Getting Started with ema
ema is your central hub for managing every aspect of your events — from schedules and speakers to exhibitors, tasks, and documents. This guide walks you through your first steps.
Your ema sign-in URL
Sign in from the URL provided by your organization or event team. What you see after sign-in depends on your role and project access.
Logging In
ema is passwordless by default — you sign in with a code emailed to you, not a password.
- The first time, open your invitation email and click the link — it opens an Accept Invitation page naming the organization. Sign in if asked: enter your email and ema sends a 6-digit code to your inbox. Signing in with that code verifies your address, and confirming with Accept Invitation joins you to the organization.
- On later visits, go to your ema URL, enter your email, and ema sends a fresh 6-digit code to sign in.
- If your organization uses single sign-on (SSO), sign in through your identity provider instead.
If you cannot log in, contact your ema administrator to confirm your account has been created and your role assigned. For the full detail, see Signing in and account access.
Navigating the Dashboard
After logging in, you land on the dashboard. The left sidebar is your primary navigation:
- Projects — browse and switch between active events.
- My Tasks — view work assigned to you across projects.
- Inside a project, Documents and Knowledge Base — shared files and the articles your team has published.
What you actually see depends on your role — each sidebar entry appears only if you have permission to use it. Pages you open from a project (schedules, exhibitors, forms) are scoped to that project, and the top bar shows where you are.
Understanding the Portal Structure
Day to day, you'll work in two signed-in surfaces, plus public pages that need no sign-in. There isn't a separate login per role — everyone signs in the same way and sees the surface their access allows. (Your production team also has a separate, paired on-site surface for running rooms at the venue — see Platform model for the full picture of every surface ema has.)
| Surface | Who it's for | What they do |
|---|---|---|
Admin (/admin) | Event managers, staff, and client organizations | Run and manage events. What you see depends on your role — full event management for organizers; a scoped, mostly read-only view of their own projects for client organizations. |
Me (/me) | Every signed-in person | Personal self-service — profile, registrations, tasks, approvals, and documents — plus role-specific areas: exhibitors and sponsors under Me > Exhibitors, speakers under Me > Talks, and reviewers under Me > Reviews. |
| Public pages | Anyone with the link | Registration forms, floor plans, the knowledge base, and event pages — no sign-in required. |
Exhibitors, speakers, and reviewers don't get separate logins or portals — their area appears inside Me. You only see the areas your access grants you.
Finding Help with the AI Assistant
The AI assistant is available on every page via the chat icon in the bottom-right corner. You can ask it natural-language questions about your event:
- "What sessions are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon?"
- "Which exhibitors haven't submitted their compliance documents?"
- "What's the budget variance for the main stage?"
The assistant searches across your project data and returns direct answers with source references. See the AI Assistant guide for more detail.
Next Steps
- Set up your event schedule
- Design your floor plan
- Create tasks for your team
- Ask your administrator to set up your project
If you are setting up an event rather than just using an existing one, follow Setting Up a New Event.