Tips and Tricks 11: Rehearsing for the event day

Tips and Tricks 11: Rehearsing for the event day



Hello everyone,

Hosting a successful and memorable event takes effort, and most of the time you only get one shot at doing it right. Getting a picture of how things will play out can make you confident to achieve the objectives you planned for your event. Preparing your event team members—like your staff, session hosts and co-hosts, and speakers—by rehearsing every session can help everyone get on the same page and give you an opportunity to work out any kinks.

When you create a location-based or an online event in Zoho Backstage, apart from adding speakers to their respective sessions in the Agenda tab, you can also configure hosts and co-hosts in the Hosts tab from the Manage Dashboard. Before event day begins, you can prepare your event team by conducting a dry-run for sessions in Backstage with everyone involved. To do this, you can invite up to 20 test participants for an event to join session rehearsals. This makes your practice runs secure and only accessible to the people you choose.



To invite test participants to your event for session rehearsals, go to the Test participants tab under the Rehearsal tab in the Conduct Dashboard. Here you can click the Add participants link and enter the email addresses of people who you want to invite.

To start a rehearsal, go to the Rehearsal tab in the Conduct Dashboard and click the Rehearse sessions tab. This tab will look similar to the Present sessions tab and this action will display all the sessions in your event. Here, click a session in the timeline on the left. On the right, you will see session details displayed. Next, click the Rehearse session button to start the practice session. Apart from the invited test participants, anyone from the list of event organizers, hosts, co-hosts, and staff can also be a part of session rehearsals by clicking the Join Rehearsal button in the Rehearse sessions tab. When they join the rehearsal, they will be listed according to their role in the event.



Speakers who are added to a session will be sent an invitation email to join the rehearsal through the event microsite. They can click the Join Rehearsal button against a session on the Agenda page and join as speakers. Once the session begins, they can go through their material, refine content, plan transitions, time their sessions, and coordinate with the hosts or co-hosts about session flow. Speakers who are new to the event scene can also get used to talking on stage or an online platform and understand how to use in-session engagement tools like, chat, polls, or Q&A in order to be ready for the event day. Any equipment or integration used for audio or video streaming can also be put to the test at this time to get on top of any unanticipated technical issues. Speakers can also join rehearsals conducted for sessions that they're not added to but will be listed as an attendee in that rehearsal.



Test participants will also receive an email when they are invited to take part in session rehearsals for an event. This email will include a link to easily sign in to the event microsite. Once signed in, they can click the Join Rehearsal button for a particular session on the Agenda page in the event microsite and will be listed as attendees in that rehearsal. However, if you invite an event member such as an event organizer, staff, host, or co-hosts, as a test participant, they will not be listed as an attendee but will be listed according to their respective roles. If you would like to send reminders to all the test participants at the time of the rehearsal, click the Inform participants to join event link in the Test participants tab.

You can also conduct multiple rehearsals, however, sessions that are happening in the same hall or track can't be started parallelly. In addition, make sure that you invite a different set of test participants when you are planning on conducting rehearsals that run parallelly.

Just like with a live session, after the rehearsal is complete, you will find a session summary and detailed analytics in the Sessions tab. Click the View details button for any session to do this.

We hope this tip will be useful for you. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

You can also visit our help center or send us an email at support@zohobackstage.com if you have any questions.

Stay tuned for more useful tips to help you craft exceptional events with Zoho Backstage!

Happy organizing!



Found this helpful? Subscribe to the Backstage Community for more tips and tricks.


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ






                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Super Admin Logging in as another User

                                    How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working
                                  • Shared Mailbox - Mark as read for all users

                                    Hi all, Maybe someone can help me out. At the moment we have a shared mailbox without streams. When a users reads an mail or marks it as read other users will not see this. How can we resolve this? We now archive the mails when read and followed up. However
                                  • How do I increase the email attachment size in Zoho CRM ?

                                    It looks like I'm limited to 10MB when sending an attachment using the email widget on a record in Zoho CRM. Is there a way to increase the size? Or can I use some other tool? From what I'm reading online, I'm maxed out at 10MB. Any insight would be greatly
                                  • Can I export to PDF in Zoho Learn

                                    I have seen help pages where export to pdf options are available but I do not see that option available from the application. I see that exprt is available in my free trial version but that is only to html pages. I need to be able to export my manuals
                                  • Zoho Sites "pages" management page

                                    I have 80 plus pages on zoho sites. When I go to the "pages" link to view and edit pages, They are not in any kind of order, so I spend lots of time searching for pages when I need to edit or create new. How can I change the view order of all my pages
                                  • Staff rules

                                    Hi! Do you people know what are the default staff rules when a new booking is created? We have two staff members in my team (me as the admin, and my employee). As we share the same services, I'm wondering how Zoho will pick the staff for new apointments.
                                  • Add Image Upload Field to Zoho Bookings Registration Form

