SessionBoard Reference - Premier Shows

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT | Recorded: 2025-10-29 | Verify against current system state

Abstract¶

SessionBoard vendor reference call with Nicole Payne from Premier Shows (Informa Markets). She manages 700+ sessions across beauty industry trade shows. Discusses implementation experience, customization capabilities, registration workarounds using Events Pass, support responsiveness, and practical advice for organizations with similar paid workshop models.

Key Procedures¶

• Set up Call for Papers through SessionBoard
• Customize fields for specific industry needs
• Configure email templates for acceptances
• Link sessions to external registration via descriptions
• Use Events Pass for paid workshop registration
• Track CE credits and pricing in custom fields

Notable Statements¶

• 0:02:25 "We are now USA Beauty. So we host the premier beauty shows"
• 0:03:11 "Our largest show is premier Orlando. We actually host over 700 sessions at that show within like 71, 72 classrooms"
• 0:03:23 "Prior to session board, we had no system at all... we handled everything through an online form that would then come to email"
• 0:03:44 "We switched to session board early 2023. And then we're now using it for all of our shows"
• 0:05:54 "It's literally a drop down form. You can make custom fields if you want"
• 0:06:40 "The system had no limitations of what we could do essentially"
• 0:06:51 "We needed something that was going to be kind of bulletproof, really simple"
• 0:08:11 "I've never waited more than a day to get a response from anyone"
• 0:08:50 "And that literally got done in a matter of a day, day and a half" (custom company field)
• 0:09:32 "They've set up an API directly to session board. So everything we update pulls over" (Sherpa integration)
• 0:10:24 "We've created a template that it kind of links to our registration site"
• 0:11:40 "We've created a custom field for workshops specifically... pricing structure, what's included"
• 0:13:10 "Nothing in here gets sent automatically. Even if you go through and accept a session"
• 0:18:04 "They were able to create what's called an add on link for us, which bypasses the initial registration cycle"
• 0:19:21 "We try to have a no refund policy if we can... we try to honor it for the next year"
• 0:21:32 "Watch your integrations... some things that we think are perfect on a web based system definitely didn't translate as well onto a show app"

Systems & Configurations¶

Systems Mentioned¶

• SessionBoard (speaker/session management)
• Salesforce (exhibitor contracts, leads)
• Events Pass (registration)
• Sherpa (mobile app - Premier side)
• X-Bow Platform (mobile app - Cosmo Prof side)

Event Scale¶

Custom Fields Created¶

Registration Workflow¶

Credentials/Access Mentioned¶

• Nicole Payne (Premier Shows, Director of Education)

Vendor Contacts Mentioned¶

• SessionBoard support team
• Events Pass (registration vendor)
• Sherpa (mobile app)
• X-Bow Platform (mobile app)

Errors & Troubleshooting¶

• Issue: Registration add-ons after initial purchase
• Cause: Separate registration and education launch dates
• Resolution: Custom "add on link" from Events Pass
• Timestamp: 0:18:04

Transcript Gaps & Quality Notes¶

• Vendor reference call (28 minutes)
• AANP evaluating SessionBoard purchase
• Very similar use case to AANP (500+ sessions, paid workshops, CE)
• Screen sharing of SessionBoard shown
• Key recommendation: Test integrations before full rollout
• No Salesforce integration being used currently