In-Person Events - Admin Guide

Overview

In-person events allow you to create and manage physical learning sessions where learners meet at a specific venue. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating, managing, and tracking in-person events.

🎬 Watch this as a short narrated video

Steps shown in this video

1. In-person events let you run physical learning sessions. Open the Events section and click Create Event to start.
2. First, choose the type of event.
3. In-Person Event is for a physical venue; Online Event connects Zoom, Google Meet or Teams. We'll set up an in-person session.
4. This opens the session details form.
5. Give the event a clear, descriptive name — up to 100 characters.
6. Add a description — what learners will cover and what to bring. It appears in their invitation email.
7. Set the start date and time, the duration, and the timezone. Choose the venue's timezone — every invitee sees this time.
8. Add the full venue address — building, floor and room. It shows on the event card, emails and calendar invites.
9. Optionally name the instructor leading the session.
10. Choose who can see the event and upload a banner image. Finally, add your invitees and click Create Event to publish — invitation emails go out automatically.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before creating events, ensure you have:

• ✅ Admin permissions in your organisation
• 📧 Learner email addresses (for invitations)
• 📍 Venue details (location, address)
• 📅 Event schedule (dates, times, duration)

Accessing Event Management

1. Navigate to Admin Dashboard
2. Go to Events section
3. Click "Create Event" button

Creating an In-Person Event

Step 1: Choose Event Type

Click Create Event and choose In-Person Event ("Happens at a physical location") from the dropdown. Online Event is for sessions run through Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams.

💡 Tip: In-person events display a location icon (📍) instead of a video icon, making them easy to distinguish.

Step 2: Basic Event Details

Event Name (Required)

• Max 100 characters
• Clear, descriptive title
• Example: "Q1 Sales Training Workshop" or "Python Fundamentals Bootcamp"

Description (Optional)

• Max 500 characters
• Include:
• What learners will learn
• What to bring (laptop, materials, etc.)
• Dress code (if applicable)
• Example: "Hands-on workshop covering Python basics. Please bring a laptop with Python 3.9+ installed. Lunch will be provided."

Theme (event banner)

• Set in the Theme section at the bottom of the form - upload a cover image or pick one from the gallery
• Recommended size: 1200x630px
• Appears on event cards and in emails
• System assigns a default pattern (1-4) if none uploaded

Step 3: Configure First Session

Every event needs at least one session. Fill these in under Session details. You can add more sessions later.

Start Date & Time

• Set with the Date and Start fields
• Time displayed in selected timezone

Duration

• Enter the length in days, hours, and minutes
• Defaults to 4 hours; a session can last up to 30 days

Timezone (Required)

• Select from the list of international timezones
• Shows GMT offset (e.g., "America/New_York - GMT -5:00")
• ⚠️ Important: All invitees see time in THIS timezone

💡 Best Practice: Choose the timezone of your venue location, not the organiser's timezone.

Location (Required for In-Person)

• Full venue address
• Example: "123 Main Street, Building A, Conference Room 2B, San Francisco, CA 94105"
• Include building/floor/room details
• This appears in:
• Event cards
• Email invitations
• Calendar exports

Instructor (Optional)

• Name of facilitator/trainer
• Helps learners identify who will lead the session
• Example: "Dr. Sarah Chen" or "John Smith, Sales Manager"

Step 4: Choose the Type of Event

Under Type of event, pick one:

• Standalone event: an independent training session. Then set Event availability:
  • Public: all users in your organisation can discover and register for the event
  • Invite only (default): only invited users can see the event
• Course event: linked to a course. Learners are added automatically through course enrolment, so you don't invite them yourself.

Step 5: Create the Event

Click Create Event. The event is saved and you land on its page, ready to invite learners.

Step 6: Invite Learners

Invitations are sent from the event page after it has been created (not needed for course events):

1. Open the Learners tab and click Invite Learners.
2. In Invite people to your event, choose people from the All People, Team Managers, Teams, or Cohorts tabs (searchable). Users must already be in your organisation.
3. For events with several sessions, you can optionally select Assign to a specific session.
4. Click Select [n] Learners, optionally add an Email message, then click Invite [n] Learners.

