Frequently Asked Questions

You can enter the Virtual Conference & Exposition by clicking on this link. You will need your username and password that was sent to you either in your confirmation email, or through emails leading up to the virtual conference. It is the same login you use for the Attendee Service Center. Input the email and password into the dialogue box on the right side of the LeadingAge CA Virtual Conference & Exposition Login Page. Click “Sign In” to enter the Virtual Conference.



If you have used the Attendee Service Center before, you may not be required to input your email and password as it is saved in your browser. In this case, you will be able to simply select “Enter Venue.”

You will automatically be entered into the Lobby.  This is the “home page” for the virtual platform.  You can easily access all three of the main components of the conference from this page: Expo Hall, Auditorium and EngAge Lounge.  You’ll also be greeted by our Emcee: Leeza Gibbons each day with a special message.  Make sure you watch it so you won’t miss anything important.

At the top right of your screen, you’ll see your name. (This Example: Soua) You'll see a drop down menu - click on "My Profile"

Click on “Badge Name Edit” to make any edits to your name.  Click on “Edit Photo” to upload your photo. 

To join a session, click on the “Auditorium” button or the “My Agenda” which is located in the drop down menu of the “Engage Lounge” located on the top right navigation bar.



From there, scroll until you see your pre-registered sessions or any session you are interested in. 15 minutes before the session begins, a green button will appear underneath the session title which you can click on to join the session.

You can join your pre-scheduled 1:1 appointments by clicking the “EngAge Lounge” button on the top right navigation bar.



Once you are inside the “EngAge Lounge”, you will click “SmartMatch Appointments”.


Click the “Appointments” button to see all the appointments that you have scheduled.


When it is time for the appointment to begin, click the blue chat bubble icon to open our Unified Communications Dashboard in a new tab.

The Dashboard will bring you into a chat with the exhibitor where you can either talk through instant messaging, or you can click the camera button to start a conversation face to face.


 

If you didn’t pre-schedule your appointments, you can chat with Exhibitors directly in their booth in the Expo Hall by clicking the “Exhibitor Chat” button.



This will open the Unified Communications Dashboard and start a chat with a member from the booth staff.



You can also click on “Contacts” to start a chat with an exhibitor booth staff.



Or you can simply click on " Exhibitor Chat"and you will be entered into a chat room with that exhibitor.



You can also schedule an appointment by clicking the "Appointment” icon located at the bottom of each booth.  This will pull up the times that the exhibitor is available to meet. An exhibitor booth staff's schedule from that company will show up.  



Select any open time slots and then press request appointment.



 

You can chat with other attendees by clicking the “EngAge Lounge” icon located on the top right Navigation bar.



Click “Chat and Discussion Groups”


This will open our Unified Communications Dashboard. This is where you can search for an individual attendee, speaker or exhibitor and have a private chat or enter into existing Discussion Groups.  To start a private chat, click the plus button next to the Private Chat button.



You can search for all attendees, speakers, and booth staff in this box.  Press the dark blue/black bubble icon next to the name of the person that you are wanting to talk to.



This will open a private chat. You can now instant message them, or you can turn your camera on and talk face to face when they are available.
 

To join a discussion group, head over to the Lounge and click Chat and Discussion Groups.


This will open the Engagement Dashboard. From here, click the plus icon next to the discussion groups navigation title.



When it is time for the discussion groups to begin, you can click join and be placed in a group chat with our featured speaker and other attendees. You can find the times that the discussion groups are taking place throughout the agenda.

 

Located in the Attendee Lounge, click on the ‘Keyword Search’ button.  Type what you are searching for into the text box and press the search button. This will pull up every result that populates in Attendees, Booth Staff, Documents, Exhibitors, Products, Sessions, and Videos.

If you would like to search specifically for an Exhibitor, head over to the Expo Hall and click Directory from the drop-down menu.



You can now search exhibitors by company name, keyword, and product category.

Click on the eBag button to add things to your personal eBag.


You can add exhibitors, contacts, documents, videos, etc. To see what you’ve added to your eBag, click on the eBag link in the top right navigation bar and easily access the items that interested you.

 

To prepare for LeadingAge California’s Virtual Annual Conference, make sure that your technology is compatible with our systems. You can run a systems check by clicking here!

•    Browser: Make sure that you are using a compatible browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari. Internet Explorer and Edge are not compatible with our systems.

•    Webcam & Mic: In order to conduct 1:1 appointments via webcam and participate in any type of interactive session or social event, you must have a working webcam and mic on your laptop/computer. There are no dial in #’s. Please test these before the event to ensure you can participate fully.

