First Steps Before Adding Events
IN THIS ARTICLE
You may have seen this before, but it's worth repeating: any content you intend to post on your site which has a date - and possibly a time - should be FIRST created as an Event. This will automatically add it to your event calendar. After that, you can link to the event page from anywhere on your site, such as within the main navigation (site map), homepage features, and other pages.
But before you create an event, we recommend reviewing the following steps:
Set Event Categories
These are controlled from the Site Map and will ultimately be the filters you and your customers use to view specific event types. For an admin, these help you manage events - and for a customer, these make it easier to find events. It's okay if you add new categories later, but setting up the basics in advance will make adding events more straightforward.
Read More About Event Categories
Double-check the Year
Before loading up all your events, double-check to see that the year is set correctly in Spark - go to Tools > Site Settings > Year.
Establish Locations
Locations apply to both Events & Businesses. They can be real places with actual street addresses, or local names for stages, play areas, or parks that may not have "official" addresses.
Customize a Template
Creating unique templates is a great way to standardize the layout for specific event types or categories. You're not required to create templates (there's a built-in, default template for new events), but we want you to be familiar with this functionality. Also, be aware that specifying a template other than the default has to be done as an event page is added - templates can't be retroactively applied to existing pages.
Learn More About Building Templates
Consider Importing
If you have a lot of events to add, you might find it easier to use the event importer. At the top of the Events Dashboard look for the 'Import' link, then choose 'Download template'. You can add all of your event data to the spreadsheet then import everything at the same time!
Ready, Set... Go!
After reviewing the steps above, you're ready to begin adding events!