What Happens After Adding Invitees

• ✉️ Invitation emails sent automatically (not for sessions that have already taken place)
• 📧 Includes event details and location
• 📱 Learners see the event under Upcoming events on their Events page

Managing Existing Events

Event Dashboard Tabs

After creating an event, its page has three tabs: Sessions, Learners, and Overview. Editing and event actions sit at the top of the page.

Event Details and Actions

Edit Details (button at the top of the event page):

• Change event name
• Update description
• Change the theme (banner image)
• ⚠️ Cannot change event type (in-person ↔ online)

Event Actions (the ... menu next to Edit Details):

• 📋 Copy event link: Share direct link to event
• ⚠️ Cancel Event: Sends cancellation emails to all invitees

Overview tab: shows About the event (the description), who organised it, and any courses the event is Linked to.

Sessions Tab

View All Sessions:

• See all session instances for this event
• Each shows: Date, Time, Location, Registered count, Status

Add New Session:

• Click "Add Session" button
• Same fields as initial session creation (in-person events only)
• Sessions can't overlap - you'll see a warning if the new time clashes with an existing session
• Useful for recurring events or multiple time slots
• Example: Same workshop offered Monday and Thursday

Edit Session:

• Click pencil icon on session card
• Can modify:
• Start date/time
• Duration
• Timezone
• Location (useful if venue changes)
• Instructor name
• ⚠️ Changing the date/time, timezone, or location sends a "details updated" email to registered learners

Delete Session:

• Click trash icon on session card
• ⚠️ The trash icon only appears when the event has more than one session - to remove an event's only session, cancel the event instead
• Confirmation required
• Unregisters all learners from that session; learners registered for an upcoming session get a cancellation email

Learners Tab

At the top, two summary cards show the number of Learners invited and the Attendance rate (with the number of attendees).

View Invitees:

• See all users invited to the event
• Columns:
• Name, email, and profile picture
• Session (which session they registered for, if any)
• Attendance (Yes / No, or neither if not marked)
• Remove an invitation with the remove icon on the row (upcoming standalone events only)

Add More Invitees:

• Click "Invite Learners" button
• Select additional users
• New invitees receive invitation emails

Track Registration:

• See which learners registered for which session
• See registration count per session
• Identify no-shows (registered but didn't attend)

Mark Attendance (After Event):

• Click Mark Attendance on the Attendance card
• In the Mark attendance panel, click Attended or Didn't Attend for each learner
• For multi-session events, choose the session first for any learner who didn't register for one
• Bulk marking (select several learners, then mark them all) is available for single-session events only
• Updates attendance tracking automatically

Search & Export:

• Search the learner list by name or email
• Click Download Report to export the list as a CSV

Multi-Session Events

Why Create Multiple Sessions?

Common scenarios:

• 🔄 Recurring Training: Same content, different weeks
• ⏰ Multiple Time Slots: Accommodate different schedules
• 📍 Multiple Locations: Same event at different offices
• 👥 Capacity Limits: Split large groups

How Sessions Work

Registration Rules:

• Learners can register for ONE session per event
• If they switch sessions, they're auto-deregistered from the old one
• Prevents double-booking

Best Practices

✅ Create all sessions upfront before inviting learners ✅ Use consistent naming if locations differ ✅ Space sessions to avoid learner conflicts ✅ Limit sessions to 3-5 options to avoid decision paralysis

Email Notifications

Automatic Emails Sent

1. Invitation Email

Triggered: When learner added to invitee list Contains:

• Event thumbnail
• Event name & description
• All session options (date, time, location)
• "Register" call-to-action
• Add to calendar links (Google/Outlook)

2. Event Reminder Email

Triggered: 1 day before the event starts Contains:

