Advanced form setups: Sending documents to speakers

While Sessionize allows you to create a fully functional Call for Speakers form in minutes, you can easily set up a more elaborate form to collect important and useful data from your speakers. The CfS form consists of three groups of fields; learn all about them in the following article: Custom fields explained: Submission, Additional and Internal fields.

In this article, we'll go over two different scenarios:

• You're sending the same file to all accepted speakers
• You're sending a personalized file to each accepted speaker, which speakers then have to sign and send back to you

There are numerous cases in which you could find yourself having to send files to your accepted speakers; perhaps you want to send them a PDF containing various relevant information related to your event or a map of the venue for easier navigation between rooms. Maybe you need them to sign a contract of some kind? Either way, here's how you would go about setting that up.

Sending the same file to all accepted speakers

The easiest way to send a file to all accepted speakers is to create a group mailing message, in which you'll simply attach the file and tell them what it's about. Start by creating a New mailing on your event's Group mailing page. Give it a name, set a desired goal, and select who will receive it - session owners, session speakers, or both. (To learn about the difference between session speakers and owners, please refer to the following article: Session owner and session speaker, what's the difference?)

Next, do exactly what you'd do if you were sending a regular email: enter a subject and your message. When writing the message, you're welcome to use the variables listed below the message box to insert the respective values. For example, a {SPEAKER_NAME} variable will automatically enter the speaker's name wherever you place it. 

Quickly add the variables to your message by clicking on them to copy them to the clipboard and pasting them into the message. Finally, add an attachment with your file and click Send emails.

Speaker's perspective

This is an example of an email your accepted speakers will receive after you send them a group mailing message by following the described procedure.

They'll also see the same email in their inbox when viewing their speaker profile.

Sending a personalized file to each speaker and having them send it back after signing 

To send a personalized document to each accepted speaker, which they have to sign and send back, first go to the Edit event page, namely the Additional fields tab. Here you want to add a new file upload field. Click the blue Add new field button and select Add file upload field. 

You'll use this field to upload a personalized document for each speaker, so give it an appropriate title. Then lock it from editing by clicking on the cogwheel and selecting Do not allow speaker to edit the answer.

Now you'll create a second file upload field, the one speakers will use to upload the document after they sign it. The procedure is almost exactly the same as described above, only skip the final step - don't lock the field from editing. After that's done, click the green Save changes button.

Now go to the Speakers page and edit the accepted speakers for whom you prepared personalized documents. Simply hover the pointer over the desired speakers and click the green pencil icon. 

Upload the desired personalized document for the selected speaker and confirm everything by clicking Save changes. Do this for all speakers you prepared personalized documents for.

Finally, you want to notify your speakers that there's a document waiting for them in their speaker profile, which they have to sign and send back. To do this, create a New mailing on your event's Group mailing page. Give it a name, set To collect additional data about sessions and/or speakers as the goal, and select Speakers (message will be sent to all speakers) in the Collect data about field.

Then, add the second Additional field you previously created in the Data to be collected box - the one that speakers are supposed to use to upload the signed documents - and write a message instructing them what to do. Once that's done, simply click the green Send emails button.

Speaker's perspective

This is what your message will look like to the receiving speaker.

After the speaker downloads the document from their Speaker Profile, they'll be able to use the form you created to easily upload a signed version of the document.