Hi Stanley,
I think it's matter of personal preference and where you want to put your work between your 2 options. I'm not super familiar with session bundles so in my mind I would use either included sessions (if I was doing 3 separate events) or include sessions with Admission Items (if I was doing 1 umbrella event):
- Create 3 events that have 6 included sessions. If all your sessions are included, when your invitees register for a event, they will be registered for the 6 sessions. The event can span many days (ie from the date of the first session to the date of the last session).
- Create 1 event with 3 admissions items and then include the appropriate 6 sessions (in this case, set-up you sessions as optional) with the appropriate admission item. For example, I would register for Admission Item A and automatically be registered for Sessions A1, A2, A3, A4, A5. Another invitee could register for Admission Item B and automatically be registered for Sessions B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6. You can set capacity and registration deadlines for admission items. (Including Sessions with Admission)
In either case, attendees would not select individual sessions which it sounds like something you're trying to avoid.
Option 1 is a little simpler set-up on the planner side but a bit more work to make sure your content is updated. I would create the 1st event, make it as perfect as I can get it (website, reg process, emails, reports, etc) and then copy it and update the dates, etc., for the other two events. You can also use account level data tags in place of text so you only have to update the information in one location.
Option 2 is a bit more complex set-up wise for a planner but I think it's easier for content updates, emails, etc., as everything lives within one event.
In your confirmation email, the My Agenda widget can include an ICS calendar link. The ICS calendar file that you can attach in the email is at the event level, not the session level, but from the Q3 product update it sounds like that ICS calendar attachments at the session level are on the roadmap. On the confirmation page, you can also adjust the Add to Calendar widget button to be for individual sessions instead of the whole event. For any session reminders, you'll want to be sure to use the session emails and data tags will be your best friend.
I've worked on events both ways and with umbrella events so I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about those!
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Christine D'Arcy
Cvent Application Administrator
University of Southern California
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