Adding Locations

Locations can be added in several ways on MainEvent. This document will outline all of them.

Adding Locations Manually

Locations, locations, locations. You can add locations to your MainEvent site from several loca…..spots on the site. You can use the Add Locations Tool, you can add them while creating an event. But what about those really special locations that you want to really focus on? Well those you can add manually. Let’s do it.

Creating Global Locations

To start manually adding a location to your MainEvent site, click Locations in the Global navigation menu.

You will now be viewing the Global Locations Index page. This index lists all the locations in the system. You can learn about how the index pages function in another section of this document. To begin adding a new location, click Add New Location in the upper right of the page.

This will load the Add Location page. Begin by entering the Location Name.

The first section of the page also lets you assign a Parent Location Chain and Location Chain (if using). Parent Location Chains allows you to create nested chain entries so that subsidiary chains can be tied to their parent chain. These chains are added in the Admin section and instructions on how to apply them can be found in the Admin Instruction Manual.

The second section on the page contains the address information. Try to be as specific as possible, this information will be used to help your staff find the location, as well as in recaps and reporting. It may also help users differentiate between locations with similar or duplicate names.

Next, you will see checkboxes for Location Variables. Location Variables allow you to customize the recap definitions viewed by users if their location meets specific criteria. For example, say you’re running a program at hardware stores. If the hardware store has a garden centre, you have additional questions to ask. If the location doesn’t have a garden centre, those questions are not needed. So, you assign a location variable to the location with a garden centre and the recap definition assigned to those events, and only users working at the store with a garden centre will receive those questions.

To assign a location variable to your location, click on the checkbox. To unassign, click it again.

The final section will contain any active global location custom fields. This section will only exist if you have added global location custom fields in the admin section of the site. These fields will collect information that you want to collect or display that is specific to your program.

When you have completed all sections, click Save. The site will reload to the Location Summary page for the new location.

Creating Client Locations

Locations can also be added from the Client level of the site. To begin adding locations, click Locations in the client-level navigation menu and select Add Locations.

This will load the Add Location page. This page will look similar to that on the global level but will only include Location Variables and Custom Fields that have been activated on the client specifically.

In the first section, add the name of the location. This section also lets you assign a Parent Location Chain and Location Chain (if using). Parent Location Chains allows you to create nested chain entries so that subsidiary chains can be tied to their parent chain. These chains are added in the Admin section and instructions on how to apply them can be found in the Admin Instruction Manual.

The second section on page is the address information. Enter as much information as possible here, this information will be used to help your staff find the location, as well as in recaps and reporting. It may also help users differentiate between locations with similar or duplicate names.

Next, you will assign the Market and Location Type. These settings are client-specific.

Finally, you will see checkboxes for Location Variables. Location Variables allow you to customize the recap definitions viewed by users if their location meets specific criteria. For example, say you’re running a program at hardware stores. If the hardware store has a garden centre, you have additional questions to ask. If the location doesn’t have a garden centre, those questions are not needed. So, you assign a location variable to the location with a garden centre and the recap definition assigned to those events, and only users working at the store with a garden centre will receive those questions.

To assign a location variable to your location, click on the checkbox. To unassign, click it again. Only Location Variables made active in the client admin will be visible here.

The final section will list any active Location Custom Fields.This section will only exist if you have added location custom fields in the admin section of the site. These fields will collect information that you want to collect or display that is specific to your program. Find out more about adding Location Custom Fields by reading the Admin Manual.

Complete any custom fields necessary, then click Save.

The new Location Summary page will load. This page will display all the information that you just input about your new location. This page will also display all events that have been completed at the location or are scheduled for the future.

Add Locations Tool

The Add Locations Tool allows management users to add new locations at the Client level. This tool is only to add locations that are not already within MainEvent. To learn about how to add existing locations to the Parent Program, read about the Claim Locations Tool. To learn how to edit locations, read about the Edit Locations Tool.

Using the Add Locations Tool

Login to the correct Client program. Click Tools in the menu, select Add Location.

This will open the Add Locations Tool page. From this page, users will download the template that will be used to upload the new locations. Click Download Template. The template will automatically download and save to the device's default download folder. Click Continue.

Open the template. The required columns are: Location Name, Address 1, City, State/Province, Postal Code, Territory, and Location Type. Complete the template by entering all necessary information and any additional information available. The information entered in Territory, Location Type, Parent Location Chain, and the Location Chain must correspond exactly with the client-specific value. DO NOT edit any of the column headers, delete any columns, leave a required field blank, put information in a row beyond the last column. Any of these issues will populate an error when uploading the template.

Save the completed template in UTF-8 Comma Separated Value format. This will accommodate any special characters that may be included in the template.

Upload the template to the Upload Edited Template page. Click Choose File and select the appropriate file.

Click Conduct Test. This will test the uploaded template for errors. If the new location information matches all requirements the test will complete with no errors. When the test is completed successfully, click Complete Import to add the new locations.

