Event Definitions in Event Central (Event Settings)

The Event Definition form within the Event Management Module provides basic information about an event. This is a field-by-field reference for the form.

Schedule Type "Single" or "Repeating" for Event Occurrence Types

If an event occurs only once, click the Single radio button - This is the default.

Many events can be classified as repeating or recurring events. These events could include classes, support and networking groups, etc. that occur at regular intervals, mostly at the same time of day, and have the same details.

For example, a single class that is repeated every Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm with the same instructor at the same location would probably be defined as a repeating event and entered into Gnosis only once with the date/time for the event specifying the recurrence pattern of every Tuesday evening.  On the other hand, a single class that occurs over four consecutive Wednesday evenings and has persons register once to attend all four evenings in the series would NOT be a repeating event as the class occurs only once, even though it is spread over multiple Wednesday evenings.

To make an event ”repeating”, select the Repeating button above the event name.

Each time a recurring event occurs, it is called an ”instance” of that event. By definition, a recurring event has principally the same information that applies to every instance of the event.

Event Name

Enter the name exactly how you wish it to appear on the online calendar, event page, and included in the event booking/registration confirmation email.

Location (City)

Select the correct city or facility location from the drop-down list box.

Ensure that the facility/city is entered when setting up the event. This allows the correct time zone information to be determined by the system. If the required city is not present in the system, request your system administrator add it to Reference Data (video training link).

Online Meeting Setup (Zoom Integration)

If your system is connected to Zoom via the Zoom API, you may auto-book Zoom meetings or webinars when adding the event to Gnosis.  For a full discussion on this feature, please see Zoom Meeting Based Events.

Event Date/Time(s)

Event dates/times reflect either:

• a one-time event that occurs on one or more days - such as a single or multi-day conference.

• An event that occurs regularly over a period of time and has basically the same format - such as a weekly class or monthly meeting.

There are multiple ways to set the date and time for a one-time event. Follow the instructions below or experiment with the system to determine your data entry preference.

To enter the day or days and time for an event that occurs once:

• Select the start and end times for the event
• If the event is a single day event, select the Daily radio button, click the Every radio button and enter ”1” day.
• If the event is a multi-day event, select the weekly or monthly radio button and click the day or days for which the event is scheduled
• In the From box, select the date on which the event begins
• Click the radio button End after: and enter the number ”1” for one occurrence.

 To enter the days and time for a recurring event:

• Select the start and end times for the event
• Select the radio button which matches the Recurrence pattern for the event. The Daily, Weekly, and Monthly radio buttons provide the options necessary to schedule the event. Enter the appropriate information for the recurrence pattern selected.
• In the From box, select the day on which the event begins. Either the End after: or End by radio button may be chosen to complete the recurrence pattern.

 It is recommended to not exceed 1 year when scheduling repeating events.

View Instances

Clicking on View Instances invokes a popup listing all instances as created by the parameters entered in the Event Date/Time(s) field. In single event mode, one instance will be listed. In repeating event mode or if the single event has multiple instances, all dates will show a result of the recurring parameters entered.

To cancel one instance in repeating mode, click View Instances, locate the necessary dates(s) and check the box to cancel the event on the selected date(s). Canceling an event will remove it from your online calendar but will retain all registration data.

You may use this area to change and/or add instances outside of the recurrence pattern, for example, if an instance is canceled, and reschedule it for another day. Click in the empty space at the top of the window labeled Click here to add a new instance.

Location – Book Resources

If desired, Event Management can be used to manage rooms/spaces within your facility. To select a room/space for an event, click on the drop-down box and click in the checkbox to select an existing room/space.

If the room/space is not available from the drop-down box, click the ellipsis (...) button to invoke the Resource Management screen to add the new resource to the database for use (you may need to be an administrator to do this).

Venue

If desired, Event Central can be used to manage information on outside venues where events are held. To select a venue for an event, click on the drop-down box and select an existing venue.

If the venue is not available from the drop-down box, click Finish to save the event settings entered thus far. On the Event Central home screen, select the Venues button at the bottom right to enter the venues library and enter the new venue information. Once saved, go back to the event settings and select the new venue from the drop-down.

Presenter(s)

To add presenters to the event, click on the drop-down box and check-on checkboxes to select one or more presenters.

If the presenter is not available from the drop-down list, click the ellipsis button (1) to invoke the Presenter Management screen.

In the Presenter Management screen click Add New Presenter and enter the appropriate presenter information.

• For one-time presenters, you may add only the presenter name using the Display Name (A) and no other information.
• For recurring presenters, search for an existing person record by entering the search criteria in the Presenter field to retrieve their Gnosis record; you should also add a display name to refer to that person in the context of presenter.

Once all of the presenter information has been entered, click Return to Event to return to the Event Definition screen where you can then choose the presenter in the list.

Event Manager

Specify an event manager for the event, if there is one. The event manager must be an existing Gnosis user.

Meeting Group

If the event is to host members of a group defined in Group Management, the group should be selected here.  This will effectively pre-register the group members so that they may attend the session without needing to formally register.  For more information on this option, please see Group Management.

Registration Confirmation

If you wish to send a specific email to all persons that register for the event, that email (in the Communications Center) should be selected here.  Only emails that have been crafted to use the Event Registration Administration Schema will be listed here. See this reference for a thorough description of event communication options.

Web URL Name

This text will be used for an event info/details page URL on your web portal. If desired, edit this text by clicking the Edit button. IMPORTANT: If an event has already been promoted via social media or Gnosis email communication, you should not edit this field as doing so will break all existing links to the page.

