The Basics
Keeping online events secure is more important than ever in times where remote meetings and webinars are becoming more and more commonplace.
Novi's private feature for virtual events creates unique Join links that can be used with Zoom, GoToMeeting, YouTube, or any webinar-hosting platform. These links are attendee-specific and valid for just one person, preventing the need to share the main meeting URL publicly.
Why is this important?
One of the main reasons for private virtual links is to help associations prevent link sharing. Link sharing contributes to the abuse of members-only benefits and devalues an organization's events (which can lead to lost revenue, eek!) when attendees can share the link with their co-workers or peers.
How does it work?
Once an attendee registers, a unique Join link is sent to them in their event confirmation email. The Join link can also be accessed via their Member Compass and in their calendar invite if attendees choose to add the meeting to their calendar (while logged in).
Once an attendee joins the virtual event, they are automatically marked as attended within event - so no need to manually keep track of who attended!
Double-check webinar-hosting platform settings to make sure any registration through host platform is turned off so attendees don't have to register twice.
Initial Setup
To set this up:
Select Virtual as the event location (if the event has already been created, this setting can be found on the Details tab)
On the right, select the Private option. (Private is set by default)
Then enter the Virtual Event Location Name (Join Us Virtually is the default text) and the online event for the webinar-hosting platform URL
Novi will use the URL to create unique access URLs for attendees
When using Zoom, see our tip about security settings near the end of this article.
When Novi creates unique links for attendees, the original URL is not revealed to attendees through the Novi system.
Please also read the "Secure Setup Recommendation" section below for important information on our full setup suggestions!
Note: Public links function as they always have - the main URL is readily accessible for attendees from the main event page.
The Details & FAQs
What do the registered attendees see and how do they get their links?
Directly after registration:
In their event confirmations & reminder emails:
From the Member Compass "My Events" tab:
Can admins see an attendee's unique URL?
Yes! In the event's Attendee list, find the attendee and click the Edit link in the Action column. In the modal that appears, the attendee's private Join link will display and a Copy Link button is provided to quickly copy the link:
Can I download all of the unique URLs for attendees to Excel?
Yes! Go to the event on the backend and click the Excel icon at the top right of the Attendee list. If the event has a private link set up as the Event Location, each attendee's unique join link will be included in the download. This is a great option for mail/email merges!
Use List Views to pull in this column if needed.
What if the wrong person tries to use the link?
They'll be shown this message:
What if someone who canceled attempts to join?
They'll be shown this message:
What if someone tries to join the meeting too early?
Attendees can join up to 30 minutes before the start of the meeting and anytime during. You will set the exact time during the setup process. If they're too early, they'll be shown this message:
How can I tell if the correct attendee is using the link?
Novi will validate the attendee based on them being logged in to the account that the registration link is connected to. If non-logged-in guests register, they will still have a unique link, but we cannot guarantee that the correct person is using it. (Please see "Secure Setup Recommendation" below for steps on preventing this.)
What should we tell our members about private virtual events?
For the best results, communicating with your members is a great idea! Since the system is validating on the attendee level, your members should:
Login to register!
When entering the attendee name, select from the dropdown list that appears rather than just typing info in (if possible). This way, the registration is connected to the existing member record.
If registering multiple people, be sure to enter unique email addresses for each attendee, so that everyone receives their unique join link. Otherwise, the purchaser would need to forward the links to everyone on their registration.
Will the unique Join links still work for attendees who already registered if I need to change the event's date or time?
Yes! The unique Join links in the confirmation emails will always refer to the event settings at the time the link is clicked by the attendee. This means you can change the date, time, time zone, and private link (for example, if the Zoom link changes) and the unique Join links will still work. You can also change the attendee on a registration and the new attendee will be able to use the original unique link. Of course, you'll probably want to resend the confirmation email so the new attendee has the event details, but the unique join link will be the same.
Secure Setup Recommendations
The most secure version of the private webinar feature relies on the system's ability to verify that an attendee using a link is the attendee it's meant for. The only clear way for us to do this is if that attendee is logged in to your site - member or non-member (non-members can certainly still create an account!).
As a bonus, this may also be a great bridge to promoting user account creation amongst your members.
The main step in securing your attendees is:
Require attendee information
Only for associations with an "individual" based member type:
Remove the ability for guest purchasers
Check that attendees are connected to a record in the database
*A tip for any virtual event - remember to check the webinar provider’s settings for any special settings and setup you need to be aware of, i.e. breakout rooms.
Require attendee information
Requiring attendee information on virtual event tickets ensures no blank names for attendees allowing admins to identify attendees by name (P.S. - This should be standard for most of event tickets unless the focus is attendee numbers and not so much specific attendee info).
On virtual event tickets, make sure the box below is checked:
(Note that on Attendee-based events this is required to be checked by default)
Remove the ability for guest purchasers
When someone checks out as a guest for an event, it simply means that they're not logged in. By not taking this step, guest purchasers will be allowed to buy tickets for the event.
This won't mess up your entire setup, and they will still have their own unique URL to join with, but it is less secure because the system won't be able to validate who they are when they join the meeting. So even though that link is still valid for only 1 person to use, Sally could use it, even if Bob was the person who registered.
To prevent this, you can use the help of a group. One way would be to use an existing group of all current members or certain member types (creates FOMO for the non-members!).
However, if you want anyone to be able to register, create a group with the condition: Has User Account = Yes (since both members & non-members can have an account, this is inclusive regardless of membership status).
Then, lock down the ability to purchase tickets to the group(s) of your choosing.
Note: Each site has a setting to "Allow Non-Member Account Signup". Please let us know if you're unsure if this is turned on for you, or if you'd like it to be.
Check that attendees are connected to a record in the database
Lastly, once attendees have registered, check every so often that the attendee is connected to their corresponding record in the database (if one already exists). Admins can edit an attendee's name to ensure that attendees are connected to their record, and therefore, their login.
Zoom Link Security Settings
If using Zoom for a virtual event, you'll notice in the Security section of the meeting's settings that Zoom requires a selection of Passcode or Waiting Room. When this is set to Waiting Room someone from your team will have to admit each person into the Zoom meeting as they join. Since this can be cumbersome and distracting when trying to focus on the actual event, we recommend using the Passcode setting.
The Zoom URL for the meeting will include the passcode at the end of the URL. So the attendee doesn't have to "know" the password or even type it in - they can just click the link - and your team won't have to admit people from the waiting room.
For Novi events that are set up using the "Virtual" Event Location (including both the public and private settings), the Zoom link that includes the password is what is entered in the URL field in Novi.
Changing an Existing Event From Public to Private
When transitioning an event that began as Public to Private, remember that the attendees already registered would not have been notified about a unique Join link during or after registration. After the switch, resending their confirmation email will include the unique URL and/or set up an automatic event reminder for the event since this will include the link.
If an automatic event reminder is set up, consider reaching out (perhaps by syncing the event over to MailChimp/Constant Contact) to let attendees know about the new setup.
If no attendees have yet been registered, make the change in the event's Details tab and no further action is needed!
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