There are a couple of important dates you will need to decide on for your virtual fair, or if you are using Meetings at an in-person fair. These include:

Let's use an "Example Fair" to help us better understand this timeline.

The Example Fair is taking place on September 22nd, it starts at 12pm and ends at 4pm.

Fair Launch Date (Schedule Creation Begins)

This date would align with when you wish to start marketing the fair to candidates. It’s also the date when the employer representative is invited to our platform. They can begin creating schedules and inviting colleagues/teammates at this time. We would recommend setting the launch date several days prior to when you wish to publicize the fair so you have time to review the fair. In this example, we would choose 8/10.

This is the date that candidates can start booking meetings in the system. We recommend setting this date 1-2 weeks prior to the event to give you enough time to market the event to candidates. For our Example Fair on 9/22, we would select this to be 9/8 at 12 pm.

NOTE: Ideally, employer schedules have been created and recruiters have joined the platform by this point, see below.

Booking Window Close Date

One of the first key decisions you will have to make is whether you would like students/candidates to be able to book meetings during the event. If so, set the booking window close date and time to align with the end of the event. (Since our Example Fair on 9/22 ends at 4pm, we would set this to close at 4pm). Here's a video showing you how to set this.

If you prefer to have all the meetings booked prior to the event, then you can leave the Close Date as is. By default, it closes 1 hour prior to the event, so in this case, 11am.

Allowing candidates to book meetings during the event has some advantages and disadvantages. One benefit is that candidates who haven't booked in advance of the fair can still come in and meet with recruiters that have open spots during the event.

The downside is that recruiters may not have a predictable schedule for the event. They will have to continuously monitor their schedule during the fair to ensure they don't miss any new bookings. This requires very clear communication to recruiters, and we have some pre-written copy which you are free to use!

The dates below depict our recommended timeline for an Example Fair on 9/22 at 12pm-4pm.

Date of Fair - 9/22 (12pm - 4pm)
Fair Launch and Schedule Creation Begins - 8/10
Booking Window Open - 9/8 at 12pm

Booking Window Close - 9/22 (11am or 4pm for this fair)