If any errors are present after running the test, the template will have to be edited and resubmitted until the test is successful. A template with errors present will not be permitted to be uploaded.

Once the upload is completed, the newly added locations will be visible in the Location Index and able to be used when creating new visits.

Creating a Event

From the dashboard navigate to the menu header, click Event and select Add Event.

Event Details

This will open the Event Details page. First, choose the event category. If there is only one active category, it will automatically be assigned to the event. If there are multiple, a dropdown menu allows users to select the correct one.

Then, select the Program for the event. If there is only one active Program on the Client, it will automatically be assigned to the event.

Select the Event Type from the dropdown menu. Event Type can include Conference Call, Retail, Training, Guerilla Parent Event, Event (Large 500+ people), Event (<500+ people) Guerilla Stop, Event (Small >500 people), Product Drop, Retail Guerilla Stop, etc.

Select the Recap to assign to the event. This will be the recap that the Staff Users complete at the end of their event. The correct recap must be selected in this step to ensure that the desired data is collected.

Enter the Event Description in the text field. This description information will be visible on the Event Summary page as well as in the Event Details page on the Staff Portal.

Date & Time

Next, select the Date, Start Time and End Time for the Event. The Date field will default to today's date. Clicking on the field will populate a calendar to allow easy navigation to the appropriate date.

A default Start Time default can be set in the admin menu. Clicking on the field opens a window with toggleable arrows to enter the correct time. The hour field arrows increase by increments of one hour, the minute field by increments of one minute. Clicking on either the hour or minute field will open a quick select window in one hour or five minute increments.

The End Time defaults to 5:00pm. Clicking on the field will also open a window with arrows for easy editing. The hour field arrows increase by increments of one hour, the minute field by increments of one minute. Clicking on either the hour or minute field times directly will open a quick select window in one hour or five minute increments.

Multiple dates can be added in this section. Note, adding multiple dates will create the same Event for each date. Each day will have its own associated recap and scheduling. To add a second date to the Event, click Add Date.

Repeat the Date and Time steps as necessary. As many dates as needed can be added to the Event. To delete a date, click Remove.

Location

Selecting a Location for the Event is the next section on the Event Details page. This is a mandatory step. There are two ways to select the Location for an event, either Search Existing Locations or Add a New Location. Best practice is to search first to avoid duplicate entries in the system. The system default will be to the Search Existing Locations tab.

To Search Existing Locations, enter any or all of the following information: Market, Location Name, Location Street Address, City, State/Province, Location Type. Click Search.

Search results will populate below the Search fields.

Click the correct Location from the results to add it to the Event.

If the correct Location does not appear in the Search Results, it may need to be added to the system. Click Add New Location at the top of the Location box.

Complete the Location information to the fullest extent possible. Clear and complete information will ensure that future searches for the Location yield the proper results and decrease duplication across the site. Fields will include: Location Name, Market, Location Type, Street Address, City, State/Province, Zip.

Shifts/Positions

The final step in creating an event is setup the shifts, if you are using the staffing functionality. The shift(s) can be made to cover the entire event, or smaller segments of a longer event as necessary. Multiple shifts can be created for each event as necessary for the staffing needs of each program.

To create a Shift, first select the RSVP Send Time. This will determine when (or if) invitations for the shifts will be sent to eligible staff. The default send time is Next Daily Digest. This is a globally determined time that all pending shift invitations will be sent to Staff Users. This is the recommended choice as it sends all shift information in a single message and prevents Staff Users from missing messages if many shifts are created in a single day. Other options include: Now (invitations will be sent immediately upon submitting the Event information to the server), Custom Time (Management Users can select the time that they would like to send the invitations), and Don't Send (no invitations will be sent and the shift can be staffed manually). The RSVP Send Time will be applied to all shifts added.

Next, select the Position Type for the Shift. This will vary project to project but may include: Brand Ambassador - PT, Brand Ambassador - FT, Team Lead - PT, Team Lead - FT, Market Manager, Promo Model, DJ, Program Driver, and Costume Character. Make the appropriate selection, click Add Shift.

Note, when selecting the Position Type, only Staff Users assigned to that Position Type will be eligible for staffing the shift. If a Team Lead is going to be assigned to a Brand Ambassador shift, they must also be assigned to the program as a Brand Ambassador.

This will create the Shift Card which lists the Shift Start Time, End Time, and the Override Rate. The Override Rate will default to zero and is to be used for special circumstances only. This Override Rate field will override all other rate fields within the system and should not be used to reflect standard pay rates for Staff Users. The Start Time and End Time fields will default to the Start and End Times of the Event but can be changed as needed. Clicking on either field will open a toggleable clock window which allows for incremental and select options for choosing the time, as when the event time was entered.

Click Submit to create the Event.

The Event Summary page will automatically load following submission of the Event Details. From here, users can assign staff to shifts, view all recaps and claim submissions, access uploaded media, edit the details, lock claims, (un)approve and lock recaps, cancel the event, set a missed reason (providing the date has passed and no recap has been submitted), get directions and upload documents.