Modern Events Calendar is a fully-loaded event plugin that has a ton of capabilities. In this blog post, I will give you general instructions on how to manage your event calendar. If you are new to WordPress and need basic instructions on managing the site before you can conquer Modern Events Calendar, you can head over to these two blog posts, depending which platform your website was designed on: How to Use a WordPress Site Designed with WP Bakery or How to Use a WordPress Site Designed with Divi 3.0.
Assuming you already know how to navigate WordPress, we will move on to the fun stuff. To access your calendar's general settings, click M.E. Calendar in the left panel on your dashboard to extend the panel and view all your event and calendar settings.
Here, you can start adding your first event. Add a title in the title box, and then add your event description in the large box below the title.
Date and Time
Scroll further to find the rest of the event details and settings. Add your start date and time, as well as your end date and time if applicable. If there is no end time and you would like to hide that, check the box that says "hide event end time" below. You can also choose to display the event as an "all day event" by checking that box.
Repeating Events
If you have a repeating event that might take place every second Wednesday of the month, or every 5th of the month, click on the tab "Event Repeating" on the left. Check the box that says "Event Repeating" to display all your settings. You can then select which option you are looking for from the drop down.
Hourly Schedule
If you have an event that takes place over multiple days, such as a conference, click on "Hourly Schedule" on the left to adjust those settings. Click "Add Day", title the day, and add your schedule of events for that day.
Location/Venue
All events should have a location! Click the "Location/Venue" tab on the left. Click on the dropdown option that automatically says "Hide Location" and select "Insert New Location". You will now have boxes to input information. It is important to include the name of the location, the full street address, and the latitude and longitude coordinates if you would like a map to show up on your event page. This map also allows for users to click on it for directions on their phone. An event image is optional. The best part about this feature is that it will automatically save the location for future use. This location will always appear again in this dropdown when adding a new event.
Website Links
If you have websites that you would like users to be able to visit when on your event page, click "Links" in the left panel. Here, you can add a website for the event and a website for "more info".
Organizer/Sponsor/Speaker
If your event has an organizer, sponsor, or speaker, the "Organizer" tab on the left would be the place to input that. Click on the dropdown menu that automatically says "Hide Organizer" and select "Insert New Organizer". Fields will show up where you can input this information. Add their name, email, phone number, link to their personal page, and any other information that might be helpful. Just like adding locations, this information will be saved for adding future events, so if you have another event later in the month hosted or organized by the same person/company, you won't have to add all this information in again.
Cost
If your event has a price attached to it, click the "Cost" tab on the left and input the price. Type "Free" if you want the page to state that this is a free event. If you don't want cost to show up at all, skip this step.
Event Category
To the right of the page, you will see a small box that says Categories. This is helpful if you would like users to be able to search for a specific type of event. Click "Add New Category". All the categories you create will be listed here for future events and you will be able to simple check off a box to select one (or more).
Event Color
Below "Category", there is a section to select a color for your event. This color appears on the calendar itself and is used to highlight the day of the event to show that there is an event taking place. We recommend either choosing the same color for all events to keep consistency (whichever color matches your website best).
Event Image
If you would like to dispIay an image for your event, click on "Featured Image" in the panel below "Event Color". Upload your image.
If you are using the Booking Extension to allow users to register for your event or to buy tickets, scroll a little further to the "Booking" box.
Booking Limit
This section allows you to set a maximum number of tickets or spots that can be sold or registered. If it is unlimited, check that box. If you are selling a series of events and tickets will be sold for all occurances (such as a weekly class", select the "Sell all occurances" box.
Tickets/Register
If you would like to add tickets to your event, select "Tickets" on the left panel. Click "Add Ticket" and add a title to your ticket. You may have preferred seating if you are selling tickets to a concert or show, so you will want to add multiple tickets such as VIP and General Admission. Add a time, description, how many are available, a price, and a date and time that tickets are no longer for sale. If you do not wish to sell tickets but simply want users to register, we suggest typing "Register" for the title of the ticket to make it clear to users that they are just letting you know they plan to attend your event. This will let them type in a number of people, a name, and an email address.
When you're done, please scroll to the top right corner of the page and click the blue "Publish" button to post your event on your calendar. If you don't want it to go live yet, you can click "Save Draft" instead and finish editing/publish it later. If you would like to preview the event page to see what it looks like first, click "Preview" and a page will open in a new tab in your browser displaying your event page.
Tell us what you think!