A session’s speakers and documents are managed from the session record. Attendees use this information to see who is presenting and which materials are available.
Prerequisites
- The event’s file cabinet must be set up before the session’s documents folder can hold files. If your account does not have one yet, the Documents tab tells you and links you to the setup area.
Add a Speaker to a Session
Add or remove speakers while you are creating or editing the session. The Speakers tab is for viewing only.
- Open the session for editing.
- In the Speakers card, select Add Speaker.
- Choose the Speaker and their Type — their role in this session, such as presenter or panelist.
- Repeat this for each additional speaker, then save the session.
Result
The people you chose appear on the session’s Speakers tab with their role. After the details load, you also see their organization and job title as shown for this event.
You can choose someone from the event’s existing speakers or from your account’s speaker directory, even if they are not already a speaker at this event. When you choose someone from the directory who does not yet have a speaker record for this event, Rhythm adds them through a slightly different background process. If they do not appear on the Speakers tab right away, wait a moment and reload the session.
Tip
The first speaker listed on a session is treated elsewhere in Rhythm as the session’s main presenter. If the order matters, add your lead presenter first.
Rhythm does not check whether the speaker or speaker type you choose belongs to this event, so you can accidentally select one from another event. Double-check your selections before you save. You cannot delete a speaker or speaker type while any session still names it.
View a Session's Speakers
Open the session and select its Speakers tab to see everyone presenting, in the order they were added. The tab also shows each person’s role, organization, and job title for this event. Select a speaker’s name to open their event speaker record, or select their organization to open that organization’s record.
Keep a Session's Documents Together
Each session has one folder in the event’s document cabinet for that session’s slides, handouts, and other files. The folder sits under Sessions and is named after the session. Rhythm creates it automatically the first time someone opens the session’s Documents tab, but only when the event has a file cabinet because Documents & Papers is turned on. A session created by converting an abstract gets its folder the same way when Abstracts & Papers is turned on for the event. If you do not want session document folders created, turn off Documents & Papers for the event.
- Open the session and select the Documents tab.
- Upload, edit, move, copy, or delete files in the folder, if you have permission to manage the event’s documents.
Result
Files in this folder are the session’s documents, kept separate from other sessions’ documents and the event’s other files.
Warning
The session’s documents folder keeps the name the session had when the folder was first created, even if you rename the session later. If you have already renamed a session, check that the documents folder name still makes sense.
Staff who can open the session but do not have permission to manage the event’s documents can still see the files in this folder. They cannot upload, edit, move, copy, or delete them.
Warning
If a session's Documents tab shows an error such as "Unable to load file cabinet" and mentions a null ID, this has been observed on events with Documents & Papers enabled. If this happens, check whether the session's other tabs load normally with Documents & Papers turned off, and contact Support if the error continues.
Related Reading
For the rest of the session form, including its type, schedule, and access rules, see Create and Edit Sessions and Other Events. To add someone as a speaker at the event first, or change how they are presented, see Add and Edit an Event Speaker. If a document will not upload or open, see My File Will Not Upload or Open.