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Publishing Your Event

Ready to make your event live? This guide walks you through the publishing process, requirements, and what happens when you publish your event.

What Does Publishing Mean?​

When you publish an event, you're making it visible and accessible to attendees. Here's what changes:

Before Publishing (DRAFT):

  • Event is only visible to organization owners and event admins
  • You can freely edit and test everything
  • No attendees can see or join the event
  • Perfect for setup and preparation

After Publishing (PUBLISHED):

  • Event is visible to invited attendees
  • Attendees can register and join
  • Sessions appear in the event agenda
  • Chat rooms become active
  • Networking features are enabled
  • Event appears in organization event listings
You Can Still Edit

Publishing doesn't lock your event! You can continue editing sessions, adding speakers, updating branding, and making changes even after publishing. Changes are visible immediately to attendees.

Publishing Requirements​

Before you can publish your event, Atria validates that you have the minimum required information:

Required Fields​

  1. Event Title - A clear name for your event
  2. Start Date - When your event begins
  3. End Date - When your event concludes
  4. Hero Description - Main event tagline/description
  5. At Least One Organizer - Must have at least one admin or organizer assigned
  6. Venue Information (for In-Person and Hybrid events)
    • Venue name
    • City
    • Country
    • State (for US venues only)
Validation Errors

If you try to publish without completing these fields, you'll see specific error messages telling you what's missing. Complete the required fields and try again.

How to Publish Your Event​

Step 1: Complete Required Information​

Make sure you have all required fields filled in:

  1. Go to Event Settings → Basic Info
  2. Verify you have:
    • Event title
    • Start and end dates
    • Hero description (in Branding & Hero tab)
    • Venue details (if In-Person or Hybrid)
  3. Check that you're assigned as an organizer or admin

Step 2: Review Your Event​

Before publishing, do a final check:

  • Event details are accurate (dates, times, venue)
  • Hero description is compelling
  • Hero images are uploaded (desktop and/or mobile)
  • Sessions are created and scheduled (for Conference events)
  • Speakers are assigned to sessions
  • Content sections are filled out (welcome, highlights, FAQs)
  • Icebreaker messages are customized
  • Sponsor tiers are set up (if applicable)
Preview Your Event

View your event page as an attendee would see it. Make sure everything looks good before publishing!

Step 3: Change Status to Published​

  1. Go to Event Settings → Basic Info
  2. Find the Status dropdown
  3. Change from "Draft" to "Published"
  4. Click "Save Changes"

Atria will validate your event and either:

  • ✅ Publish successfully - Your event is now live!
  • ❌ Show validation errors - Fix the issues and try again

Step 4: Invite Attendees​

Once published, start inviting people to your event:

  1. Go to Event → Attendees (or Attendee Manager)
  2. Invite users individually or in bulk
  3. Send invitations via email
  4. Track who has accepted

What Happens When You Publish​

Immediate Changes​

Visibility:

  • Event appears in organization event listings
  • Invited attendees can see the event
  • Event page is accessible

Features Enabled:

  • Attendees can register/join
  • Sessions are viewable in the agenda
  • Chat rooms are accessible
  • Networking features are active
  • Connection requests can be sent

Notifications:

  • Invited users receive event access
  • Event appears in their event list

What Doesn't Change​

You Still Have Full Control:

  • Edit event details anytime
  • Add/remove sessions
  • Update speakers
  • Change branding and content
  • Modify settings
  • Add more attendees

Status Flexibility:

  • Can change back to Draft if needed
  • Can archive the event later
  • No permanent lock-in

Unpublishing (Changing Back to Draft)​

Need to make your event private again? You can change the status back to Draft:

  1. Go to Event Settings → Basic Info
  2. Change status from "Published" to "Draft"
  3. Click "Save Changes"

What happens:

  • Event becomes invisible to attendees (except admins)
  • Existing attendees lose access temporarily
  • All data is preserved
  • You can republish anytime
Attendee Impact

Changing back to Draft removes access for attendees. They'll regain access when you republish. Use this carefully during active events.

When to Publish​

Good Times to Publish​

Early Publication:

  • As soon as basic details are finalized
  • When you want to start accepting registrations
  • To build anticipation and allow early signups
  • When venue/dates are locked in

Benefits of publishing early:

  • Longer registration period
  • More time for attendee networking before event
  • Can build momentum gradually
  • Attendees can mark calendars

Just-in-Time Publication:

  • When all sessions are finalized
  • When speaker lineup is complete
  • When you want polished, complete information
  • Close to event date

Benefits of publishing later:

  • Everything is finalized and polished
  • No risk of attendees seeing incomplete information
  • Fewer updates needed after publication

Consider Your Event Type​

Conference-Style Events:

  • Publish early to allow session browsing
  • Gives attendees time to plan their schedule
  • Allows speaker networking before event

