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. Not a customer yet? We'd love to give you a demo!

Platform 5.4
Event App 32.0.0
Studio 1.4
Onsite 1.1.11

This month's batch of updates brings lots of new customization to some popular Event App and Registration features! Click the video below or keep reading to learn all about what we've cooked up. 👩‍🍳

Customize checkout messaging by ticket type

In a world of hybrid events, early bird specials, VIP passes, sponsor registration, and other ticketing nuances, one-size-fits-all messaging can be difficult to craft. That's why we're excited to announce that you can now create checkout messages and confirmation, cancellation, and refund emails that are unique to each ticket type in your Registration form! 🌈

In your Webex Event or Community, the Registration Checkout Settings page now has three tabs — Confirmation messages, PDF tickets, and Emails.

• Confirmation messages - Customize the confirmation page that appears after attendees purchase a ticket.
• PDF tickets - Choose whether the Event date, location, ticket QR code, ticket description, event description, or checkout confirmation message are included in the PDF version of the ticket that attendees receive after they register.
• Emails - Customize the confirmation emails attendees receive after they purchase a ticket and the cancellation and refund notification emails attendees receive after you cancel or refund their orders.

When you create a new message, ticket, or email, assign one or multiple ticket types to them, so if a single message makes sense for multiple tickets, you don’t have to duplicate your work. Have lots of different tickets? No problem! Create up to 50 unique messages, PDF tickets, and emails of each type.

Things to know:

• Attendees who buy multiple tickets in the a single order are shown a generic confirmation message, which you can customize.
• Newly created tickets are automatically assigned to the default confirmation message, PDF ticket, and emails.
• When you delete a custom confirmation message, PDF ticket, or email, its assigned tickets are moved to the corresponding defaults.
• All custom messages, PDF tickets, and emails are automatically translated when language selection is activated.

Excited to start crafting some amazing communications? Read our brand new article about customizing Registration checkout messaging for complete instructions.

Other email improvements

From name, Reply to, and Subject customization

Email messages customized to each ticket type are awesome, though there's more to an email than the message. That's why we've also added the ability to customize the From name, Subject, and Reply to email addresses for checkout, cancellation, and refund emails!

Because you can now customize emails by ticket type, this means that tailoring these fields to each type of attendee is now possible. Want to make sure speaker or VIP questions are routed to exactly the right person for quicker response? Easy! Create a confirmation email for the VIP ticket and enter the 'Reply to' email that will get their questions answered pronto. 

Use the variables below the email message to easily customize the message, 'From name', and 'Subject' to individual attendees, too.

Include PDF ticket and Web App buttons in custom Registration Emails

We've also added the ability to include the PDF ticket in the emails you create in the Promote > Emails menu. This is perfect for "See you soon" emails that help attendees who registered months ago find their tickets when your event is only a couple of days away.

Automatic App Store and Play Store button links

Previously, when you added the App Store or Play Store CTA buttons to an email, you had to then open up your Event App's promo page, copy the URLs one by one, and paste them into the 'Button Link' fields. That's a lot of work for something that should be easy.

Now, we automatically fill in those fields with the correct link to the Webex Events App or your Branded App. Less work? Yes, please!

Read our article about creating and sending Registration emails for complete information. 

Maps feature improvements

The Maps feature is one of the most popular features for in-person events, so maps should be visually appealing, fit with your brand, and help attendees find their way around your event venue as easily as possible. This release will help you achieve those goals!

New shape options

Previously, drawing a clickable region on a map was only a matter of drawing a blue rectangle. Maps of venues with curving or angled rooms tended to look odd. Drawing shapes on very small spaces such as exhibitor booths could also be a poor experience. So, we're adding three new shape options:

• Custom shape - Click to start drawing a line around an area of the image. Click again to add a corner. Click the point at which you started to complete the shape.
• Circle - Click to start drawing a circle around an area of the image. The place you click is the center of the circle. Click again to finalize the circle.
• Pin - Click to add a pin icon on the map image.

