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Tracks are a great tool for events that have multiple sessions which occur simultaneously. This document goes over how to implement tracks so an event may have multiple simultaneous agendas occur seamlessly.
Tracks can also be used when you have multiple content streams intended for different audiences - for example, if you have a set of sessions for Marketers, sessions for Product, and sessions for Engineers.
When to Create Tracks
Oftentimes event creators may think that our tracks are used to categorize sessions when they are crafting their events. Tracks in Goldcast however have a more technical meaning and are not only for categorizing sessions. Rather, tracks are meant for hosting multiple sessions simultaneously.
If your event at any point has multiple agendas occurring at the same time, then you should create multiple tracks. If your event does not at any point have multiple agendas happening at the same time, then you should only make one track and assign all sessions in that event to that single track.
Creating a Track
To create tracks for an event:
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- Log in to Goldcast Studio with your credentials.
- Click the hamburger icon
on the top left, and select the Events tab to get a list of all your events.
- From the Events list, click the event you want to add tracks to.
- Click Program --> Agenda in the menu on the left of the event dashboard.
- Click the Settings button on the right side of the screen.
- Click the + Add Tracks button at the bottom of the page. Add as many tracks as needed (as many sessions you will run simultaneously).
- To rename a track, click directly on the track’s name and then click away to save.
- Reorder your tracks by dragging and dropping them using the two lines on the right side.
The first track in your list will be the default track for your attendees to follow during this event.
- Delete a track by clicking the trash can icon. (Tracks can’t be deleted if there are sessions on the track.)
- Click Save.
When you return to the Agenda, you will now see a filter at the top called “All Tracks.” Open this dropdown to view one track at a time, or all tracks.
When creating or editing a session, at the very top of the window you will see the option to add the session to one or more tracks.
Once a session has been added to a track, the track name will be visible on that session’s tile on the Agenda.
Multiple Tracks, Simultaneous Sessions
Having multiple tracks enables you to have multiple simultaneous sessions. If, for example, you want to host an event where attendees can either listen to a speaker with a serious sales background or a speaker with a serious marketing background who are both speaking at the same time, then you will want to have two tracks created for the event.
As previously mentioned, make sure to create all of the event’s tracks BEFORE you add any session.
If you are using multiple tracks for your event then you must assign all sessions to all tracks except for sessions that happen concurrently with other sessions. For example, Session G might be happening at the same time as Session H; if this is the case, then Session G and Session H only need to be assigned to one track each.
Attendees can change tracks anytime they want to during an event; because of this, if a session is only assigned to 1 of 4 total event tracks and there are no other sessions in tracks 2-4, were an attendee to click on tracks 2-4 then the person will only see a black screen/dead air.
For example: See below for an Incorrect format. While there are enough tracks for the 4 separate sessions in light blue to happen at the same time, if an attendee is in tracks 2-4 at any other time, then that person will only see a black screen.
See below for the correct format. This event needs 4 tracks because the sessions in light blue are each different sessions happening at the same time; in order to play all 4 of these sessions simultaneously, there must be 4 tracks - one for each session. However, Goldcast recommends that all other content, like the Intro, Fireside Chat, Documentary, Break, and Networking, are added to ALL tracks because all attendees are intended to join them.
When creating a session, it will be assigned to all tracks by default. If there are sessions happening at the same time as this session, make sure they are not assigned to the same track, instead each assigned to their own track.
On the Agenda, you can select “All Tracks” which will display all sessions in chronological order. The simultaneous sessions will be stacked. If you select one track, you will see only this track’s sessions - and not any sessions occurring at the same time on different tracks.