When you are managing a website that hosts events, published events, or schedules events, you need plugins that can assist in the presentation of all your information. WordPress on its own cannot give you the functionality that you need. You need a plugin that can automate much of what you do, present it on the screen, and put that information in the right place on your website. Because of this, you need to find a plugin that you enjoy using. Each of the plugins on the list is different from the next, and you may want to test them all before you come to a decision.
The Events Calendar
The Events Calendar is a powerful and popular plugin that does most of the work for you. First of all, this is the most popular events plugin on WordPress. If three-quarters of a million sites are running the plugin, you know it is doing something right.
You can display a calendar view of all the events that you have coming up, and you can add the tickets extension that allows people to reserve tickets or buy them right now. This is a very useful feature because you need people to commit to your events in some way. You can show the venues and the organizers for each event, and the user can see the specific information like an address and phone number.
If you are willing to pay for the pro version, you can show your events on the calendar, on the map, or in a list view. Plus, you can add a more advanced ticketing system that allows people to buy tickets to be sent out, mailed, or to be kept at the box office. You can also accept user-submitted events.
You could also take the plugin on step further by using the community events feature which allows you to accept donations for community events, explain what the purpose of the community event, and link to the charity that might be sponsoring the event.
Amelia – WordPress Event Plugin
Amelia is actually a booking plugin. This means that you can put your calendar front and center on your website while allowing people to book the space for specific events. Anyone who comes to your site can see the full calendar so that they know what is going on that day, week, or month. In fact, the user can scroll through your list of events for years to come.
When someone would like to book time in your facility, they cannot book over someone else. The plugin will block any bookings that conflict with something that has already been reserved. You void overbooking and angering your clients. Plus, you can easily see the list of events on your end so that you can prepare.
Your clients can add special notes to each event so that you know what is required at the event, and you can even take payment for event rental through the plugin.
The EventOn Plugin
EventOn is a stylish and modern plugin that brings colorful event management to the screen. Someone who is booking on your site will see the slashing lines of a modern design with bright colors that denote every new booking. The plugin allows your customers to book any time they need for your facility, or you can create events yourself that block out specific bits of time.
If an event goes overnight, it can move into the next day without any loss of functionality. Your users can have an event repeat, and they can schedule the event for as long as they want. Even if the event lasts for a week, that same block of time can be reserved. Plus, you can use the social share button in the free version so that people can learn about the event through social media posts. You can add the event to your calendar by clicking a button, and you can even set up a countdown for the event that people can check on your website.
When you pay for the pro version, you can sell tickets, set up an RSVP invite, and send reminders. You can manage your events, and you let your guests manage their own events on the site.
The Modern Events Calendar
The Modern Events Calendar is the most functional of all the free plugins. Yes, you can purchase a pro version, but you do not need to buy the pro version for many of the functions that you deserve. You can accept submissions on the front end because your customers need to book the site or set up a community event. You can take payments for tickets, and you can even set up the map view so that people know where your events are taking place.
There is a monthly or weekly view that you can use to show your customers all the events that have been set up. You can also turn on the countdown view in the free version, and your customers can see almost everything they need when studying or planning an event.
When you get the pro version, you can add a special weather option that allows your guests to check the forecast. The maps page can generate directions for your guests, and you can add Stripe or PayPal as payment options. This is a good product for local events because your customers can add their own events and even send their visitors to the event with a direction-oriented map.
Event Espresso—Decaf
Event Espresso is a ticketing plugin that will sell tickets to any event, allow your guests to set up a payment system for their tickets, and allows for a number of different ticket styles depending on the event that you are managing. When you set up events in the program, you can see all those events on the calendar. A picture that is associated with the event is displayed, and the dates/times of the event are shown.
Your customers can buy tickets for the event right there in the app, and you can use the program to add features to the app that allow for a variety of ticket styles. You can sell a one-day ticket, a specific event ticket, or a ticket that works for multiple days. You can set up registration forms for each event, and you can even allow people to buy multiple tickets for the same event that are different prices. For example, you may sell tickets for one stage that are premium while another stage at the same event on the same day that are cheaper.
You can set up a check-in list, and you can even use the tax plugin to collect the required taxes for all the tickets that you see. You can even create an invoice for the taxes so that you can send them to the proper agency.
Event Organiser
The Event Organiser is a simple event platform that allows you to set up events, manage events, and let your customers add their own events. This is a simple platform that anyone can use at any time, and it shows a basic calendar view on your website. You can block certain areas on the calendar so that they cannot be overbooked, and you can move on to the pro version that has more powerful functionality.
The pro version allows you to take payments for tickets from a number of different payment platforms, and you can even send emails to customers through the plugin. The best part of this plugin is that you can actually do all these things from the dashboard of your WordPress account. This means that you do not need to dig into the specific page where the plugin was placed. Plus, you will find that the pro version allows you to set up the countdown that people might need to see before the event starts.
Event Calendar WD
The Event Calendar WD plugin was designed as a freemium program that allows you to set up events. You can use the Event Calendar WD, to ensure that all your visitors can create their own events, and even set up the countdown that you need. This program on its own allows you to fill out the calendar with basic information about venues and organizers. If you would like to expand on your calendar, you can get the pro version that allows you to sell tickets.
The pro version will allow you to sell tickets to your events that could be priced on any level, and you can sell tickets to the public that may admit people to different locations at your event. You can sell the tickets through the site, and you can even send reminders about the events to the guests.
When you are in the Event Calendar WD, you can also read everything that is going on in your dashboard. You do not need to go to a special place with a new interface. You can use the integrated maps and directions features to help your guests figure out where each event is located, and you can even add a phone number to call that mobile users can click and immediately dial on their phones.
Conclusion
The events plugins that you use should be chosen based on the sorts of things that are hosted. You may sell your tickets, open your calendar to submissions, or arrange events that last for long periods of time. In every instance, you have complete control of your events, and you can manage everything from the WordPress dashboard.
