Meeting Activities can be used to register people for extra events that are not required, but can be added to a meeting registration. You can charge additional fees for meetings, limit the number of participants, or even offer the activity to specific groups of people based on a query.
(Note: This video utilizes an older version of the Cobalt Product; please keep that in mind when reviewing this video.)
1. Navigate to Activities & Classes from the Meeting Record
2. Click + New Meeting Activity above the Activities & Sessions sub-grid and a blank Meeting Activity Record will open
3. Fill out Required fields and any additional fields you choose.
Fields to note:
Activity Type - You can choose Session or Activity (The difference is for your organization only, there is no difference in the functionality). Typically people will use session for portions of the meeting related to the overall meeting content. Activities are typically extra events available like a lunch or entertainment activity.
Require RSVP - If you want people to have to register for the activity, set this to yes. You will want to use this for activities where the number of attendees is limited, or if you want to get an advance count of people planning to attend. This field should also be set to Yes if you plan to charge an additional fee for the activity as part of the registration process.
Publish to Portal - if you want people to see the activity on the portal, you must set this to Yes. Even if you don't require people to register for all the activities in advance you may want the information available so people can preview what the meeting has to offer.
- You can set RSVP to No and Publish to Portal as Yes to allow attendees to see a Read Only list of meeting sessions and activities. If you want people to sign up for sessions and activities in advance then set both fields to Yes.
- If you allow people to RSVP in advance, make sure to set the Begin/End Dates and Times accurately. The system will warn people who try to register for simultaneous activities to try and prevent people double booking themselves.
4. Edit the Meeting Activity Description
The rich-text editor in the Description field allows you to give more details about the activity/session, which will display on the portal. If nothing is entered here, then that tab will be blank.
5. Save the Meeting Activity Record
6. Create a Meeting Activity Registration Fee. On the Registration Fee sub-grid, click More Commands (...) then + New Meeting Activity Registration Fee.
For an overview on adding a Meeting Activity Registration Fee, see the video below.
(Note: This video utilizes an older version of the Cobalt Product; please keep that in mind when reviewing this video.)
Note: A fee must be created even if it is a free activity in order to display on the portal.
7. Fill out required and and any additional fields.
Fields to note:
Meeting Registration Fee - If you are creating activity registrations for people then in order for the customer to see this activity it must be linked to the meeting registration fee they can select. This is also a good way to limit who can register for an activity. If you allow non-members to attend the conference but have a members only activity then you can link the activity fees to the member registration fees only and non-members won't see them as an option. One limitation is that currently you can only have one activity fee associated with a meeting registration fee or there will be errors on the registration wizard.
Product - Set up a product to link here or select an existing Product. If the activity is free, add a $0 product.
Form - This will allow you to ask custom questions for the activity only. If you are doing a dinner and need to get meal options you can add the form here so that other customers registering for the meeting but not the activity won't have to select an option.
Automatically Include - This field works a little differently depending on whether you require RSVP or not for the activity.
- Automatically Include Marked Yes and RSVP on the Activity is Marked No -- The customer will not be given the option to select the activity as part of the registration but it will appear on the registration receipt and any charges for the activity will be applied to the order. This could be useful if you have events that are included in with the price of the meeting registration so you don't need people to do an additional selection of the activity. There will be a meeting activity registration generated for the customer.
- Automatically Include Marked Yes and RSVP on the Activity is Marked Yes - The select box for the activity will be checked when the customer gets to the activity selection page. The customer can uncheck to box to remove the activity but they have to opt out rather than opt in by selecting it. This can be useful if you want to encourage attendance but not require it for a certain activity.
- Automatically Include is Marked No and RSVP on the Activity is Marked Yes- The select box will not be check when the customer gets to the activity selection page. The customer can check the box to opt in to the activity.
- Automatically Include is Marked No and RSVP on the Activity is Marked No - The activity will not be available for selection as part of the registration process and will not appear as an activity registration on the customer receipt or in CRM. This is useful for general sessions or other open activities that you may want to let people know about but do not need registration data for.
Publish to Portal - if customers should have this activity fee available then set this to Yes.