TOPIC:

I am releasing the new Meeting Venues feature. This is something I have been working on for a few months off and on. It has been on my "to-do" list for a while. This should be considered an optional, intermediate level feature as it may require the use of Webpage Variables to get the full value out of it, depending on your use case.

Essentially, this is targeted for clubs that meet in multiple meeting venues (e.g. dinner clubs), clubs that use a different meeting venue for special occasions, and corporate clubs that have to juggle conference rooms for their club meetings. Additionally, it will allow you (and I) to much more easily put meeting venue information in new places, such as in web pages.

The overall objective with this feature was to add some additional "smarts" to the system regarding meeting venues beyond what you get by just having the basic Meeting Information / Directions page which is fine for most clubs that only meet in one single location.

I will cover the specifics of this new feature in the rest of this thread.

When you use the dated Agenda Editor, you will see that you now have access to a new drop-down and related buttons in the Agenda Setup tab:


If you have previously entered Meeting Venues, you can use the drop-down to select one of those for your meeting.


If you hover the mouse cursor over the options, you will see the venue address that you previously entered.

If you need to create a new Meeting Venue, click the plus button. If you need to edit the currently selected Meeting Venue, click the pencil button. The trash can button deletes the currently selected Meeting Venue and the globe button pulls up your meeting venue on a Google Map.

Here is what the Add/Edit Meeting Venue dialog looks like... This is used both for creating new Meeting Venues and Editing Existing Ones.


This dialog is also used for uploading a meeting venue photo or selecting a previously uploaded photo as your meeting venue photo.


The globe button pulls up your meeting venue on a Google Map.

Once you have selected a Meeting Venue for your meeting in the dated Agenda Editor, the system can make use of the meeting venue information in other places. For example:

On the Meeting Sign-up Screen:

---

In Emailed Agendas:

---

In Web Pages using Web Page Variables:

One place I have not yet added this to is the printed agendas. The TM Layout for Printed Agendas has a spot on the left for a "Location". I could set that to the Meeting Venue Address if a venue was selected. (Otherwise, just use the current text as the fall back.)

I have also not added the Meeting Venue Selection Drop-down to the Agenda Templates Editor. Not sure if I should add it there or not.

Let me know your thoughts. Also... let me know if you run into any issues with this. (It is new stuff, after all. )

Thank you Steve! This is awesome! I love the idea, except it is not yet working. I have two clubs that change meeting venue every month. Again, awesome idea, once it is working...

Linda did you click the reload at the bottom of your site?

LindaMann wrote:

I love the idea, except it is not yet working.

I need more specifics than just saying "it is not yet working". ... It is new code, so there is certainly a higher risk that it may have issues, but I cannot know where to look to resolve problems unless you can give me specifics....

1. What screen are you looking at?

2. What action are you trying to do?

3. What did you expect to see/happen?

4. What actually happened?

Screen captures are always helpful.

Yes I did Brian

I went to the current agenda;
I clicked to update agenda
Went into add where we will meet, with restaurant address and name of restaurant and logo and phone number
I also added the Toastmaster with phone number in the notes section
I clicked save and the photo is in the images of course, because I added that, but nothing I save in this format is saved. When I exit out, I go and click the box to see what is showing, and nothing shows up. Meaning the new meeting box is still empty

I tried to be as detailed as I can. I hope it all makes sense Steve...

Linda, I think this should be fixed now. Can you please confirm?

Also, I added the phone number to the Meeting Venue information.

Thanks for your assistance on this!!!

It is awesome! Working AOK.... I do not understand the photo bit though... I click to add but there is no photo showing... I guess that is something still in the works. That is cool! This whole feature is awesome for clubs that need to show a venue change.

Again, Thank you; Thank you; Thank you very everything! I love the phone number of venue too.... For those clubs that the VPofE wants it, they can have it if they use the agenda online... :0)

Let me look at the photo part some more.