Customizable colors

Before, those rectangles we mentioned only came in blue. No offense to you blue lovers out there, but it doesn't fit every brand. Want to add shapes or pins for each of your exhibitors, customized with their unique brand colors? Now you can!

When you add a location to a map image, you can customize the fill and border colors for shapes and pins. Use the opacity slider in the color selector to control how much of the map image is visible below the shape.

Multi-map list view

Attendees sometimes didn't realize that an event had multiple maps because the map selection menu wasn't automatically presented when attendees clicked the Maps feature. To address this, we now display the list of all maps when attendees first click the Maps feature, and attendees can tap the one they want to view.

Other Maps feature updates

We've also made some other updates to the Maps feature, including:

• When you draw a location, the location's edges can now snap to the edges of other locations you added previously.
• The zoom effect when an attendee taps on a location doesn't zoom in as far now.
• If a feature item is associated with a location, the Location section now appears in that item in the Mobile App and Web App, regardless of the Event type.

💡 Keep in mind, app versions older than 32.0.0 will display all shapes and pins in the default blue, regardless of custom color selection, and circles will be displayed as pins. Be sure to update your Branded App to the latest version as soon as possible and advise your attendees to update the app on their devices.

To learn all about using the Maps feature, read our Feature Guide: Maps article.

Mirror my video in Webex Events Production Studio

When you look in a mirror, you see an inverted image of yourself. When you raise your right hand, your reflection appears to raise its left hand. We humans are used to this effect, so when a webcam video of you doesn't behave like a mirror, it can be disorienting.

We've now added the Mirror my video feature to the Webex Events Production Studio's camera settings. Activate the toggle to flip your self-view video so that it behaves like a mirror.

💡 Keep in mind, other people in the Studio will always see the non-mirrored version of your video, regardless of your selection.

Read our Introduction to Webex Events Production Studio to learn all about this Webex Events customer exclusive streaming solution.

That's all for today, folks! Head over to the Webex Events Platform and explore these new changes for yourself. Not a customer yet? Sign up for a free account to get started, or request a demo!

Platform 4.34
Event App 27.0.0

New Onsite Metrics page 

We know you love data. And what’s not to love about pretty charts and graphs that provide digestible and actionable insights? That’s why we’ve added a charcuterie board of Metrics to the Webex Events Onsite menu, dedicated solely to these data-filled doughnuts, pies, and other delicacies sure to satisfy your metrics cravings. Clearly, I'm hungry, but don’t worry — I’ll eat some leftover Halloween candy after finishing this post. 🍬

With Onsite Metrics, track check-in activity during and after your event to inform and improve check-in processes and the attendee check-in experience! Ever wonder when check-in is busiest? Want to know how many badges your check-in staff reprinted? How about badge printer usage? Now you can find these answers and more at a glance on the Onsite Metrics page. Drill down even further with charts sorted by Attendee Type or Badge Name, and filtered by time intervals and date ranges to keep you in the know about attendee check-in patterns. 📈 

Hungry for more? We have a very appetizing article about Onsite Metrics just for you!

Access and discount code import

End the monotony of manually entering and updating promo codes with our new Promo Code import template! If you have a buffet of discount and access codes that you need to add to Registration, you’ll really appreciate this new addition to the Event Registration Promo Code page. Simply download the template, add your promo codes to it, import the updated template, and you’re done. 

Need to edit a bunch of promo codes? No sweat! Export your promo codes, make updates, and import them again. 

What will you do with all the time you just saved, you ask? Maybe you should have a piece of Halloween candy.

For more information about how to use the Promo Code import template, read our Create Registration Promo Codes article.

Registration page event timezone display

This is a subtle yet clarifying update to the registration page. Now attendees can see your event’s timezone when they order tickets on your registration page. This will help alleviate potential confusion for those who live in a different timezone and ensure they don’t miss out on any part of your event. 🙌 

Third-party accessibility opt-in

We’re continually improving the built-in accessibility of our products. In Webex Events Registration and the Web App, we also offer an optional overlay with selectable accessibility profiles and adjustments, powered by a third-party AI solution. However, organizers previously couldn’t opt into or out of using this third party.

