Create a Virtual or Hybrid Event From Scratch
In this article you'll learn how to create your event from start to finish!
Before You Begin
✅ Sign up for an Accelevents Account
✅ Purchase a Ticketing Plan
Note: You can start settings up before purchasing a plan, but you may have limited access as some features may be locked.
1. Create an Event
If you're in an Enterprise or White Label Plan, your account manager will add you to the account and you should get an email that has a link that will allow you to access your account. Follow the prompts to create your password and login. Your login and dashboard URLs would look something like this.
Login URL: https://www.accelevents.com/u/wl-login/companyname
Dashboard URL: https://www.accelevents.com/u/wl/companyname/home
In your Enterprise or White Label Dashboard, go to the Organizer tab to create an organizer. Before creating an event, you must create an Organizer first, as every event has to be under an organizer. Consider it a folder that helps you categorize your events. Under your Enterprise or White Label account, you can create as many organizers as you want.
After creating the Organizer, click it to open the Organizer Portal.
For lower plans, when you sign up, you will be redirected to Organizer Portal.
Click the Create Event button in the Organizer Portal to get started.
Note: For E/WL plans, you can also create events directly from the E/WL Dashboard, but it's better to do it under the Organizer Portal to ensure that the event falls under the correct organizer, especially if you have multiple organizer.
2. Select Your Event Format
Select Online or Hybrid, depending on your event type, then select the event elements you need for your virtual event. You can always add or remove elements later. When you're done, click Next.
Registration / Ticketing - this is a requirement for all ticketed events; all attendees need a ticket to join your event.
Fundraising - select this if, aside from your ticketed event, you're also having a fundraiser (e.g., donation, auction, raffle, and fund a need)
Virtual Expo - select this if you're featuring exhibitors in your event.
Regular Sessions - select this if you your event has sessions.
Networking - select this if you have networking sessions for your event.
Main Stage - elect this if you have a keynote session for your event.
3. Enter Your Event Details
Event Name - enter the name of your event (e.g., Virtual Event 2024)
Event Type - select "Conference" for a virtual event. This is an optional step.
Event Date - enter your start and end date, and select the event timezone.
4. Design Your Event Website
After completing the initial event setup, you will see the Admin Console, where you can start editing your event. You can go to the Event Design > Event Website, where you can begin editing the look of your event landing page.
The Standard editor allows you to edit and customize our pre-built page themes. You can add your logo, add an event description, change some of the colors to match your branding, add a venue map and more. This is also where you can edit your event URL.
On top of the screen, click the VIEW SITE button and select View Landing Page to see your actual event page.
The Advanced editor allows you to create fully customized pages instead of using our pre-built themes by dragging a dropping elements to the page.
This feature is available only for Enterprise and White Label Plans.
5. Design Your Virtual Event Hub
Since you have a virtual / hybrid event, your attendees will have access to the virtual event hub where the event will happen. You can also start editing the look of your virtual event hub through Event Design > Event Hub.
To view how your virtual event hub would look like, click the VIEW SITE button on top and select View Virtual Event Hub.
6. Design Your Attendee App
If you're using the attendee app for your event, you can also customize the look of the app. You can customize the labels, colors, remove or rearrange menus and more. You can do all these in Event Design > Mobile App
7. Create Event Tickets
Whether your event is free or paid, or if you're selling tickets on a different platform, your attendees will need a ticket to enter your event.
Go to Registration > Set-up Tickets
Click + Create Ticket
For hybrid events, you'll have the option to select the ticket format - in-person, hybid or virtual.
8. Connect your Payment Processor
This step is only needed if you're selling paid tickets. Connecting your payment processor allows you to receive credit card payments from your attendees.
Go to Settings > Payment Processing
Connect your payment processor. Our best recommendation is Stripe.
9. Build a Seating Chart
If you have a hybrid event and require a seating chart for in-person attendees, the Assigned Seating feature allows you to design a seating chart and assign tickets to each seat. Attendees will need to select a seat while buying their tickets.