LindaMann wrote:

I love the phone number of venue too.... For those clubs that the VPofE wants it, they can have it if they use the agenda online... :0)

The phone number should show up in the emailed agendas, also, right after the venue address.

SteveTheTechie wrote:

LindaMann wrote:

I love the phone number of venue too.... For those clubs that the VPofE wants it, they can have it if they use the agenda online... :0)

The phone number should show up in the emailed agendas, also, right after the venue address.

....and it does

Thank you

LindaMann wrote:

....and it does Thank you

Ok, good. Lets keep exploring how to improve the formatting in places where the meeting venue info is inserted. I do have a concern that a 3 or 4 line address (or long address lines) will look a bit wonky.

SteveTheTechie wrote:

LindaMann wrote:

....and it does Thank you

Ok, good. Lets keep exploring how to improve the formatting in places where the meeting venue info is inserted. I do have a concern that a 3 or 4 line address (or long address lines) will look a bit wonky.

I was thinking that it was a bit wordy myself... I was thinking maybe make the letters smaller, but if people can't read it, that would be no good.

What about making a link that states directions that goes to google maps

LindaMann wrote:

What about making a link that states directions that goes to google maps

Well, the address should be linked and go to Google Maps now.... are you thinking of something different?

SteveTheTechie wrote:

LindaMann wrote:

What about making a link that states directions that goes to google maps

Well, the address should be linked and go to Google Maps now.... are you thinking of something different?

I am thinking instead of showing the whole address, maybe just the restaurant name and have that go to Google Doc's

LindaMann wrote:

SteveTheTechie wrote:

LindaMann wrote:

What about making a link that states directions that goes to google maps

Well, the address should be linked and go to Google Maps now.... are you thinking of something different?

I am thinking instead of showing the whole address, maybe just the restaurant name and have that go to Google Doc's

Ok, I see what you mean. Do you think that showing the address has little value?

SteveTheTechie wrote:

LindaMann wrote:

SteveTheTechie wrote:

LindaMann wrote:

What about making a link that states directions that goes to google maps

Well, the address should be linked and go to Google Maps now.... are you thinking of something different?

I am thinking instead of showing the whole address, maybe just the restaurant name and have that go to Google Doc's

I think showing the name of said place of meeting means more and then having that possibly link to Google doc's

Or even an image of the venue or whatever a person places there to show....

Ok, I see what you mean. Do you think that showing the address has little value?

I have a question on another issue a fellow member brought up to me...

You know that blue bar at the top of the screen with Toastmasters in there... He suggested, instead of showing the blue bar, maybe having a smaller image, with Toastmasters inside... Such, is it possible to just a third of the line? I guess he is right... It does take a lot of color

LindaMann wrote:

I have a question on another issue a fellow member brought up to me...

You know that blue bar at the top of the screen with Toastmasters in there... He suggested, instead of showing the blue bar, maybe having a smaller image, with Toastmasters inside... Such, is it possible to just a third of the line? I guess he is right... It does take a lot of color

Cannot change that... It is what was approved by TM WHQ Marketing department. They actually wanted it to be a bit bigger...

(Back to the topic of this thread.)

The new {{nextmtgvenuemap}} and {{nextmtgvenuephoto}} variables return an iframe and a photo image, respectively, that will take up 100% of the available width, by default.

I realize that you may not want it to be 100%, so here is how to deal with this...

What you do is put these variables in a "<div>...</div>" block via the editor's Source View.... For example:

1. To make the Google Map be half of the available width, insert

   <div style="width:50%">{{nextmtgvenuemap}}</div>

   in Source View.


2. To make the venue photo be half of the available width, insert

   <div style="width:50%">{{nextmtgvenuephoto}}</div>

   in Source View.

Doing this allows you to override the default 100% that is used in the HTML elements that the code replaces the variables with.

We probably wont need to use this in our club, but i see the need for it. Thanks for your time improving the site.

Thanks
TIM