• "Starting in 1 day" message
• Event details
• Location/directions
• Quick action link

3. Details Updated Email

Triggered: When you edit a session's date/time, timezone, or location Contains:

• "Event details have changed" message
• Side-by-side comparison (old vs. new)
• Updated calendar links

4. Cancellation Email

Triggered: When you cancel the event, or delete an upcoming session learners are registered for Contains:

• "Event cancelled" message
• Original event details

5. Registration Confirmation Email

Triggered: When a learner registers for a session Contains:

• "You're all set" confirmation
• Session details

6. Mark Attendance Email

Triggered: After the event ends Contains:

• A thank-you message asking learners to mark their attendance
• A note that it counts towards course progress, for course events

Email Customisation

Email templates are standard. You can add your own text in two places: the event description (appears in emails), and the optional Email message field when you invite learners.

Attendance Tracking

How Attendance Works

Self-Reporting (Default):

• After event ends, registered learners see "Mark Attendance" button
• They select "Attended" or "Didn't Attend"
• Voluntary but encouraged

Admin Override:

• Admins can manually mark attendance for any learner
• Go to Learners tab → Mark Attendance → Attended / Didn't Attend
• Useful for:
• No-shows who forgot to mark themselves
• Learners who attended but didn't self-report
• Correcting mistakes

Attendance Reports

View Summary:

• Go to Learners tab
• See at-a-glance:
• Total learners invited
• Attendance rate and number of attendees

Export Data:

• Click Download Report on the Learners tab
• Downloads CSV with:
• Name, email, and team
• Session and session date
• Attendance

Use Cases:

• 📊 Track training compliance
• 🎓 Issue certificates based on attendance
• 📈 Measure event success rates
• 💰 Justify training budget

Event Status Management

Understanding Event Status

Event cards automatically show a status badge based on timing:

Status Transitions

UPCOMING → SOON → IMMINENT → LIVE → FINISHED (auto) (auto) (auto) (auto)

All transitions are automatic based on session start/end times. No manual action required.

Calendar Integration

Add to Calendar Features

For Learners: After registering, learners can add event to:

• Google Calendar
• Outlook/Office 365

Calendar Entry Includes:

• Event name & description
• Start/end date & time (with timezone)
• Location address
• Link back to event in platform

How It Works: System generates calendar-specific URLs with encoded event data. When learner clicks, calendar app opens with pre-filled event.

Admin Calendar Export

Currently, admins cannot export all events to calendar. Workaround:

1. Register yourself as learner (add to invitee list)
2. Register for session
3. Use "Add to Calendar" button

💡 Feature Request: Bulk calendar export for admins is on roadmap.

Best Practices & Tips

Planning Phase

✅ Create events 2-4 weeks in advance for better attendance ✅ Choose accessible venues with clear directions ✅ Check for conflicts with holidays, other major events ✅ Set realistic durations (include breaks for events > 2 hours) ✅ Prepare backup plans (indoor/outdoor alternatives)

Communication

✅ Write clear descriptions with expectations and requirements ✅ Include parking/transit info in location field ✅ Mention accessibility features if relevant ✅ Provide organiser contact in description for questions ✅ Send reminder (via platform or manual email) 1-2 days before

During Event

✅ Arrive early to set up venue ✅ Have sign-in sheet as backup attendance tracking ✅ Take photos (with permission) for future promotion ✅ Encourage self-attendance marking at end of session

After Event

✅ Mark attendance within 24 hours while memory is fresh ✅ Follow up with attendees (thank you, resources, survey) ✅ Review no-shows and reach out individually ✅ Document learnings for improving future events ✅ Share reports with stakeholders

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Learner says they didn't receive invitation"

Check:

1. Is learner in invitee list? (Learners tab)
2. Is email address correct in learner's profile?
3. Check spam folder
4. Re-send: Remove and re-add learner to trigger new email

Workaround: Share event link directly (Copy event link in the ... menu at the top of the event page)