•    Wi-Fi/Internet: Make sure you have a strong internet connection during the event as streaming content and using your webcam use a lot of bandwidth. If you are experiencing difficulties during the event, make sure all other systems are closed out on your computer as they can slow down your connectivity.

•    Security Restrictions: Check with your company’s IT Department to ensure you don’t have any pop-up blockers or spyware installed that would limit your access to event platforms.
 

We are here to assist you with ANY questions you may have. You can call and/or email us before hand at events@leadingageca.org.

During the conference, we suggest using the “Help Desk” integrated within the platform during the conference to get the fastest response.  The Help Desk button located on the top right navigation bar. Click on it and you'll be able to click onthe "Attendee Help"  to open our help desk staff contacts. 
 

If you want to chat live with a LeadingAge CA staff, click the chat button next to any staff’s name that is listed. This will open the Unified Communications Dashboard and you will be placed in a private 1:1 chat.

For each qualifying continuing education course that you attend in its entirety, you will be asked to submit a session evaluation following the program.  The system tracks your attendance and will be able to allow staff to verify your attendance.  Once the conference is over, LeadingAge CA staff will send you your certificates indicating all the classes you have attended and the number of continuing education contact hours you have earned.

Under the Schedule At a Glance, you'll be able to click on the courses and view the details of that course.  Each course will indicate if it has been approved for continuing education.  

Upon entering the Virtual Conference platform, click on the "Auditorium" menu and click on the "Schedule At a Glance" to see the entire schedule or select the individual day schedules to see just one day. 

Here are the schedules of the Keynote Sessions.  If you are logged onto the platform, you will also receive scrolling reminders at the bottom of your screen 15 minutes before the Keynote/General Session starts.

Double check your system.  Many times, it depends on your internet connection. You can try some of the following:

•    Please test and check your system at least one day before the event. You can run a systems check by clicking here!  This includes your network connection, device battery life, and speakers.
•    We recommend you use a computer or a tablet for the best experience. The system is not responsive on a cell phone.
•    We recommend you use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Safari to access the webinar. Other browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer and Edge) are not compatible with the webinar system.
•    Check with your company’s IT Department to ensure you don’t have any pop-up blockers or spyware installed that would limit your access to event platforms.
 

You can leave at any time.  However, please note that in order to earn continuing education credits, you will need to be "present" the entire time.  The system does track your activity so if you are only there for half of the session, you will not be eligible to earn continuing education credits for that session.  

Yes - other attendees, staff and speakers will see you drop off the participant list - however it will not disrupt the course by any means.  Attendees will be placed on listen only mode.

While your colleagues will not be able to "see" you because we are only placing attendees in listen only mode, they will see your name on the attendance list within that session.  The only time you can "see" someone is if you are a speaker or if you participate in any of the CHATs and turn on your webcam.

Once you are in a session, you will be greeted by a staff session moderator.  That person will be there to assist with any technical issues as well as help answer any questions you may have.  To participate in the chat function - once you are in the session room - just click on the chat feature and you can start asking questions.  Just remember that unless you are in a private chat, other attendees will see and participate in the chat. 

Yes - you can sign on and join at any time. Just know that for continuing education purposes, you may not be able to claim continuing education credits.

Your login information is the same as the one that you have been using to enter the Attendee Service Center.  If you need to reset it, go to this page.  All of your communication from LeadingAge California also should have your login info in those emails.  If you are still having trouble, please contact staff at events@leadingageca.org. 

No. This year we opted not to have a mobile App due to the fact that everything is on the virtual platform.  Using your computer or tablet to get onto the virtual platform is the best way to get all the information you need at your fingertips.

You will receive your CE certificates approximately 6 weeks after the conference.

For those Full Conference attendees, you will be receiving an email six weeks after the conference to log onto our new Learning Management System to gain access to all other sessions you were not able to participate in during the live conference dates.  Please note that you will only be able to claim continuing education credits for the sessions you did not attend during October 7-9.  

If you did not purchase the full conference package, you can still access the continuing education sessions for a fee.  Watch out for our announcement when the Learning Management System is live with all conference sessions which will be approximately 6-8 weeks after the conference is over. 

Unfortunately you cannot share your login with colleagues.  The login is unique to you and will only be able to supply you with any type of continuing education credits.  Also, the system tracks your activity so we do not encourage sharing of any kind. 

At this point, we are planning for a virtual conference in May given that it doesn't look like a vaccine will be available anytime soon.  While we would love to hold the conference in person - we do not think we will be able to hold it safely in May without a vaccine.  We follow the CDC guidelines and will keep everyone posted.  Check back on our website frequently for updates.  

At this time, we ask that everyone hold the week of May 3-7, 2021.  It will be LeadingAge California's 60th Anniversary so we will be celebrating!!