Virtual Event Page Overview Follow
Splash's Virtual Event Page offers an on-brand virtual venue for your guests.
In this guide, learn how to add the Virtual Event Page to your event, embed your virtual content, create targeted guest communications, and analyze your post-event data.
On this page:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
Introduction to the Virtual Event Page Add and design the Virtual Event Page Send guests their Virtual Event URL |
Introduction to the Virtual Event Page
Before you get started, watch the video below to familiarize yourself with a guest's end-to-end journey with the Virtual Event Page.
Pro Tip: Watch our Virtual Event Page video series before launching your first event. |
Guests start by registering on your event page:
In their email confirmation and calendar invite, guests will receive an exclusive check-in link, known as the Virtual Event URL:
The guest can check themselves in starting thirty minutes before the event start time:
Once checked-in, the guest can view the live stream content:
Know before you go
This guide walks through the steps for designing the touchpoint, communicating with guests, testing the end-to-end flow, and understanding the post-event experience.
Before you get started, it's important to understand the limitations and familiarize yourself with the Virtual Event Page online course.
Limitations
The Virtual Event Page supports up to 50,000 guests. This is to ensure the best check-in and streaming experience possible for your event. Contact Splash's support team if you have needs that exceed this limitation.
Online course
Splash recommends watching the video below, along with the rest videos in the playlist, before launching your first event.
Keep reading to get started.
Add and design the Virtual Event Page
In the event create flow:
- From the Events Dashboard, click New Event.
- For the "How will your guests attend?" question, select Virtually or Virtually and In Person.
Note: If you select "Virtually," by default, the location will appear as Virtual in any calendar attachments. To edit the location, go to the Settings tab of your event. You cannot change the attendance type once an event is created. To change the attendance type, create a new event. |
Your event's fonts, colors, logo, and title are dynamically pulled into the Virtual Event Page. Text, colors, fonts, and your logo - or event image - can be updated at any time within the Event Page touchpoint.
Note: To update the event title that appears across the Virtual Event Page, go to the Settings tab of your event. |
In the upper left-hand corner of the touchpoint, locate the dropdown that includes each virtual event states, or moments of the guest experience:
- Check-In (Countdown)
- Check-In (Open)
- Live Stream
Guests will see each state depending on when they access their unique check-in link, known as the Virtual Event URL.
Every text element in the Virtual Event Page is customizable. Click on each text element to make copy edits and use the panel to the right to make any design changes.
Note: Editing the Virtual Event Page is available to paid plans only. |
Let's walk through each state in more detail below.
Check-In (Countdown)
The Check-In (Countdown) state displays up until thirty minutes before the event start time. A guest who clicks their Virtual Event URL early will be notified that the event hasn’t started yet.
Note: For TBD Events the Virtual Event URL will take you directly to the Check-In (Open) process due to the lack of start time. |
Check-In (Open)
Check-in opens 30 minutes before the event start time. This check-in window cannot be adjusted.
By checking in, a guest agrees to Splash's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy — represented in a banner at the bottom of the Check-In (Open) screen.
Note: This banner cannot be edited or removed. Due to the changing virtual event landscape, Splash now requires virtual event attendees to agree to Splash's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before joining the event. Guests do not need to take any additional action to attend virtual events. |
Once a guest clicks the checks-in prompt:
- The guest is taken directly to the Live Stream state.
- The guest's status transitions to Checked In in your event’s Guest List -- for RSVP events only -- and any subsequent CRMs based on the integrations set up within your organization. When they exit the tab or browser, or navigate to a new URL, their status transitions to Checked Out.
Note: Splash stores the most up-to-date Checked In and Checked Out times in the Guest List. This means if a guest checks out then checks back in, their Checked In time will reflect the most recent check-in. To understand a guest's total duration, keep reading until section 6: Understanding the post-event experience. |
Live Stream
Guests who successfully check-in to the event will enter the Live Stream state where your video and engagement tools live.
Pro Tip: Remember that guests can check-in 30 minutes before the event start time. Splash recommends starting your live stream early. Try sharing a "This event will begin soon" slide so guests know they are in the right place. |
To embed a video, chat, or other type of virtual content:
- Click the Embed element in the Layout Tree.
- Click Embed Options.
- Select one of Splash's recommended video providers: Zoom or Vimeo, or select Custom Embed.
- Click Save Changes.
To add a second embed:
- Click Add Embed.
- Click Embed.
- Click Embed Options.
- Select one of Splash's recommended video providers: Zoom or Vimeo, or select Custom Embed.
- Click Save Changes.