                                    Hi, We would like to request the addition of an image upload field to the Zoho Bookings registration form. Currently, Zoho Bookings only supports text-based fields (e.g., Single Line, Multi-Line, Email, Checkbox, Dropdown, Radio Button, and Date), but
                                  • New Field in CRM Product Module Not Visible in Zoho Creator for Mapping

                                    I created a new single-line field in the Products module in Zoho CRM. Zoho CRM and Zoho Creator are integrated, but the newly created field in CRM is not visible in Zoho Creator when I try to map fields.
                                  • Merge Tags Output Incorrect Placeholder Text After CRM Sync

                                    Hi everyone, I’m experiencing an issue with merge tags in Zoho Campaigns after last sync of contacts and leads from Zoho CRM (days before everything worked perfectly). Here’s the situation (seems like a default configuration in Campaigns) : My leads have
                                  • UI Improvement - Ability to Collapse Flow

                                    The UI for Flow is generally pretty good. However, when multiple decision trees are used, the layout can get pretty convoluted and hard-to-follow (see one of my Flows below): In these cases, even the auto-arrange fails to make this something that a normal
                                  • Windows agent 2025_M02 release notes

                                    Agent Version: 111.0.3.300 Release date: 24 February, 2025 Various Major enhancements to improve overall performance and optimize the user experience. Squashed a few bugs to improve overall product quality.
                                  • Windows agent 2025_M01 release notes

                                    Agent Version: 111.0.3.299 Release date: 05 February, 2025 Major Enhancement: Live Monitor feature compatibility released. Major Enhancement: Updated Scaling for multi technician cases with Android and Web based viewers. Various other bug fixes and performance
                                  • Disable Buttons for Users with Profiles without permission

                                    Hey, I've noticed that users without permission of setting up things in the marketplace, can still see the icon: On a click, you see this: It would be way better, if they couldn't see this menu icon at all. (Aside from the fact that it completely misplaced
                                  • how to record deferred revenue?

                                    Dear Zoho Team, We issue invoices relating to 12-month web hosting service. When we issue the invoice, we should record the entire amount of the invoice as DEFERRED REVENUE (ie. $10 x 12 mths = $120, balance sheet item). After the particular month of the hosting service, $10 of revenue has been earned and deferred revenue amount will be $110. We must keep adjusting the balance sheet and income statement over the course of the service until the company has fulfilled its obligation of services and
                                  • Narrative 13: Importing your data

                                    Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series Narrative 13: Importing your data When importing data into an application, it is crucial to prevent data loss or duplication. These types of errors can hinder the development of a clean and
                                  • Blueprint Not Triggering When Lead Status Is Updated by Workflow (IndiaMART Integration)

                                    I have set up a blueprint that triggers when a lead’s status is “New Lead.” Our CRM is integrated with IndiaMART, and when leads are created from IndiaMART, their Lead Status is initially set to None. To handle this, I created a workflow that automatically
                                  • Update Subform in specific field(Status) without affecting other fields in Zoho CRM using Deluge?

                                    Scenario: PRODUCT Module(change name Plot) in any product status change From Available to Booked then on PROJECT Custom Module have Subform So, Subform name is Property Details now in that Subform 1 field is STATUS that update according to  product status
                                  • YouTube Live #2: Agreement Intelligence with Zoho Sign's eSign AI assistant

                                    Hi there, We're back again with our YouTube live series and this time, we'll take you through our holistic agreement intelligence powered signature workflows. Struggling to draft an agreement? Need help double-checking clauses and going through complicated
                                  • Can I Build a POS using ZOHO creator and integrate it with ZOHO Books?

                                    Hello,  I have a Zoho Books account and I was wondering if I can have a POS system that integrates with it. Primarily with Inventory, Customers and Payment and ofcourse Create invoices and credit notes.   So, would Zoho creator provide me with this solution?  Thank you, 
                                  • An important update for Zoho Cliq desktop users

                                    The latest version of the Zoho Cliq desktop app (v1.8.0) will no longer be supported on macOS 10.15 Catalina and earlier versions. This is because the framework we use (Electron) no longer supports some older macOS versions. If you’re using macOS 10.15
                                  • Zoho Projects - Visual improvement to parent and sub-task relationship

                                    Hi Projects Team, My feature request is to improve sub-task visibility. Please see screenshot below. I really think parent child relationships could be visually improved. Even if the first letter of the parent task was inline with other same level tasks
                                  • Items Below Reorder Point Report?

