Both are ways to manage audience registration. You cannot use both the direct session link and the registration form for the same scheduled event.
- With pre-registration, you can track who plans to attend before the session, share event details in advance, and see who attended afterward.
- A direct session link doesn’t require pre-registration but collects audience details when they join. Sharing a direct session link also allows you to manage pre-registration outside of Riverside.
| Pre-registration with audience registration form |
Collect audience details upon joining (Direct session link) |
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|---|---|---|
| Custom registration fields | ||
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Branded registration form
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| Email notifications |
(Only follow-up emails) |
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| Approval process | Registrants are automatically approved but can be manually revoked by the host. | No approval process; everyone with the link can join upon entering their details. |
| Communication | Registrants receive a confirmation email with event details, time zone, and a unique joining link. | No automatic confirmation email. You need to manually share the session details and link with your audience. |
| Resend registration confirmation email | ||
| Access |
Audience members must pre-register and receive a unique joining link before the event. They can only enter the studio during the scheduled time window. |
Audience members enter their name and email upon clicking the link and join immediately. They can only enter the studio during the scheduled time window. |
| Audience can join via the Riverside mobile app or a mobile web browser | ||
| When do audience members submit their details? | Audience members submit their details at any time before the session when they register through the form. | Audience members provide their details when they join the session, just before entering the studio. |
| Remove audience member | ||
| Post-event data | Hosts can download the CSV file both before and after the session. | Hosts can download the CSV file after the session. |