Getting Started as an Admin
Welcome to ema. This guide walks you through signing in, understanding your dashboard, and creating your first project. By the end, you'll be comfortable navigating the admin portal.
Your ema sign-in URL > Admin dashboard
Use the admin URL provided for your organization. After sign-in, your dashboard shows the projects, tasks, and setup actions you can access.
What You'll Learn
- How to sign in and navigate the admin portal
- What each section of the dashboard shows you
- How to use the setup wizards to create your first project
- Where to go for specific tasks like scheduling, exhibitors, and deals
Signing In
Navigate to your organization's ema URL, enter your email, and sign in with the 6-digit code ema emails you — ema is passwordless by default. If your organization uses single sign-on, use the SSO button instead.
After signing in, you'll be taken to the admin dashboard.
Your Dashboard
Once signed in, you'll land on your dashboard. Here's what you're looking at:
| Area | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Summary cards | Overdue tasks, tasks due soon, and unread notifications |
| Task list | Your most urgent tasks across projects — View all opens My Work |
| Activity feed | Recent changes across your projects — View all opens Activity |
| Deadlines and project health | Upcoming milestones, plus a health card for each active project |
| Sidebar | Navigate between projects, tasks, users, and settings |
If you have no projects yet, the dashboard offers Create Project to start the setup wizard. If your access is limited to specific projects rather than the whole organization, you land on Your projects instead (or straight inside the project when you have only one). See Admin Dashboard.
Your First Task: Complete the Setup Wizards
When you first sign in, ema guides you through two setup wizards.
Admin
Confirm organization details, branding, and defaults.
Admin
Add event dates, modules, and initial team access.
Admin and project team
Move into schedule, registration, exhibition, tasks, and content setup.
Tenant Setup Wizard
This runs once when your organization's ema instance is first configured. It walks you through core settings like your organization name, branding, and default preferences. Follow the prompts — everything can be adjusted later in Settings.
Project Setup Wizard
To create your first project, use the guided Project Setup Wizard. It walks you through each step:
- Basic details — project name, dates, and client organization.
- Module selection — choose which modules to enable (schedule, exhibition, registration, etc.). Disabled modules are hidden from all users.
- Team members — invite your team and assign roles that control what each person can see and do.
You can launch the wizard from the dashboard or from Projects in the sidebar. All settings can be changed after creation.
Key Concepts
Before going further, here are a few terms you'll see throughout ema:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Project | A container for an event — holds all schedule, exhibitor, task, and budget data |
| Organization | A company or entity in the system. Clients, exhibitors, and your own team are all organizations |
| Deal | A sales opportunity tracked through a pipeline. Deals can be converted into projects when won |
| Task | A unit of work assigned to a team member, tracked on boards, calendars, or Gantt views |
Where to Go Next
Now that you're set up, explore these guides based on what you need to do:
- Project Setup — Configure your project with rooms, tracks, and settings
- Schedule Builder — Build your event program
- Task Management — Organize work across your team
Use the AI assistant (bottom-right corner) to ask questions about any feature. It has context on your projects and can guide you step by step.
For the full setup sequence after onboarding, follow Setting Up a New Event.