WP Event Manager, one of the most comprehensive event management WordPress plugins that will help you to create an event site like Eventbrite or a BookMyShow.
In this article, we will look at how WP Event Manager plugin can make a difference to your event site.
Before we move ahead with the WP Event Manager plugin review, let’s understand about the event business can be a great idea.
Event Business Niche
Event management business is big in modern times. No matter you’re planning for a corporate event, a blogging meetup, or a musical event with some big artist. You will need an event management company to manage your event.
You will need online partners who can spread the word about your event and manage the ticking process.
In case you’re interested in the event business, you can choose different paths. You can create an event management company and manage events for others or you can create an online event portal.
In this business, you’re just managing the events for others and helping them for publicity while the event management company manages all the physical aspects involved with the event.
So, if you find this a great idea; let’s look at how the WP Event Manager can help you.
WP Event Manager Plugin Overview
While the core WP Event Manager plugin is free to use that you can install right from your WordPress dashboard, you can extend the capability of the WP Event Manager plugin with the premium add-ons.
Here are some of the top features of WP Event Manager.
Free Version
- Easy to use
- Submit events from the front-end of your site
- Users can submit events
- Preview of events before it goes live
- Login users can edit, improve or delete their events
- Searchable & filterable ajax powered event listings
- Categorize events as per event types
- Number of template tags and shortcodes to use
- Comprehensive documentation and tutorials
- And a lot more
Premium Add-Ons
- Deep integration of Google Maps
- Display events on the calendar
- Integration of Zoom app for meeting and virtual events
- Ticketing system
- User registration as an attendee
- Color schemes for different event types
- Recurring events
- Event bookmarking option
- And more
We will look at each of these features and how it can help you to improve your event site later in the article.
Getting Started With WP Event Manager Plugin
As already mentioned, the core WP Event Manager Plugin is free to use that you can install right on your WordPress admin dashboard.
Step 1. To install the WP Event Manager Plugin; go your WordPress dashboard and add new plugin. Search for WP Event Manager.
Step 2. Once you activate the plugin, you will get the setup wizard in the next step. You’ve two options, either you can setup the plugin manually or you can run the setup wizard.
Step 3. In the next step, the plugin will show you the important pages that you will need to manage your event site.
1. Post an event: This is the option that will enable the event submission page that can be used by your users to submit events on your site.
2. Event Dashboard: This is the option to enable the event dashboard where all the events can be managed.
3. Events: This is where your users will find all the active events on your site.
Click on the option to Create Selected Pages and proceed.
WP Event Manager Plugin Settings
As the important pages are created, you can go to the settings of the plugin to set up everything per your need.
You will see the plugin option in the WordPress dashboard, go to Event Listings >> Settings.
Event Listing Settings
In the event listing settings, you will find some important settings such as
- How many events you would like to display on a page
- If you would like to hide the canceled events
- If you would like to hide the expired events
- Option to select multiple categories for an event
- Option to select multiple event type selection
- And more
Event Submission Settings
There are a number of important settings in the Event Submission settings options, such as
- If you want to have an open listing option or only for login users
- Allow user account creation
- Default user role selection
- If you wish to moderate the event listing before going live
- and more
Adding A New Event
As the admin of your site, you can add new events like a normal blog post from your WordPress dashboard.
To add a new event, go to Event Listings >> Add New and start adding new events on your site.
You will get the WordPress editing interface like a blog post and you will have all the event related custom fields on the event editing page.
Premium Add-Ons for WP Event Manager
Though the free core plugin is good enough to have a simple event site where you can list your events with all the basic event details, you will need the premium add-ons to make a comprehensive event site.
Let’s look at some of the important premium add-ons.
1. Google Map Add-On
If you wish to have a quality event listing site, you probably understand the importance of Google Maps on your event listing.
The Google Map will help the audience to know more about the exact event location.
Other than making your events look more professional, the Google Map will help the users to search for events using proximity to find events near their location.
It also adds the Google Address autocomplete feature to make things easier for the event attendees.
Showcase All Events on Google Map
If you wish to showcase all the upcoming events on the Google Map, the add-on makes it super simple.
With a single shortcode, you can display all the events on the Google Map.
Here is how it will showup.
2. Calendar Add-On
A calendar is another very important aspect of an event site. WP Event Manager plugin offers you a premium Calendar add-on that you can use on your event site.
Like the Google Map view, it offers you a shortcode to showcase all the events on the calendar. So, users can easily search for events depending the dates.
When you hover over the listing on the calendar, it will display a popup with the event details.
3. Ticketing Add-On
The ticket add-on of the WP Event Manager plugin is powered by WooCommerce.
It is easy and simple to get started. With this add-on, you can completely automate the process of selling tickets on your event site.
It brings along the QR code functionality that will make the check-in process more efficient. Once everything is done the users can download the ticket as PDF.
Also it can send the tickets to email email to the registered attendees.
4. Recurring Events
What about creating recurring events? It will automate the relisting process for the same events. With this add-on, you can relist events that happen at a regular interval.
You can create day to day event, weekly events, monthly events and so on.
5. Zoom Integration
How about live streaming events right on your event site and keep the traffic on your site?
Well, this add-on will integrate the Zoom app with your event site opening a new door for your event business and make it very professional and comprehensive.
You can use the Zoom system for various virtual meetups, event streaming, meetings on your site.
You can display the event-specific meeting details on the single event pages with organizer’s details, duration, date, and timezone of the event.
Sell Tickets for Virtual Events
Situation have changed after the Covid-19 pandemic, and most of the events are happening through the video conferencing system.
The Zoom add-on and the ticketing add-on will make sure that you’re able to sell tickets for your virtual events.
Be it some kind of musical event or your yoga classes, you can easily sell ticket through this system.
More Add-Ons
There are a number of add-ons other than the ones mentioned above.
- Registrations
- WooCommerce paid listing (Manages the paid listing functionality )
- Attendee Information (Compilation of attendees information which attendees has to fill during the registration)
- Event Alerts add-on (Option for visitors to choose if they want to receive alerts for their events.)
- Bookmarks add-on (Helps visitors to save their favorite events)
- Color add-on (Select the color of each event type and category of event listing)
- Sliders (Showcase your events with beautiful sliders)
- Event Tags (Enhancestheir event’s chances to appear on search results)
- Contact Organizers (Enable users to contact event organizers)
- Google Recaptcha (Reduces spam on your event site)
- Google Analytics (Adds the unique Google Analytics code across your website )
WP Event Manager Pricing
As already mentioned above, the core WP Event Manager is free. You don’t have to pay a penny if you wish to have a simple event section on your site.
The price for the premium add-ons ranges from $19 to $99.
- 19$ – Personal License
- 99$ – Developer License
Migrating a Site to WP Event Manager
If you’re already managing an event site and wish to migrate your site to WP Event Manager, you can contact the support team and they will help you out.
Or you can use the WP Event Manager Migration plugin which is a simple and easy to use plugin that will help you to migrate your event site on The Event Calendar, Modern Event Calendar, Events Manager, Meetups, Eventon, Event Expresso to WP Event Manager.
You can get this free plugin here.
WP Event Manager Review- EndNote
WP Event Manager is a newbie-friendly event WordPress plugin. If you’re planning to have a simple event section along with your main site, the free version of the plugin is good enough.
However, if you’re planning a dedicated event site with all the modern features and options, you’ve to go for the premium add-ons.
The plugin will offer 360 degree cover as far as the required features for your event site is concerned.
Please Note: the team is planning to release a free event app that should come out soon. We will update you on that as the app is released.