendee, or apply visibility rules to tailor badges or even individual elements on badges to specific people using Attendee Types and Socio Registration data. Customization can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be.

What about the hardware? We've got you covered there, too! Never worry about identifying and sourcing from multiple vendors again. Socio's rental kits include everything you need to do check-in and badge printing, including printers, iPads and stands, routers, and badge stock. 

Ready to learn more about Socio Onsite? Reach out to us for a live demo, or check out our other articles here!

Hop over to the Socio Platform and take a look for yourself.

'Sup streamers? Ever since Socio launched Socio Streaming, we've been working exclusively with StreamYard as our preferred streaming provider. Now, we're bringing on an additional streaming partner - Restream.

When you select a live streaming provider for an Agenda session or Live Stream, you'll now see two options for Socio Streaming: Socio Streaming by Restream and Socio Streaming by StreamYard.

When you select Restream, you'll still see the Launch Studio button and the Speaker instructions. When you enter the Restream studio, you'll quickly realize it's a lot like StreamYard in many ways. You've got access to Chat messages from attendees, custom branding, overlays, captions (banners), video clips, and more! For a full feature comparison, check this out.

Got a speaker that's much more comfortable with StreamYard, but others are excited to try Restream? No problem! No matter which Socio Streaming provider you select, your streaming credits can be used for either of them, so you can mix and match.

We're thrilled to be providing you this additional option for producing amazing live streams, and, as always, we're excited to always keep improving Socio for YOU!

For a complete look at using Restream in your event, check this out.

Hop over to the Socio Platform and take a look for yourself. 

We've been cooking this one up for a while, and we can't wait for you to see it!  We’re excited to support event professionals’ continued learning with Socio Academy, the place where event professionals, Socio partners, and customers go to learn and certify their knowledge. Socio Academy makes it easy for you to become a Socio expert and master of your craft. To go there now, click the button below.

For a preview of Socio Academy and the learning opportunities there, take a look at the video below. 👇

Customizable Course Plans Based on Your Learner Persona 

Getting started with Socio Academy is easy and only requires a Socio Platform login. If you’re a customer, you can log in with your existing Socio Platform credentials. Anyone can enroll in Socio Academy! If you’re not a customer, you can easily set up a Socio account here. 

When you log into Socio Academy, you can choose courses based on what aspect of your event is most important to you. Are you focused on crafting a fun-filled, unforgettable attendee experience? Do event operations make your world go around? Are you striving to make a lasting brand impression with your attendees and sponsors? Is your bottom line ROI? If any of these piqued your interest, Socio Academy’s Learner Personas have you covered with courses tailored for each outcome. Dive into one or two that best fit your current knowledge needs, or take it to the next level and try them all! 

If you’d like to take a broader approach to your search, you can browse the full course catalog and select the courses that most interest you. 

Become a Power User with Socio Academy Courses 

Staying up-to-date with the Socio Platform has never been easier with Socio Academy. Socio Academy courses are a great way for event professionals to learn more how Socio products support virtual, hybrid, and in-person events.

Socio customers have the added benefit of accelerating their product onboarding with Socio Platform and Release Readiness courses, helping them become certified experts on all that their Socio products have to offer. 

To take your Socio knowledge to the next level, you can enroll in Socio Certification to gain a firm understanding of all Socio product functionality and benefits, learn an overview of product configuration, and discover where to go for more information on configuration or any other Socio-related topic.

Once you’ve completed Socio Certification or a Socio Academy course, you’ll want to shout your success from the (virtual) rooftops! You can easily share your certificate of completion with your LinkedIn network directly from Socio Academy. 

Level Up Your Event Industry Skills 

As the events landscape continues to evolve, Socio Academy is here to help you get the most out of your events with industry specific courses. Whether you’re focused on how to drive Event Revenue and Sponsorship ROI, interested in becoming an expert on Negotiating with Vendors, or you’re looking for guidance on how to Raise the Bar on Virtual Events, Socio Academy has the courses you need to become a master at your trade. 

The abrupt switch to virtual events in 2020, combined with the emergence of hybrid events, has left many event professionals with more questions than answers. Socio Academy is tackling these topics in courses like Bringing the Magic of In-Person Events to Virtual and Showcasing Sponsors in a Virtual Event with expert advice on how to ensure your virtual and hybrid events are successful, engaging, and measurable.

As an added benefit, on-demand versions of Socio webinars will be uploaded to Socio Academy. To get right to what matters most, each webinar will be condensed down into the session’s most important takeaways. Whether you’re revisiting a favorite webinar or watching for the first time, you’ll gain valuable insights on some of the most relevant topics in the events industry.  

Master Your Craft with Socio Academy

Whether you enroll in Socio Academy to ensure you're getting the most out of your Socio products, or you simply want to stay up-to-date on event industry trends, you’ll walk away with valuable insights and learnings to amplify your events. 