Go to Registration > Set Up Tickets
Open the ticket settings
Enable Assigned Seating
Save the ticket settings
Click Open Venue Designer
10. Customize The Order Form
The Order Form is the questionnaire registrants must fill out when buying tickets. After selecting which type of ticket they want to buy, getting their information is the next step. As an event admin, you can customize what questions you want in the order form and to which ticket types you will ask these questions.
Go to Registration > Order Form from your admin console navigation. You can select which fields you want to include in your order form or create new fields. You can customize it per ticket type and select whether you want to get just the ticket buyer information or include the ticket holder information.
11. Customize The Order Confirmation Email
After attendees register for the event, they should receive an email with the event information and details about their purchase. You can customize the message they will receive, or you can also disable this email if you don't want them to receive anything after registration. Go to Registrations > Order Confirmation to customize your email.
At this point, your event page should be all set, and attendees can now register for your event. You can test it as an attendee by registering for the event through the landing page, click the VIEW SITE button to take you to the landing page.
12. Design Badges
If you have a Hybrid event and plan to print badges for your in-person attendees, you can design them in Accelevents, which will serve as the attendee's identification card to which you can add relevant information about your event. You can print them in advance or print them when the attendee checks in.
To start creating badges, go to Registration > Badges, then choose to create a custom badge or select from one of the templates.
13. Create Sessions
In this step, you will build the structure and content of your agenda. Go to your Event Content > Agenda tab, then click + Add Session.
Note: If you don't see the Event Content tab, please check the Event Details tab and make sure that either Main Stage or Sessions & Workshops is turned on. The sessions you add here will be displayed in the Agenda tab on your event page.
After creating the session, the right-side panel menu will slide in with these tabs:
Session Details - this allows you to edit all the information needed for the session.
Speakers - allows you to assign speakers to the session. This will be discussed more in the next step.
Registrants - this allows you to see a list of attendees who have pre-registered and attended the session.
14. Add Speakers
Go to Event Content > Speakers, then click + Add Speaker. The required fields are First Name, Last Name, and Email. You can also give them an event ticket from here. The speakers listed here will be displayed in the Speakers tab on your event page.
Once you add a speaker, the right-side panel menu will slide in with these tabs:
Bio - allows you to edit all the information of the speaker, including adding a profile picture, email address, short description, and social media links
Sessions - shows you which sessions they are assigned to talk
15. Assign Speakers to Sessions
After assigning a speaker to a session, they will automatically receive an email invite with links to access the speaker hub. If you don't want to send the email automatically, disable the invite email before adding them to sessions.
Disable Email Invite
Go to Event Content > Speakers
Click Settings
Turn off the toggle for Enable automatic speaker invite email
Assign Speakers
Go back to Agenda
Open the session settings
Access the Speakers tab
Type in the name of the speaker you've added in the previous step and select it to add them to the session
16. Add Exhibitors and Sponsors
If you have exhibitors and sponsors for your in-person event, you can go to your Exhibitors & Sponsors tab to start adding them to your event. The exhibitors and sponsors listed here will be displayed under the Exhibitors and Sponsors tabs on your event page. if you're using the attendee app, they can also appear inside the event.
17. Publish Your Event
This is a required step for paid ticketing plans to ensure attendees can enter your event. Publishing the event will apply the associated plan to the event and allow attendees to enter when it opens. If the event is not published, only 25 attendees can enter.
Click the Publish button on top of the screen:
Public - The event will be added to our event listing site for additional exposure.
Postponed - The event is canceled until further notice.
Private - The event is private and not listed on our event listing site.
Notes:
Do not publish your test events or fundraising events. Publishing is only required for actual events.
You can publish anytime before the event opens, you can still make changes to your event even after publishing.
If the event is not published, you can sell tickets, but we recommend publishing as soon as you pay for your plan so you'll have access to all the plan features.
That's it! You're done setting up your event. Read the articles below to know the process on how attendees can log in virtually and check in at the event venue.






















