Group sessions and control how many an attendee can pick. Set rules like "choose 1 of these," "at least 2 of those," or "one per time slot" — enforced automatically at checkout.
For: Organizers · Setup: Session Rule records + Event Settings · Works with: Required Sessions and Min/Max Sessions
Session Rules let you group Sessions and control how many an attendee can select within each group during registration. Reach for them when a simple "required" flag or an overall min/max isn't enough for example, when attendees must choose one session per time slot, or a set number from a track.
A quick example
A university open house runs three campus tours at 10:00 AM, and you want each student to pick exactly one. Create a Time Block rule, turn on Mutually Exclusive, and attach the three tours to it. At registration, students see "Choose 1" above the tours and can select only one — and checkout won't complete until they do.
The two rule types
| Rule type | Groups sessions by… | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Time Block | The same time slot | Stopping double-booking — "choose 1 of the 3 running at 10:00 AM" |
| Content Group | A track or theme (any time) | Curating a path — "at least 2 of the 5 Leadership sessions" |
What a rule can enforce
- Minimum — the fewest sessions an attendee must pick from the group.
- Maximum — the most they can pick.
- Mutually exclusive — only one session from the group (ideal for sessions at the same time).
Checkout is blocked until every rule is satisfied.
On the selection screen, sessions are grouped by their rule with the requirement shown as a heading like "Choose 1." In a mutually-exclusive group, picking a second session simply replaces the first — no cryptic error messages.
Set it up
- Create a Session Rule and choose its Rule Type (Time Block or Content Group).
- Set Min Sessions, Max Sessions, and/or Mutually Exclusive.
- Attach the rule to the Ticket (Event Item) it applies to.
- On each Session, set the Session Rule lookup to add it to the group.
- On Event Settings, turn on Enable Session Rules.
Which session feature should I use?
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Required Sessions | Forces one specific session to be included with a ticket. |
| Min/Max Sessions | Sets an overall floor and/or ceiling on session count per ticket. |
| Session Rules | Groups sessions and enforces min / max / one-of within each group. |
They stack: a Required Session inside a rule group still counts toward that group, and Min/Max limits apply on top.
Make sure your session capacities can satisfy the rules. If every session in a "Choose 1 of 3" group is sold out, attendees won't be able to complete that rule — and therefore can't check out.
For Salesforce admins — objects, fields & permissions
- Session Rule (
Session_Rule__c, new object): Rule Type (Rule_Type__c, Picklist: Time Block / Content Group) · Min Sessions (Min_Sessions__c, Number) · Max Sessions (Max_Sessions__c, Number) · Mutually Exclusive (Mutually_Exclusive__c, Checkbox, default unchecked) · Event Item (Event_Item__c, Lookup) · Description (Description__c, Long Text Area). Field-level security is granted across all six Blackthorn Events permission sets. - Session · Session Rule —
Session_Rule__c(Lookup) — links a Session to its Rule. - Event Settings · Enable Session Rules —
Enable_Session_Rules__c— Checkbox, default unchecked. When enabled, events using this Event Settings record enforce Session Rule constraints during registration.