Whether you come to ensure you're getting the most out of your Socio products, or you simply want to stay up-to-date on event industry trends, Socio Academy is for you. We can't wait to see you there!

It's never been easier to put on a professional live stream! Socio Streaming is a combination broadcasting studio and player that is easy to use, requires no downloads or outside software, and is fully customizable. Socio Streaming is an additional cost add-on feature, reach out to your Socio contact for pricing.

But wait — already purchased RTMP credits? Great news! Your RTMP player just got a lot better at no additional cost. Socio Streaming is included. 🙌

Benefits

Full Branding

Not only is your stream completely white-labeled (with no outside logos included), but you can fully customize it with your own branding. This also means that there are plenty of opportunities to showcase sponsors — even with sponsor videos!

Connect with Your Audience

Engage with your audience in real time by displaying viewer comments on-screen, connecting with (and showcasing!) your audience in a new and exciting way. Bonus — they'll be that much more encouraged to chat.

Simple & Reliable

Not super tech savvy? No problem. Socio Streaming is the easiest way to create professional live streams. You'll be amazed at how simple it is to put on a high production value event, no AV team required.

Drive Actions

Adding a call-to-action or other important message is so simple, it can even be done on-the-fly based on what is occurring in the chat or the live stream. This enables you to encourage viewers to take the actions you want.

No Downloads

You don’t need anything other than a computer with a mic and camera to get started. Anyone with the link can join your stream, and no login of any kind is required. 🙌 Socio Streaming becomes your end-to-end product for your live stream.

If Socio Streaming sounds like it may be a good fit for you, reach out to your Socio contact! For a list of considerations to help you evaluate, check this out. 

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

From day one, Socio’s core vision has always been to build an end-to-end event management solution that delights organizers and attendees with powerful yet simple tools, unparalleled customer support, and mind-blowing visibility into their event metrics and data. It’s a vision that guides our entire philosophy, and our approach to every product we develop.

The launch of Socio Registration pairs pre-event and in-event data for a more holistic picture of each attendee’s experience (and all the insights that we can glean). Plus, Socio Event Registration is easy to set up, allowing you to spend your time doing what you do best - putting on amazing events.

While the launch of Socio Registration forever changes our trajectory, it’s only the beginning of the next phase of Socio’s evolution as we continue to design best-in-class event technology for organizers and attendees to use across the lifecycle of their events.

Now, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at Socio Registration.

At every stage of the development process, we found ways to cut down on duplicity, provide more customizable features, and most importantly — make Socio Registration the most simple, yet sophisticated option available.

Like all of Socio’s products, we designed Socio Registration to be highly intuitive, so literally anyone can be up and running with a branded registration page in minutes. The design is sleek, the UX is impeccable, and everything renders across all devices beautifully. But most importantly, attendee data flows seamlessly to our Virtual Event Suite, Event App, and Communities.

With Socio Registration, you can segment different attendee groups and assign multiple ticket types to each, leading to a personalized attendee journey in the entire event platform.

After completing registration and downloading the Event App, all of the information is already there — in the attendee’s preferred language — including profile picture, social handles, and work info. This not only saves time for the attendee, it creates a more personalized experience. And, there's no need for clunky integrations or multiple point solutions.

For ticket sales, Socio Registration offers instant payout, meaning revenue is available immediately — not weeks later, or after the event concludes.

We understand the importance of a strong brand identity, and that’s why Socio Registration offers the flexibility and customization you need. Almost every detail is customizable, from the look and feel of the landing page down to the URL. Even the input fields are customizable, so you can change the name of any button or input field to better capture the data you find most valuable.

When it comes to analyzing registration data, our system comes equipped with an analytics dashboard so you and your stakeholders always have a real-time picture of ticket sales, revenue, and other valuable data points.

Interested in learning more about Socio Registration? Reach out to us for a demo, or check out our other articles here!

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events

Socio Communities open the door for year-round engagement with your audience. Enjoy the same great features as Socio Event Apps, the same easy-to-use Socio Platform, plus unique abilities supporting year-round usage by members across the globe. 

Our Communities allow members to connect, share, and engage with other members, sponsors, and community leaders anywhere in the world. Build a Community to support a variety of business goals, from growing your member base, adding value to your membership, increasing brand loyalty, and providing sponsorship ROI.

Want to learn more? Check out our Introduction to Communities and Best Practices for Building Online Communities articles, or reach out to us for a demo!

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

Live Display showcases your content on screens everyone can see and turns your event into a visual experience. 

Engage and inform your audience by showing them social activity, current and upcoming sessions, attendee leaderboards, and more. 

Give sponsors and exhibitors the visibility they deserve by surfacing their brand across the venue.

Just pick the content that matters most, customize the look and feel, and publish it—all in real time.

Want to learn more? Check out this live demo to see Live Display in action. You can get started with Live Display here or learn more here. 

Questions? Chat Us or Email support@socio.events