Live polls collect structured feedback during a HeySummit session, so attendees can answer without leaving the talk page. Polls are part of the interactive features alongside Chat and Q&A, and can be used with embedded live streams and prerecorded videos when enabled for the event or talk.
Create a poll
Open Audience Tools from your event dashboard and choose Polls, then Create poll. You can also create a poll from the Polls tab in the session’s chat widget using the + button.
In the Poll tab, enter your question and choose the question type. Add answer options or rating settings as needed.
Set how long attendees have to respond and whether results are visible live or after the broadcast. Choose whether a response is mandatory.
Open Scheduling to choose the destination and automatic timing, then create the poll.
Schedule a poll or start it yourself
In Audience Tools, use Choose where this poll appears to select the session, stage or event lobby.
For a session, turn on Schedule automatically and choose a whole number of minutes after its scheduled start. Use 0 to open it at the start, and choose a time before the session ends.
Confirm the schedule when prompted. It runs automatically even when Audience Tools and your browser are closed.
Leave scheduling off to save a draft and use Start poll when you are ready. Lobby polls are started manually.
See Access Audience Tools from Your Event Dashboard for the full preparation workflow, including automatic chat messages.
Manage polls and repeating sessions
The Polls board groups items into Draft, Scheduled, Active and Finished. Use Close poll to stop accepting responses and View results to review a finished poll.
A scheduled poll runs again when its session auto-repeats. Each automatic run has separate responses, so previous results are retained.
Choose Cancel schedule from the poll’s action menu to stop future automatic runs, including repeats. It stays saved as a draft. Cancelling does not close a poll that has already opened.
A poll’s destination can change only before it opens, receives responses or has an automatic execution history. Create a new poll to use it in another session after that.
Automatic activation runs at minute intervals. Check any error shown on the board if a poll does not open; missed polls are not opened after their recovery window expires.
Download poll results
Go to Content & Schedule > Reports > Sessions or Content & Schedule > Reports > Stages. Open the relevant talk or stage date’s row action menu, choose Export Poll Results, select the export settings, and HeySummit emails you a download link when the CSV is ready.
Show or hide polls
For event defaults, go to Event Settings > Event Experience > Talk & Replay Experience and use Hide Polls Tab?.
For one talk, open its Advanced Settings, enable Override Event Interactive Settings? and adjust Hide Polls Tab?.
Public Access talks do not show live chat, Q&A or polls. Use the normal registered-attendee broadcast experience when attendees need to answer polls.