What are portals in Lennd?
Portals are sites that your event team members can log into to manage their requests. You can assign them forms to fill out (with or without a due date), request files (with or without an attached sample), have them enter their group members and request passes, assets and catering, and report on request statuses.
Unlike a form, which is typically submitted once and can be challenging to change once data has been entered, portals are dynamic and easy to customize. Your team members can easily see their completed forms, what's been approved or denied, and due dates for unsubmitted requests.
Portals are configured by group type, so vendors can have different items assigned to their portal than Sponsors. You can also add specific requests to individual groups.
Accessing portals
Sign into Lennd and access your event. (As described in Set Up Your Event.)
Click "Portals" from the left-hand navigation panel on the dashboard.
Select the Group Type you want to configure the portal for and click "Settings"
Click "Configure Portal" and go through the steps to build your portal.
Intake Form
Intake forms let your groups register and receive immediate access to their portal. They are typically used for application forms, such as a vendor application. This is a good choice if you do not already have contact information in your CRM.
However, you do not need to configure an intake form. Below are the pros and cons of using intake forms:
Intake Form Pros:
self-serve - combines filling out a form with portal access in one step
form can be customized to collect the data you need, including primary contact, company address, etc.
Intake Form Cons:
repetitive for contacts who have already filled out a similar form (previous year, etc.)
may create duplicate groups or people for contacts who are in the database.
Initial Setup (Intake Form)
Sign into Lennd and access your event. (As described in Set Up Your Event.)
Click "Portals" from the left-hand navigation panel on the dashboard.
Select the Group Type you want to configure the portal for and click "Set up Intake Form"
Go through the steps to create your form.
Video Walkthrough - Setup Intake Form
Portal Settings & Messages
Portals have three sections:
Home
People
Reports
Under Customize Appearance, you can customize the message that appears and add instructional text for each section, to help users understand what they should do.
Example - Home Welcome Message
Exhibitor Portal (Welcome Message)
Pro Tips:
A good welcome message has the following information:
– Instructions / guidelines for any information you wish to collect (Submitting Forms & Documents, Advancing Credentials & Catering, etc.).
– A list of important deadlines for submitting information through the Portal.
– Contact information for an administrator that should be sent any questions.
– Where to find helpful information you're sharing with them (i.e. Files, Event Updates)
Close Date, Additions and Changes
The next section will allow you to set a close date. The close date will lock the portal forms, tasks, and file requests. After that date, users can still log into the portal, but they will not be able to update any of their items, or add people.
You can also set group portals to not allow additions and changes to the people in the group. This is set to open by default as most events want their group portal admins to be able to make changes.
People types this group can add
The final portal settings to configure are what people types this group can add, and what items can be requested.
When you enable the type of people that will get added via this group (which ensure they are attached to the group AND makes them part of the appropriate people type within the CRM), you can then choose what data you want to collect on each person.
Once you enable the people type, you'll have two options.
Select Fields To Show
Available Items to Request
Select fields to show - this will configure the fields that you want to display when the portal user is adding people to their group. You can select any person fields and make them required or optional.
Example - Exhibitor People Fields
Selected fields can be set as mandatory or optional (checkmark) and removed by clicking the "x" icon.
Example - People Fields in Exhibitor Portal
Available Items to Request
This will allow you to set up passes, catering, and assets for people to request in the portal.
Clicking "Assign/Create" will open the below window. Item blocks can be added or created here.
NOTE: one item block can be used in several contexts (forms, other portals, etc.. If you edit an existing item block on one portal, the edits will reflect on all of them.
Creating a new item block
Click "Assign/Create"
Click "Create a new item block" in the next window.
Follow the below steps to select the items you want to make available in this block.
Items can be added with a specific price and/or limit per request.
Finally, create a name for your block. We recommend adding the group name. You can enforce an item limit on the total number of items to request in this block, and confirm the items that are in the block via Item List.
Once the block is saved and added to the portal, it will be available for groups to request on behalf of their people.
Example - Request Items for People in Portal
Adding forms, file requests, etc. to your portal
Forms and file requests that are assigned to your group will appear in their portal, along with any due dates, drafts, or other items associated with the request. Any files or documents that have been generated and saved to the group's profile will also be available to view here.
Learn more: Add Forms to Portals
Learn more: Assign File Requests
Reports
Reports provides an overview of the items that have been requested via the portal, along with their statuses:
Sharing portals
Portals can be shared via a direct link or emailed to groups from the CRM.
To email the link:
Go to CRM and select the group(s) you want to email
Click "Send - Send Portal Login Link"
Review and edit the text in the email builder prior to sending the portal link.
A direct link to the portal can be accessed from the Portals homepage. Click "Copy Link" to copy the full link to your clipboard, which can be pasted into an email or added to a website.
Note that the link is the same for each event; however, the portal(s) that the user can log into are based on their group membership and settings. If you are not using an intake form to get groups and people into your event, you must add them into your CRM before distributing the link.
Learn more: Importing Groups and People