Single-Day Events:

  • Can publish closer to event date
  • Less advance planning needed for attendees

Invite-Only Events:

  • Publish when you're ready to send invitations
  • Can control exact timing of attendee access

Best Practices​

Before Publishing​

Triple-check critical information:

  • Event dates and times
  • Venue address (for in-person events)
  • Timezone settings
  • Hero description accuracy

Prepare content:

  • Write clear welcome message
  • Add helpful FAQs
  • Customize icebreakers for your audience
  • Upload quality hero images

Set up structure:

  • Create at least initial sessions (for conferences)
  • Invite key speakers
  • Set up chat rooms if needed
  • Configure sponsor tiers

After Publishing​

Communicate:

  • Send announcement to your organization
  • Share event link with potential attendees
  • Send invitations to confirmed attendees
  • Post on social media if public

Monitor:

  • Watch for registration activity
  • Check for attendee questions in chat
  • Monitor connection requests
  • Respond to feedback

Iterate:

  • Add new sessions as needed
  • Update FAQs based on questions
  • Refine content based on feedback
  • Add more speakers as confirmed

Timeline Recommendations​

4-6 Weeks Before Event:

  • Good time to publish for major conferences
  • Allows ample registration time
  • Builds anticipation

2-3 Weeks Before Event:

  • Suitable for smaller events
  • Good middle ground for most events

1 Week Before Event:

  • Works for small, invite-only events
  • Ensures all details are finalized
  • Last-minute workshops or meetups

Day of Event:

  • Not recommended unless unavoidable
  • Attendees need time to prepare
  • Reduces networking opportunities

Common Publishing Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Multi-Day Conference​

Timeline:
- 6 weeks before: Publish with basic info, some sessions
- 4 weeks before: Send first round of invitations
- 2 weeks before: Add remaining sessions
- 1 week before: Final updates, send reminders
- Event day: Monitor and engage

Scenario 2: Single Workshop​

Timeline:
- 2 weeks before: Publish with complete details
- 10 days before: Send invitations
- 3 days before: Send reminder
- Event day: Go live

Scenario 3: Invite-Only Networking Event​

Timeline:
- 3 weeks before: Publish (keeps event private)
- 2 weeks before: Send invitations to select group
- 1 week before: Add late additions
- Event day: Facilitate networking

Troubleshooting​

"Cannot publish event: Missing required field"​

Solution: Check the error message for specifics. Common issues:

  • Missing hero description (go to Branding & Hero tab)
  • No organizer assigned (should be automatic as creator)
  • Missing venue info (for In-Person/Hybrid events)
  • Missing start or end date

"Cannot publish event: No organizers found"​

Solution:

  • You should be auto-assigned as admin when you create the event
  • If missing, have an organization owner add you as an event admin

"Venue information required for in-person/hybrid events"​

Solution:

  • Go to Event Settings → Basic Info
  • Fill in required venue fields:
    • Venue name
    • City
    • Country
    • State (for US venues only)

Published but attendees can't see the event​

Check:

  1. Did attendees receive invitations?
  2. Have they accepted the invitation?
  3. Are they logged into Atria?
  4. Is the event status actually "Published"?

Want to hide event temporarily​

Solution:

  • Change status back to "Draft"
  • Event becomes private again
  • Republish when ready

Archiving Events​

After your event concludes, you can archive it:

  1. Go to Event Settings → Basic Info
  2. Change status to "Archived"
  3. Click "Save Changes"

Archived events:

  • Remain visible to attendees (read-only)
  • Preserve all connections made
  • Maintain event history
  • Can't accept new attendees
  • Can be changed back to Published or Draft if needed
Flexible Archiving

You can archive an event at any time - you don't have to wait for the end date to pass. Archive when your event is complete.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can I publish without any sessions?​

For Single Session events, yes. For Conference events, it's possible but not recommended. Attendees expect to see an agenda.

Can I publish and then add sessions later?​

Yes! You can add sessions anytime, even after publishing. They'll appear immediately in the agenda.

What if I need to change the date after publishing?​

You can change dates in Event Settings → Basic Info. Be sure to communicate the change to registered attendees.

Can I unpublish, make changes, and republish?​

Yes. Change status to Draft, make your updates, then change back to Published. Attendees will regain access.

Do I need to notify attendees when I publish?​

The system doesn't send automatic notifications when you publish. Send invitations manually to let people know your event is live.

Can I test the published event before attendees see it?​

The event is visible to invited attendees as soon as you publish. Consider creating a test event in a test organization if you want to experiment.

What happens to chat rooms when I publish?​

Chat rooms become accessible to attendees based on their permissions (public rooms for all, backstage for speakers/organizers, etc.).

Next Steps​

Your event is published! Now:

Need help? Contact us or open an issue.