Now, we’ve also added a toggle to let you choose if you want to offer this to your attendees in our Registration and Web App products.

Facebook Sign Up and Log In Option sunset

To streamline our Branded App publishing and updating processes, we're sunsetting the Facebook Sign Up and Log In Option and profile image source as part of this release.

We’ve made sure that this change will be smooth for those who used Facebook to create their account on a Branded App. We've sent an email to the few Branded App customers that have the Facebook option enabled with simple instructions for attendees.

Image hosting change

We've changed our image hosting provider for the Webex Platform and all products for more security. We're already in touch with customers with Branded Apps to make sure they update their apps to the latest version. No action is needed for any other customers.

Platform 4.32
Mobile App/Branded App 26.0.0
Onsite App 1.1.6
Lead Retrieval App 1.7

Minimum supported iOS version: 14
Minimum supported Android version: 9

Webex Events rebrand update

In this phase of our rebranding journey, we’ve swapped "Socio" with "Webex Events" in a lot of places on the Webex Events Platform and our Knowledge Base, and we've renamed our apps. One of the most exciting parts of this rebranding chapter is our new launch icon. It’s new. It’s chic. It’s gradient. It’s orange! 🎊 

We aren’t changing any URLs in this phase — simply the launch icon, app names, and wording in our products. Check out the old and new app names in the table below.

Registration language settings

Registration now supports multiple languages! That’s right, Registration lets you control the Registration page’s default language for hardcoded text (that’s the text you can’t customize on your own). Check out the Language Settings section under General in Registration Settings and choose from over 30 languages. It's up to you to fill in your event name, description, ticket names, and other customizable text in your chosen language.

Anticipating a multi-lingual audience? Turn on Machine Translations so that folks ordering tickets to your event can translate the entire Registration page into their preferred language. They simply select a language and, like magic, the Registration page displays everything in that language instantly – including customizable text. They’ll receive confirmation emails, tickets, and other registration communications in the language they chose, too. Not only is this super cool, it also expands your reach to a wider audience and paves the way for a multi-lingual experience!

Check out our Registration Settings article to learn more.

Lithuanian language translation

Speaking of languages, we also added Lithuanian to our growing list of 30+ supported language translations. Find Lithuanian as a translation option in Registration, the Event App attendee language settings, and Webex Events Closed Captions & Translations!

File uploader and antivirus scanning

Our new file uploader has plenty of goodies you'll love. Its user-friendly interface lets you easily and quickly crop, rotate, and preview multiple images. What’s more, the new file uploader is so smart that it scans files and tells you if it detects malware. Pretty neat, right?

Free, Order Now, and Place Order label customization

This small yet mighty update lets you change the default "Free", "Order Now", and "Place Order" button text on the Registration page and ticket widget. This is especially useful for company-sponsored or internal events, where you may want to change the button text to better fit your event and the kind of tickets you're offering. Head over to your Registration event and customize these labels to your heart's content.

To learn more about customizing the "Free" and "Place Order" buttons, check out our Registration Settings article. For information on the "Order Now" button, our article on Widgets has what you need.

That's all for today, folks! Hop over to the Webex Events Platform and take a look at these new changes for yourself. Not a customer yet? We'd love to give you a demo!

Mobile App/Branded App Version: 23.0.0

Agenda/Calendar View Update

Your community calendar and event agenda just got a whole lot better! Two awesome new features are now available for both the Web App and Mobile App. 🎉

First, we've introduced Month and Year views. It's now very simple for community members or multi-week event attendees to browse the Agenda/Calendar and find upcoming or past sessions quickly. 

Selecting a month in the Year view takes you to the Month view. Selecting a day in the Month view takes you to the Day view, which is the same view you and your members and attendees are used to. 

When you edit the settings for the Agenda/Calendar feature, you can choose a Default View to suit your needs. 

