Introduction
The Events feature enables ERG leads and individual chapter leads to schedule and promote ERG events on the platform. Invite participants to a program event you created exclusively for them, or to some other organizational event, or create an event for a subcommittee within your ERG. With this feature you can manage your guest list by:
Selecting specific users to invite
Providing meeting information and virtual meeting links
Tracking RSVPs and declines
Sending a reminder to 24 hours before the event
Why it matters: This is one more way to provide a one-stop-shop for your ERG where members can track and receive updates for upcoming events and follow conversations related to a specific event or a group initiative that includes meetings/events.
Creating an Event
Step 1: On the Home page, click on the 4th tab, 'Events'
Step 2: Click the 'Create Event' button on the upper right
Step 3: Complete the Event form by entering your information and selecting the desired settings for all fields on the form. Note that any field with an asterisk is mandatory and you will not be able to complete your event setup without completing the field.
Image: Drag and drop an image that is 4mb or under in size. The file type must be .png, .jpeg, .bmp or .gif. If you don't have an image, the Chronus image will appear in the space:
Name*: Provide the name of your event. The asterisk indicates a mandatory field.
Description: Add a description of your event. You can include images, links or attachments if needed. This would be a good place to include an event flyer image that may not fit well into event image space offered above. This is an optional field.
Date & Time*: In this section you must add date and time, but can also add the optional country and timezone information by selecting from the dropdown.
Location: Select either 'In Person' or 'Virtual'. If your event offers both locations, add both the virtual meeting link and the in-person location in the field below.
Invitee List: Select your user view from the dropdown. To create a specific group of users that does not currently exist in the dropdown, see the next section, Inviting User Segments to an Event.
Limit the maximum number of event slots to: After the event limit is reached, no more users will be able to RSVP to the event. Or, you can leave blank and not set a limit.
Send email notifications to all invitees: This provides the recommended option to also send an email to invitees, rather than have it only appear on the platform. Wherever the attendees RSVP,
Note at bottom of form: It is advisable to verify that the program event invitation is sent as expected in different email clients (outlook, gmail, yahoo mail, etc.). Click on the 'Test Email' and add any email addresses that will view the test email of your invitation.
Once you've composed your Event, you can click to 'Post' or 'Save as Draft' on the bottom right of the page.
Editing An Event
You can save your event as a draft and return later to edit it or post it on a specific date as this feature does not include advanced scheduling. Once saved and/or posted, you will find your events listed under one of the following tabs on the Events page:
Upcoming
Past
Drafted
Note: Once an event is posted for users, you cannot edit the invitee user view that was selected from the 'Invitee List' dropdown. However, all other fields can be edited.
Tracking Attendance for Upcoming Events
Once you've posted your event, you can view your invitee responses for upcoming events on your Events page, to the right of each event.
Clicking on each of the 3 links will open the corresponding guest list:
Invited
Responded "Yes"
Responded "No"
Clicking directly on the event title will open additional details along with the ability to download a .csv file of your guest list.
You can also RSVP to events that you are invited to from this page.
If you've selected to have an email sent to your guest list regarding the event, they will be able to accept it from the email. This will both add it to their calendar as well as populate their response on that event in the platform.
Post-Event Attendance Report
After an event is complete, you can upload the users who attended the event and those that did not. This allows you to keep track of both RSVPs and attendance in a single Chronus report.
Step 1: On your Events page, click on the 'Past' tab to open your past events.
Step 2: On the right side of your event tile, click on 'Update Attendance' and a pop-up window will open allowing you to drag and drop a .csv file. You will need to upload two separate files and 'Mark all users as':
Select 'Present' to add your file of present attendees
Select 'Absent' to add your file of absent attendees
Note: The format of your attendee list is important. Create a .csv file with a single column for Email Address. The first row should be blank or include a header, such as "Email Address". The email address must match the user's email address in Chronus.Once uploaded, the users who attended and those that did not will be reflected on the Guests card.
End User Experience
End users will find the events on their Events tab as well, where they can provide their RSVP. They can also click on the event title to open the page and view more detail such as the guest lists of those who have accepted, declined or not yet responded to the event.
When invitees select 'Yes' as their RSVP response, a pop-up will ask them if they would like to be reminded via email one day before the event.
Note: A user must have connected their calendar in order for an RSVP response from the platform to be added to their calendar. However, responding from an email will always add it to their calendar.
If you selected to also send an invite to the event via email, users will receive the invite in their inboxes and can respond within the invite, as usual, adding the event to their calendar.