Overview of the different event management plugins for WordPress, including The Events Calendar by Modern Tribe, Event Espresso, Events Manager, All in One Event Calendar, EventON, and Event Organiser.
6. What Event Plugins Can Do
• Show events in the order they’re happening.
• Display different event views: calendar, list, grid, map.
• Show extra event information like Google Maps
• Sell tickets to events.
• Import events from other sources.
• Sync with your calendar.
• Export events to people’s calendars.
• Let other people add events and sell tickets.
• Show detailed schedules for all-day events (sometimes).
7. A Few Honorable Mentions
• Just want to show your Google calendar on your site? Try
Simple Calendar.
• Want a timeline of history instead of a calendar of upcoming
events? Try Timeline Express.
• Selling tickets for your WordCamp? CampTix is the way to go.
• Is your band or show on tour? Try GigPress (now owned by
Modern Tribe).
• Show just the event schedule with Timetable and Event
Schedule.
9. The Events Calendar Pros & Cons
Pro
• Straightforward to use.
• Free version is solid.
• Nice range of views
• Wide range of features
available with add-ons.
• Extensive docs/forums.
• Discounts for nonprofits &
special Meetup program.
Con
• No guidance on creating
new views.
• Too much reliance on
templates & not enough on
hooks.
• More expensive than
alternatives: Ultimate
Bundle for 1 site is $499
12. EventON Pros & Cons
Pro
• Low Base Price
• Slick Tile View
• Attractive List View
• Event Seating Add-on
• Event Speaker & Schedule
Add-on
Con
• Almost every feature is a
paid add-on, including many
that are free with other
plugins.
• Total price can = Modern
Tribe.
• No free version.
• No developer license.
15. Event Organiser Pros & Cons
Pros
• Decent free version with
multiple views.
• Handles VAT for Europe.
• Free third-party import tool.
• Popular with my dev friends.
• Add-ons either separate or
bundled.
• £120 Dev package
Cons
• All views but list require
shortcodes.
• No integrations with
ecommerce—sales go
through their plugin.
• Limited number of add-ons.
18. All This for $75 (Sonja London)
Pros
• Multisite & BuddyPress
• Shortcodes for All the
Things
• Approval of tickets, earlybird
tickets and multiple ticket
types.
• Custom fields and custom
registration forms
• Templates for All the Things
• Hooks for All the Things
Cons
• Not enough payment
gateways. In particular, no
Stripe.
• Very little documentation.
20. Event Espresso (Amanda McCoy)
Pros
• LOTS of payment gateways
• Able to create event packages
• Multiple dates for a single
event.
• Fantastic ticketing & attendee
management options
• Integrates w/ MailChimp &
LearnDash
• People add-on for event
speakers
Cons
• Free “Decaf” version lacks
most of the features that make
the plugin stand out
• Payment gateways are paid
add-ons, not included in Pro
• Calendar & grid view are both
paid add-ons ($40 each or
$299 for package with all add-
ons)
21. Stress Care Training (Amanda McCoy)
For a course that repeats at
different locations, a page
with the course description
and a widget listing all
upcoming occurrences.
https://stresscaretraining.org/8-week-course/
22. Stress Care Training Single Event
Single event page includes
ticket purchase on a sliding
scale, map & venue info, and
listing of all the different class
times.
https://stresscaretraining.org/events/2018-8-week-winter-orinda/
24. All in One Event Calendar (Carol Hatcher)
Pros
• Handles any kind of event
feed for import (Carol
created a custom feed)
• Works with membership &
content restriction plugins
• Posterboard, tile, stream,
agenda, week, and month
views
• Superwidget lets you show
one site’s calendar on
another
Cons
• Tickets not included in $99
Core+ bundle
• Venues are a pro add-on
(included in Core+)
• Tickets add-on only works
with PayPal
• Confusing website!
25. AIO on Flying Docs (Carol Hatcher)
One calendar for
members, one
for the public.
Shown in agenda
view.
https://www.flyingdocs.org/calendar/
26. Which Plugin Is Best for What?
Sell with WooCommerce, Eventbrite, & EDD
The Events Calendar by Modern Tribe
Ticketing & Attendee Management
Event Espresso
Bang-for-the-Buck Event Display Flexibility
Events Manager
Cool Add-ons and Slick Visuals
EventON These are not affiliate links and none of the
presenters has a commercial connection
with any of the plugins discussed.
27. The Presenters
Sonja London, Zosime
Amanda McCoy, Amanda McCoy Design
Carol Hatcher, Los Médicos Voladores
Sallie Goetsch, WP Fangirl
You can reach any of us through Meetup.com