The default Day view also got some love! Your attendees will now see the Happening Now carousel when there are sessions in progress. Users can scroll the carousel to the side to reveal additional sessions if there are lots happening at once.

⭐ Keep in mind, to take advantage of these new features in your Branded Mobile App, you'll need to update your app using this process.

For a complete look at using either the Agenda feature in Event Apps or the Calendar feature in Communities, check this out.

Custom Refund Policy

Sometimes life happens, and people can't make it to your event. Socio Registration gives you the power to issue refunds, and you could previously select from a list of 3 preset refund policies to present in the registration form. We've now added a 4th option that puts the stated policy in your hands! 

When editing your Refund Policy, select the Custom Refund Policy option from the drop-down, enter your own refund policy, and click Save Changes. It's that easy. 😀

For a complete look at how to set your Refund Policy, check this out.

Promo Code entry update

Don't discount the value of this update! 🥁🥁 🐍 Registrants no longer have to click the Enter Code link to reveal the Enter Code field. The field is now always visible at the top of the Tickets list in the registration form and in Ticket widgets.

To learn more about using Promo Codes in your registation, check this out.

Lead Retrieval Export

If you've ever wanted to see specific data on each lead captured by your Lead Retrieval exhibitors, you're in luck! 🍀

We've added the new Export Scan Data button to the Metrics page of your Lead Retrieval event. Click it, and you'll get an xlsx file with the following data goodies:

• Attendee Id 
• First Name 
• Last Name 
• Attendee Email 
• Title 
• Company 
• Scanned by Exhibitor Name 
• Exhibitor User Id 
• Scanned by User First Name 
• Scanned by User Last Name 
• Scanned by Title 
• Lead Quality 
• Lead Status 
• Scan Date 
• Scan Time 

This is great for when you want to summarize how Lead Retrieval performed for your stakeholders, and to prove value to future exhibitors who may want to use LR at your next event.

To learn all about setting up and using Lead Retrieval, check this out.

Croatian Language Support

Zdravo! We're pleased to announce that we now support Croatian in the Web App and Mobile Apps. For our full list of supported languages, check this out.

That's all for today, folks! Hop over to the Socio Platform and take a look at these new changes for yourself. Not a customer yet? We'd love to give you a demo! 

More Languages

• Bulgarian
• Catalan (Spain)
• Croatian
• English (UK)
• French (France)
• Indonesian
• Norwegian
• Spanish (Spain) 

App Guide and Attendee Knowledge Base Retirement

On February 23, 2022, we’re retiring the Attendee App Knowledge Base at help.ea.socio.events.

We launched the App Knowledge Base to help answer attendee questions. However, it receives very little traffic — <1% of total feature clicks on average. Turns out, our products are pretty intuitive for end users! Instead of maintaining articles that few are using, we’ve opted to double down on the content that you are using, and empower you to create custom guidance for your attendees.

We encourage you to check out our article about creating an awesome Attendee Walkthrough and use it as inspiration for creating your own guides, whether a video, FAQ, or PDF. Using the examples from other organizers, you can create awesome content tailored to your brand, event, and attendees.

We've taken measures to ensure that anyone who happens to find a link to the App KB will be redirected after February 23.

Term Change: Branded App Custom App

"What's in a name? That which we call a Branded App by any other name would smell just as sweet." - William Shakespeare (sort of)

When you create a Socio Event or Community, your attendees on mobile devices can access it via the Socio App at no additional cost. If you want your mobile experience tailored more to your brand, we offer the add-on Custom App, formerly referred to as the Branded App. 

These great options remain unchanged! We simply wanted to let you know that we've changed how we talk about this custom version of the Socio App from "Branded App" to "Custom App". You'll see this change reflected in the Socio Platform, the Socio Platform Knowledge Base, and future communications from our team.

To learn all about making your own Custom App, check this out.

That's all for today! Hop over to the Socio Platform and take a look at these new changes for yourself. Not a customer yet? We'd love to give you a demo!