Event Category

Click one or more categories that describe the event. If more than one category is selected, be sure to identify the primary category using the drop-down provided in the Primary Category field immediately to the right. The primary category will be the category displayed on reports and documentation when listing the event or program.  For CSC Affiliates, be sure to select the ADAPT-necessary category as the Primary Category.

If a new category is needed, request your system administrator to add it to Reference Data.

Categories can also be used to filter the events that show on specific online calendar pages. Contact Gnosis Support for more information.

Event Group

Typically the only value available in this list is called General Volunteers. Selecting this option for an event permits the entry of volunteer attendance and time tracking, using the Attendance management screen. This practice allows you to report volunteer attendance/time separately from actual event attendees.

Automated Promotion Settings

There are two purposes in this area:

1. New Responsive Online Calendar Styling, see Event Images section.
2. The remaining fields in this Promotion Settings section can only be used if your organization is running a fully Gnosis-integrated website. Promotion settings provide the capability to include the event and its description in a scrolling website section or promotions area on your main website.

To invoke this capability, click the appropriate box(es) for the website and/or email.

Set the timing (in weeks or days) for each of the priorities (low, medium, and high) which will determine when the event will appear on the website or in the email.

Event Image

Click to add an image (.jpg) with a simple click. This image will show on the event info/details web page.  Note: Although the image may appear skewed in the Gnosis Pro application, it will display correctly on the website.

Event Options

If the event requires registration, tracks, sessions or other options, check the corresponding checkbox option. Selecting these checkboxes enables additional forms to appear when you press the "Next" button.

For a simple event where there are no tracks, sessions or registrations associated with it, this screen is all that is required.  When this is the case, click Finish, otherwise make the necessary selections and click Next to move on to the additional form(s).

• Is Template – Makes the current event a template for future use. If chosen, the event will be available in the New From Template form so that you may clone a new event from it.
• Registrations – Turns registrations on and allows access to the next page in event settings, Event Registration Setup.
• May Attend without Pre-Registration – Allows an attendee to check-in for an event on a kiosk or remotely via Zoom even if they have not registered ahead of time.
• Has Tracks – Allows management and registration of multiple offerings during a multiday event, like a multi-day conference.  If you have a complex event where individuals with different foci co-mingle, you may want to group different sessions in the event into tracks that align those sessions with the specific foci of groups of attendees.  This practice makes it easier to identify the sessions that apply to each group.
• Has Sessions – Allows management of separate morning and afternoon event offerings, like breakout sessions for a single day conference. If checked, Event Central provides an additional page of settings to identify the session offerings.
  • If an event has sessions, choose the Has Session check box and then choose the appropriate Session Period Name. Session period names are used to help organize session information for visual display by specifying how the event’s sessions are organized. 
    For example, if the event is held over three consecutive days, choose ”Day” as the session period name to organize the sessions into lists and on the website by day. If the event ran once a week for twelve weeks, the logical choice would be ”Week” for the session period name, to indicate in which week each session occurs.
• Internet Media Available – Enables the option to add recorded or live video streaming of the event to remote attendees, and enables additional attendance categories on the Attendance Management screen. This option adds a Media Programs form to the event setup area where you may specify the streaming parameters and define who has access to the streamed program.  This option also enables Gnosis to create a video streaming page to present the live and/or archived stream to attendees. (Note: Streaming must be purchased as an add-on module).
• Online Fundraising – If using the Gnosis Peer-to-peer Fundraising system, Event Central provides an additional page of settings to complete the fundraiser settings.  Refer to the Fundraising Setup Guide for additional information on this additional page.
• Has Waiver – Allows integration of an event waiver which appears either during the registration process or on the kiosk when a person checks-in for the event. When the Has Waiver box is checked, Event Central provides an additional page of event settings (following the Event Definition and Registration Setup pages) to input the waiver text and select when the waiver is to be displayed.
• Digital Event – This option is automatically selected if you are configuring a zoom meeting for the event.  Turning on this option also enables the "Attend Online" option in attendance for the event.

Enable/Disable Events from appearing on the Website

Events will appear automatically on the website once all of the data entry has been completed and the Finish button has been clicked. To prevent an event from appearing on the website, click the green Event Enabled button.  The button will change to an orange button, Event Disabled. Click this button (to turn it green) to re-enable the event to appear on the website once it is saved. 

Using the Descriptions Fields

The Calendar Description (previously named Short Description) appears as a popup on the Event Calendar pages online.

• On the mobile responsive calendar, this is the only description the end user will see for free events.
• Text also displayed in calendar list view.

The Information Page Description (previously named Long Description) appears only on the Event Information web page, offering the opportunity to add more information if necessary.

• The Information Page will be used for events with a registration fee or survey.
• You might only use this page if you are using the older online calendar design or if you need to link directly to the Event Info page for a specific purpose.

IMPORTANT: Do not copy/paste text from a Word Document, as unwanted formatting will be transferred and the details may not appear online as desired.*

Plain text typed directly into these description fields (without using the HTML Edit button) will appear unformatted, i.e., without bolding, paragraphs, bullets, etc. Plain text will usually suffice for short descriptions.

To create formatted text:

1. Click the Visual Edit button.
2. Enter the desired text and formatting into the form
3. Click Accept Edits to finish and return to the previous page.
4. This text will be automatically converted to HTML for web viewing.

*Tip: If you wish to copy text from a Word document, first paste the text into a Notepad. Then copy/paste from the Notepad to the Gnosis event description field. This process will strip all formatting to provide plain text.

After the desired information has been entered into the Event Definition screen, click Next to proceed to the next form necessary or click Finish if there is no other data to be entered for the event.

See also, Event Registration Setup