How AutoSens Ran a 3-Day Global Conference on a Platform Built for Courses
Two weeks to turn an LMS into an event venue.
It started with an event too good to lose to a screen.
Sense Media Events, the team behind AutoSens.
AutoSens runs conferences, training, and research on ADAS and autonomous vehicle technology, curated by technical experts and market tested with engineers so everything delivered stays current. People attend from all over the world to keep up with the technology, share experiences, and meet clients. Deborah Felicio, IT and Systems Manager, owns the technology that runs it all.
But the review that matters came from the attendees.
After a year of virtual events, theirs got called the best.
Everyone who visits our conference website is impressed. After attending countless virtual events in 2020, being called the best tool some users experienced was exactly what we hoped for. We’re known for delivering top in-person events, so replicating that experience online—and doing it with a fast, modern, streamlined platform—was incredible. This success has even inspired us to offer online conference management as a new product. None of this would’ve been possible without the talented developers involved, especially the WisdmLabs team.
How do you move a handshake event onto a screen?
In-person AutoSens set a high bar.
Recreating a live conference digitally meant pre-recorded sessions released at exact times, meaningful interaction for attendees, real visibility for sponsors, and a platform rethought from LMS to event scheduler, all against a conference date already on the calendar.
- A day-by-day itinerary
- Sessions worth saving
- Real-time notifications
- Logos on sessions
- Leads worth nurturing
- A polished platform
The real question
AutoSens built its name on in-person events where people learn, network, and do business. The question was whether a course platform could carry that experience online, with unique digital advantages added, before a date that could not move.
All in all, it came down to these 5 non-negotiables.
Key aspects of the in-person event had to survive the move online, joined by features only digital makes possible.
Everything had to be completed within two weeks, because the virtual conference was already scheduled.
Each pre-recorded session had to release at its specific time, which demanded a custom LearnDash setup.
Attendees needed an environment for meaningful interaction while sponsors nurtured leads effectively.
LearnDash had to become a conference scheduler, complete with an event itinerary and real-time notifications.
Staging it meant teaching an LMS to think in days, not courses.
Eight changes, and the courseware became a venue.
01 · The Program
Three days, laid out like a schedule.
The page layout was customized to display sessions and courses by day, so attendees navigate the three-day schedule the way they would a printed program. LearnDash terminology shifted from courses to conferences throughout, aligning every label with the event context instead of the classroom.
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Day-by-day layout Sessions organized the way the event runs.
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Conference language Courses relabeled to match the occasion.
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Easy navigation A three-day schedule attendees can actually follow.
02 · Sessions That Sell Themselves
Cards that carry the whole session.
An option on the course edit page marks sessions as special courses for future reuse within LearnDash, while a custom template links related sessions through tags and navigation tabs, refreshing tag lists on next and previous. Card-style layouts show each session’s title, short description, speaker details, session time, and sponsor logos at a glance.
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Reusable special sessions Marked once, available for future events.
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Tagged navigation Related sessions linked, lists always fresh.
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Speaker and sponsor cards Every session’s details in one glance.
03 · The Attendee Experience
Event manners for an LMS interface.
Settings now hide elements that belong in a classroom, including the progress bar, and the Mark Complete button was renamed to suit event-specific terminology. A bookmarking feature, integrated through a plugin, lets attendees save favorite sessions and revisit them directly from their profile.
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Course clutter hidden Progress bars and LMS leftovers, gone.
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Event-ready labels Buttons renamed for a conference, not a class.
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Bookmarked favorites Sessions saved and revisited from the profile.
From course platform to conference venue, in fourteen days.
More engagement per session
Support queries, down
Attendees who came back
Quicker content updates
When the conference went live, here's what attendees found.
From hoping it would translate to being called the best.
a course tool, off-label
Sessions structured as courses and lessons
No itinerary, notifications, or bookmarks
Sponsor visibility with no natural home
a conference platform
Days, sessions, and speakers in card layouts
Bookmarks, timed releases, event labels
Sponsors on every session card
Need help with hosting a live event on your LearnDash course platform?
Turn conference days into schedules, release sessions on time, & brand every card with its sponsor, ready for a date that cannot move.
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