The Events Calendar Review: The Missing Piece for Event Management?

There’s a reason why event management is one of the most high paying industries today, and the reason is quite simple: it’s a freaking headache.

Whether you're promoting local meetups, organizing conferences, or just trying to keep your community in the loop, managing events can quickly turn into a mess. This is especially true when you’re handling multiple events at the same time.

But hey, what if there was a way to wrangle all those event details without losing your mind? That’s where The Events Calendar comes in — the WordPress plugin that promises to solve all your woes. 

So, let’s discuss what it can really do. Let’s look at its features, who it's best suited for, and even peek at some recent updates that might just change the game. Let’s find out together if The Events Calendar is really for you.

What is The Events Calendar

So, let’s say you're running a WordPress site and you need to showcase events. Not just any events, but your events — be it a local bake sale, a rock concert, or a wedding (because let’s be honest, what’s a more cost-efficient way of creating a wedding announcement site than WordPress?).

Like the name suggests, The Events Calendar is a powerful WordPress tool designed to help you create, manage, and display events on your site. It provides a user-friendly interface for adding event details, such as date, time, location, and description, while offering various display options to showcase these events attractively on your website.

Who is The Events Calendar For?

Look, everyone attends events. Most people host events. So, The Events Calendar is for everyone. The answer to this question really is any WordPress site owner, especially those looking to incorporate event management functionality.

But, if we’re going a little more in-depth:

• Small businesses organizing local events
• Non-profit organizations promoting fundraisers
• Universities managing academic calendars and campus events
• Event planners and coordinators
• Music venues and theaters showcasing upcoming performances
• Sports teams and leagues displaying game schedules

The Events Calendar: Features

Event Creation and Management

Creating events with The Events Calendar is so smooth, you might actually look forward to it. No kidding! The latest update (version 6.0.0 — we’ll get to this in a bit) has turbocharged this feature. You'll breeze through adding all the essential details including date, time, location, description — you name it, it's got a spot.

Got a recurring event like a weekly quiz night or a monthly book club? Set it up once, and boom, you're done. It's like teaching the calendar to clone your events. But take note that this feature is only available for The Events Calendar Pro.

Even if you're more comfortable with flip phones than smartphones, you'll find the interface easy to use. It's so user-friendly, your technophobe aunt could probably figure it out (no offense to your aunt, of course). This makes event planning more accessible to anyone, no matter if you’re the inviter or the invited.

Flexible View Options

When it comes to displaying events, The Events Calendar adapts to whatever look you're going for. You can look at them using the traditional list or have your calendar be an “actual” calendar with grids.

And it doesn’t even matter if you’re using the free or the pro version, The Events Calendar allows you to add your event on Google Maps. 

Advanced Search and Filtering

The Events Calendar also comes with search and filtering options so powerful, they could probably find Waldo in record time. You can easily filter by category, by location, by date range, by keyword — anything.

For those who have the Pro version, custom fields also open up a whole new world of filtering possibilities. Age groups, skill levels, hell, even cheese preferences — if you can dream it up, you can filter by it. 

This isn't just about making your visitors' lives easier (although it definitely does that). It's about making sure the right people find the right events. Because what's the point of hosting pilates classes if all the MTG (Magic The Gathering) players show up?

WordPress Integration

Think of The Events Calendar as the cool kid at school who knows everyone. Sure, it's awesome on its own, but its circle of friends (read: add-ons and extensions) takes things to a whole new level. 

The Events Calendar has integrations with popular services like Eventbrite and Meetup. It's like having a universal translator for the event world, making sure all your event data plays nicely together, no matter where it comes from. With this ecosystem, your event calendar can grow and adapt as your needs change. 

What’s New With The Events Calendar 6.0?

While their core functionalities remain unchanged, The Events Calendar actually just got a major upgrade in 2022. Version 6.0.0 has dropped, and it has some exciting new features that will make your event-managing even easier. Let's break down what's new:

• New Event Data Storage System: They've overhauled how event data is stored, which means better performance and more flexibility for you. 
• Improved Performance on Calendar Views: Browsing through your events just got smoother. This also makes your website perform better on search rankings.
• Faster Event Creation and Editing: Because who doesn't love saving time? Now you can create and edit events faster than ever.
• Custom Tables: They've added custom tables for event occurrences. There's also a new custom table for events. These changes mean better data organization and quicker access to your event info.

Since this is a big update, The Events Calendar team recommends testing it on a staging site before updating your live site. Better safe than sorry, right?

Why This Update Matters

• Speed Boost: With the new data storage system and improved performance, your events will load faster than ever. It's like giving your site a shot of espresso!
• Future-Proofing: By deprecating legacy views, they're ensuring that you're using the most up-to-date and supported features.
• Developer Friendly: The new custom tables open up more possibilities for developers to create powerful extensions and customizations.
• User Experience: Faster event creation and editing means less time managing events and more time actually enjoying them.

The Events Calendar: Pricing

The Events Calendar offers both free and premium versions:

• Free Version: Includes basic features suitable for simple event management needs.
• Pro Version: Offers advanced features and additional add-ons for more complex requirements.

Pricing for the Pro version typically follows a tiered structure based on the number of sites you need to license and the level of support required:

Note: The above pricing refers to their starter bundle only. They have various options such as build your own bundle with specific tools or a complete bundle set, all with different pricings.

The Events Calendar: Integration

One of the strengths of The Events Calendar is its integration with other WordPress plugins and themes. Some notable integrations (and how you could use them) include:

• WooCommerce: For selling tickets to your events.
• Eventbrite: Sync events with your Eventbrite account.
• Mailchimp: Connect your events to your email marketing campaigns.
• Elementor: Design custom event layouts using the popular page builder.
• Social Media Platforms: Share events directly to various social networks.

The plugin also offers developer-friendly features, allowing for custom integrations and extensions to meet specific needs.

What are the Pros and Cons of The Events Calendar?

So, Should You Get The Events Calendar Plugin?

If you're serious about managing events on your WordPress site and want a solution that can grow with you, The Events Calendar is a no-brainer. It’s event management without the need for an assistant — what more can you ask?

Start with the free version. Play around. See if it fits your style. If you find yourself wanting more, the Pro version is there waiting with open arms and a treasure trove of features. But let me tell you now, for most people, the free version is more than enough.

The Events Calendar offers a flexible and dare-I-say enjoyable way to handle your events. Give it a spin, and who knows? You might just find yourself actually looking forward to updating your event calendar.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go add "Write this review" to my own events calendar.