Open Conference to Exhibitors Ahead of Time

Updated: November 17, 2020

Allow Exhibitors Access Before Conference

PART 1: Creating and Managing Access Groups

Method #1: Attendees Tab > Manage Access Groups

1. By clicking the Attendees tab, you have access to the current list of attendees within your venue.

Caution: If you click the Attendees tab while in an individual exhibitor, sponsor, or booth, that is at that specific booth-level. Do not use the booth-level for managing access groups because any changes will not be saved venue-wide.

2. Click Manage Access Groups.

3. Add access groups by typing in all group names separated by commas.

Method #2: Attendees Tab > Import Access Groups File

1. As shown before, click on the Attendees tab to get access to the current list of attendees.

2. Click Export to download a CSV file listing all attendees and their registration information.

Note: The Comma Separated Values format, or CSV, is the file format used across Engagez. If on a Mac, this file will open in the Numbers application. If on a PC, you can choose a default application to open this file type. To make changes to this file and re-upload as a new import, the file must be re-exported from your preferred application as a CSV.

3. Open the downloaded CSV file and navigate to the Access Groups column.

4. New or previous access groups may be used. Manually enter the access group titles as needed per the attendee in each row. Separate multiple access groups per row with a comma.

Note: If you enter a previously unknown access group, the Engagez platform will automatically create the access group in the system just as Method #1 did. In the photo above, “Example” would be one new access group once finished.

5. Save your CSV file after entering all desired access groups (In Excel, select “File,” then “Save”).

6. Return to the Attendees tab and click Import.

7. Select the CSV file in your file folder that you just edited.

8. Check the Ignore First Line button.

9. Upload the CSV file by clicking the Test Before Importing button. This will show you any missing information prior to your upload.

Tip: You can also check the “Registration Confirmation Email” if you would like your new attendees to be notified of their created account, depending on your needs.

Note: Warnings may appear when showing the test import. This to remind the user that their attendees have previously been uploaded, and only changes to the information provided will be added. Ignore these warnings and upload the CSV file and your changes will be made successfully.

Caution: If you see a number of errors greater than zero, check if any attendee emails are missing from the Email column in your spreadsheet. An attendee without a listed email cannot be added, as email serves as the unique identifier for each account.

10. Review the list to ensure your desired changes have been made successfully. Then, click the Import button to finish.

Note: The final import process may take minutes to hours, depending on the number of attendees. We recommend allowing at least one hour for every thousand attendees. If you have over 2,000 accounts, we strongly recommend uploading a small batch of the first 30-50 attendees to ensure all accounts are filling the designated information.

 

PART 2: How to Assign an Access Group

Now that you have created your desired access groups, you should understand how to assign these groups to attendees. By assigning access groups, you can limit what certain attendees can see and access in your venue.

1. Navigate to your Exhibit Hall. This hall may have a different name if you have customized hall names in your venue.

2. On the left-hand side, click on the UI Design tab.

3. Find the Menu dropdown list. Click Configure Menu Items.

4. For each location listed, you can limit the access group(s) who can view those pages. Click on the right-side dropdown menu and select the desired access group from PART 1. In the example below, those in the “Example” access group are the only attendees that can see and enter the Lobby.

Tip: If you want exhibitor/booth owners to be able to access their booth before your event begins but not see other parts of your venue, then you can create an “Exhibitors” special access group. Then, assign that group to the Exhibit Hall (or whatever you choose to title this page).

 After assigning the appropriate access groups for each page (if any), you will need to also limit access groups on the clickable logo. To do this, put the URL of the Exhibit Hall onto the logo.

5. Go to the Exhibit Hall (or equivalent) page and click on the UI Design tab again.

6. Click the main logo for the page and bring the Logo dropdown menu and Edit Style.

7. Take the URL of the Exhibit Hall (or equivalent) page and paste it into the URL: field.

 

PART 3: How to Open the Venue

Now that you have created and assigned access groups, you will learn how to open your venue for exhibitors to access their booths ahead of the event.

Caution: If you have distributed the venue link and password to all of your attendees, completing this step may allow them access to the venue. Usually, most events wait to distribute attendee login information until after exhibitors finalize their booths.

1. Click Essentials on the left-hand menu in the Administer tab.

2. Scroll down to the Key Dates subheading and confirm the Venue Open and Close dates.

Note: The Venue Open Date should be set to a date before the event opens to allow exhibitors or booth designers to edit and finalize booths. Once all exhibitors have checked their exhibit booths, change the Venue Open Date back to the date and time the conference opens to attendees.

3. Scroll down to the bottom and save changes to the Venue Dates.

4. Then click Exhibit Hall (or equivalent) and copy the link again to distribute to your exhibitors.

Note: If any other attendee gets the link and is not in your Exhibitor access group, then they will be unable to see those pages.

You should now be finalized with all steps to allow exhibitors access to your venue before the big starting day of your event.

Still have questions? Visit the Engagez Support venue or email us at support@kb.engagez.com. If you’ve purchased an implementation package, please contact your implementation representative through Skype or email.