- Click theicon next to Virtual Content to adjust the layout of the embeds from the default Side by Side view to Sidebar or Stack.
Link: Learn more about Splash's compatible video and audience engagement providers. |
You can use the Undo and Redo buttons to add or remove any additions before saving changes.
If your video provider does not offer an embed code or you prefer to take guests to a separate location to view your content:
- Click the three dots next to Virtual Embed.
- Select Link Out.
- Enter your URL in the Button Link field.
Footer (all page states)
Within the footer of each state, you'll find the Contact Organizer and View Event Page buttons. Change the text by clicking on it and typing. Keep in mind that you must repeat this for each state as changes to this text on one state won't automatically across the Virtual Event Page.
The Custom Button element can be used to link out to your next event or any destination. Unlike the other buttons in the footer, edits to this button are linked across all states — meaning if you update a link on one state, it will update on all others.
Send guests their Virtual Event URL
To ensure your virtual content stays secure, guests will only be able to access the Virtual Event Page using their unique check-in link, otherwise known as their Virtual Event URL. The format of each URL is yourdomain/virtual?gz=uniquenumber
Pro Tip: A seamless experience with the Virtual Event Page touchpoint is only possible if your guests get access to their Virtual Event URL. Be sure to use all of the recommendations for sending guests their Virtual Event URL. |
Watch a video
Here are the top things to know when it comes to the Virtual Event URL:
- Once you add the Virtual Event Page touchpoint to your event, Splash automatically populates the [virtual_event_url] tag, along with some default text, in your event's calendar attachment description.
- The "Add to Calendar" prompt is available in the on-page and email confirmation.
-
There are other ways to send guests their Virtual Event URL, included below, and Splash recommends relying on all of them to ensure your guests get in the door.
- On-page confirmation message
- Email confirmation and reminder email
- Guest List
- Email provider integrated through Splash
- By default, the Virtual Event URL can only be used for check-in on one browser and one device at a time. Hosts can choose to make the Virtual Event URL shareable within the settings of an event.
- For the best viewing experience, Splash recommends guests use a Chrome browser on their desktop.
Note: If you add the Virtual Event Page touchpoint but never click Save, the tag will redirect you to the Event Page touchpoint. This protects you from sending guests to a Virtual Event Page that isn't ready for showtime. |
Test the end-to-end experience
Link: Review Splash's pre-event checklist before you launch your event. |
Use the Preview option in the top right of the Virtual Event Page to test the attendee experience.
You'll find a timeline of your virtual event, along with the corresponding states attendees will interact with. Click on an individual state or use the arrows in the top right to navigate through all of the states at once.
If you want to test your entire event experience, from invite to registration to live stream, follow the steps below:
- Duplicate your event page and set the event start time to now.
- Navigate to the Virtual Event Page touchpoint.
- Replace the embed code with a test embed.
- RSVP to the event as a guest.
- Join via the Virtual Event URL in your calendar attachment or email.
Heads up that you cannot generate a Virtual Event URL using the [virtual_event_url] tag in a test email. You must submit an actual registration.
Analyze your post-event data
As a quick refresher, when guests click to check in on the Virtual Event Page, their status updates to "Checked In" in your event's Guest List. When the guest exits the page — either by navigating to a different domain or closing the tab or window — their status updates to Checked Out.
Checked In and Checked Out times are available as columns in your event's Guest List.
There are a few known cases that can cause a guest to not be marked as Checked Out when exiting the page:
- If a guest is using Internet Explorer 11 to access the event.
- If a guest is using any browser on an iOS or Android mobile device.
- If a guest loses internet connection or their device crashes.
To understand the average duration of your guests' time in the virtual event your top-level Reporting tab. Make sure to switch to the Event Guest List Dashboard where you'll find the "Average Duration in Minutes" column in the Event Details table.
Create an on-demand recording
The virtual content element on your Live Stream State will look different once your event has ended depending on your video provider. Some video providers create a recording of the livestream while others will show a message that the event has ended.
Note: The Virtual Event Page will be active until you decide to unpublish your event. This means that new and existing guests can still use their Virtual Event URLs to check in and access the Live Stream State. |
Use the Virtual Event Page to host on-demand content, or a recording of your event that guests can access at any point.
Resources
- Virtual Event Page Pre-Event Checklist: Cross your t's and dot your i's with our pre-event checklist.
- Virtual Event URL Communication: Get up to speed with all the ways your guests can receive their personalized links.
- Embedding on the Virtual Event Page: Check out our recommended embed solutions.
- How to Embed a Zoom Meeting or Webinar: The ins and outs of working with Zoom and the Virtual Event Page, including breakout room support.
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