Virtual and hybrid delivery
How to protect access links to a virtual event
The joining link has been emailed to members, and someone has asked what stops it being forwarded to the whole industry.
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The short answer
Protecting access links means deciding how attendees prove they registered, how many people can use one link, who holds the host and speaker links, and when every link stops working.
Security settings differ by platform and plan. Put the questions to your platform supplier and to a qualified IT or security adviser, and do not state a security level to attendees that nobody has confirmed.
Four kinds of link, four different risks
| Link type | Who holds it | Main question |
|---|---|---|
| Attendee link | Registrants | Is it one link for everyone, or does each registrant receive their own? What happens if it is forwarded? |
| Speaker and panellist link | Speakers, moderators | Does it give extra powers such as sharing a screen? Is it sent only to the individual? |
| Host and producer link | Organiser and platform operator | Who holds it, and is it ever pasted into a shared chat or document? |
| Replay link | Registrants or the public | Does it stay open after the event, and who can pass it on? See replay access plan. |
Choices to make with your platform supplier
- Registration first: attendees join only through a registration step, or a link is sent to a list.
- A holding area where an operator admits attendees, if the platform offers one and a person is available to do it.
- A passcode, and whether it is sent separately from the link.
- Whether the platform can restrict the number of devices per registrant.
- How the operator can remove someone and block them from returning.
- Whether each choice is available on your plan. Ask the supplier to point to the vendor documentation.
Handling links in practice
- List every link type and the person who holds each. Keep the host link out of email threads with many recipients.
- Send attendee links only to registered addresses, and send the speaker link individually.
- Decide how late arrivals are checked if a holding area is used, and put a person on that task in the run-of-show.
- Agree when links are deactivated after the event and who does it.
- Check with your privacy owner what attendee data the registration step collects and who may see it.
What to leave to specialists
Whether the platform's controls are strong enough for your content, for example a members-only briefing with confidential material, is for the platform supplier and a qualified IT or security adviser to answer. The organiser's job is to ask clearly and to record the answers.
Worked example · Fictional example
A members-only briefing on a regulatory update
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
The Fictional Pension Fund Managers Association plans an online briefing for about 300 members. The secretariat wants only members to attend.
It asks the platform supplier which registration and admission options its plan includes. It sends each member an individual link, holds the host link with the producer only, and assigns one person to admit attendees from a holding area. The IT adviser reviews the setup the week before. After the event the links are closed and replay is released only to the members' list.
Use this yourself
Access-link security questions
Send to your platform supplier and IT or security adviser, and record the answers. The RFP completeness checker can help turn them into a complete supplier request.
- What registration and admission options does our plan include? Please point to the vendor documentation.
- Can each registrant receive an individual link? What happens if it is forwarded?
- Is a passcode or holding area available, and who operates it during the session?
- How are speaker, host and producer links issued, and how can they be changed if one is shared by mistake?
- How can an operator remove an attendee and prevent them returning?
- Does the platform show who joined, from which device and for how long, and who can see that data?
- When do links stop working after the event, and can we set that date?
- What does the replay link allow, and who can share it?
- Who on our side holds host access, and who is the backup?
- Has an IT or security adviser reviewed the settings for the sensitivity of this content?
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- The event is open to the public and content is not sensitive.
- Your platform supplier already advises on settings.
- Registration and joining are handled by one trusted person.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- The session has members-only or confidential content.
- Several suppliers, speakers and committees hold links.
- A sponsor, regulator or committee has asked for written assurance on access control and the organiser needs the questions routed to the right specialists.
Need the access arrangements coordinated?
A conference project lead can list the link types and holders, put these questions to your platform supplier and IT adviser, and record the agreed arrangements in the run-of-show and joining guide. Platform settings and security advice stay with the specialists you appoint.
Questions organisers ask
Is a passcode enough?
It adds a step, but passcodes are often pasted next to the link. Ask the platform supplier and your IT adviser whether other controls suit the sensitivity of the content.
Should speakers use the same link as attendees?
Check with the platform supplier how roles are assigned. Speaker links usually carry extra permissions, so send them individually and not to a group.
Who should have host access?
As few people as the session needs, with a named backup. Record who holds it and change it if someone leaves the project.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.