                                    Is there a way to run a report of Items that are below the Reorder Point? I don't see this as a specific report, nor can I figure out how to customize any of the other stock reports to give me this information. Please tell me I'm missing something s
                                  • New Toolbar in Zoho Sheet

                                    We have revamped our toolbar design in this new version of Zoho Sheet. Below are some screenshots to help you get accustomed to this new interface. Click on the picture below to view the animated image in its original size. Scroll down this post to learn about the changes. Highlight of Changes: The previous format tab is now split into 2 tabs - Home and Format. The Home tab contains the commonly used functions and the Format tab holds formatting related options. Under the Home tab towards the far
                                  • Zoho inbuilt Telephony made a lot of issues!

                                    Hi there, I am a user that I am working with zoho inbuilt telephony around 1 month. Non of my colleagues are happy with this app! most of the time customer cannot hear my customer service team, customers say our voice is breaking. whenever Telephony support
                                  • Sending workflow notifications using popular chat services

                                    Hello everyone, We have introduced instant and scheduled notifications on some of the most popular chat platforms to facilitate easy collaboration, quick action, and wider reach. Workflow notifications can be sent to the following chat platforms: Zoho
                                  • Webhook not firing.

                                    I created a webhook using the Web UI, it looks very nice and the testing worked without an issue, but when i save/ update a ticket, the webhook is not firing. Here are the details of the web-hook i get from using the API "modifiedTime": "2019-10-22T09:23:37.380Z",
                                  • Adding Images to a Quote in Zoho CRM

                                    We are currently preparing to use Quotes in Zoho CRM and we are building out our Quote templates.  We came across an issue of not being to add Images of the products to the Quote - specifically in the body of the Quote templates.   This is a problem,
                                  • Applications built with Zoho Creator

                                    Hi, I’m really interested in seeing how others have built their application using Zoho Creator, especially those designed for external users (clients, vendors, or the public). If you’ve developed something along those lines and don’t mind sharing, I’d
                                  • In arattai received message can't be deleted

                                    The issue has been noticed in following: arattai app (Android) arattai app (Window) arattai web While the message posted by me may be deleted, the ones received from others can't be. The item <Delete> change to <Report> when the message is a received
                                  • Is it posssible to add Asap Widget on Wordpress?

                                    I have tried to add the ASAP widget so users could iniciate chats and see the KB information but nothings seems to work. I have tried to add the script using a php snippet that adds the to the footers and also tried one for the header in the functio
                                  • Require ticket resolution

                                    Hi Zoho team, Is there a way to require resolution even if an agent did not use a blueprint? for example, our blueprint has a "resolve" transition but what if agent revoked blueprint and manually set the status of ticket to closed? Is there a way where
                                  • Tables from ZohoSheets remove images when updated from source

                                    I have a few tables from a ZohoSheet in a ZohoWriter document that will remove the images in the cells when I refresh from the source. The source still has the images in the table when I go to refresh. After updating from the source, as you can see the
                                  • API Pagination Error: 'from' Parameter Limit

                                    Hello, I am encountering an error while paging through the Zoho Desk API results: Status code: 422 - {"errorCode":"UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY","message":"The value passed for field 'from' exceeds the range of '0-4999'."} Is 5000 the maximum number of records
                                  • How to go to the next open ticket in the queue when agents closes ticket

                                    Zoho Desk When agent closes a ticket - eg when they choose 'Send and Close" - where is the setting that automatically redirects them to the next open ticket in the queue?
                                  • External download link limit

                                    Can You please help us to understand this For Zoho WorkDrive external users, the download limit is a maximum of 5 GB total download size and a maximum of 50 first-level files and folders What is the meaning of first level? We are using these files in
                                  • CRM verify details pop-up

                                    Was there a UI change recently that involves the Verify Details pop-up when changing the Stage of a Deal to certain things? I can't for the life of me find a workflow or function, blueprint, validation rule, layout rule ect that would randomly make it
                                  • Automatically Add Recurring Zoho Meeting Events to Zoho Calendar / Zoho Meeting Calendar

                                    Hello Zoho Meeting Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement regarding recurring meetings created inside Zoho Meeting. At the moment, when we schedule a recurring meeting in Zoho Meeting, it does not appear in Zoho Calendar
                                  • The difference between Zoho Marketing Automation and Zoho Campaigns

                                    Greetings Marketers! This post aims to differentiate between Zoho Marketing Automation and Zoho Campaigns. By the time you get to the end of the post, you will be able to choose a product that objectively suits you. What is Zoho Marketing Automation?
                                  • Custom templates for calendar report

                                    What about being able to design custom templates for the calendar report, as well as for other types of reports? I think more users are waiting for this.
                                  • Print a price list or price book

                                    Hi Community. Am I right in concluding that Zoho has no functionality to print a price list from either Zoho CRM, Zoho Inventory or Zoho Books? I won't get stuck on the fact that Zoho doesn't sync price books between Zoho CRM and Books/Inventory (more
                                  • Next Page