def _createSessionObject(self, sessionForm):
        """Create Session object, returning SessionForm."""
        # make sure user is authenticated
        user = endpoints.get_current_user()
        if not user:
            raise endpoints.UnauthorizedException('Authorization required')

        # get the conference
        conf = ndb.Key(urlsafe=sessionForm.websafeConferenceKey).get()
        if not conf:
            raise endpoints.NotFoundException('No conference found with key: %s' % sessionForm.conferenceKey)

        # check ownership
        if getUserId(user) != conf.organizerUserId:
            raise endpoints.ForbiddenException('Only the organizer of this conference can add sessions.')

        # copy SessionForm/ProtoRPC Message into dict
        data = formToDict(sessionForm, exclude=('websafeKey', 'websafeConferenceKey'))
        # check required fields
        for key in Session.required_fields_schema:
            if not data[key]:
                raise endpoints.BadRequestException("'%s' field is required to create a session." % key)

        # convert date string to a datetime object.
        try:
            data['date'] = datetime.strptime(data['date'][:10], "%Y-%m-%d").date()
        except (TypeError, ValueError):
            raise endpoints.BadRequestException("Invalid date format. Please use 'YYYY-MM-DD'")

        # convert date string to a time object. HH:MM
        try:
            data['startTime'] = datetime.strptime(data['startTime'][:5], "%H:%M").time()
        except (TypeError, ValueError):
            raise endpoints.BadRequestException("Invalid date format. Please use 'HH:MM'")

        if data['duration'] <= 0:
            raise endpoints.BadRequestException("Duration must be greater than zero")

        if data['date'] < conf.startDate or data['date'] > conf.endDate:
            raise endpoints.BadRequestException("Session must be within range of conference start and end date")

        data['speaker'] = Speaker(name=data['speaker'])
        # ask Datastore to allocate an ID.
        s_id = Session.allocate_ids(size=1, parent=conf.key)[0]
        # Datastore returns an integer ID that we can use to create a session key
        data['key'] = ndb.Key(Session, s_id, parent=conf.key)
        # Add session to datastore
        session = Session(**data)
        session.put()

        # Add a task to check and update new featured speaker
        taskqueue.add(
            params={'websafeConferenceKey': conf.key.urlsafe(), 'speaker': session.speaker.name},
            url='/tasks/set_featured_speaker'
        )

        return session.toForm()