"I need to change event date but already have registrations"

Process:

1. Go to Sessions tab
2. Edit the session (pencil icon)
3. Change date/time
4. System automatically:
• Keeps all registrations
• Sends "Details Updated" email to registered learners
• Updates calendar entries

Alternative: If major change, consider:

• Creating new session with new date
• Deleting the old session (registered learners get a cancellation email)
• Manually notify learners to re-register

"I need to move event to different location"

Process:

1. Edit session
2. Update location field with new address
3. Save
4. "Details Updated" email sent automatically

Additional Step: Consider sending manual message with:

• Reason for change
• Parking/directions for new location
• Apology for inconvenience

"Learner registered for wrong session"

Solution: Learner can switch themselves:

1. They register for correct session
2. System auto-deregisters from wrong session

Admin Override: Cannot directly move learners between sessions. Ask learner to re-register.

"I accidentally deleted a session"

Bad News: Cannot undo session deletion.

Recovery Steps:

1. Create new session with same details
2. Manually notify affected learners
3. Ask them to re-register
4. Apologise for inconvenience

💡 Prevention: Always confirm before deleting.

"Attendance numbers don't match reality"

Possible Causes:

• Learners forgot to self-report
• Walk-ins who weren't registered
• Learners left early but marked attended

Solution:

1. Manually correct attendance (Learners tab)
2. Encourage self-reporting during event closing
3. Have sign-in sheet as backup verification

Analytics & Reporting

Available Metrics

Per Event:

• Total learners invited
• Attendance rate and number of attendees

Per Session:

• Registration count (shown on each session card)

Exporting Data

Learners Export (CSV, from Download Report on an event's Learners tab):

• Name
• Email
• Team
• Session
• Session Date
• Attendance

All Events Export (CSV, across events):

1. On the Events page, click Export.
2. In Export events data, set the From and To dates (defaults to the last 30 days).
3. Click Download CSV. Each row is one event with: Event Name, Type, Visibility, Sessions, Start Date, End Date, Registered, Attended, and Attendance %.

Use Cases:

• Create pivot tables in Excel
• Import to HR systems
• Generate compliance reports
• Track training completion

Security & Privacy

Who Can See Events?

Learners:

• Invite only events: only learners on the invitee list can see them
• Public events: everyone in your organisation can discover and register
• Course events: learners enrolled in the linked course

Admins:

• See all events in their organisation
• Can manage any event

Personal Data

Event system stores:

• User names and emails
• Registration timestamps
• Attendance status

Compliance: Ensure event descriptions don't include sensitive information.

Quick Reference Guide

Event Creation Checklist

• Event name (clear, concise)
• Description (what, why, what to bring)
• Banner image uploaded
• Date & time selected
• Duration set
• Timezone confirmed (venue location)
• Location address (full, detailed)
• Instructor name (optional)
• Invitees added
• Event created

Pre-Event Checklist

• Sessions created (if multiple)
• All invitees added
• Venue booked/confirmed
• Materials prepared
• Equipment tested
• Catering ordered (if applicable)
• Parking arrangements confirmed
• Reminder sent (1-2 days before)

Post-Event Checklist

• Attendance marked (all learners)
• Thank you message sent
• Resources shared (slides, recordings, etc.)
• Survey sent (if applicable)
• Report exported
• Learnings documented
• Stakeholders updated

Limitations & Future Features

Current Limitations

❌ No capacity limits: Cannot set max attendees per session ❌ No waitlist: Cannot queue learners if session is full ❌ No custom email templates: Standard templates only ❌ No check-in codes: No QR codes for on-site verification ❌ No recurring event pattern: Must create each session manually

Upcoming Features

🚀 Capacity Management: Set max attendees per session 🚀 Waitlist: Auto-notify when spots open up 🚀 Check-in App: Mobile check-in for organisers 🚀 Custom Emails: Customise invitation templates

Please let us know what feature you would like to see. Send your feedback to divjot.s@5mins.ai